WIP
The Conclave is, shockingly, ruled by the Conclave. A group of representatives of the disparate tribes of the desert, forming a group of individuals, overwhelmingly made up of Echidnas. These group elect one single representative, with the understanding that said representative can be removed at any time should the council be displeased with them. Normally though, the representative will rule for life- unless they are an Efrit, in which case a limit of 50 years is placed on how long they may rule. Once a person is removed, dies, or runs the maximum limit, a new one is elected from the council.
Practically however, the individuals within the Conclave are ruled by tribal leaders. Always Echidnas, they maintain the day-to-day wellbeing of the people, and are roughly equivalent to a minor lord or mayor in other countries. These tribal leaders are known as 'Massadins,' and are also the local religious leaders in communities.
This should be more just a claim of your location. Talk about the climate, terrain, and important locations in your country. Specifically mention major cities and your capital. Bonus points if you have an internal map that includes highways.
Within the Conclave, there are three distinct peoples, all of whom come under the broad brush that is the 'Dinnin,' or 'chosen.' The most common, as they are in most countries, are humans. Dinnin humans tend to be dark skinned, and wear long, loose-fitting garbs in order to stay cool in the desert sun. Most notably in Dinnin garb is their bright-coloured headwraps, or chafiye. Versatile clothing pieces, they can be worn as headscarves, turbans, kerchiefs, facewraps, bandannas and much, much more.
The second most numerous race that makes up the Dinnin people are the lamias. Lamias are, quite simply, 'snake centaurs.' They have the top half of humans, apart from a wide, cobra-like hood around their neck, which can be pulled in somewhat, but their 'waist' blends the human and snake together into a thick tail. Sequestered in their arid lands, they are well developed for life under the hot sun. Their scales assist in reflecting light and heat away from them, and their dark skin, with just a hint of bronze means that they never burn or suffer the ill-effects of constantly being exposed to direct heat. Their necks sport a most odd development- a wide, cobra-like hood that helps radiate heat away from their body, and contains excess water, meaning they can avoid drinking for long periods of time if they must.
However, they are very vulnerable to chillier temperatures. The same hoods that radiate heat away from them do so in the cold as well, and covering them up is no easy feat, even when pulled in close to the neck. Furthermore, they're simply not suited to the cold- their scales feel odd and they move much less gracefully over snow than they do loose-packed dirt or sand.
Ambush predators, they also lack the stamina an average human have, but make up for it in other ways. With fast reflexes and powerful leg muscles, they can put on bursts of speeds in excess of 40 kph, although they cannot maintain this for long. Some lamia heroes have been known to easily break speeds of 80-90kph, and they can curl themselves up and launch themselves forward in a stationary 'lunge' that almost doubles their effective reach.
All of this comes at a cost however. Lamias are voracious eaters. A lamia will never be fat, simply because their metabolism works at a rate much faster than any other race. Food is broken down in order to maintain the dramatic amount of muscles in their tail, and keep them moving at an acceptable speed.
Lamias also have a curious offshoot, Echidnas. Known as 'mother snakes,' an Echidna normally has much darker (often close to black,) scale colouration, rather than the silvery-white most lamias have, but even more curiously, their tail splits in two. Echidnas are considered spiritual and political leaders, and are always held in extremely high regard throughout the country. An Echidna being born is a time for celebration.
By and large, the average lamia and the average human will do very much the same thing, however there is a third, almost nonexistent race. The Efrits. Efrits are the children of Echidnas and the Ifriits, the peoples that are worshipped throughout the conclave. Ifriits are a mysterious creatures- rarely appearing in settlements, and drifting off again. Nobody has seen one die, or be born, and only very rarely do they interact with mortals. Their children are the Efrits, capricious, powerfully magical, extraordinarily rare and very long lived. The oldest Efrit was more than 300 years old when they died, however most Efrits can live anywhere from 170-240 years. Efrits can be made out by their charcoal black skin, firey veins and blazing hair.
Dinnin life is based around loose groups of clans, or families. Each clan contains anywhere from 15 to 60 or more, with the largest clans often breaking three figures. Clans will also have clan 'hangers on,' who work with the clan, but are not of the clan, such as caravan guards for a merchant clan. Clans are tight-knit affairs, but all stem from 12 original tribes, who put forward their members into the Conclave.
The conclave have a unique fighting style. On the defensive, they will bury themselves in the sand- often literally, waiting days in ambush, sipping water and taking the barest bites of food before unleashing a barrage of arrows, rocks and magic at their foes. Light cavalry is well trained and well utilised- the light, agile horses that the Dinnin use proving equally useful for traversing the desert as they are for riding into battle. On the occasion that an Efrit joins combat, flashes of flames and supercharged air will rain down on the foes of the Conclave.
Another tactic that the Dinnin use is that of chariot warfare. Dinnin chariots are normally made from wicker, and have two people manning them- one the 'steerer' of the horses, and often carries a crossbow, the other the main fighter, normally throwing javelins or using a bow. In close combat, the chariot might have blades attached to the wheels, or use the traditional Dinnin blade, a curved edge sword that also has a nasty blunted area that works as an effective bludgeon. An experiences swordsman can catch blades and parry effortlessly, however its reach can be detrimental.
Superior Hero:
Efrit Manetho Khoransi. One of the most powerful magical users in the Conclave, and an experienced fighter without his magic. Manetho stands at roughly six foot one tall, and has the same coal-black skin that his fellow Efrits have, with his veins standing out as looking like blazing rivers along his skin. His eyes are ember-red, and he is a curious mix of hero, spiritual leader and warrior-general. Experienced in the use of curved blades, javelins and magic, he has taken on more than two hundred men consecutively in ritual combat, tapping out when nobody else was willing to fight against him any more. He is not aligned to a clan, as is the case with all Efrits.
Lamia Miafit Gilani. Lamias always stand tall, and Miafit is no exception. Although normally standing at around five foot eleven, when fully raised onto her tail, she towers above almost everyone else in the kingdom at close to eight foot six. Unlike the vast majority of lamias, she has a curious vestige from her reptilian past- a pair of long, curved fangs that can inject a powerful necrotic venom. The High Priestess of the Dinnin people, her powers granted by the Ifriits can be a shockingly devastating force on the battlefield. Aligned with the Mistarifi clan, who occupy a special place as priests and priestesses.
Human Armin El Sayed. A man who has risen to glory with nothing but his own skill, Armin stands at about five foot eight tall, much shorter than the other two heroes. This is not to say that he should be underestimated, as he has a keen tactical mind and an equally keen sword arm, hewing through men like they were wheat to a scythe. Allied with the Zafwakin clan, formerly a minor clan that has been elevated to a higher position thanks to him.
A brief history of your country is fine, so long as you cover the last 20 or so years. I’m looking for more of a summary of important events than list of dead monarchs.
How does your country interact with its neighbors. I am not looking for a list of exports and imports, but feel free to add them if you want. At bare minimum I want a listed rival here, another country that yours viewed as an enemy and actively worked against during the past twenty or so years.
Optional section. Put any info about any characters here. Examples of this would be your kings or queens, military leaders, and non-hero “badasses”. You can also put more detailed info of your heroes here as well.
The Conclave of the Sands
Government
The Conclave is, shockingly, ruled by the Conclave. A group of representatives of the disparate tribes of the desert, forming a group of individuals, overwhelmingly made up of Echidnas. These group elect one single representative, with the understanding that said representative can be removed at any time should the council be displeased with them. Normally though, the representative will rule for life- unless they are an Efrit, in which case a limit of 50 years is placed on how long they may rule. Once a person is removed, dies, or runs the maximum limit, a new one is elected from the council.
Practically however, the individuals within the Conclave are ruled by tribal leaders. Always Echidnas, they maintain the day-to-day wellbeing of the people, and are roughly equivalent to a minor lord or mayor in other countries. These tribal leaders are known as 'Massadins,' and are also the local religious leaders in communities.
Geography
This should be more just a claim of your location. Talk about the climate, terrain, and important locations in your country. Specifically mention major cities and your capital. Bonus points if you have an internal map that includes highways.
Culture
Within the Conclave, there are three distinct peoples, all of whom come under the broad brush that is the 'Dinnin,' or 'chosen.' The most common, as they are in most countries, are humans. Dinnin humans tend to be dark skinned, and wear long, loose-fitting garbs in order to stay cool in the desert sun. Most notably in Dinnin garb is their bright-coloured headwraps, or chafiye. Versatile clothing pieces, they can be worn as headscarves, turbans, kerchiefs, facewraps, bandannas and much, much more.
The second most numerous race that makes up the Dinnin people are the lamias. Lamias are, quite simply, 'snake centaurs.' They have the top half of humans, apart from a wide, cobra-like hood around their neck, which can be pulled in somewhat, but their 'waist' blends the human and snake together into a thick tail. Sequestered in their arid lands, they are well developed for life under the hot sun. Their scales assist in reflecting light and heat away from them, and their dark skin, with just a hint of bronze means that they never burn or suffer the ill-effects of constantly being exposed to direct heat. Their necks sport a most odd development- a wide, cobra-like hood that helps radiate heat away from their body, and contains excess water, meaning they can avoid drinking for long periods of time if they must.
However, they are very vulnerable to chillier temperatures. The same hoods that radiate heat away from them do so in the cold as well, and covering them up is no easy feat, even when pulled in close to the neck. Furthermore, they're simply not suited to the cold- their scales feel odd and they move much less gracefully over snow than they do loose-packed dirt or sand.
Ambush predators, they also lack the stamina an average human have, but make up for it in other ways. With fast reflexes and powerful leg muscles, they can put on bursts of speeds in excess of 40 kph, although they cannot maintain this for long. Some lamia heroes have been known to easily break speeds of 80-90kph, and they can curl themselves up and launch themselves forward in a stationary 'lunge' that almost doubles their effective reach.
All of this comes at a cost however. Lamias are voracious eaters. A lamia will never be fat, simply because their metabolism works at a rate much faster than any other race. Food is broken down in order to maintain the dramatic amount of muscles in their tail, and keep them moving at an acceptable speed.
Lamias also have a curious offshoot, Echidnas. Known as 'mother snakes,' an Echidna normally has much darker (often close to black,) scale colouration, rather than the silvery-white most lamias have, but even more curiously, their tail splits in two. Echidnas are considered spiritual and political leaders, and are always held in extremely high regard throughout the country. An Echidna being born is a time for celebration.
By and large, the average lamia and the average human will do very much the same thing, however there is a third, almost nonexistent race. The Efrits. Efrits are the children of Echidnas and the Ifriits, the peoples that are worshipped throughout the conclave. Ifriits are a mysterious creatures- rarely appearing in settlements, and drifting off again. Nobody has seen one die, or be born, and only very rarely do they interact with mortals. Their children are the Efrits, capricious, powerfully magical, extraordinarily rare and very long lived. The oldest Efrit was more than 300 years old when they died, however most Efrits can live anywhere from 170-240 years. Efrits can be made out by their charcoal black skin, firey veins and blazing hair.
Dinnin life is based around loose groups of clans, or families. Each clan contains anywhere from 15 to 60 or more, with the largest clans often breaking three figures. Clans will also have clan 'hangers on,' who work with the clan, but are not of the clan, such as caravan guards for a merchant clan. Clans are tight-knit affairs, but all stem from 12 original tribes, who put forward their members into the Conclave.
Military
The conclave have a unique fighting style. On the defensive, they will bury themselves in the sand- often literally, waiting days in ambush, sipping water and taking the barest bites of food before unleashing a barrage of arrows, rocks and magic at their foes. Light cavalry is well trained and well utilised- the light, agile horses that the Dinnin use proving equally useful for traversing the desert as they are for riding into battle. On the occasion that an Efrit joins combat, flashes of flames and supercharged air will rain down on the foes of the Conclave.
Another tactic that the Dinnin use is that of chariot warfare. Dinnin chariots are normally made from wicker, and have two people manning them- one the 'steerer' of the horses, and often carries a crossbow, the other the main fighter, normally throwing javelins or using a bow. In close combat, the chariot might have blades attached to the wheels, or use the traditional Dinnin blade, a curved edge sword that also has a nasty blunted area that works as an effective bludgeon. An experiences swordsman can catch blades and parry effortlessly, however its reach can be detrimental.
Heroes
Superior Hero:
Efrit Manetho Khoransi. One of the most powerful magical users in the Conclave, and an experienced fighter without his magic. Manetho stands at roughly six foot one tall, and has the same coal-black skin that his fellow Efrits have, with his veins standing out as looking like blazing rivers along his skin. His eyes are ember-red, and he is a curious mix of hero, spiritual leader and warrior-general. Experienced in the use of curved blades, javelins and magic, he has taken on more than two hundred men consecutively in ritual combat, tapping out when nobody else was willing to fight against him any more. He is not aligned to a clan, as is the case with all Efrits.
Lamia Miafit Gilani. Lamias always stand tall, and Miafit is no exception. Although normally standing at around five foot eleven, when fully raised onto her tail, she towers above almost everyone else in the kingdom at close to eight foot six. Unlike the vast majority of lamias, she has a curious vestige from her reptilian past- a pair of long, curved fangs that can inject a powerful necrotic venom. The High Priestess of the Dinnin people, her powers granted by the Ifriits can be a shockingly devastating force on the battlefield. Aligned with the Mistarifi clan, who occupy a special place as priests and priestesses.
Human Armin El Sayed. A man who has risen to glory with nothing but his own skill, Armin stands at about five foot eight tall, much shorter than the other two heroes. This is not to say that he should be underestimated, as he has a keen tactical mind and an equally keen sword arm, hewing through men like they were wheat to a scythe. Allied with the Zafwakin clan, formerly a minor clan that has been elevated to a higher position thanks to him.
History
A brief history of your country is fine, so long as you cover the last 20 or so years. I’m looking for more of a summary of important events than list of dead monarchs.
Relations
How does your country interact with its neighbors. I am not looking for a list of exports and imports, but feel free to add them if you want. At bare minimum I want a listed rival here, another country that yours viewed as an enemy and actively worked against during the past twenty or so years.
Characters
Optional section. Put any info about any characters here. Examples of this would be your kings or queens, military leaders, and non-hero “badasses”. You can also put more detailed info of your heroes here as well.
