Kemara

*"Old Kemara, cradle of man. Fair Kemara, of the Golden Sands. Great Kemara, born of thousands. Proud Kemara, land of the Pharaohs."*

Kemara, alternatively known as the Realm of the Golden Sands or the Jewel of Ra, is the sole Terrene Realm ruled by the Kem-Duati. Forged by the absorption of thousands upon thousands of lesser realms conquered by Ra, Kemara is the largest singular realm in all Creation. Once home to trillions upon trillions of mortals, and countless other supernatural beings, Kemara was scoured of life by the Great Maelstrom, though it remained largely intact, which is more than can be said for innumerable other realms. In the modern day, most of its great cities lie in ruins, though its geographic landscape has been restored by the Kem-Duati, who look down upon it from the world-city of Memphet-Ra.

## Geography

Kemara is the singular largest Terrene Realm in the cosmos, having absorbed many thousands of worlds into itself throughout Ra's conquests. Most of its surface is covered is covered in its famed golden sands, a vast desert that would take a man on foot decades to circumnavigate. The desert is bisected by numerous rivers, which connect the numerous freshwater seas (known as the Ra'Gesh, or "gifts of Ra") dotted across the realm's surface. Other environments are scattered about here and there, though while they seem tiny from a distance, they are scaled to the size of Kemara itself. Continent sized swamps. oases, and cool mountains exist.

### The Ra'Gesh

Some of the most significant natural formations on Kemara are the Ra'Gesh, the Gifts of Ra. This is the name given by the realm's inhabitants to the vast freshwater seas created by the god Ra across the desert, sources of life amidst the arid sands, around which vegetation and civilizations could spring. The Ra'Gesh are interconnected by a series of rivers, raised on Ra's orders, enabling mortal travelers to sail through the sands and construct new settlements. At the same time, these rivers could be demolished whenever the gods were displeased, condemning millions to death.

Notable Ra'Gesh:

* Kemurat: The First of the Ra'Gesh, Kemurat was made by Ra when Kemara was but one realm. According to legend and the official records in the Palace of the Sun, Ra raised Kemurat on the barren world of Kemara, so as to give life and nourishment to men, his creations. Kemurat is the smallest of the Ra'Gesh, comparable to a tiny sea on an average realm, rather than a vast ocean. Its edge is lush and fertile, and within it are a number of islands that Ra allegedly created humanity upon. When Kemari civilization flourished, Kemurat was a holy site, visited by pilgrims from across Kemara. Unlike most of the Ra'Gesh, Kemurat is connected by no rivers, with the empty sands between it and any other water source being a rite of passage for pilgrims who wished to gaze upon and enter its sacred waters.
* Hekdjed: Hekdjed was a Ra'Gesh raised around the Holy Hekau Obelisks, which lie on islands within its center, along with temples of Hekau sorcerers, whose members were guided there directly by the gods. Hekdjed is the size of a large sea, and its waters are turbulent and violent, prone to frequent storms. Monsters swim within its depths, servings as trials to the aspirants who seek out the secrets of Hekau.

### Rivers

Many of the rivers of Kemara flowed or went dry on the whims of the Pharaoh or the Nomarchs who ruled portions of Kemara in his name. The practice of drying the rivers to punish mortals was heavily restricted by Osiris, the Second Pharaoh, and this practice was instated again by his son Horus, the Fourth. Some of Kemara's rivers are of comparable length to those on Earth, while others are scaled to Kemara itself, running for tens or even hundreds of thousands of miles, and once provided life to millions and billions of mortals.

A list of Kemara's notable rivers includes:

* Iteru: The mightiest of Kemara's waterways, Iteru is known as the Million Mile River, for such is the length that it runs. Iteru begins at Kemara's north pole in the towering Bashret Mountains, and snakes over its eastern hemisphere until it reaches the southern pole. At its widest, Iteru is seven thousand miles across. Islands the size of continents lie within it, which once housed vast civilizations of mortals. Its tributary rivers connect hundreds of the Ra'Gesh, and it was the greatest avenue of travel across the realm for millennia. Iteru was first carved across Kemara by Geb, son of Ra. Since the reign of Set, the Father of Rivers has been the personal ward of Sobek, the Crocodile God. Many a time, the gods of the Kem-Duati have descended from Memphet-Ra to sail its waters.

## Nomes

Kemara is divided up into several Nomes, regions under the authority of one of the gods of the Kem-Duati pantheon. While all ultimately swear loyalty to the Pharaoh, each god granted rule of a Nome (known as a Nomarch) is allowed to rule it as they see fit, altering its weather, and landscape as they pleased unless restricted by a direct royal dictate.

Nomes vary in size considerably, depending on the power and influence of the Nomarch god who ruled them. Some Nomes, ruled by minor deities, would not even be counted the size of a full continent. Others, such as those ruled by the Royal Family, would cover the surface of hundreds of planets.

Notable Nomes include:

* Sutekh: The Nome of Set, as a member of the royal family, is one of the largest on Kemara. Located in the southwestern hemisphere of the realm, Sutekh is a particularly harsh region, its rivers smaller and less fertile, its oases and wells sparse. Prone to frequent storms and particularly intense heat, Sutkeh's rivers frequently dried on Set's command, with mortal inhabitants working continually to appease their harsh overlord.
* Mekhet: The Nome of Ra's son Geb, Mekhet is located by the northern pole of Kemara, near where Iteru begins. Mekhet is the most fertile Nome in Kemara, watered by numerous rivers, filled with oases and shelters, with the smallest proportion of desert in the realm. In all the millennia of Geb's rule over the region, the rivers have never ceased to flow.
* Zehuuti: The Nome of Thoth, son of Ra and the Kem-Duati's grand archivist, Zehuuti is located in the southern pole of Kemara. Home to numerous settlements and schools of Hekau sorcery, it is the home of the Ra'Gesh, Hekdjed, and the site of the Holy Hekau Obelisks. Zehuuti is among the most varied Nomes in terms of geography, boasting mountain ranges, jungles and swamps in addition to the desert, along with many unique flora and fauna gathered by Thoth from throughout the realms and placed in artificial ecosystems for study.

## Cities and Structures

### Ankunamet

A great city located within the Nome given to Anubis following the rise of Horus, Ankunamet is one of Kemara's most ancient cities, predating the god who rules it by millennia. Known as the City of the Dead, it is a city of gargantuan tombs, where mortal kings and heroes favored by the gods are laid to rest in glorious splendor. All halfborn of Kem-Duati blood have a right to a place in Ankunamet, though in the Iron Age, many have been left upon Earth.

### Imrakhmun

The great temple of Imrakhmun, also known as the Spire of Ascension, is the greatest school of Hekau sorcery in Creation. Located in the Nome of Zehuuti, within the great sea of Hekdjed, Imrakhmun juts out of the sea on an island between the isles which house the Holy Hekau Obelisks, giving a clear view of all eighteen. Storms surround the isle constantly, for Imrakhun is open only to advanced students of Hekau, who must venture there from the other schools and prove their mastery by braving the stormy sea and the beasts which lurk beneath it.

### Memphet-Ra

Main Article: Memphet-Ra

Memphet-Ra is the primary place of residence for the gods of the Kem-Duati pantheon, acting as their godrealm. It is a massive city the size of a planet, which acts as Kemara's primary sun, giving light and life to the realm.

## Inhabitants

### Mortals

Before the Great Maelstrom, Kemara was the most heavily populated realm in the cosmos. Some sixty trillion mortals made it their home, scattered throughout towns and cities built beside the rivers and Ra'Gesh, whilst others wandered the sands. Separated by tens of thousands of miles of desert, connected by rivers that ran and dried at the whims of their gods, the Kemari had cultural identities largely dependent upon which god's Nome they resided in. However, they were united by the common language of Kem'Rakh, and over the millennia, as the mystical prowess of the Kemari grew, the potential to travel, communicate, and diversify expanded, allowing Kemara's disparate inhabitants to mingle as never before.

Then the Maelstrom struck.

Millennia later, Kemara is bereft of mortals, but for halfborn and sorcerers who manage to travel there, seeking knowledge or power.