Calashir

A nation found in the central desert of Kashar-Maht.

The people of Calashir are a loose association of semi nomadic tribes known collectively as the Calashi. Each tribe has a chieftain who presides over daily issues. For matters of national importance, the chieftains gather at a site located near the lake. The Calashi are territorial but prefer non-hostile approaches to dealing with other nations. They value oral tradition as a way to pass their history and collective knowledge down to younger generations.

Although the tribes acknowledge the existence of gods or greater spirits, they place more value in the worship of their own human ancestors, believing that their spirits remain after death to guide and protect them. Most Calashi warriors and travelers carry charms in the shape of ghosts as a way to stay connected to these ancestor spirits. Some members even have the power to call on the spirits directly to perform miracles or magical works.

The dunes of Calashir are also home to titanic sandworms which form the backbone of Calashir's economy. The worms can be harvested for meat, chitin, nacre, and pearls. These are then processed into various foods, weapons, and tools. Entire tribes will participate in the hunting of these worms. They call themselves Thunder Hunters due to the massive booming sounds created by the worms as they burrow through the sand and rock. The dunes are also believed to be haunted by demonic spirits. Although typically reviled by the human Calashi, some intrepid wanderers may seek these evil beings out to strike deals for power or vengeance.

## Geography

Located in the central desert of Kashar. Largely comprised of rocky desert and rolling dunes, the region also features the river Calosh, which lends its name to the nation and its people. It also contains a lake known as the Sea of Whispers.

### Calosh River

"Calosh" comes from an ancient Calashi phrase meaning something akin to "seeking water" though in the modern tongue, it can be translated simply as "river." Thus the Calashi are "people or children of the river" and Calashir is "where the people (of the river) dwell."

The Calosh runs straight through Calashir and is the lifeblood of the people, who depend on it as a source of water and a means of travel. It is sacred to the Calashi who believe the spirits of their dead travel back and forth from the land of the dead. The river is believed to be an aspect of a deity associated with life, death, and of course water. This deity is known as Os. The Calashi are fiercely protective of the river due to their dependence on it and the spiritual associations it has for them.

### Sea of Whispers

A lake near which the tower of Tal Vashel was constructed. It's name comes from the fact that Calashi spiritual leaders come here to meditate and commune with their ancestor spirits. According to tradition, the sound of the waves on the shore occasionally manifests into whispers which can reveal secrets from the world beyond our own. Only the most spiritually attuned members of the Calashi are able to interpret these whispers, and so they are appointed as spiritual leaders to pass the wisdom of the ancestors on to the living Calashi. According to legend, while meditating on the shore of the lake, your ancestral spirits may manifest themselves as visions within your reflection. Such visions are exceedingly rare, and considered to be divine omens.

## Settlements

### Tal Vashel

The tower of Tal Vashel is one of the only permanent structures built by the Calashi. It serves as a place where tribal chiefs can meet to discuss matters of national import. The upper floors of the tower is forbidden to all but the highest ranking tribal chiefs and spiritual leaders. This structure is thought to house the Council of Elders; a group of ancestor spirits who remain in the living realm to provide guidance and blessings to the Calashi people. This site is of extreme importance to the Calashi people, and they will defend it with their lives if necessary.

### Egg Nest Camp

The breeding ground of an unusually colored species of sand worm. Several tribal chiefs ordered the establishment of a camp to monitor and protect the eggs until they hatched and matured. They constructed observation platforms and defensive structures around the worm pit.

## Fauna

### Thunder Worms

A species of giant sand worm known to the Calashi as thunder worms. This name derives from the sound of booming thunder produced as they bore through the dunes and rocky landscape. The worms have an exoskeleton which can be harvested for its chitin, nacre (mother of pearl), and sand pearls, which come in a variety of colors depending on species diet. They lay eggs which can be farmed and harvested. Their meat is tough and gamey, and is a staple of the Calashi diet. A thin layer of softer, fatty meat connects the exoskeleton to the musculature. The Calashi call this substance thunder cheese and its considered a delicacy among the tribes.

The life cycle of a thunder worm is approximately 80-150 years, although worms as young as 5 are considered mature and ready for harvesting. Their diet consists primarily of desert vegetation, insects, and whatever animal happens to be unfortunate enough to be in their path. They can even subsist on nutrition derived from the sand itself. The process of consuming the sand is likely what causes pearls to form in sacs surrounding their "blow-holes" where they release gouts of undigested mineral detritus.

The worms form temporary tunnels as they burrow. The walls of these tunnels are kept sturdy - for a time anyway - by a mucous like substance. This mucous has very little nutritious value and is not considered edible. However, it is useful to the Calashi as mortar/building material, an adhesive, and even a type of sunblock. Unfortunately, it degrades fairly quickly, so is unsuitable for permanent structures.

### Tsen

The Tsen (T’kko - Tsón (ʦɶn); Ril’ya - Zhen (ʒen)) is a large, horned, quadrupedal ungulate native to central Kashar-Maht. They have evolved from a smaller ancestor species and are related to the smaller Tsokki found in southern Kashar-Maht. Tsen possess great strength and endurance, and are able to conserve moisture well, which has made them the riding and pack animals of choice for the people inhabiting the continental desert.

The Calashi have not formally domesticated the Tsen, instead relying on imports from Ril'ya and Uskari.