Tales Of A Gilded Throne- NS

[Celeste]

House Name: House Celeste

Head of House: Tomas Celeste II

Specialty: Despite the many centuries of dynastic changes and usurpations, the name of Celeste continues to be this ancient house's most valued treasure, and its mightiest weapon, to this very day. Although the Prince in the Saltflower is not lacking in coin, halberds or warships, all three pale in comparison to the influence that the Celestes' reputation has given them over the nobles, merchants, mercenaries and bankers of the known world for the past generations.

The Celestes have close ties to several houses, many of whom have willingly played the part of House Celeste's puppets in the past, and are friends to all the great banks and guilds, who trust them to always honour their debts and be generous to those in need. They can hire the most expensive mercenaries and corsairs with mere promises of payment, and it has often been said that, if he wished to, the Prince in the Saltflower could easily persuade many of the bannermen of houses greater than his to swear fealty to him.

Since the reign of Tomas the Great, the power of House Celeste's prestige has been embodied by the Saltkisses. These coins, made of turquoise glass, are crafted by the Glassmakers' Guild of the Saltflower. Featuring the white betta fish and saltflower of the Celestes, they are given to members and servants of the house as proof of their fealty. So long as they speak the words 'juvelo maraĵa', anybody who carries a Saltkiss may request protection, food, coin, transport, and even luxury goods from any friend of House Celeste. Because of how valuable they are, Saltkisses cannot be bought or sold, and House Celeste harshly punishes those found carrying a Saltkiss without their approval.

In short, the Celestes are one of Elyden's most respected and trusted houses, renowned for their virtue and good judgement. Few men doubt their honesty, and even fewer would willingly become their enemies, aware that to do so would mean undermining their own reputation. Most sovereigns who seek to improve their standing in Elyden, and swell their ranks and coffers, know that the Celestes are the ones to turn to.

Ancestral Weapon: The Coral Mask, made from white gold, coral, dyed saltstone and lapislazuli, with a long cloak of turquoise sea silk. It is said to have been crafted by mermaids and wielded by Zehyrine the Water Dancer, a hero of the Brava Celestes, during the Wyrm Wars. According to legend, it gave Zephyrine the power to become a spirit of the oceans, able to hide under the sea for years at a time, rule over the creatures of the sea, and build castles from the stone, salt and coral of the seas. With it, Zephyrine lived amongst the waves for centuries, impervious to the might of his foes, until he returned to the surface to lead his people in the Salvation of the Saltflower. Using the power of the Coral Mask to walk on the surface of the water as he felled the six Blacksea Wyrms with his halberd.

Important members:

Celeste Family Tree

Tomas Celeste II

Tomas Celeste II

Also known as Tomas the Calm, the current Son of Heaven has ruled over Ĉiela since the death of his father, Tomas the Great, forty-four turns of the wheel ago. At eighty-five turns of the wheel, the brutally honest and proud sovereign is but a frail old man now, confined to a wheeled chair because of his weak legs and even weaker lungs. A man haunted by his father's shadow his whole life, since coming into possession of the Heirloom Seal of the Realm he has only sought to prove himself worthy of his father's name and title, and to avoid making the same mistakes his father made. Currently, the Son of Heaven seldom leaves the Saltflower, where he spends his days watching the children of commoners and nobles play in his gardens, and carefully planning policy with his closest advisor, the foreign scholar and general Tian Malu. Whereas Tomas the Great was a bold war-monger, as relentless as he was unforgiving, Tomas the Calm is cautious and hard to offend, and fights his wars with small, intricate schemes, rather than his father's overwhelming-force tactics.

Miela Jasmin Celeste

Miela Jasmin Celeste

At seventy-four turns of the wheel, the Celestial Consort of Ĉiela has been Tomas II's wife for the past fifty-eight turns of the wheel, and was the mother of both his children. The last of the Jasmins, a lesser noble family from Greenwyne, she is a plump, lively old lady who shares her husband's pride and brutal honesty, although not his cautious nature. She is said by many to be the one who truly controls the court in the Saltflower, and she is actively involved in policy-making, particularly in matters concerned to the well-being of common farmers and fishermen.

Lucas Celeste

Lucas Celeste

The only living son of Tomas II and Miela, Lucas Celeste was disowned five turns of the wheel ago following a string of scandals, in particular the discovery that he had fathered a bastard son through adultery, and since then has remained isolated from the rest of House Celeste. A man of fifty-three turns of the wheel, still possessing the handsome looks of his ancestors despite the years, his is a sour, resentful character, fueled in no small part by his notorious crapulence. He currently lives in House Celeste's summer palace in Greenwyne with his wife and bastard son, Koralo, separated from his only son by order of the Son of Heaven. Even today, as his whole family openly scorns him for it, he continues to succumb to his vices, and some expect that he will be consumed by them soon.

Alyse Lorelliere Celeste

Alyse Lorelliere Celeste

The wife of Lucas Celeste, and the mother of Tomas III, Alyse was far younger than her husband when they married, and their relationship has never been as close as that which Tomas II and Miela share. A beautiful blonde woman from a foreign noble house, at thirty-two turns of the wheel she is not much different from the woman she was when she married the then heir to Ĉiela. Alyse is a cold, hard woman, courteous but seldom sincere about it. She loves her son, and the two became inseparable companions when Lucas' circumstances worsened, but has no friends outside of the summer palace in Greenwyne.

Tomas Celeste III

Tomas Celeste III

The heir to the Saltflower and the Greenwyne since his father was disowned, Tomas III is a comely youth of seventeen turns of the wheel. He has his mother's straight golden hair, rather than the brown of most Celestes, although he did inherit their sun-kissed skin, grey eyes and long neck. Like his grandfather, he proved to be proficient in mathematics and philosophy as a child, but as of yet seems to lack the brutal honesty that his grandparents and great grandfather were known for. Instead, he appears to be staunchly polite and soft-spoken, although not to the point of lying for the sake of courtesy. He is said to be fond of swimming, and drinking milk and sweet juice, and avoids wine and other such beverages. He was recently summoned to the Saltflower by his grandfather, after spending most of his life in Greenwyne. He is accompanied by his wife, Ludovika, and their daughter, Gisella, born a turn of the wheel ago.

Ludovika Hyacinthe Celeste

Ludovika Hyacinthe Celeste

Gisella Celeste

Gisella Celeste

Koralo Maraja

Koralo Maraĵa

Rubeno Celeste

Rubeno Celeste

Nicolas Celeste

Nicolas Celeste

Lazara Celeste

Lazara Celeste

Realm's Name: Ĉiela, also known as Northern Odesh

Sigil: A white betta fish, craddling a white saltflower, over a turquoise sea.

House Words: Ours are the Thrones of Heaven and Sea

Race name: Ĉiel Odeshians

Territory

Racial appearance: Ĉiel Odeshians are not too different from other Odeshians. Their skin is sun-kissed, and their hair is usually a rich brown. What distinguishes them from their neighbours is their slender build and grey eyes. Also, some Ĉiel Odeshians are born with blonde or auburn hair instead of brown. Regardless of colour, Ĉiel Odeshians grow their hair long, and either wear it loose or tie the back of it in a ponytail.

Racial traits: Some of the best fishermen, farmers and winemakers in Elyden were born and raised in the lush fields of Greenwyne and the plentiful waters of the Saltflower. Even during Tomas the Great's war-ridden reign, Ĉiel Odeshians' famed skills at providing the realm with abundant harvests, and wines of the best quality, remained unparalleled. Throughout the continent, the products of Ĉiela, in particular the green wines from Greenwyne, are always in high demand. Asides from food and wine, the Ĉiel Odeshians' penchant for agriculture and fishery also yields some of the known world's best herbs for alchemy and medicine.

Capital:

The Saltflower

The Saltflower

Capital Population:

Other Major Settlements:

Greenwyne

Greenwyne

Population:

Culture: The people of Ĉiela are commonly perceived as placid, practical and honest. Cultured, demure and optimistic, they enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and care very little for traditions. Customs in Ĉiela are in a constant state of flux, seldom clearly defined, and what codes of conduct persist are loose and flexible. There is little social pressure to conform to a particular lifestyle, faith, or social role, and the Ĉiel Odeshian national identity is more deeply rooted in House Celeste's long history than in age-old ideals and practices. Because of this, most Ĉiel Odeshians place personal growth and leisure above all else, although they also abide by Zephyrine the Water Dancer's Law of the Seasons:

Relish the bloom of the Spring and the warmth of the Summer, but do not poison the Autumn with your withered flowers and scorching heat. Revere the Autumn, and beware the snows of the Winter. And, above all, accompany others in their Springs, their Summers, their Autumns, and their Winters, for lonely seasons are dead seasons.

The majority of Ĉiel Odeshians interpret this ancient proverb as encouraging of a harmonious and liberal way of life, and this is reflected in their eating and dressing habits. There is no clearly defined universal style of clothing in Ĉiela, as people have a variety of local and foreign attires in the Saltflower's markets to suit their individual tastes, although ostentatiousness is frowned upon, and due both to the warm climate they live in, and their distate for hunting, most Ĉiel Odeshians do not wear fur or leather. The two only constants in Ĉiel Odeshian clothing are colour and fabric, as pale blue and green have been the historical favourites, and sea silk remains the most popular material.

When it comes to food and eating in Ĉiela, on the other hand, there are some common practices. In particular, Ĉiel Odeshians are fond of their trademark green wine, blood oranges and olives, which are the main features in most meals. Furthermore, in most households, breakfast and lunch are had standing up in the open air by the tables. However, eating habits, much like dressing customs, are ultimately influenced by the exotic food that comes to the Saltflower every day, and although the enjoyment of fine food and drink is accepted and even encouraged, Ĉiel Odeshians have no tolerance for gluttony or crapulence. They perceive them as vices which, like pretentious clothing, are 'poisonous' excesses that ultimately hinder one's growth and spiritual health.

As far as art and music are concerned, the Odeshian style is the common denominator, but a synthesis of various other styles, inspired in no small part by the works imported from exotic lands, makes up the bulk of art in Ĉiela. Most Ĉiel Odeshians these days prefer music played on woodwind instruments, literature written in prose, and oil paintings. Works are usually based on Ĉiel Odeshian history and folklore, and tend to have a soothing style, with no excessive ornamentations. In these terms, the most beloved work of literature in Ĉiela is the epic novel titled Romance of Two Saltflowers, written by the Taurician author Sera Fashir.

In the past, the lands of House Celeste were considered a haven for philosophers and theologians, and several famous teatrises were written in the Saltflower, under the Celestes' patronage, and then spread throughout the continent by their traders. Unfortunately, House Celeste's vassalage to House Whiteshorn dampened this part of Ĉiel Odeshian culture. The situation that only worsened as the Church of Kammeth gained more power in the land, until Tomas the Great's wars marked the end of Ĉiel Odeshian philosophy and theology, since most scholars fled the Saltflower and Greenwyne as his opponents laid siege to both, and many of those who were left were banished for siding with said opponents.

Faith in Ĉiela, on the other hand, is a more complex matter. Before the first Dawnbringers reached the Saltflower or Greenwyne, there were three major faiths in the realm, and to this day they remain alive, if changed by time.

In Greenwyne, most worshiped the panentheistic deity alternatively referred to as the Green Sigh, the Green Voice, the Green Breeze, or the Green Breath. An entity whose will was expressed through the motions of the natural world, it was the god of Spring and harvests, whom the people of Greenwyne prayed to daily, and in whose honour great festivals were held during every solstice.

In the Saltflower, Ĉiel Odeshians combined the veneration of great ancestors and folk heroes, especially those related to the sea, with the Heaven worship brought by House Celeste when they first landed on Elyden. The syncretism practised by most Ĉiel Odeshians eventually led to the former becoming assimilated by the latter, until the great Celestes of old began to be revered as avatars of the Celestial Ocean.

Once the Church of Kammeth arrived at Ĉiela, a long period of resistance was followed by another syncretist movement. In time, the people of Greenwyne adopted an interpretation of Kammeth and His dogma more in line with the tenets of the Green Voice, while the foreign Dawnbringers and Enlightened were slowly displaced in the Saltflower by a new local clergy. Called the Doves and Swans, these priests and priestesses were under House Celeste patronage, and tasked with adapting the Kamthein faith to the traditions of the Ĉiel Odeshians. The result were the infamous Heavenly Lyrics, a substantial reformulation of Kamthein scriptures. Many of the original sacraments and commandments were either rephrased or removed in their entirety. The outrage over the Heavenly Lyrics was such that House Celeste was threatened with a punitive expedition from its more pious neighbours, and was finally forced to officially denounce the Doves and Swans as heretics and drive most of them underground. The controversy left its mark in Ĉiel Odeshian culture, however, and to this day there are Doves and Swans in the Saltflower who preach the Heavenly Lyrics in the underground markets and inns.

Nowadays, while the traditional Kamthein faith is publicly acknowledge by House Celeste as the only true faith, several others continue to thrive. The more discreet Doves and Swans continue to have a place in the Celeste court, shrines to the Green Voice still stand in Greenwyne, and the worshippers of Valarien Paragon far outnumber Kammeth's. Additionally, the heads of House Celeste continue to claim the title of Son of Heaven, or Daughter of Heaven, thereby keeping with the pre-Kamthein traditions of Heaven worship.

In matters of love and marriage, Ĉiel Odeshians have historically been decried as licentious and inconsiderate, with little regard for propriety. They are perceived as prone to succumbing to their lust and treating their vows with nonchalance.

Indeed, Ĉiel Odeshians typically approach marriage as a mere practical arrangement between two individuals. While arranged marriages are frowned upon, and most couples who wed share a certain fondness for one another, few are the cases where they are truly in love with one another, and they are not expected to lead a monogamous life. Married couples in Ĉiela normally keep paramours, sometimes separately, sometimes jointly. So long as those who keep paramours are open about it, their relationship is accepted by their peers, and the paramours gain a status barely below that of a spouse. Many times, the paramours may come from the polyamorous relationships that young Ĉiel Odeshians traditionally have before marrying.

Intimate relationships between people of the same gender have been widely accepted since the days of Zephyrine the Water Dancer, and some of the most popular plays and songs that are performed in public feature romances between characters of the same gender.

Type of Government: Celestial Monarchy. Since the days of the first Celestes, that is how scholars have referred to the system through which the ancient house has ruled over Ĉiela for so many centuries. A concept imported from the mysterious lands from which the first Celestes came, the Celestial Monarchy is a divine monarchy of sorts. The sovereign of Ĉiela is the Son of Heaven, and traditionally also the Prince in the Saltflower and the Grand Duke in Greenwyne. His rule is legitimized, not by blood, but by the Mandate of Heaven. This mandate is embodied by the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, a seal of white jade, made in the form of a leaping betta fish, which passes from one Son of Heaven to the next.

Since the Celestial Monarchy is based on the perceived will of Heaven, rather than kinship, the succession of the Son of Heaven is not as lineal as in other nations, nor is the legitimacy of an incumbent Son of Heaven unquestionable. A Son of Heaven may choose to be succeeded by a second child, rather than his firstborn, or even by a distant cousin. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on succession based on gender, which in the past led to the rise several famous Daughters of Heaven. And when a Son of Heaven was proven to be irredeemably corrupt or incompetent, it was considered legitimate, under the rules of succession, for a rebel to usurp the incumbent Son of Heaven.

Another consequence of the allegedly divine nature of this monarchy is that, in theory, the word of the Son of Heaven is holy law. However, since that principle ceased to be abided by during the reigns of the Greenfish and the Redfish, and ever since then the power of the Son of Heaven, while great in its own right, has never been absolute. These days, the Son of Heaven often delegates most of Ĉiela's administration to his Masters of War and Peace, men and women of high birth and renown, handpicked by the Son of Heaven to assist him in his rule.

While the Son of Heaven is, in principle, the ruler of both the Saltflower and Greenwyne, in truth the latter has historically been governed by a group of Masters of War and Peace, usually close kinsmen and women of the Son of Heaven.

Influence and relations:

Military -
(Details on the amount and types of men available. Any war vessels from navies, go here as well, it would be important to note as this is a Middle age Setting that relies largely one levies, no one has the funds for a standing army, aside from the Phoenix Throne.)

Landscape:

Wildlife:

History:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Export:

Import:

[WanderingRebel]

House Name: Nashira - in their own language is known as: Sa’d Nashirah

Head of House: Undecided - Currently contested - Farrah Nashira 24 (Tariq's Niece) V Tariq Nashira 49 (Farrah's Uncle)

House Specialty: Skilled Traders & Negotiators

House Ancestral Weapon: Marjanah (The Sword got it's name after its wielder successfully slaying a deadly winged serpent known as "Marjanah the clever" said to of been accomplished with a single swing slicing easily through its legendary armor-like thick scales & decapitating the beast.
(Time-Lost Historical Fact: Yusuf had thrown a spear at the wyrm during the approach which bounced harmlessly off its hide & the sword he used although it did find a gap in the wyrm's scales at the neck he actually only managed to cut halfway into its throat before the blade broke, Yusuf had gotten dismounted from his horse as the wyrm violently lashed around in agony but he himself was unhurt he had to dodge the creature's wild swings for sometime as it bled out, with sheer adrenalin he charged at the struggling beast again managing to run up its side just barely reaching the exposed blade stuck in its neck which he gave a swift kick which launched him away from the beast as he was falling off by then anyway but with that kick the blade lodged deeper into the beasts neck almost completely severing its jugular, the Wyrm violently lashed to the side at Yusuf once more the force of which however completely tore apart the rest of its neck thus decapitating itself & a legend was born the Marjanah blade that exists now & has been passed down the Nashira family line was actually forged from the wyrm the ever-sharp, never rusting, unbreakable blade is a shard broken off one of Marjanah's large Claws, the sword hilt & scabbard are crafted from one of Marjanah's thick scales. which is why the sword keeps the wyrms name as it's in fact Marjanah. "With this i have subjugated the deadly wyrm Marjanah, she is now bound into my service to forever protect my family line from harm & to strike down my familys enemy's, now & for all time!" - Yusuf Sa’d Nashirah, after skilled Smiths who'd also immigrated from the black continent Forged the Sword for him out of the wyrms remains, another lost bit of history the Smiths of the now Aht'Shara nation inadvertently displayed their knowledge & skill crafting from wyrm remains were learned by the native royal lander artisans which actually is how they quickly learned how to produce armor or shields of such masterwork quality without wasting much of the dragons remains on failed experimentation attempts.)

House Ancestral Shield: The Rayyan (A large round shield was also crafted from Marjanah's scales & bones, which was named "The Rayyan" in their original native tounge it means "The clever" it was made as a set to go with the sword, Truly keeping the name of the creature it was forged from. Yusuf had upon his return home gifted the shield to his wife as a sign of protection as she was pregnant with their first child & was also a declaration of his love, dedication & trust for her. The Years following the shield has sat on Her shrine undisturbed & is seen as holy relic for the shareem people & every worshiper knows the admirable legend of endless devotion between Yusuf & his wife as the shield still sits atop her resting place in a shrine protecting her. That was until the current civil war started the legendary shield has vanished from the shrine much to the dismay of the priests & worshipers of the old gods, Its disappearance has caused no end of panic, & disaster or doomsday prophacys)

Important members:

- Farrah's Faction
> Farrah Sa’d Nashirah - Age 24 - Said to be a woman of unsurpassed beauty, Strong sense of justice & ambition, Highly intelligent & cunning despite her youth, & is often seen as a tomboy who possesses endless courage & energy, She strongly encourages scholars & inventors to bring their ideas to light to further advance & provide better quality of living for all, her compassion for the common people is also praised & is held in high regard among the masses of her people.

> Riful Sa’d Nashirah - Age 14 - Farrah's baby sister, Utterly dotes on her sister Farrah, is somewhat shy & sheltered but possesses same if not Superior intelligence as her sister & often stays buried in scrolls, tomes, & books. She inadvertently saved her elder sisters life after stealing a sip from a poisoned drink meant for her despite the small amount consumed Riful instantly collapsed & was at the brink of death for many days before she'd recovered with the aid of the healers, a strong will & a bit of luck. She discreetly operates her own trading company with the use of alias's and is also in the works of founding her own banking business. (hidden fact: she's one of the highest paying contributors to Farrah's war effort)

> Zaki Al-Maisan - Age 31 - A Skilled Warrior & talented tactician, favors revolutionary formation tactics that minimizes troop casualty's & that can adapt to various situations to maximize effectiveness against enemy tactics. A uniqe outside the box thinker who's popular with his troops however is disliked by other nobles for his bluntness & lack of etiquette. He sees & admires the pursuit of knowledge Farrah has & is fiercely loyal to her. prior to being one of her military officers he was bodyguard turned palace guardsman in service of Farrahs father.

> Aza Al-‘Aqrab - Age ??? - A Quiet but intensely fierce Raven haired dark beauty, has a strong alluring & intimidating presence where she makes an appearance, Rarely speaks at all in front of others, She's covered in various battle scars & elaborate tattoos, A highly skilled assassin who serves as Lady Farrah's Bodyguard. Carry's an assortment of curved blades & throwing daggers.

> Tobias Volker - Age 46 - An Aging but skilled northern mercenary captain, Loyally serves in Farrah's Army having accepted an Extended contract. Is a man of his word has never broken or failed a contract he's signed & his troops are unshakably dedicated to him willing to follow him any ware win or lose. He's a set in his ways traditionalist excels at head on front line combat. He possesses an incredibly intimidating shouting voice his warcrys have on more than few occasions caused enemy units on the front line to rout & flee the battle.

> Azzam Thu’ban - Age 78 - (Farrah's Advisor / Prime minister) A Noble who served as a trusted court adviser to both Farrah's Father & Grand Father, A very wise & learned man who excels in political & diplomatic matters both foreign & domestic. He maintains all governmental matters while Farrah is away from the seat of government. He is trying to keep his rapidly failing health a secret from Farrah (His health suffered tremendously when Farrahs father died & learning the truth of how it occurred, that said shortly after he was filled with sheer willpower & determination he's not experienced since his younger years in helping Farrah in anyway he possibly can), every night before sleeping after his prayers, he promises to his old friends memory's (Farrahs father & grandfather) he will not pass from this life as long as Farrah has need of his ability's to govern or till he has found a capable & trustworthy replacement to succeed him.

> Isabella van Kyre - Age 27 - A foreign mercenary who randomly arrived from an unknown land Via trade ship, A boisterous, Self confident, Fast & agile feminine Tomboy, Who's golden skin pigment closely resembles that of Farrahs native people, Has a nasty habit of roguishly or insultingly (depending on the situation) speaking in her native language so no one can understand what she said. She's a skilled warrior & somewhat talented if not slightly inexperienced leader. Her Confidence & constantly sunny disposition Keeps the moral of her subordinates high. (Note: A vast assortment of insinuating & malicious rumors are slowly spreading about her)

> Christopher de Malyns - Age 34 - A Royallander from the heartlands & a member of the Royal knights no less. He was found starved, dehydrated, & Sun-addled, aimlessly wandering the desert sands by outriders (scouts) who gave him water & brought him back to camp to recover where he eventually made the acquaintance of Farrah Sa’d Nashirah early on in her campaign where he had explained he was escorting a tax collector from the throne but had gotten separated from his caravan during a sandstorm. Out of a sense of debt & bound by his personal honor for saving his life Christopher has offered his services to Farrah's cause. (Note: Keeps a detailed journal of his experiences)

> Laila Az-Zuban ash-Shamali - Age ??? - A secretive cult leader of an Assassin organization the "Blood Scorpions" discreetly serves Farrah Sa’d Nashirah although not directly or officially not openly declaring allegiance to either side in the civil war however she has "gifted" a token force of warriors to serve in Farrahs current army. Laila has thus far rarely made an appearance at all anywhere conducting any & all communication with Farrah Via Aza Al-‘Aqrab. (Hidden Fact: financially contributes a modest amount to Farrah's war effort)

Other Minor people of note:
> Jarrah As-Sulhafat - Age 47 - A boorish, gluttonous, ineffectual Fool who's family rules over the fabulously wealthy northern city of Ira & it's surrounding area. Promtly Swapped sides to supporting Farrah only after her faction gained the upper hand in the civil war & held the majority of the territory, even then Farrah had to march her army to Ira only after getting within 50miles of the city did a messenger ride out to inform Farrah of the decision & to open negotiations.

> Wasim As-Sulhafat - Age 19 - Unlike his father, Wasim is modest, quite intelligent & skillful (Farrah is said to of commented that Wasim "obviously takes after his mother"). Wasim while studying also split his time to working at a regional bank were he made a name for himself also gaining influence & standing with other nobles in the city unlike his father he is liked & respected & holds some political power & sway however has never used it. (Wasim had tryed to convince his father to support Farah early on but was told not to mess with matters for adults, later as farrahs army approached the city Wasims father tasked him with arranging negotiations & handling the talks while his father was absent the entire time. (Apparently Jarrah As-Sulhafat had after tasking his only son with such a task, went into hiding with as much jewelry & gold as possible ready to flee on a moments notice by an arranged escape route/ship)
(Note: The As-Sulhafat family line is now one of the highest paying contributors to Farrah's war effort - even so big chunks of the contributions are deducted & never leave Ira & rumors of Jarrah hosting large feasts for the city's nobles aren't helping matters any)

- Tariq's Faction
> Tariq Sa’d Nashirah - Age 49 - Farrah's uncle & Rival for rule over their territory, After the death's of his older brother (Farrahs father) & his nephew (Farrah's older brother) he was set to declare himself the next true successor until the scandal was discovered Farrahs father & brother had been poisoned all on the orders of Tariq after it also came to light that Farrah's father had named his eldest daughter Farrah as the successor of the lands claiming "she'd be a true hero of prosperity, wisdom & advancement for their people", Thus out of anger & jealousy Tariq attempted to assassinate everyone in his way to rule discreetly, nearly succeeded if it hadn't been for Riful Sa’d Nashirah childishly stealing a sip from her elder sisters wine cup.

> Rasheed Sa’d Nashirah - Age 25 - Tariq's eldest son, Graceful, Dignified, Courageous, intelligent, & tactful, with a calm & collected demeanor however often has a disinterested/blank expression void of any emotion. Many find him intimidating & no one can tell or ever knows what he is thinking. He's also a skilled warrior having been taught by some of the best most expensive warriors & teachers.

> Omarr Sa’d Nashirah - Age 21 - Tariq's youngest son, intelligent, tactful, & cunning diplomat who is skilled at etiquette among nobles, Strong supports his father, Omarr is also a cold, ruthless, cruel, & greedy individual who wants his father to gain rule of the region so that he can succeed him in time (evidently planning to get past his older brother somehow...), He's also a skilled warrior having been taught by some of the best most expensive warriors & teachers.

> Mena Sa’d Nashirah - Age 17 - Tariq's Daughter & youngest child, rumored to be a true beauty "a flawless desert jewel" but this remains a rumor as she's kept locked away supposedly for her safety, when she was younger it is said she looked up to Farrah idolizing her & was close with Riful, In truth she's more or less disowned by her father, neither of them seeing eye to eye or caring for one another she hates Tariq for her treatment as well as his treatment of her mother (she had a different mother than Rasheed & Omarr making her a half-sister) ultimately Mena is little more than a political tool for Tariq to marry off to one of the more influential family's in the heartland of the kingdom however he can't do so while the civil war continues. (Note: Both Farrah & Riful openly claimed in the past that they see Mena as their 3rd sister & not as a distant cousin).

(Existing, new nobles & Other characters of note are subject to change over time & events)

Nation/Realms Name: Aht'Shara (known & pronounced as 'Sha-rah')

Sigil: A blood red background, with a large gold circle in the center representing the sun, & red silhouette of a dragons head & neck facing the right crossed with a black sword the tip of which is facing the top left to signify the slaying of a dragon in the center of the yellow circle.

House Motto: "Honor, Wisdom, & Guile" - (The Motto her father had for their house which she kept, However She really liked "Beauty, Knowledge, & Fire" when she overheard whispers about the comment from subordinates & plans to officially adopt it after exacting vengeance on her uncle & unifying the region.)
(The Nashira family motto has changed many times since their original arrival in these lands as simple merchants, It always seeming to adapt to the times or events that ruling head family member experiences, also occasionally they've adopted comments others have made about or to them.)

Recent:
- "Beauty, Knowledge, & Fire" - (Motto said by Zaki Al-Maisan when commenting on what he thought of the surviving Nashira sisters.)

- "Imagination & ambition are more important than knowledge" - Riful Sa’d Nashirah when founding her own trading company from scratch. (she retracted the comment after being presented with all the legal documentation)

- "Vision without action is a daydream" - Farrah's father commenting on his daughters ideals & suggestions of how to improve the country, agriculture, sciences, & quality of living for the people. (Such discussions with his daughter is what convinced him to appoint Farah as prime minister when his son succeeded him, & then upon the untimely death of his only son (at the bidding of Tariq) he named Farrah as his successor.) (Note: he intended for Farrah to adopt this as the Family motto as a reminder of her ideals but he didn't live long enough to inform her of such.)

- "Be polite, be courteous, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." - (The Family Motto Tariq Sa’d Nashirah has adopted, Was originally advice he was teaching his sons.)

Past motto's:
- "Stop dawdling in the past, stop wishing in the future, live in the now." - Farrah's Grandfather in his youth when argueing with his elders.)

- "Awww, Fuck it!" - Farrah's great Ancestor Yusuf Sa’d Nashirah - The Original Wielder of the Ancestral Sword 'Marjanah'. After witnessing the creature cut swift & fiery Swathe's into the massed front line infantry formations Yusuf watched the few survivors fleeing where he cried out "Awww, Fuck it!" & Charged at the creature alone upon which he famously slayed the Wyrm 'Marjanah the clever' in one swift & fierce attack. (The motto died with him as his successor changed it only moments after ascending to the head of the family)

- "Always be yourself" - Farrah's Mother, when a very young Farrah was complaining about being reprimanded for her failure at learning Ettiquite on how to be "a quiet & graceful lady". The teacher was dismissed shortly after & Farrah began learning Martial skills, Mathematics, Literature, & sciences. (She picked up court behavior & proper etiquette further down the line in her late teens)

- "Content with little, yet wishing for more" - Probably among the oldest & original motto of the family from back before they resettled here from the black continent as merchants.

- "Don't die horny!" - A rather ungraceful comment by Yusuf's 5th grandson 'Nadir the Opulent' that ironically became his epitaph dieing months later in good spirits (& standing to attention) of a heart attack when in the company of his personal harem. (It's a known tale within the family but one that's kept discrete to avoid embarrassment to the family)

- "Adapt and overcome" - Another of the older & more original of the family's motto's back during their steady rise to providence. (Was the longest kept motto for the family line only changed after Yusuf's slaying of the Wyrm)

- "Be like the sun and you shall warm the earth" - Was briefly the family motto when they converted to the Kamthein faith two generations after the hero Yusuf. (Note at the time it was more of a political maneuver to better relations with the throne & ease concern and hostility from the other factions Houses.)

Region/color on map: Pink

Race name: Shara'raheem - Aka in short they're referd to as the "shareem" - (Abandoning their past as they left the black continent the immigrants that settled into the region took it as part of their peoples name in an act of forever separating themselves from their former native people on the black continent)

Racial appearance: The Average hight of an adult Shareem is roughly around 5'9" & their race tends to be very thin & slender compared to the other peoples in Elyden, Their appearance vary s due to mixed marriages with the more native peoples but generally the Shareem people have light/dark golden skin pigment, they have raven black hair, & have either emerald green or dark hazel eyes.

Racial traits:
- People of the Desert - Every Shareem child & adult alike have an instinctive knack on how to navigate & survive in the desert environment. - 'They excel at desert warfare' - (Outsiders both innocents & invaders alike long before having to deal with the people of this land have to contend against the vast empty wastelands in the blistering heat of the days sun & the shatteringly freezing cold of the night, not to mention the scarcity of water sources in the seemingly endless shifting sands)

- Fair & skilled Merchants - Shareem merchants have a unique business sense though they can make large amounts of coin with their trading skills, they also build trust & loyal customers by not excessively overpricing their goods or conning others out of their wealth through shady deals. The merchant company's/guilds have established a regional pricing system ensuring foodstuffs are set at fixed prices throughout the kingdom, priced depending on the quality & amount of various foodstuffs that are harvested yearly which ensures that even the poorest of their people can afford to feed their family's. (They're very friendly & trustworthy traders & skilled negotiators, one should however use caution if doing a shareem trader out of coin or deceiving one in deal as their various trade company's & associated merchants have an unrivaled information network, you double cross one trader for a handful of coins only to find a day or so later that none will do business with you ever again, in some cases rumors have arisen of merchants who've cheated large amounts of money from their people have been found robbed & murdered in the desert sands by 'recently tipped off' cutthroats, thief's, & raider groups)

- Exotically crafted goods & metal works - Shara'Raheem artisans, craftsmen & smiths produce some of the finest most colorful, decorated goods, unmatched by the comparatively base & crude creations of the other craftsmen in Elyden.

- Cultural tolerance and diversity - Despite them having their own unique beliefs, customs & religion(s) they are the most diverse & accepting people anyone could encounter, everyone is free to worship whatever religion they are faithful to without persecution, anyone who visits or moves to live in their lands of other ethnicity's & nations are treated fairly as an equal with respect & kindness. their nation is fast becoming a multicultural melting pot of various races who's only requirement to be part of it, is to follow their nations laws which have been built on principles which peoples of every faith & nation can abide. (Note: lately large amounts of foreigners have moved to their lands most of which are mercenary groups from across the realm & beyond hoping to profit from the current infighting)

- The Faithful never truely die - The magority of the Shareem people still follow the old gods of their race, less than a quarter of their people followed the Nashira royal family line in converting to the kamthein faith, with their unique views of life eternal & some of the lesser religions in their region of reincarnation, Shareem warriors in battle display unwavering bravery, courage, & fierceness. Often seen as fanatical in their battle spirit if not of faith than of their country & its people, so even in a state of hopeless defeat they will fight it out to the last.

- A resilient people - The Shareem people are a comparatively long lived race some say its due to their hardy constitution from living in such a harsh environment the makes them strong well into the old age, others claim it is due to their healthy diet & skilled knowledge of advanced medical arts, though many of the locals to their kingdom claim it's due to the resolution & dedication to their faith that the gods themselves have rewarded them with the gift of extended life to further ensure the well being of their children.

- Experienced, diverse & adaptable military - Due to the constant suppression of bandit groups, & small wars including the recent civil war the shareem are one of the more battle seasoned & experienced military forces in the realm, also their openly mixed culture & the sizable amounts of mercenary that arrive in the lands of the Aht'Shara their military can field a large mix of variously skilled warriors for different situations & tactics, It's not so unusual to see groups of Odeshian Axe warriors or Karthian crusader knights among their ranks, nor is it unusual to see unidentifiable warriors from foraign lands across the vast oceans of the world.

- Devoted & Passionate populous - The shareem either through faith or duty swarm to serve their kingdom & its people, especially out of devotion to Farrah Sa’d Nashirah (quietly nicknamed by the commoners "The great goddess of Aht'Shara") for her just cause & benevolent forward thinking rule which has bettered & enriched the quality of living for the populous as a whole. As such they can field rather large army's at reduced costs (the devout, grateful or fanatically faithful willingly serving out of duty than want of coin) & in turn can afford more warriors or mercenary groups into their ranks. (not to mention the sizable populous to recruit from)

Capital: The Great Holy City of Alu
- To the north west of the region the great holy city of Alu stands near the mouth of the great northern river The Sandora & not far south of the Ore rich Mokan mountains. (Tariqs Faction currently holds the capital of Alu & is heavily taxing & recruiting from it to fund and supply his war effort against Farrah)

Capital Population: The last Census (Collected 3 'Nashira' generations ago) estimated it around 90,000 - The population of Alu is in a state of constant fluctuation, Shareem people moving to & fro the various towns & citys in the region, immigrants & refugees, mercenary's, pilgrims, explorers, diplomat entourages, craftsmen, merchants, trade caravans, & nomads.

Other Major Settlements:
- The First City of Nanoha - The 2nd largest city in Aht'Shara, It is also the first founded settlement by the original settlers from the black continent & was the original capital city of the Shareem people before it was relocated to Alu. Today Nanoha is a thriving port city which handles the majority of trade goods that are shipped over the sea routes both foreign & domestic. (This is the City Farrah went to at the start of the civil war & raised her rebellion from, it's currently her unofficial capital/main camp)

- The Golden City of Ira - Is the 3rd largest city in Aht'Shara & the 2nd wealthiest, the city sits in the far north-eastern area of the region next to the ocean. Its surrounding area are the most fertile in the entire region & produces a vast amount of foodstuffs for the people of this desert kingdom especially in terms of fruits & vegetables. (The city does generate massive amounts of coin through trade, however it is known as the 'golden city' due to the large expansive grain fields outside of the city's walls)

- Zuba - a sizable harbor town that sits directly east from the center of the region, little trade is conducted here its mainstay is its fishing guild & their fleet of rafts/boats & the new offshore fish farms (the fish farms were a revolutionary idea brought forward by a young scholar & was put into practice with good results, so even with poor agricultural or fishing yields there's is a constantly assured food supply at hand)

- The Grand Bazaar - A city made entirely of tents & temporary makeshift stalls that only forms once every year at the end of the autumn months squarely in the exact center of the region. Entertainers, artists, customers, nobles & merchants travel from all over to visit the makeshift trade city when it gathers. (doesn't gather in the event of wars or natural disasters that hit the region)

- Kator - likely the smallest city in the south of the region, but Kator is famous for their production of exotic perfumes that even the most basic ones fetch ridiculously high prices from nobles not of their lands. (easily making perfumes one of the many export trade goods that that fetch a tidy profit)

- Tamar - The northern city of Tamar lies just below the northern hills & mountains near the Sandora river, its a thriving mining settlement every gem & ore mined from the northern mountains goes through this city.

- Clys - A city that sits just north of the southern mountain mines, although Clys is an industrial mining town (smaller in comparison to Tamar but no less busy), they also manufacture & shape glassworks for export, there is a co-operative farming community as well as there's some fairly fertile soil nearby.

Other places of note
- Nekh - a village somewhere in the region its exact location is not documented on any map, infamously known as the home of the blood scorpions organization.

- Rumal - Once a large city deep in the desert built atop of an undground river accessed by a large central well in the city center, It is now little more than mostly sunken & buried ruins, where bandit gangs occasionally make their camps. Rumal was swallowed up by the desert after numerous & unnaturally severe sandstorms struck it one after the other it is now referred to as the "cursed city", it's not entirely abandoned however when bandit gangs havent chased them off, a small group of locals who lived in Rumal before it's demise keep returning to try & excavate the ruins in hopes of one day reclaiming the city from the desert.
(more will be added in future)

Population: Estimated to be around 4.5million - (Again numbers are in a state of constant fluctuation due to the previously explained reasons.)

Culture: The culture and customs of Aht'Shara are truly cosmopolitan as it is the perfect fusion of many cultures and varying traditions, as well as still retaining its original tribal like culture and traditions. Aht'Shara is a 'melting pot' where multiple cultures, traditions, and ethnicity's have created a new concept of living healthy with a mentality that embraces new and advanced thoughts, ideas, & sciences for creating a liberal ambiance. This liberal attitude is being displayed in the Shareem peoples friendly behavior toward foreigners and travelers, If asked the people of Sha-rah will always share their services and enthusiasm with people whom they hardly know. In Aht'Shara besides its excellent and many wonders, attractions, & its unique culture, the smiling & kind faces of the locales are an added charm to visitors. (The life style of the shareem people is considerably different from that of the other factions in the realm & often found enveloped with mysticism. As a result outsiders often find the Shareem people mystical, laid back, & somewhat off beat, but in reality the shareem are dedicated, hard working & truly kind at heart.) The shareem rules & laws are also viewed strange & in some cases extreme but is ultimately accepted & enforced by their people, outsiders are often shocked at the punishment for theft no matter how small the item taken the punishment for the criminal is to have their dominant hand cut off in view of the public to serve as a warning & a deterrent to crime, people of the other kingdoms may also find it surprising that females have equal rights to men although some self imposed true traditionalists keep to the ancient ways but are becoming fewer each passing year. In all the complex, expansive & unique culture is hard for outsiders & even some natives to fully understand or have knowledge of as it would take years to learn the full daily workings of it.

Type of Government: The government of Aht'Shara is a Sultanate (Monarchy) where absolute power resides with the current ruling head of the Nashirah royal family (an inherited responsibility to the family's descendants), however there are recent changes loosely resembling ideals of a republic which was originally introduced by Farrah's grandfather, in where elected officials could voice the people concerns from the various settlements to their respectful lords or in rare cases bypassing the local lords, to the ruleing member of the Nashirah royal family or more commonly the appointed prime minister. In essence Aht'Shara's government is or was (if Tariq gets his way) slowly but gradually becoming a constitutional sultanate.

Influence and relations: (Any alliances or military pacts with another family? Perhaps born of marriage ties? Work with other players if you seek one ahead of the RP if you so desire.)

Military: - Farrah Sa’d Nashirahs currently raised army consists of: 80,000
- 10,000 Edoui Spear warriors - robed arabian like warriors who wear light leather armor, carry small round shields & spears, they also carry Janbiya (small curved daggers) as a backup. These brave warriors carry common & basic weapons, but excel at combating infantry & cavalry with their skills & exotic fighting style, the recent new training & battle tested formations have only added to their effectiveness & discipline in the field.

- 6,000 Nai'sam Skirmishers - fast & lightly cloathed & scarcely (if at all) armored in leather straps, levied from poorer family's these warriors carry a bundle (9) of javelins on their backs & one in their hand as they march, these warriors are to charge at the enemy to get into throwing distance where (while hurling profanity's & insults at their opponents) throw their javelins at the enemy ranks to provoke them &/or whittle down their numbers before retreating in the face of an enemy charge to lure them closer to their own lines, while fairly disciplined & courageous they have been known to break ranks & flee from the threat of incoming cavalry. as they have no real means to defend themselves. (aside from the odd young brave standing his ground with a readied javelin prior to getting cut down)

- 10,000 Archers - archers are common enough in any army lightly armored, bow carrying troops only notable difference with shareem archers is instead of utilizing portable defenses or pavises they have bucklers (small, light & maneuverable shields) strapped to their bow arm to provide protection from incoming arrows this also helps make them more mobile as they can readily move without having to pickup, carry, & place portable defenses else ware prior to readying an arrow. (notably useful trait when moving while under incomingfire)

- 22,000 Shareemian infantry - The basic infantry of the shareem military they tend to be equipped with a iron-bronze helmet, a chain mail hauberk & leather armor, an arabian style sword which is is carried in a baldric and a leather shield. Other backup weapons vary in their ranks from daggers & short swords, to spears & hijazi bows. (small but powerful close range bows effective at around 150 yards, their equivalent of crossbow troops though understandably less powerful than a crossbow they're much faster to reload easily getting off 4-5 aimed arrows for every crossbow bolt loaded) - Highly disciplined, decently equipped, well trained, adaptable & battle tested infantry raised from middle class family's & wandering nomadic tribes of the region.

- 1,000 Shareemian elite Infantry "The Ubari" (The Champions) - A special Unit which are the same as the basic infantry but is entirely made up of veteran elite warriors, proven Champions of the sword, spear & bow. (In Shareemian Warfare, battles usually begin with duels between the champion warriors of the opposing armies, a front line opening skirmish if you will that initiates the start of the battle, Their initial purpose is to slay the champion warriors of the opposing army to undermine its soldiers morale as if giving them a taste of the defeat to come. - The Ubari fighters are instructed to refrain from pursuing any defeated enemy champions more than two-thirds of the way to the enemy lines to avoid the risk of being cut off, Anyway after the conclusion of the 'dueling phase' the army's will then launch their general advance & begin the battle in Ernest, where the Ubari fold into the back of the infantry lines & reinforce any forward formations in key locations that are struggling.

- 3,000 Shareemian foot Knights - Skilled warriors from the higher class or from warrior & merchant family's, same as infantry but with superior armor, weaponry, & skill, their swords forged from the highly valuable daumas steel (a strong & durable metal alloy which shareem smiths will not share knowledge of or trade outside of their faction) rumored to be able to cut through thick plate armor but hasn't yet been proven. These knights are famous for their skill, bravery, dedication, & fierceness in battle, there are many heroic tales of their efforts on the battlefield from from swiftly annihilating their opponents to bolstering & rallying allied collapsing formations under enemy attacks, they're are treated with utmost reverence & awe of their people & are viewed with terror & fear by their enemy's.

- 1,000 Gol riders (light cavalry, scouts) - Tribal horse mounted warriors from the small Golian nomadic equestrian tribe that wanders the region one of the smaller ethnicity's that inhabit Aht'Shara. Owing much to the generosity of the Nashirah dynasty, the youths of the tribe all loyally do military service for the shareem shortly after their coming of age ceremony, considered to be true warriors & adults upon the end of their sworn service, many older & proven warriors still return to service afterwards out of duty & loyalty. Fast & agile cavalry armed with light spears, swords, & composite bows, used for hit & run actions, skirmishing, & scouting, in dedicated battles they serve as a reserve flanking force that supports the infantry. (Gol warriors dramatically differ in appearance from the shareem, possessing redder skin tones, asian charactaristics & uniqe animal fur/hide style light armor)

- 6,000 shareem riders (light cavalry, scouts) - Arabian-like horse mounted warriors, Fast & agile armed with light spears & talwars (long curved swords), & lightly armored with leather armor & padding worn under their robes, their horses also wear some varying syles of light armor but nothing so heavy to effect their speed. Unlike gol riders these (slightly more equiped) mounted warriors serve as a more dedicated cavalry unit in battles chargeing enemy formations themselfs aswell as supporting infantry, but used in same way otherwise as scouts & skirmishers in fast hit & run attacks.

- 8,000 Shareem Knights (Standard 'medium' cavalry) - Arabian Camel mounted warriors, swift, hard hitting, cavalry with alot of endurance. Far better armored (leather & chainmail) than their light cavalry counterparts, these mounted knights serve as the mainstay of the Shareemian cavalry, that can charge enemy formations head on & cut through their ranks. these knights carry Spears, round shields, & elaborately decorated mameluke swords forged from daumas steel. Its should be noted that these Camels are known to have a devastatangly terrorizeing effect on cavalry horses not fermilliar with them (horses not raised in Aht'Shara) casing them to wildly panic & flee from their presense, although shreem horses are raised beside & thus desensitised to camels (as they dont panic & flee from them) they still notably upset the horses, thus tend to be kept at a distance & camped away from them. - (It's been proven by the Shareem that camels are considarably faster than horses 'a concept previously laughed at in the past' while horses can burst into immidate high speeds initialy outrunning camels, camels take a conservitave approach gradualy building up speed when entering into a run after which they can easily outrun & outpace horses and posses much higher endurance allowing them to last longer in travel & extended battles)

- 4,000 Shareem horse archers (Ranged, skirmish, light cavalry) increadably fast cavalry, used to charge close to or flank enemy formations fireing vollys of arrows into them. A very popular formation used by these ranged cavalry warriors is the "Shareemian Circle" where they form a rotating circle & as the mounted archers come around to face the enemy formation(s) they let their arrows loose, the effect is a continual stream of arrows impacting onto the enemy. (This tactic is usually employed against infantry and bowmen the constant movement of the horsemen give them an advantage against the less mobile infantry and makes them harder to target by their enemy's missile troops. This maneuver was designed to harass and taunt the enemy forces, disrupt close formations & often draw part, or all, of the enemy forces into a disorganized or premature charge), They are also equiped with talwars (mostly for cutting down scattered routing enemys) & lighter buckler varients strapped to their bow arm.

- 1,000 Chariotry (Armored, melee & ranged Fast Cavalry drawen chariots) - These Chariot units are the heavy hitting & infantry devastateing elites of the Shareem military, they tear infantry formations to shreds, can flank round the sides of formations & fire vollys of arrmors & javalins into the enemys flanks, & can literly cut down oncoming enemy cavalry. They're an adversary not to be taken lightly. Each chariot & horses are armored, crew'd by 3-4 troops, carrying swords, bows & arrows, & javalins, the chariots wheels themselfs are spiked with a large sharp blade stricking nealy sword length from the wheels centre which with the sheer momentum can slice through almost anything, flesh, armor & bone alike in an instant.

- 1,000 Odeshian Axe & shield warriors - Rough, hard hitting, fierce, head on frontline infantry, often seen as barberic bloodthirsty psycopaths by the Shareem warriors who fight along side them. (Their berzerker like rage when worked up in battle has seacretly made the allied shareem witnesses hope they never have to fight the odeshian people in the future.)

- 600 Lorem'ian mercanarys (spear band) - Experienced battle hardend warriors who's skill & shield wall formations have impressed their Shareem allies, however their abilitys are strained in perlonged battles or on the hotter days as they truely dislike & are uncomfortable with the arid climate & the landscape, much prefering their colder northern homelands. These mercenarys joined Farrah's cause midway through the conflict beleaveing greater rewards & victorys would come from servering her faction & as such they have looted & equiped themselfs with the exotic armors & equipment of the shareem people, their aquasition of a number of daumas steel forged weapons & refusal to relinquish them has made them somewhat begrudged by their allies. These Lorem mercenarys fully intend to return home as they have fufilled their goals of earning riches & each man now has more 'looted' equipment than he can carry, the mercenary captain & his warriors have informed Farrah they shall remain in her service untill she sieges the Holy City of Alu to re-claim it, however win or lose their contract is fufilled & they shall return to their homelands. (A condition was made prior to their hireing, any town, village or city & their citizens are to remain unharmed & untouched, which wasn't recieved well at all as these merc's wanted riches, however the promise Farrah made that if they agreed to the condition she would compensate them with richs to make up for it upon the conclusion of their services to which they agreed & abided by, also no one said they coulden't loot the dead warriors after battle.) Although their skills in battle have impressed their attitude, greed & overbearing want of coin has caused them to be viewed as dishonorable, untrustworthy, barbarian, lowlifes causeing much animosity bettween the two races.

- 600 Blood Scorpian Assasins - A group of uniquely dressed & heavily armed warriors appeared in the service of Farrah Sa’d Nashirah a "small token force" sent by the mysterious & elusive Laila Az-Zuban ash-Shamali, Unusual but extremely deadly warriors who's apperance intimidates their allys never mind what they do to the enemy when they make themselfs knowen, as they excell at frontline fighting, skirmishing & ambush tactics with cunning anti-cavalry tactics that baffle the mind. They also carry a wide range of weaponry but the majority seem to keep a supply of throwing knifes, daggers & various short curved swords & a strangely crafted short bow, while these weapons are standard amoung them they also carry a wide arrangement of others in their ranks rangeing from spears & javalins to blowpipes & explodeing orbs, along with an arrangement of exotic poisons they coat their weapons or arrows with, on the rare off chance an enemy survives an encounter with them.

- 20 Mangonels (disassembled for ease of transport) - Siege weaponry a type of catapult designed for for accurately aiming & hurling heavy projectiles dureing siege battles, Farrahs army has an ammo supply for them consisting of: The traditional large stones, bundled sharp wodden poles & darts, bundles of fire, Burning Sand (a uniqe and cruel ordencance - heated fine sand in enormous shallow bronze bowls. When hurled at the enemy it rains down upon them & there is no escape for anyone within range as the molten grains of sand rain down on the enemy sinking under their armor & searing their skin with intense heat, inflicting excruciating agony & often results in mindshattering madness &/or death.), & a small but sizable supply of quicklime.

- 30 Ballista (Dissasembled, siege weaponry) - A siege weapon which resembles a giant crossbow, used for fireing huge wooden, iron clad, darts, heavy bolts or poles (spear) with tremendous force & penetration to shatter lighter defences & is capable of skewering several enemys at once.

- 10 Trebuchet (Packed, Siege weapon) This siege weapon is used for hurling heavy stones to smash castle or city walls. Shareem engineers have worked hard on the design of their trebuchets to ensure the aim & sheer force would have the greatest effect. The force of these trebuchet are capable of reducing walls, castles, fortresses and cities to rubble.

- 10 siege rams - Slow mobile siege weaponry - One of the most basic siege weapons usally rolled up to city gates or the bases of weakened walls useing the force of the ram to hammer them down. Shareem Siege rams come housed in a wheeled box with a slanted bronze plated roof a uniqe addition that helps deflect hot oil from seeping though the wooden seams of the widely extended wooden roof & provideing stronger defence against projectiles for the operators inside.

- 10 Siege Towers (Dissassembled materials, Siege weapon) - Used in extended sieges after other methods have been exausted, these towers take time to build, Once constructed they are moved against city or fortress walls while shielding the troops inside from incoming projectiles when in range the rear base ramp lowers to allow troops to head up as is the front top ramp lowered & firmly hooked onto the top of the defencive wall allowing attackets to get into melee with the defenders & push into the fortress/city to open the main gates & occupie it.

- 200 Royal Engineers - (Non-Combatants) An ensemble, of Educated, Skilled & experienced Engineers, architects, geologists, scribes, mathematicians, & taskmasters. - They construct the siege weaponry, map the land, workout fireing trajectorys for ranged siege weaponry, find weakpoints, record events & meeting details, They also help repair & rebuild damaged or detroyed buildings and walls.

- 4200 Laborers - (Non-Combatants) - These laborers are a mix of the skilled, learned & uneducated muscle, They handle the logistics driveing the caravans of equipment & supplys whereever the army marches, they are the muscle that does the heavy labor in constructions under the guidance & directions of the engineers, They are the cooks, servants, blacksmiths, leatherworkers, cobblers, carpenters, stonemasons, & merchants that are the inner cogworks of the standing army that keep it running.

Navy: (Currently plays little to no part in the ongoing conflict mostly guarding the coastlines, ports & fishing/merchant ships from pirates & raiders. The Shareem depend on the hireing of experienced seafarers consisting of foraigners, mercenarys, & reformed pirates to man their navy as their Naval expertiese & combat skills on the open water are exceedingly poor. - Fact: Outsiders, notably The Sea Born race say that the shareem navy has 2 naval tactics that they can preform so well, that no one else can match them "retreating & sinking")

- 40 longships - fast 'raiding' ships, half of them augmented to protect archers useing them as naval fireing platforms. Consists of volunteers, mercenarys, & other hirelings.

- 10 Galleys - larger heavier ships with an antiship siege weapon, These ships are manned & supplyed by three seperate mercenary crews that are reguarly hired on extended contracts.

- 450 - Varying trade ships both foraign & native some are fairly large crewed by skilled sailors & guards all the way down to others that are little more than rowboats utalised by small indepandant traders.

- 820 - Fishing vessals & rafts - combined with the other ships they jointly form a sizable junk fleets their combined strength hopefully being enougth to repell pirates & other attackers.

Landscape: Masses of seemingly endless desert covering much of the east & centre areas of the region only broken up by small village oasis's & welled towns with sparse fertile land used to grow what little crops they can. However to the north, south & far west of the arid region there are vast expances of fertile farmland, hills for cattle grazeing, with oceans & rivers to fish & irrigate land from. Although pretty much all outsiders think the entire region is little more than desert, a common beleaf that the Shareem have used to their advantage against invaders through the years. Directly north & south of the central area there are ore rich rocky mountains where massive & expansive mines have been established to collect the materials from the land.

Wildlife: To name a few There's: Hyraxes, Sirenia, hares, hedgehogs, Shrews, bats, Hyenas, Jackals, wolfs, deer, Camels, horses, goats, cows, sheep, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, snakes, scorpions, Loons, Grebes, Albatrosses, vultures, over 1000 varietys of fish, The lands of Aht'Shara are known for its numerous, varied & rare breeds of Flora and fauna.

History: The history of Aht'Shara is long & expansive dateing back hundreds of years even before the shareem even settled the region having originated from the black continent & many years before the Nashirah familys rise to power, Whom later unified the various tribes, natives, & minoritys into one strong, vast nation & people. The many universitys & libararys keep many volumes recording in detail all of the countrys history readily available to any who wish to read them.

The most notably known history is of the initial rise of the Nashirah family with Yusuf Sa’d Nashirah who after legendarily slew a dragon by himself & fought many battles returned to his lands & began to show his skill at negotiation, & governorship as he began peacefully uniteing the people createing the foundation of the Shareem upon which a nation has been built. And more recently the revolutionary changes & laws by Farrahs father were organised farming communitys have been created for greater productivity, universitys & education becoming freely available for the common people aswell as them gaining a voice to speak their concerns to the higher ups although many rumors say that many of these changes were actualy proposed by Farrah to her father. Also common knowlage is the events which led to the current infighting where Farrah's uncle assasinated his neqhew & brother in an effort to secure the authority to rule over Aht'Shara.
- To do: historys of Events & battles in the civil war thus far...

Strengths:
- People of the desert - they're knowlage of the land both in how to navigate & live off it, & how to use it to their advantage against invaders.
- Advancement of knowlage & education - An unreleanting march to progress in the fields of Agriculture, literature, Mathematics, Medicine, & Sciences of the world from some of the the most gifted, educated & forward free thinkers of the realm & beyond.
- Extremely brave, Loyal, vast, fierce, experianced, adaptable, & fanatical land based Military power whos unified might is devastateing to their opponents. (Note that Farrah's army is only a part of the 'true' military strength they can wield, If it wasn't for the Civil war which has divided the overall military might into three: Tariq's Faction 1/3, Farrah's Faction 1/3, Neutral Faction 1/3 (The neutral faction has withdrawn its support of either side untill the conflict has been decided, They remain on standby to intercept any invadeing force from outside their lands who might seek to take advantage of the internal conflict.)
- Expert Merchants & traders - The Shareem are quickly riseing amoungst the richer factions of the realm through their trade routes & merchant guilds which have established an near unrivaled information network & a standardized regional currancy & economy.
- Siege Warfare - The shareem Excell at siege warfare their devastateing power is said to be able to level the grandest & oldest castles, fortresses & citys of legand for their defences to little more than rubble.
- Iconic worship & devotion - All the people of the Shareem have nothing but utter admireation & love for the Royal Nashira Family line, Who're known for their just & capable rule, devotion, bravery, compassion & heroisim which has kept their people unified & safe since the familys rise to power in the lands of Aht'Shara. As such the people idolize & follow the house of Nashira fanaticly.

Weaknesses:
- Extrodanarily Weak navy - even with their navys dependance on numbers & mercenarys, Their Naval force is laughable, disorganised, & on more than a few occasions against pirates have mistaken their own allys from other ships as enemys & attacked further spreading confusion, the conflict bettween the various naval mercenary captains & companys who'd sheer refusal to work cohesively together or decide on an overall leader to command the navy as a whole dosn't help matters any. (If the realm is under threat of invasion from foraign powers other factions navys don't want to be near the shareem navy out of fear the mercs will turn on eachother or the other vessals will mistake them for enemy ships).
- People of the desert - Although they can survive well in arid climates & open grassy plains of fertile grassland of which they dream of haveing, They fare exceedingly poorly in dense forests, marshlands & colder, wetter climates like the northlands & fare equally as bad in mountainous regions their mixed culture does mean they have small groups of soliders that are more used to fighting in such areas but on a whole their army would suffer and the small groups alone cant stand against full armys.
- Few Connections - Due to the Shareem people being viewed as barberic, lowly scavangers of an inhospitable land (Anyone who's ever visited or been to any of its universitys & hospitals would know otherwise) by the rest of the realm. Thus they initialy have poor or non existant diplomatic standings with the other factions & are regarded rather lowly by them aswell.
- Iconic Worship & devotion - With all of the peoples love & admiration for the Nashira Family if anything bad was to befall them it would also strike at the heart of the entire nation & its people as a whole. Their future hopes & past history lay with their royal family, if the entire Nashira line vanished the Shareem would likely fall apart & desintigrate back into independant city states & tribal minoritys despite the foundations & advances the family has made to unite & strengthen the country & its people they also unintentionally became its central pillar of support holding it all together simply by existing.

Export: Milk, dried/smoked fish, exotic fruits & vegetables (eg: Dates, nectarines, prickly pears, persimmon, loquat, & pomegranates), Glassworks, Bronzeware, Exotic high quality jewelry, perfume, gold, iron, tin, silver, wool, cotton, dyes, & silks.

Import: Additional preserved Foodstuffs, Quality lumber, jewels (their mines produce a fair quantity of uncut, rougth jewels, amber, precious metals, & gemstones but they still need to import such materials to help supply the large amounts of exotic jewelry they produce & export), Copper (although their mountains are rich in iron, gold, silver, & tin, they hold suppriseingly very little copper meaning it has to be imported & then it's further strengthed & mixed resulting in bronze alloy to make various goods),