Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
atlas:turan [2013/01/30 15:24] galacticcmdr |
atlas:turan [2021/12/03 23:36] |
||
---|---|---|---|
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
- | ====== Turan ====== | ||
- | |||
- | <div class="floatright"> | ||
- | <img src="./images/m_nationmap_Turan.gif" alt="Map of Turanian Empire" border="0"> | ||
- | </div> | ||
- | |||
- | |||
- | <div class="story"> | ||
- | <p>Fluffy story</p> | ||
- | </DIV> | ||
- | |||
- | |||
- | |||
- | <P>The only | ||
- | nation in the Realms that also controls territory outside of the continent, the | ||
- | Turanian shipping fleet makes even the Xian navy appear small. However, unlike | ||
- | the Xian the Turanian fleet is comprised of eighty percent trade and slave | ||
- | ships. There is no direct threat to their empire from the sea so most of the | ||
- | warships are designed to stop pirate and smugglers.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>History</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>For as | ||
- | long back as the Turanian history extends they have been without a homeland. | ||
- | The earliest writings told of their ancestors living aboard huge ships for | ||
- | several generations. Several times these ships were driven towards a shoreline | ||
- | as the Turanians searched for a homeland. Each time they were driven off the | ||
- | land and back into the sea by the hand of Uhl.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Uhl had | ||
- | denied them their paradise for the arrogance of their ancestors in questioning | ||
- | his will. They saw themselves as equals and sought to elevate themselves to | ||
- | divinity. Uhl was angered by their arrogance and planned to strike them down. | ||
- | Before killing them he spoke to those that remained faithful — he bade them to | ||
- | build large ships and sail towards the evening sun. As their paradise was | ||
- | bathed in fiery water, the ships were past the horizon.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Uhl | ||
- | promised them a second homeland, where they could live off the bounty of his | ||
- | sea. For Uhl had put the secret of everything within the sea and stars and when | ||
- | the people solved the secret the gates to a new paradise would open before | ||
- | them.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>As | ||
- | Uhl’s breath guided their ships and his hands steadied the sea, the people of | ||
- | Turan continued their journey west. It was the birth of the seventh generation | ||
- | since fleeing their paradise that marked the end of their travels. As the small | ||
- | boy was born the lookout announced land sighted on the horizon. It was upon | ||
- | this land that the people built their temples and gave thanks to Uhl.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | people prospered and claimed all of the surrounding land as well. The native | ||
- | people living there were converted to the true faith or killed. Within seven | ||
- | generations Turan had grown from a band of refugees to a thriving empire. It | ||
- | was then that the astrologers said that it was time to again take to the sea | ||
- | and unlock Uhl’s secret.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Their | ||
- | best explorers and shippers set out on a voyage of discovery. For seven months | ||
- | they studies the stars and waters, looking for the sign of Uhl everywhere. When | ||
- | the lookout announced the sighting of land they knew they unlocked a piece of | ||
- | the secret. The image of the land matched the exact shape of one of the holy | ||
- | lands of Uhl.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | natives of the land seemed friendly, but were ignorant of upon whose land they | ||
- | were trespassing. The Turanians tried to speak to them of Uhl, but they would | ||
- | not listen — they only wanted to trinkets the Turanians brought with them.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The Turanians began to teach the | ||
- | children of the true righteous path, but their savage parents attacked. Through | ||
- | the unerring hand of Uhl, the Turanians defeated the savages and pursued them | ||
- | over the Abjurer Mountains. They would have slaughtered all of them, but Uhl is | ||
- | compassionate in victory.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>It was then that the Turanians | ||
- | discovered that many lived in Uhl’s land, some of them non-human races found | ||
- | only on the small islands the Turanians conquered. The Turanians didn’t have | ||
- | the strength to defeat them all, but Uhl was patient and would show his true | ||
- | path in time.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Land</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | land of Turan in the Realms stretches from the Abjurer Mountains on the north | ||
- | and west, to the salt marshes on the south. Their eastern border is the sea, | ||
- | although most of the Turanian Empire is actually found well beyond the horizon | ||
- | of the sea to the east.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | land itself is a lush oasis surrounded by large dunes of sand and loose dirt. | ||
- | The sandy earth makes it difficult for large forests to survive for long as the | ||
- | area is regularly hit by warm tropical storms. Instead, the south is mostly | ||
- | large palm trees, known for their shade and oil, while the north is mostly | ||
- | scrubby pines and rocky steppes. </p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Although | ||
- | Turan gets plenty of rain, but the high salt content and loose soil means there | ||
- | is very little freshwater available on the surface. Most of the freshwater | ||
- | flows from a few underground springs into middling pools scattered about the | ||
- | land. It is here where most of the fruits and nuts are grown to compliment | ||
- | their diet of fish, goat, and reptile.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Major Cities</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Darribar</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Capitol | ||
- | of Turan and all their western holdings, the city of Darribar literally means | ||
- | "Jewel of the West." Its large white towers are topped with the golden minarets | ||
- | commonly found in Turan; however, instead of being simple guilt they are made | ||
- | from solid gold. The large central bazaar, huge deep water port, and First | ||
- | Temple of Uhl are just a few of the reasons many Turanians visit this city.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Uhlan</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>This | ||
- | city is called the “Face of Uhl” and is where the original settlers landed. | ||
- | Carved into a bluff just south of this town is the symbol of Uhl that predates | ||
- | the settlers’ first arrival. When they saw this sign they knew they had reached | ||
- | the place of Uhl. Most Turanians visit Uhlan at least once in their lives to | ||
- | reaffirm their commitment to Uhl. Many of the travelers through this city are | ||
- | religious teachers from other Turanian commonwealths across the sea.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Rashaman</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>This | ||
- | small city is the most southern Turanian City, Rashaman is located next to a | ||
- | large freshwater pool just north of the salt marshes. How it stays fresh this | ||
- | close to the marshes is a secret that has remained closed. This city is where | ||
- | the central library of the stars is located and where all astrologers are | ||
- | trained. Called the "City of Stars," Rashaman’s main interest lies in piercing | ||
- | the veil around the salt marshes and uncovering the city at its center.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Landmarks</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Neighbors</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Kresh</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>People | ||
- | believe the Kreshites range from simple religious monks to evil heretics. The | ||
- | religious leaders see the Kreshites as heretics that have turned their backs on | ||
- | Uhl, just as their ancestors did before their paradise was destroyed; however, | ||
- | most people view them as simple monks that are exploring a different view of | ||
- | Uhl.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Several times the Followers of Uhl | ||
- | have tried to storm their mountain dojos and put them to the torch, but each | ||
- | time the fickle hand of fate twisted against them. The clam between them does | ||
- | not signal the end of the temple’s activities — instead they are trying to | ||
- | gather what few mountain warriors still live and send them to root out the | ||
- | traitors.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Red Wolves</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | Turanians and Red Wolves have fought several fierce battles, with neither side | ||
- | able to finally achieve victory. The Turanians rule the deserts and gentle | ||
- | hills of their homeland, while the Red Wolves command the Abjurer Mountains. It | ||
- | is only through the faith of Uhl that the Turanians have not lost the gap for | ||
- | the southern trade route.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Sithara</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | Turanians know the shoag are hiding one of the secrets of Uhl, but they have | ||
- | not been able to find it. The shoag are very territorial and resist all | ||
- | attempts to take their land by force. Instead, they kill those that are foolish | ||
- | enough to enter their lands. The last explorers to enter their lands never | ||
- | returned, but are presumed dead.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Tarak</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Since | ||
- | most of their purchases and sales travel by sea, the Tarakian pirates are a | ||
- | particular concern. While most of the Turanians traders carry a single | ||
- | ballista, this is not always adequate to fend off a particular nasty pirate. To | ||
- | keep the pirates from attacking every ship, the Turanians have outfitted some of | ||
- | their warships to appear as merchant vessels, while other merchants travel in | ||
- | small groups watched over by a single warship.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h2>Culture</h2> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Everything | ||
- | about Turan centers on the secrets of Uhl and the keys into paradise. This requires | ||
- | a strong educational system, with everyone required to study both numbers and | ||
- | letters. The Turanians have built extensive libraries, academies, and schools | ||
- | to teach those Turanians with a desire to learn.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>In reality, most of the population | ||
- | is still kept poor and stupid, considered not worthy entering paradise. | ||
- | Instead, all of these buildings are only open to those with money, political, | ||
- | or religious connections.There is a | ||
- | very large gap between the poor and rich Turanian with the strong central religion | ||
- | and clear afterlife in paradise to keep the poor under control.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Populace</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Like the Xianese, the Turanians are | ||
- | quite different physically from the other human nationalities in the Realms. | ||
- | They are shorter, averaging 5’5", with a skin tone that appears as sun | ||
- | weathered leather complimented by very dark eyes. In contrast they favor | ||
- | brilliantly colored clothes, typically in several thinner layers as opposed to | ||
- | the heavy leather and fur in other nations.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Turan is a male dominated society built around the power of the | ||
- | extended family. The honor and wealth of the family determines is place in | ||
- | society.Wealth and long-standing | ||
- | family traditions is more important within the cities, where the true power of | ||
- | the nation is held.The centers of | ||
- | trade and religion are all found in the largest cities where the wealthiest | ||
- | Satraps overlook their lands.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Among the poorer Turanians living | ||
- | in the northwestern Abjurer Mountains a man’s word and the adherence to Uhl are | ||
- | more powerful than wealth. A man must be humble before Uhl, compassionate to | ||
- | his enemies, and respectful to strangers. A woman must be subservient to her | ||
- | man, supplicate to Uhl, and bountiful of children. These ideas form the pillars | ||
- | of society outside of the cities.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Honor</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Honor is one the strongest aspects of | ||
- | society and is reflected in a man’s word. Uhl defines this honor as adherence | ||
- | to his words, strength in battle, and compassion for those below you. Blood | ||
- | feuds that last several generations over matters of honor are not uncommon. | ||
- | There is even honor in thievery, since using | ||
- | just your wits and skill to outwit an opponent is considered very honorable; | ||
- | however, an assassin has no honor.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Wealth</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>As | ||
- | honor is important among the lower class, wealth is important to the upper | ||
- | class. This wealth is often reflected in how little a man’s wives has to work. | ||
- | A wealthy man will have bodyguards to protect their honor while they shop in | ||
- | the market. A man with even more wealth will have servants fetch those things | ||
- | she wants from the market, care for the house, and prepare the meals.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The very wealthy have extensive | ||
- | harems of women so that the wife’s only responsibility is to give birth to a | ||
- | male heir. Those that are wealthy must have the multiple blessings of Uhl upon | ||
- | their household; therefore, wealth is more important than honor within the | ||
- | political structure.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Rulers</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Those | ||
- | who rule Turan, from each household to the palace are men. Women are always | ||
- | subservient to men; although their men, or those responsible for their safety, | ||
- | are expected to defend their honor when necessary. </p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Sultan</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>This man rules all of Turan from | ||
- | the capital city of Darribar. Like his western counterparts he must balance the | ||
- | power and position of the Satrap under him. However, unlike the west Turan has | ||
- | never seen any open rebellion — which is believed to be from their strong | ||
- | central religion. However, this is a two-edged sword since this makes the | ||
- | church a powerful political entity.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The Sultan maintains the largest | ||
- | army in Turan, but it still can’t compare to many of the armies of the western | ||
- | nations. Instead, it is designed to be a balance against the rebellion of one | ||
- | or more Satraps. Each Satrap has their own personal army and while no single | ||
- | Satrap has a larger army than the Sultan, several of them combined do. During | ||
- | times of war the Sultan will call upon the each Satrap to give him command of | ||
- | their personal army, which gives him the largest army in the Realms.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Satrap</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | Satrap holds the real power of Turan through a combination of wealth, marriage, | ||
- | and political machinations. Each Satrap is expected to rule their territory to | ||
- | bring the greatest honor and glory to the Sultan. In reality, they rule to | ||
- | bring themselves closer to the peak of power. Since all Satraps have a | ||
- | bloodline to the Sultan, any of them could become the next Sultan if the | ||
- | current Sultan dies without a male heir.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Few | ||
- | Sultans discourage the political in fighting that takes place between the | ||
- | Satraps, preferring them fighting each other rather than in open rebellion to | ||
- | his rule. However, there have been times when the Sultan has been forced to | ||
- | send some of his personal troops to quell the matter.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Hetman</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>This is the ruler of the extended | ||
- | families found in the northwestern Abjurer Mountains. The Turanians in the | ||
- | mountain accept no Satrap as their ruler, instead only following the will of Uhl. | ||
- | The Hetmen is the oldest male or the oldest male of the most powerful faction | ||
- | of the family. He is responsible for the group and any setback could be viewed | ||
- | as a slap at his honor.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Women</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Unlike | ||
- | many of the cultures from the Realms, women within Turanian society have no | ||
- | real place of existence. They are not slaves or servants; instead they can | ||
- | travel freely through Turan if accompanied by a male relative or household | ||
- | servant. These laws tend to be more strongly enforced among the poorer areas of | ||
- | Turan.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Women | ||
- | in the lower classes must do more work as they also cook, clean, and maintain | ||
- | the household. Since most of the males are out working or tending the fields, | ||
- | several households share the younger males to escort them to the market for | ||
- | their goods. The women of richer households seem completely different, often | ||
- | seen in public in sheer silks and oiled eunuchs for bodyguards.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Although | ||
- | religion is the most important aspect of life for a Turanian, women are not | ||
- | allowed to worship Uhl with the men. Instead, a smaller religious ceremony is | ||
- | held within the house of a married woman by one of the priests. A woman’s place | ||
- | in paradise is determined by her husband’s place — if he will be rich in | ||
- | paradises then so will she, if he is denied paradise then so is she.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Economy</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | Turanian economy is built on trade and an expansive empire. While the small | ||
- | part of the empire located in the Realms has not managed to expand since its | ||
- | founding, the rest of the empire has nearly doubled in size. It is not | ||
- | inconceivable that the sun never sets on the Turanian Empire.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Given | ||
- | the size of the empire there is a great deal of trade that passes between | ||
- | various lands of the empire. The realms are most interested in purchasing | ||
- | dwarven metals, elven carvings, and various items of magic. While Uhl forbids | ||
- | the use of magical items, his writings do not forbid the trade of these items.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Goods</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | Turanians trade a great deal of goods that have never been seen before in the | ||
- | realms. The most profitable items have been ivory, strange animals, slaves from | ||
- | foreign lands, teas, coffees, and cocoas. Unlike the rest of the realms that | ||
- | spends most of their manpower on the creation of goods, the Turanians gain | ||
- | wealth by trading.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Given that Irill is the most | ||
- | eastern of the nations and has an extensive road network, the Turanians have | ||
- | signed exclusive trading deals with their merchants. It’s Irillian merchants | ||
- | that must make the trek through the bronze sea and trade for goods in Turanian | ||
- | markets. Then the merchants must travel back to sell the goods, which has given | ||
- | Irill the enviable position as the trading center of the realms.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>This was a compromise between the | ||
- | needs of the nation and the wealth of trading with other nations — and the | ||
- | desires of the church, which considers other religions to be more akin to devil | ||
- | worship. The Turanian markets are only to Turanians of faith; however, the | ||
- | Irillian merchants can buy and sell on the docks or just outside the city.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Military</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Given | ||
- | the combined military might of the Sultan and each Satrap the Turanian military | ||
- | is the strongest in the Realms. However, no Satrap would ever give the Sultan | ||
- | their entire army during a war, as this would leave them vulnerable to attack | ||
- | from their neighboring Satraps. Instead, it is typical that the Satrap would | ||
- | commit less than half of their forces.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | second thing that keeps the Turanians from sweeping the other nations aside is | ||
- | the great distance they must travel to reach the other realms. This stretches | ||
- | their supply line a long distance through hostile territory. The Turanians have | ||
- | learned the futility of expanding their empire to cover the western realms.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Empire</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The | ||
- | combined military might of the Turanian Empire is unsurpassed in the world. | ||
- | However, it’s spread across the entire world and could never be brought to bear | ||
- | against a single point. Instead, the Sultan of each area is responsible for | ||
- | maintaining their internal peace. If they are having difficulty additional | ||
- | troops may be sent from the homeland; however, this is politically risky for | ||
- | the Sultan.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Religion</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The worship of Uhl dominates every | ||
- | aspect of life in Turan. While it’s true that people also visit astrologers and | ||
- | Sultans have Viziers that conjure forth genies, these all exist with the | ||
- | sufferance of the temple. </p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Temples</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Huge temples of white stone and | ||
- | gold, called mosques, are built to worship Uhl — who is symbolized by two | ||
- | circles bent in upon them.Upon the | ||
- | rising of the sun large numbers of worshippers will gather inside and on the | ||
- | western side of the temple to greet the coming dawn. They will pray that the | ||
- | hand of Uhl will descend and guide their daily steps, strengthen their honor, | ||
- | and smite their enemies.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>A proper worshipper should pray at | ||
- | least three times a day, once at first light, at high noon, and again just | ||
- | before dusk. A worshipper should always face true north and look to the | ||
- | brightest star. In the temple, the prayer tower is always located true north | ||
- | from the worship floor. In the tower will be the clerics of the temple, singing | ||
- | together to unite the voices for Uhl.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h4>Uhl</h4> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>Unlike | ||
- | the gods of the rest of the world, the god of the Turanians is all-powerful, | ||
- | all seeing, and all knowing. There are not other gods in the entire universe | ||
- | other than Uhl. This is obviously very different from the pantheon so common | ||
- | throughout the realms.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <h3>Magic</h3> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The magic the Turanians brought to | ||
- | the realms was unlike anything seen before. It didn’t draw power from the | ||
- | world, other realms, or the mind; instead it drew its power from the stars. The | ||
- | proper alignment of the stars, their constellations, and other heavenly bodies | ||
- | yielded the power used by Turanian sorcerers.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>While this may be slow, sometime | ||
- | requiring several years to cast the proper spell — it can be incredibly | ||
- | powerful in the same way a small storm can become a hurricane. Unlike the other | ||
- | western magic, the study of astrology lies in perfection. The slightest mistake | ||
- | can to disastrous results.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | <P>The Turanian astrologers keep tight | ||
- | control over the secret of their magic and the knowledge it contains. They believe | ||
- | that astrology was given to them by the hand of Uhl as a way to unlock the | ||
- | secret of the world and gain the key to paradise. They have already plotted the | ||
- | tides of the sea in conjunction with the movement of heavenly bodies.</p> | ||
- | |||
- | |||
- | {{tag>nation eastern_jewels miran}} | ||