Khanaan

Khanaan is one of the great nations of the southern Sunlands, a region natively called the Suhayl. Though outsiders often use Khanaan to refer to all the land beyond the Seiyuf Mountains, in truth Khanaan is but one of many powers seeking to dominate the south. 
=== Geography ===
Khanaan runs from the Arapa desert to the north, to the warm, tropical coasts of the Jade Sea in the south. The nation's eastern borders blend into the savanna of Presh, while to the west lie the powerful nations of Har Gena and Mazar, long rivals to Khanaan. 
=== History ===
In Age Zero, before the time of Man, the land that would become Khanaan was under the rule of Zakhema, the great Azlan empire. The Dar al-Najm, the House of the Star, was centered in what is now high desert of Tala, today a wasteland, but then a verdant paradise dotted with soaring temples and terraced palaces. All the peoples of Suhayl obeyed the immortal Yekkat, priest-lord of Navarao. Humans, descended from Tanit, ‘Bride of the Djinn,’ lived as slaves alongside the Torags, a canae breed said to have been created by the Azlan to serve as enforcers and warriors. When Yekkat at last roused himself to confront Irud in the north, the enslaved peoples of Dar al-Najm instigated their own rebellion. A mysterious figure known only as Al-Khayeen, the Liar, went to the djinn and arranged for a boon from each of the great genie sultans. With this new power, Al-Khayeen led a revolt against the scattered and confused Azlan. The rebels came close to seizing the holy city of Navarao before the completion of the Tower Spell, which banished almost all maedi from Orbis. The victorious slaves claimed an empty city. Al-Khayeen himself, who had been advised by Uzza, mistress of the twilight djinn, turned on Marid and Afrit, sultans of flame and shadow, and in turn was cursed by them to forever be known as the Liar, and to have no place among his people. Without Al-Khayeen, the liberated humans and Torags began to fight, with the humans being driven south, through Arapa and towards the distant coasts. But the Torags did not hold Navarao for long. The Basai, returned from the Abyss, united behind their prophet Kadesh and drove all ‘defilers’ from the ruins of Zakhema, forcing the Torags from Arapa and into the Tala Desert. The Basai then raised up the Dust Ramparts to seal off the heart of fallen Zakhema, and the Torags thus were forced to squabble over the precious oases of Tala, or Hazrat, ‘the Exalted Land,’ as they, perhaps ironically, called their new, harsh home. 
Meanwhile, the humans were soon enslaved again, by ogres who emerged from Erebus under the command of Barut. He extended the subterranean empire of Irkala to the surface, claiming Zakhemite ruins along the coasts and then sending his hogboon hordes inland. Those humans who refused to submit were killed, and soon even the Torags were embattled, captured, and made to work on grand ziggurats dedicated to Barut, his children, and their patron Thule. Barut’s new capital, Emjedar, was soon a sprawling monument to his pride, and it seemed that the people of Khanaan would never be free. But around 231, a Torag warrior named Kothar emerged from the deserts. Wielding the power of the djinn, he swept through Upper Irkala and smashed the hogboon hordes sent against him. Humans and Torags rose up and joined in a revolt that ultimately saw Barut trapped in a djinn-made maze of ‘golden sands.’ Without their immortal sovereign, the remaining ogres and their hogboon spawn fled, either underground or north, into the fastness of the Seiyufs. But Kothar had no interest in ruling an empire. After looting Emjedar, he took his warriors back to the desert, leaving the humans to squabble over what remained. 
Emjedar was a fair prize indeed, and over the next several centuries, many Khanite warlords, of various tribes, sought to claim the city, and with it the right to rule ‘All the lands between desert and sea.’ This region came to be known as Khanaan, though its exact limits were not fixed until much later. In 512 IR, the sprawling Mazari Sun Kingdom invaded Khanaan, and Pharaoh Apademak claimed Emjedar. The Mazari domination lasted until the so-called ‘Grief of the Sun,’ when traitors to the God-King, following the ‘pale witch’ Lamia, an exile from the north, split from Mazar to found the realm of Har Gena. The squabbles between the ‘heretic kingdom’ and Mazar weakened the great empire, and by 781, Jibbor, ‘Who stood eight feet tall,’ threw the Mazari from Emjedar and proclaimed himself king. 
For the remainder of the First Age, Khanaan was split among a colorful, riotous mix of emirs, sheikhs, pashas, petty kings and vicious warlords. The king of the ‘Tall City,’ as Emjedar was known, was acknowledged as a ‘king of kings,’ though his power did not much extend beyond the Harrad Coast, along the Jade Sea where most mercantile hubs were located. Inland, the king’s power rapidly waned, and the oases cities, or ‘Bos,’ dotting the Tala Desert were largely autonomous, locked in constant rivalry with their neighbors.
Many travelled to Khanaan from the north, seeking the riches of the ‘Silver Lands,’ as Veldyn Varangars called the rich realm of silks, spices and slaves. Silver, naturally, was also found in abundance, mined in the deserts. Warlords often made their fortunes by capturing entire towns and sending the enslaved inhabitants to work on the harsh, baking plains, tearing silver from the desert’s covetous embrace. Indeed, Varangars were often hired to capture slaves and guard them as they worked, and Veldyn still sing of Ulfric, a Varangar who founded a desert kingdom that endured until the Third Age. 
Still, the north was only tenuously connected to Khanaan during the First Age, and Gallia largely acquired Suhayli goods through intermediaries, such as the Locians or Amathines. After the upheavals of the Typhonic Schism, the burgeoning Kingdom of Afara, which had already conquered much of Mozollan, began to spread into Khanaan. Generous gifts to the Torag sheikhs ensured that Afaran soldiers were not harassed as they crossed the desert and warred with Khanite emirates. In 1346, Oba Jawando paraded into Emjedar and declared himself Mansa, 'the Ancestor', extending Afaran rule from the shores of the Shadow Sea, to the coasts of the Jade. Ultimately, factional fighting destabilized the vast realm. In 1698, the Emir of Mirkaz led a rebellion against Afara, which was paralyzed in a succession dispute which had already seen four of Mansa Adedayo’s sons kill each other. Afara was forced into retreat, and within a century or so, the great realm had been much reduced, becoming but another Mozollan Sea Kingdom. The Emirs of Mirkaz became preeminent, in 1828 even presenting Emperor Nestorius with a ’silver bird’ recovered from a Zakhemite ruin. The Mirkazi Emirs were ultimately overthrown by Bayadis, and in 1967, Hamum Bayadi declared himself Sultan. The Bayadis commanded such influence that Emperor Dacian himself visited the sultan in 2106 to rally support for his struggle against the Gallician insurgents. Basai dervishes, apparently still outraged at the theft of the ‘silver bird’ from the holy ruins of Zakhema, attacked Dacian at a feast, killing not only him but Sultan Jafferi as well. 
The dramatic death of Jafferi weakened the Bayadis, and soon Khanaan was split into petty, squabbling kingdoms again. By 2322, the Emirate of Qanjar had emerged supreme, and was soon courting Gallia itself in a bid to strengthen its position. Debeni Monverdi, Praesian sovereign of Gallia, requested aid from the Qanjaris in 2458, and in response Emir Salim sent significant military aid, including several battalions of Basai faris (knights) and Torag murabits (elite skirmishers.) 
The alliance with the Monverdis would ultimately prove unwise. The Praesian dynasts were forced from Gallia by 2541, and without their northern patron, the Qanjaris soon faced opportunistic attacks from their neighbors. In 2619, a great Ashir army claimed much of interior Khanaan, and a century later, Qanjarid influence had been reduced to just a few cities. In 2834, Taffan, the Emir of Mujaz all but walked into Emjedar, exiling the last Qanjarid sovereign to a rock-cut fortress in Tala. The Qanjarids soon embarked on a wave of conquests, even pushing into Locia. Gallian intervention saw the nation partitioned, with Qanjarids ruling the south. The new proximity of the Khanites ensured that their customs, fashions and foods spread first into Praesia and then diffused throughout the north. This influence increased after 2984, when the Rohuns of Heide secured a marriage alliance with the Qanjarids. Thus, Amira Feruz al-Mujazi was united with Sigismund Rohun, the princess bringing thousands of Basai warriors and their families as her dower. These Hadaya, or ‘Gift Elves’ would form an important core of the Halgstovian army for centuries to come.           
The union between north and south meant that the outbreak of the Sunrise Wars would draw Khanaan into battle with the Sho. The Imperial Elves rapidly pushed through the desert, seeking to breach the Dust Ramparts and claim the city of Navaroa for obscure and mystic purpose. Years of fighting would see the Mujazid armies exhausted, and when the Doom destroyed both Zahak and Emperor Curates during the western counter-invasion, Khanaan was shaken to its core. 
By 3082, Mujazid and Gallian troops were still fighting to pacify Khanaan and drive back the Chaos beasts that had been unleased by Zahak’s Doom. During this confusion, an esoteric sect, the God Thieves, tore through the Dust Ramparts and sought to claim the fabled Tooth of Asur, a blade once wielded by Kadesh himself. The God Thieves were led by a mysterious figure known now only as Muqanna, the Veiled One. She and her followers performed a ritual with the Tooth that elevated them all to godhood. The transcendent Muqanna soon after appeared to the Yazarids, a desert tribe, and urged them to overthrow the ailing Mujazid Sultan. To persuade the doubting Yazarids, Muqanna drew forth a vast amount of sand and shaped it into the Bronze City, which she then went to dwell within. 
It fell to Sujah, daughter of Sultan Laqub, to confront the Muqannite ‘heretics.’ In 3117, a ragged force of Gallians accompanied the Mujazids to the Black Oasis, where tongues of fire flickered up from crevices in the broken ground. The battle at first seemed the favor the Mujazids, but then the Bronze City appeared in the sky, resembling ‘a gargantuan sphere graven many times over with the impressions of monstrous palaces, towers and temples.’ The sight of the city was so terrifying that many of the allied forces fled. The loss at the Black Oasis all but eradicated Gallia’s presence in the south, and Sultana Sujah vanished while fleeing across the Tala Desert, apparently slain after refusing to pay the Torag Hajjari their desired tribute. Within a year, Azeem Yazari marched into Emjedar, and was proclaimed Sultan of Khanaan by the divine will of Muqanna and her companions. 
Even as the Yazaris settled in to govern Khanaan, six of the God Thieves appeared to elders of various tribes, sharing power and secrets with their chosen heirs. These tribes would become the Sanjaks, mage clans that within a few centuries virtually controlled Khanaan, ruling through the Yazarid Sultans, who wielded only limited power. It was ‘the awakened’ who were the true masters of Khanaan, and this was recognized in 3479, when Emperor Melio invited representatives from each of the Sanjaks to his court. Still, the mage clans were largely occupied with occult matters, and were a shadowy presence that ‘sleepers,’ non-magicians, whispered about and attempted to ignore. The deeds of sorcerers were best not dwelled on, and though the Sanjaks could command immense power, their rivalries prevented any one clan from gaining complete dominion of Khanaan. Thus, the ports continued to welcome traders from across the world, and the common folk went about their lives with little change. The greatest difference were the gods honored in Khanaan’s many temples. Once, the Outsiders had been given the greatest worship. Now, Muqanna and the God Thieves commanded obeisance, and the older cults were increasingly ignored, causing much friction between the priesthood and the new ‘sorcerer’s religion’ that had swept Khanaan. Naturally, the Sanjaks had a vested interest in advancing the cause of Muqannism, for the religion equated enlightenment with mystical power and potential. The mage clans were thus both sorcerous institutions as well as religious enclaves, each espousing their own understanding of Muqanna’s often cryptic teachings. 
Khanaan became increasingly aloof, and former alliances with northern nations lapsed. The Khanites had already withdrawn from Locia, the Sanjaks focused on consolidating their power rather than expansion. But the cataclysmic struggle that ended the Fourth Age could did not leave Khanaan unscathed. In 4143, during the Long Dark, ambitious High Orcs launched an invasion of Khanaan, striking from the island of Nyra. The Yazarids were drawn into a devasting war that raged for years. The Sanjaks were largely preoccupied with holding back the tides of Chaos and preventing the Beast from emerging in the south. Thus, the orcs advanced with little resistance from the mage lords. By 4148, Emjedar had been captured, and Pad Nerog began to spread its dominion over the Hurra Coast and into the interior. 
The Yazarid sultan fled and the Sanjaks were too suspicious of each other to unite under a single banner. By contrast, the disciplined umia fought with a single mind and purpose. The orcs might have consolidated their rule on Khanaan if not for Ghazala, a Torag warrior of the Hajjari. She led a coalition of Torags, Basai and humans to drive the orcs from the House of the Star. In 4165, the orcs withdrew from Emjedar and began to retreat across the Jade Sea. Ghazala led several other sorties to secure Khanaan, and by her death, some stability had returned to the land. The Sanjaks worked vigorously to restore their mastery of the realm, though it seemed that a rift was developing between the court of the sultan and his magical ‘advisors.’ Without asking for the mages’ permission, Sultan Ibran sent his own envoy to the court of Justus II, pursuing trade and cooperation against the wishes of the largely isolationist mage clans. The latter Emperor Marcino ‘the Philosopher,’ seemed much more interested in the secrets of the Sanjaks, and perhaps to undermine the Sultanate, the Sanjaks eagerly supplied Marcino with sorcerous counsellors and arcane lore. Alas, the influence of these southern mages ultimately saw Marcino attempt a foolhardy ritual in the Brass Tower, obliterating himself and his Khanite colleagues in 4311. 
Still, the Sanjaks had been shaken from their indolence, and competed both with the Sultan and each other to assert themselves in the new, recovering world. Though Khanaan remains a fragile collation of tribal and religious allegiances, it is quickly proving to be a useful ally and a source of great wealth and power. Even the upstart nation of Rivalin has dispatched envoys to the Sultan, and the mage clans are said to have established several enclaves in the burgeoning port of Breistoc. How northern mages will respond to these interlopers is unclear, but it is certain that Khanaan will play an integral role in the triumphs and tragedies of the Fifth Age. 
=== Government and Society ===
For many long years, ‘Khanaan’ was more an ideal than a true, united nation. Only during the reign of the Qanjarids in the Third Age did Khanaan emerge as a realm with fixed borders and single sovereign, but even then the fractures were obvious. The unity provided by Muqannism, and the guidance of the powerful Sanjaks, has at last provided Khanaan a modicum of stability, though feuds and rivalries often still result in carnage. Assassinations are common, and sheikhs and emirs will send their retinues to murder each other one day, only to host lavish feasts for their ‘eternal friends’ the next. Of course, the more grandiose the hospitality, the more carefully guests check their meals for poison. 
Though Khanaan is really a patchwork of customs, tribes and shifting allegiances, the Yazarid Dynasty is the de jure power in the land. A vast and intricate legal system provides the ‘correct’ punishment for every imaginable crime, and the Sultan’s mamluk slave-soldiers enforce order with both efficiency and ferocity. Ideally, the Sultan’s rule extends to the very limits of his realm, though in truth, the Sanjaks command immense influence, particularly within their ancestral strongholds, which are virtually autonomous fiefs. Even then, the mages pay at least lip service to the ‘divine Sultan,’ who is ‘Muqanna’s shadow on earth,’ chosen by the Hidden One herself. 
To commoners, these often-ferocious power struggles are of little concern. Khanaan has an extensive system of taxation, and whether a mage or a magistrate collects this money is irrelevant. The people pay their dues, work at their trades and strive to stay far away from any conflicts among their ‘betters.’ Besides, Khanaan is well known for its many luxurious delights, and most commoners would rather relax with a waterpipe of moon poppy then involve themselves in the clashes of the mighty. After all, many have sought to rule and conquer Khanaan, the orcs most recently, and always, in a year or a hundred, these invaders are thrown out and life continues. Why then be dismayed, especially when there are so many ravishing delights to ease one’s melancholy? 
Khanites are thus stereotyped as both wheedling and deceptive, addicted to sensuous pleasures and bloodthirsty when roused to anger. The religion of Muqannism is considered either pseudo-mystical nonsense or terrible blasphemy against the ‘true’ gods. If Khanites aren’t trying to fleece you in the marketplace, the idea goes, they are trying to convert you to their religion and make you obey their draconian laws. Really, the laws of Khanaan, while extensive, are often more forgiving than the laws in other lands. Mercantile society that Khanaan is, fines are generally preferred to mutilations, even if northerners insist that Khanites will hack off an arm at the merest suggestion of illegality. 
Still, some of this decadent reputation is earned. Slavery is extensive in Khanaan, and its cities are hubs for the flesh trade. Yet slaves are often well-regarded in Khanite society, to the point that most of the Sultan’s highest officials are slaves. The mamluks, elite slave-soldiers, spend their whole lives honing their arts, living in fortress-barracks and preparing for the call to war. Tattooed and shaved, mamluks present a fearsome and distinctive sight. Only a fool would fail to obey a mamluk, who have extensive leeway to enforce the Sultan's peace. Yet even the mamluks, after serving for two decades, are rewarded with land and sinecures. Many frivolous, but well-rewarded, courtly positions have been created for mamluks, who are of every sort, though impressive races like Veldyn or Torags are preferred. One reason for the huge slave trade is to acquire the best stock for the Sultan’s bureaucracy, and the sprawling households of the sheikhs and emirs who make up Khanaan’s gentry. Lurid tales are told of the happenings in harems and pleasure domes, and not exactly without merit, for the Khanites, perhaps influenced by Ashir and Torag neighbors, are very open-minded when it comes to self-satisfaction. A common joke, with many variations, involves a Locian despot, no stranger to debauchery, who conjures up increasingly outlandish pleasures to satisfy a Khanite guest, who ultimately drives his host insane. 
Still, despite its reputation for vice, Khanite society is not soft. The often harsh landscape, coupled with numerous threats, has ensured that Khanite warriors are well-tempered. Khanite blades, even since the First Age, have been coveted as far away as Heide, and Veldyn warriors would boast of their ‘Silver Land arms,’ taking them to their barrows. While perhaps the Khanites are not renowned in war, they can certainly surprise opponents who expect to face fat, thieving merchants in battle. 
=== People ===
The majority of Khanaan’s population, though not by a significant margin, are human. Despite hailing from many tribes and boasting a variety of appearances, most proud Khanites will insist they descend from one of the three sons of Tanit, the mythical mother of southern humanity. These three sons have since, naturally, spawned many dozens of tribes, and these tribes are in turn divided into dozens of clans, and so it is very difficult to say what a ‘true’ Khanite is. Still, many tribes maintain ancient genealogies, stretching back millennia. All, of course, begin with Majuj, Yajuj, and Al-Thalith, 'the Third One,' the mighty sons of Tanit, who produced her heroic offspring with the three sovereigns of the djinn. Foreigners think all Khanites are merchants, though in truth Khanites follow every imaginable profession, from bloodletter to market inspector, date farmer to herdsmen. Indeed, the great cities of Khanaan brim with fortune-seekers and charlatans, scholars and priests, all seeking government positions or wealthy patrons. Khanaan is certainly a mercantile land, but what is on offer for sale is much more extensive than the stereotypical ‘spices of Suhayli.’ Yet the often-cutthroat competition for prestige and wealth encourages some very sinister practices, and the chilling swiftness with which Khanite’s dispatch their foes can shock even a Lorenese merchant prince. 
Almost distinct from humans are the sorcerers of the Sanjaks. The mage clans, six in number, have wide and significant influence over Khanaan, and their powers, and distinctive appearances, mean that the Arifs, the ‘the learned,’ as they call themselves, are breed apart. In fact, not all magi are humans, and the Sanjaks are not necessarily related by blood. What marks the Arifs are the unique ‘taj,’ or ‘crown’ that each Sanjak uses to identify its members. Most ‘sleepers,’ non-magicians, give a wide berth to anyone marked by a Sanjak.   
Torags, naturally, make up a significant portion of Khanaan’s populace. Some Torags are slaves, or descendants of slaves, others are wandering merchants or mercenaries that settled in the cities of the Hurra Coast. Long intermixture with humans has ‘civilized’ most Khanite Torags, who are more like typical Khanite town-dwellers than the nomadic warriors of the Exalted Land. Torags are very common among the mamluks, and Torags frequently earn great rewards as trusted bodyguards, a necessity for any scheming aristocrat, who often have enemies they have never even heard of. 
Basai, the Sand Elves, naturally, are found in notable numbers. Like the Khanaan Torags, Basai who live alongside humans have adopted many of their customs, though the Sand Elves are most often found as part of border garrisons, or serving as caravan guards, their natural urge to wander the dunes driving them far from the ‘civilized’ regions of Khanaan. The noble Basai faris is a feature of many Khanite tales, which feature enough heroic deeds to impress even a Galician cavalier. 
Some northerners are surprised to learn that there are quite a few dwarves in Khanaan. These are not northern dwarves though. The Desert Dwarves, the Dhari as they call themselves, were separated from their kin many ages ago, at the close of the Night Wars. Long exile has greatly altered the Dhari, who are arranged in ‘clans’ each dedicated to a specific craft. Dhari are often nomadic, travelling through the Suhayl to ply their trade and share news and gossip. Many local rulers employ Desert Dwarves as spies or couriers, though the Dhari hold themselves aloof from most conflicts, being avowedly neutral and offering their services to anyone. Northern dwarves mostly grumble when they hear of the Dhari, lamenting their ‘corruption’ in lands so far from the heart of old Tir Urdun. Still, they do recognize the Dhari as kin, and the intrepid Desert Dwarves can be found trading as far away as the Stoneshield holds. Northern dwero are often quietly aghast at the appearance of their ‘cousins.’ Both males and females commonly tattoo and scar their faces, paint their eyes with kohl and dress in flowing, southern garments that are heavily perfumed. Many male Dhari do not even have beards, the better to show off their facial decorations, and if they do have beards, they are often of an oiled and curled ‘Locian’ style that northern purists frown at. Still, hospitality is sacred to the Dhari, and their generous and friendly demeanors ingratiate them to even the most orthodox of the northern clans. After all, a dwarf, no matter how exotic, is still a dwarf, and thus an infinitely preferable guest to a human or, crystals forfend, a Veldyn. 
=== Major Settlements ===
The capital and great port of Khanaan is Emjedar, a vast and ancient city constructed at the orders of Barut, immortal lord of the ogres. Likely, Emjedar was built atop an earlier Zakhemite citadel, though the Azlan had concentrated their cities in Arapa, far from the ‘savage’ coasts that were still the haunt of recalcitrant human tribes. Emjedar, called ‘the Tall City’ for the many towering and colorful ziggurats built to glorify Barut, is a sprawl of new and old. Ancient, crumbling temples from earlier ages stand in the shadows of ziggurats and palaces with glazed domes and lofty wind towers. As Khanaan’s premier port, Emjedar swarms with travelers and traders from across the world, and the vast Qasariya, or Shaded Market, spans many streets. The throng that passes through the grand souk contains everything from Praesian rakes to outlawed sorcerers, haggling with antique dealers and booksellers for ancient lore. Almost anything could be found in the Qasariya, but potential buyers should know that not all the cloying beggars are as they appear, and a jar might as easily contain a djinn as rare spice. 
Though Emjedar is impressive, more incredible still is Nasibin, the Bronze City. Floating several hundred meters above the ground, the Bronze City was formed by Muqanna herself. Reached by the shimmering Bridge of Smoke, the Bronze City is a sanctum of learning and magic, open only to those deemed worthy. Muqanna herself once dwelled in the city, but her vast palace has been sealed for some time, and none have seen the goddess in years. Nasibin is the stronghold of Clan Sirad, the Sanjak founded by Italzim, first of Muqanna’s companions. Their location in the most holy of cities gives Clan Sirad much power, but they insist on their neutrality, mediating disputes among the Sanjaks and restraining the most rash of the magi. 
On the northern border, guarding against the Tala Desert, is Tarsa, more citadel than city. Its towering homes, many stories tall, are built as refuges from the desert raiders, and watch towers dot the sands far off into the horizon. Tarsa is home to Clan Qahr, most martial of the Sanjaks and fierce defenders of Khanaan against Torags, Basai and Ajij horsemen. Though Tarsa is a harsh city of high walls and imposing towers, it is a welcome sight for caravans arriving from Mozollan. Tarsa is where many Hajjari resupply before taking on new assignments, and so the city can be quite rowdy during certain periods, as Torags are not known for their restraint when off duty. 
Katheeb, on the eastern borders, fades into Presh, often termed the ‘Blue Desert,’ though in fact it is closer to savanna. The Ashir lionmen gather in Katheeb to trade their wares, the most notable of course being moon poppy. The ‘moonspice’ is rendered into a variety of substances, including huma, djuub and zihf. Naturally, many dissolute sorts flock to Katheeb to partake in the ‘spice’ found there, and so the streets are often thick with ranting madmen, dancing ecstatics, chanting cultists and sots of every sort. The whole, confusing affair is overseen by Clan Zarqa, mystics and dreamers who have grown immensely rich by controlling the flow of moonspice into Khanaan. 
To the west lies Djebel-Quf, a fortress constructed upon a gigantic rock outcrop and guarding the border with Mazar. Djebel-Quf is most famed for its protectors, the Seti, a clan of Mazari archers who long ago turned from their God-King and pledged themselves to the lords of Khanaan. In exchange for amnesty, these skilled warriors were tasked with holding the border against their former king, a task they have executed with great talent. The Mazaris are often called ‘the archers of the eyes’ for their knack of striking the aforesaid organ, to their foes eternal dismay.     
   
Category:Nations