Whitesun

Nation

Province of: Ancestral homeland of gnolls. Always been a desert, but Rajaat’s defiling magic has expanded the desert. Miniature sun above tower mutated local fauna/flora: all psychic and some physical mutations. Sun is focal point for the spread of the desert. Desert in not currently spreading. Tundra to the north is a vast untamed region. It is full of barbaric tribesman and monstrous creature from an age long since passed. It is also home to a frost giant clan.

Construction and Location
Excluding Balic as a whole, Whitesun is the largest nation in Hegan. However, despite reaching many diverse climates, from the frozen north to the more temperate land of Darguun, Whitesun itself is nearly entirely a barren desert. The sorcerer Rajaat spent centuries searing the land through the power of his miniature sun which now circles the plane. Another century has passed since that time, and the influence of the sun has waned. The central and western parts of Whitesun are still barren sand, and the west holds scorched mountains and vast salt flats where enormous lakes once formed. The northern border, with the cold climate slowly moving southward, is a dry, cold land with snow covered dunes of sand, and little life. However, the southern region of Whitesun is being terraformed at an astonishing rate. The virulent plants combined with the magic or elven druids has caused acres of magically scorched earth to flourish. Though only grasses and other small hardy plantlife can persist, the process holds the promise of a healed land/

In the same vein as the nation it resides in, the capitol city of Mebirati is the largest city in Hegan. Ruled by Maharaja Flint, the city is over a thousand square kilometers in size. The city is made entirely from sandstone, slate, marble, or granite. Wood and metal are scare resources that better spent on other things. Though there are numerous districts within the city, it is impossible to tell where one ends and another begins. The buildings are a mismatch of shapes and sizes, with walls built only to separate pockets of wealthy folk from the large population of lower-class and vagrants. The city is constantly expanding.

Economy/Trade
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Districts and Population
Whitesun is a vast region with hundreds of small towns and settlements. Many of these settlements are impermanent, and many more citizens are nomads. Of the permanent towns and cities, 90% of the population can be found in a small handful - these havens are built to withstand the trials of the desert, and provide the best chance of survival for visitors and natives alike.

Mebirati
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Provinces
The Whitesun region is divided into five provinces. Each province has a raja in charge of his or her province's affairs. While each raja reports back to Maharaja Flint, they all all run their provinces independently, establishing laws and taking action as they see fit.

Libi
The central province of Whiteun, Libi encompasses the capital of Whitesun, Mebirati, as well as several other sizable cities. Bordered on all sides by other provinces, Libi is the home of Whitesun's politics. The capital of the province is Rama, a city as old as Mebirati itself. Obec Quietheart, a human ghast, is the raja of the province, and is responsible for representing Maharaja Flint when passing laws or meeting with other nations. He oversees imports and exports of the region, as well as keeps track of the production and events of other provinces, reporting only to Flint when matters of dire importance rise up. Otherwise, the nation is in his hands.

Rama is a city for the wealthy. Though there are people of all castes in Rama, most live there only to serve the upper class. Obec keeps a tight hold on his seat of power while ensuring the safety of other nobles in the region. He seeks not to extort his fellow upper class, but to cement the hierarchy into the culture of the region. Rama produces much of the exquisite finery traded to other nations, including silk, pottery, and jewelry.

___ is another city

Iniba
Iniba extends outwards from the north of aaaaa to encompass the entire northern border. Though the ground is not as fertile as in the south of Whitesun, the clash of arctic chill and desert heat (supplemented by a miniature sun composed of pure arcane power) creates a nearly year-long growing season. The quality of the food is often poor, but the quantity is great. Iniba has no official cities or towns, but instead has numerous small farming operations working to keep the nation fed. Most of the labour is composed of slaves. Dozens of outposts have been constructed near the northern border to not only protect Whitesun from invaders, but to analyze the effects and patterns of the Wandering Sun's influence on the land. Raja _____ is in charge of Iniba, though s/he is seldom heard from by the other rajas.

Firéyama
Stretching from the north-east to the south-east of Whitesun, Firéyama is Whitesun's second most populace province. Raja Jamila, a dersert elf who served Rajaat a century ago, has spent the last nearly thirty years attempting to organize trade agreements with Darguun. Despite initial hostility mostly due to past conflicts with Whitesun, Darguun has begun to open trade routes. While Darguuni trade is limited, the goblinoid nation has more importantly opened trade routes through its land for safe travel. Though Darguun imposes steep taxes and remains in charge of border control, safe(ish) access through Darguun is something not seen for centuries. Short of sneaking through the less populated western Darguun after passing through Úrsteini and the Elven Lands, or the Blackleaf, there was no way by-land method to access Whitesun from the southern half of the continent. Raja Jamila has even linked trade with a few tribes of the North, as well as the Stormheart clan on Whitesun's north-east border.

Bichena: Small city near the Darguuni border. The first city that travellers from that direction come across. It's full of high-priced things

Asosa: A lot of travelers seeking the capitol first visit Asosa, a city several days' travel north of the the Darguuni border. The city is a mix of traders from all races and nationalities, selling most of what Mebirati does. However, it lacks the magical inclination of the capital, as well as the political importance. Those seeking these things travel westward after stopping by the last major city they'll see until they reach the Libi.

Myriad: The small patch of forest gets its name from the huge variety of creatures that inhabit it. Due to the druids living there and the magic that spared it from Rajaat’s desert in the first place, Myriad’s ecosystem remains remarkably stable, despite the constant changes to it. Creatures created by Rajaat’s magic commonly wander in and are absorbed into the ever-changing ecosystem. Only the most skilled druids are able to tame the creatures and survive within Myriad. Many druids see the place as the ultimate test of their power

Garterbelt: A long time ago, several landed nobles were involved in a high stakes strip poker game. A particularity down-on-her-luck baroness was down to her garter belt in the final round. She managed to clean house and claim the land as her own. She then drunkenly decided to name the land Garterbelt in honour of her bare win. It was legislated before he sobered up and the town has been called such ever since. The town is of decent size, primarily human and although the expanding desert has ruined most exports from Garterbelt, it now stands as one of the only main cities on the way to the north, and sells many imported goods to travellers.

K'eyi Seferu
Keeps an eye of the elves and Darguun, works with/against the druids trying to replenish the land, taxing them. Halor is an Elf exiled from the elven lands for wanton cruelty on the battlefield. Foreigners, escpecially elves, are not treated well in the city. Has a lot of kids, mkaes them into praetors.

Redwall: A heavily fortified city built into a mountain. Under the control of Rajaat. Primarily inhabited by humans and elves; large population, and second largest in the Whitesun region. It has endured many sieges from Darguun and does not allow goblinoids into the city. Gets its wealth from vast mines in the mountain it’s built into. The city is famous for its armour and general defenses, specifically those made with the unique red iron found within its mountains.

Nekemtee: Small settlement near Redwall. Have deep aquafers and bountiful harvest where the corruption didn't quite reach.

Gondar: Small town in northern K'eyi Seferu known for its sand skimmers. These devices are constructed from wood shipped in from the Dargunni border. The town survives mainly on selling these devices to travellers heading north, as well as resupplying them.

Thatos
Raja Lalali-Puy Inenek rules the province of Thatos. Despite being the largest province in Whitesun, Thatos has the lowest population. The land is a bleak wasteland where nearly nothing grows. Notable landforms include the salt flats, the Zimtirai mountain range, and the Silt Sea, collectively refereed to as the barrens, for as most citizens of Nara are concerned, these areas are devoid of any life, and serve only to emphasize the importance of their haven, Nara

Lalali-Puy resides in Nara, the only city under her protection, and one of three cities under her control. Nara is a blooming oasis surrounded by thick briar walls. Plants flourish within these walls, and their bounty is shared by all. Lalali-Puy works hard to keep her oasis pure and serene. Any who would endanger or disrupt are exiled from the oasis. The land around Nara is treacherous and barren. For those without means of travel, refuge must be sought in the neighbouring towns of Palil and Satora.

Palil is only a few kilometers from Nara, and serves as a travel destination for those seeking entrance to Nara, but who have not yet gotten permission to enter it. Lalali-Puy provides Palil with enough food and care to keep the town alive, but not enough to allow it to grow, and only rarely sends her soldiers to intervene if disaster strikes. The people of Palil are still loyal to Lalali-Puy, and most seek to enter Nara. Outcasts of Nara are regarded with both jealousy and disdain.

Satora is a savage mountain town next to the Silt Sea. Satora is the main haven for exiles of Nara, most of whom are bitter and angry towards the city that cast them out to die in the sand. Satora is watched by Lalali-Puy, but she takes no action against it, or to protect it. Beyond the difficulty of finding enough food to survive, the town is often beset by the wild beasts of the land; more than half of new arrivals perish within their first few months in Satora.

The Barrens
The collective term for any area without permanent structures. Many nomads, most notably hasihk and desert elf tribes, travel through these lands, though they they rarely live there for long. Notable regions include the western salt flats ___, ____, ____, and ____; the eastern sand pits of ___, and ___; the Silt Sea beyond the western Zimtirai mountain range; and several vast unnamed barren patches of sand north of _____ where nothing is able to grow.

The salts flat of Thatos are actually part of the original Whitesun desert, before the arcane sun that gave it its name had come about. Several lakes dried up some millennia ago while the plane was new. Over time they became flat stretches of salt and other minerals, preventing anything from growing on them. Even travel over the flats is often avoided, not just because of the intense heat and tendency for mirages to mislead weary travelers, but because of the the deadly quagmires of mud and fine sand lurking beneath the surface of the flats. The only benefit of crossing the flats is that even the most dangerous predators of Whitesun hesitate to follow prey too far out onto the flats.

Also in Thatos, beyond the salt flats, lies the Zimtirai mountain range. The mountains extend in all directions, but are thickest lies between the flats and the Silt Sea. Many violent tribes of various monstrous humanoids live in the mountains, attacking any who pass through. Many of these tribes are formed by creatures of very low mental capacity, so trade, bargaining, or even basic communication is often impossible for those who encounter them. These encounters happen more often than one might think: with the intense heat scorching the rocks during the desert's expansion, a chemical reaction caused most of the mountain to turn a rust-coloured red. Both the fauna and flora have adapted to blend in their environment (perhaps with some help from the arcane sun), and thus the hides of creatures and the fruit of the plants are unique and highly sought after.

The Silt Sea is a ocean of fine sand. As unspeakable horrors dwell within the depths of wetter oceans, so to do terrifying creatures lurk in the Silt Sea. The sea is located beyond the Zimtirai mountains, and stretches nearly to the Zimtirai mountains whose towering peaks remain untouched by the Wandering Sun. The sea bears very little difference from the shores around it, and those unfamiliar with the region might discover where they are after the begin sinking whilst trying to cross it. Special crafts called skimmers are used by most of the above-sand denizens, while others use solid roads hidden beneath the sand to travel over the sea. The sea is dotted with islands, though even these are no haven. Between the creatures that hunt in the sea and the constant violent winds that often churn the topmost silt into roiling fog-like banks, those who wish to escape from the others can do so very successfully. Few would attempt to find a wanted criminal or a dangerous madman who would flee to such a place. The nature of those desperate enough to escape is the same nature that prevents them from living peacefully in the sea. Those that somehow manage to survive do so violently, and often not for long. The only permanent inhabitants are the sand giants, distant cousins of the more commonly seen stone giants. Though there are long paths around it, and several leading into it, the sea has yet to be successfully crossed. Very few who decide to enter ever leave.

Holidays/Celebration
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Celebration
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Celebration
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Culture
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History of the Nation
When elves first came to the Prime Plane in 8124 Dr, most of them settled in forests and woodlands. A small tribe traveled away from the their fellow fey, settling in a small desert in the north. The settlement became a city, and the elves prospered for centuries, until a series of events caused a schism amongst several tribes. While some elves left for the island that would become Lazaretto, the other stayed until their society collapsed a few decades later. The elves became nomads, wandering the desert and surrounding grasslands up to the present day. During that time, humans traveled to the desert and, as they had done with the Prisigoth ruins before, settled amidst the remains of the elven city.

Several centuries later in 1350 St, the sorcerer Rajaat arrived and seized control of the city. Rajaat created a powerful arcane sun and tethered it to the land. Over the next century and a half, Rajaat's sun burned the land, causing the desert to expand to over ten times its original size. Rajaat's cities grew and his armies conquered everything the desert consumed. The land was warped by the magic as Rajaat continued to grow his sun. Rajaat was eventually slain, and the sun untethered. It now orbits the Plane, passing over Mebirati where it was tethered. Rajaat's empire was briefly taken over by the Silver Flame before civil unrest forced them to abandon to nation to its own devices. The scrollmummy wizard Flint assumed the role of Maharaja and became the nation's new leader.

In the past nearly one hundred years, Flint has expanded the nation, focusing on attracting arcanists of all sorts to Mebirati. While the nation is fairly unlawful and savage, not to mention desolate and barren for the most part, the cities still thrive with people. The resources Rajaat gathered for his armies have been turned towards basic infrastructure while the research into the sun and other magical phenomena has likewise been put to good use establishing a modicum control over the arcane corruption of the land. Officially recognized settlements and several trade routes are protected from the sun's influence when it passes overhead.

Land of Magic
Whitesun is filled with magic. Arcane arts are traded and learned in proper cities like Mebirati and _____, while dangerous and exciting experiments are performed in the barrens, away from watchful eyes. Magic artifacts are plentiful in Whitesun, especially those of a more unstable or morally questionable nature. Even roaming nomads will either use practiced magic or purchased items to protect themselves from the heat of the sun and the dangers of the land. If one wanted to hide themselves, or even a large structure from the rest of the world, Whitesun would be the perfect place to do it. Due to the inherent corrupting magic of the land, scrying is incredibly difficult, meaning those who want to hide from others can do so with ease.

The land's corruption isn't just a lingering effect in the air, however. It warps the creatures and plant life that live too far from magically sheltered cities. Nightmarish creature and raving, disfigured, humanoids populate the barrens, and are the focus of many studies on corrupting magic. This dangerous magic has yet to be harnessed by any arcanists native to the Prime Plane; its magic runs counter to the weave to which most magic-wielders are accustomed.

Druids and other users of natural magic despise this corruption. Many have taken up residence in small towns to work to disperse the corrupting magic, seeing it as their duty to rid the plane of this unnatural and vile force. A few druids view this as an opportunity to nature to adapt, as seen in Myriad where the warping effects of the sun have created an environment that is violent, yet stable and self-sustaining.

Lawless Temperance
Slavery and murder are legal. Pretty much everything is except causing a ruckus and disturbing the peace. If you are not disruptive and don't attract the ire of the guards, you can get away with pretty much anything.

Additional Feature of Nation
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Aspect of Feature
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