Capital:
Azhkatûm
Population: 569,390 (86% Human, 7% Skarn, 6% Elves)
Government: Sultanate
Religions: Conorrian, The Flame
Imports: Grain, metals, slaves
Exports: Pearls, flamegems, citrus
The sparsely-populated desert region located between Accolon,
Thariyya and Shanatar is the Shining Kingdom of Farmuz. Once the
southeasternmost of Conorria’s provinces, it has always been a
place of commerce and strategy. Throughout most of its history,
Farmuz has been surrounded by larger neighbors and has kept its
autonomy through a careful balancing act. In addition to skillful
politics, would-be invaders are deterred by the close relationship
of the magi of Farmuz with the djinni, the spirits of the
elements, particularly with those of fire.
Farmuz is ruled by noblemen called emirs, each of whom leads a
city or a desert tribe. The emir of Azhkatûm is generally the
most powerful, and is known as the Sultan, the acknowledged senior
emir. This is not the same thing as being the ruler of Farmuz, but
the distinction is generally lost on outsiders.
The Skarn
A centaur-like race, the Skarn have the lower bodies of large
scorpions and humanoid upper bodies. They are intelligent and are
considered full citizens of Farmuz. Skarn lead solitary lives, or
live in small desert communities. Most Skarn are skilled hunters
and warriors. Some few are wizards or sorcerers, and these nearly
always specialize in Fire magic.
Skarn will only rarely be encountered outside of Accolon or
Farmuz, as they have little interest in politics and are
themselves solitary by nature. Those Skarn found in the cities
tend to be visitors, merchants come to sell rare desert plants, or
sorcerers seeking rare components from distant lands.
The Skarn brew a rare drink used only in religious ceremonies,
called Fireblood. This potent concoction allows Skarn
shaman to leave their bodies and contact the spirits of the unseen
world, resulting in prophetic visions and insight. Fireblood
has the same effect on some humans, but others run the risk of
blindness, madness or even death, so most Skarn will not sell it
at any price. Some few are less scrupulous, however.
The Fire Magi
The magi of Farmuz are divided into five colleges, one for each
of the four elements and an other for the spirit world. By far the
most famous of these colleges are the Fire Magi. These mages
combine the ancient secrets of Conorria with a spiritualism
learned of the Skarn. Ancient pacts made with the wild fire
spirits known as efreeti give the Fire Magi of Farmuz a fearsome
and well-deserved reputation.
Unlike the Warlocks of Accolon, the Fire Magi are anything but
organized. Most tend to be loners or wanderers, and few work
together for long. And yet, throughout the long history of Farmuz,
the Fire Magi have always been quick to defend their country
against invasion.
The Orolindi
Deep in the deserts of Farmuz live one of the least-known races
of Theeurth, the desert elves known as the Orolindi.
Shorter than their arboreal cousins, and dark of skin and hair,
they nonetheless possess the beauty and grace of all elves. They
are swift runners, and experts at survival in the waterless
expanses of the desert.
Few outsiders have ever seen an elven encampment, leading many
to believe that the elves hide them by magic. The Orolindi are
most often seen when they come into human towns for supplies and
to trade the rare and beautiful flamegems that only they know how
to find. They travel in large family groups and dress in flowing
robes dyed in the colors of the desert. Their horses are the
swiftest in all of Farmuz, and for pack animals they train the
wild lookahs, a sort of large, scaled reptile.
Sages know little of why the Orolindi choose to live in the
deep desert, but most believe that they hold the desert itself to
be holy, and that they seek to be at one with their god. The elves
themselves only laugh at this notion, as they laugh at so many
things before they disappear back into the desert.
HISTORY
Farmuz has always been. It traded with Iridian and Numanthaur.
It’s palaces were lined with marble when the people of Conorr
lived in mud huts. The desert is forever, and Farmuz is forever.
All else is but sand upon the wind. Though great empires may rage
fiercely, they always, like the wind, pass away, while Farmuz
remains.
In the long ages of man before the rise of the Empires, Farmuz
was a beacon for the traditions of learning, and the memories of
reason and magic. Traders and sorcerers from Farmuz were welcome
in every land, and all the tribes paid tribute to the emirs. But
as time passed, so did the power of the emirs wane, and the great
Empires of Conorria and Shanatar rose. Farmuz became a backwater
province of Conorria, paying tribute in its turn to the Emperors.
But little changed in Farmuz.
Even the coming of the Orolindi in CY 306, driven before a
great storm on their proud ships, did little to change the eternal
nature of Farmuz, for they disappeared into the interior, seeking
something holy, they said. Their occasional appearances in the
small cities and towns is always a source of gossip and
speculation, but of little real consequence.
Two events in history have had serious implications for the
future of Farmuz. The first, in the fourteenth century, was the
rise of Shanatar and its god-king. Suddenly, Farmuz was no longer
a mere backwater. It was instead the frontline between two of the
greatest empires in Vatherian history. The population of Farmuz
was halved during the Summoning War and took more than five
hundred years to recover. Countless armies have marched through
Farmuz since then, pillaging and ravaging. It has changed hands on
no less than seven occasions, a pawn in the ongoing struggle
between east and west.
The second great event was the Mage Wars (C.Y. 1791-1817),
which not only brought destruction down on the ancient province ,
but gave rise to the power of the Warlocks in Accolon. Within a
century, the Conorrians lost their power over the south, leaving
Farmuz pinned between two hostile powers, each eager to control
the strategic region.
In CY 2231, Shanatar invaded and conquered Farmuz, holding it
for a century before being forced to relinquish it as part of an
agreement with Conorria after the battle of the Horns of Medeas.
Then Farmuz was ruled for two centuries by Llorcaumathar, the
Desert Worm, a despotic dragon who slew the emirs and their
families. Llorcaumathar was eventually slain by a quartet of
heroes, including the Conorrian knight Aureas and the Orolindi
druid Faramal.
Now, Farmuz is once again an independent nation ruled over by
the emirs, skillfully striving to stay free of the influence of
Emperor, God-King and Warlock alike.
MAJOR POPULATION CENTERS
Azhkatûm (Small city; population 37,820) Azhkatûm is a
major trading port on the Ymarian Sea. Its fine deepwater port is
sheltered behind a great mole and protected from attack by four
great guardtowers. Azhkatûm is the great pearl-trade rival of
Nuradeem in Accolon. It is also famous for the Tower of Flame,
home of the Fire Magus Muhalli, Right Hand of the Grand Emir.
Mukatir (Large town; population 23,950) This walled town
on the Shanatar border is well known for its fine artisans and
masons. It is the province of the emir Kadel, famous for his
adventuring past and his association with the Nur’aleem
assassins.
Qu’dran (Large town; population 19,460) situated on
the island of Oras, off the coast, this ancient town contains the
oracle of the goddess Valkrys, and is a place of pilgrimage.
IMPORTANT LOCAL SITES
The Sea of Sand - The great southern desert of Farmuz
covers tens of thousands of trackless square miles of sand. Great
dunes rise up hundreds of feet and march in row after row to the
horizon. There is no shelter to be had from the sun and the heat.
To the unwary or unlucky, this merciless environment is deadly.
But for the skilled or desperate, it is possible not only to
survive, but to thrive in the deep desert. One must know where the
wells and oases lie. One must also beware of the natives of the
desert, for sphinxes, dust devils and great lions stalk the
desert. Then too, the native tribes have a fierce reputation.
The Anvil of the Gods - In northern Farmuz, the desert
changes complexion. It is not covered in sand, but is instead a
hellish wasteland of black rock and parched salt flats where the
heat is like a living enemy, determined to slay all that enter its
domain. Here, there are no wells, no oases, and not even the
minimal life of the Sea of Sand exists. Those who enter the Anvil
have entered upon a self-imposed sentence of death. Still, rumors
persist of a fabulous city at the heart of the Anvil, ruled over
by an efreeti emir of great wealth and magnificence.
Mount Hanaas - This broad, low outcropping of greenish
rock in the Sea of Sand is said to be a sacred place to the
Orolindi. The Skarn describe it as the home of devils. Both races
fiercely deny entry into the area by any outsiders. Legend says
that Mount Hanaas is the source of the Orolindi flamegems. |
