Vendyhan

## Overview

Vendhya is a land to the far southeast, ruled by the Devi Yasmina. Its capital is Ayodhya, the most marvellous city in this exotic kingdom. The people of Vendhya tend to have an olive skin tone, a slim body-style and straight black hair. They are also remarked for having large dark eyes. The Vendhyan women use make-up to enhance their eyes to further that effect.

## Culture

Life in Vendhya is good, especially if one belongs to the Kshatriya caste. It is a mysterious, philosophical, religious culture but its mysteries and philosophies are geared around enjoying life. Vendhyan artwork exemplifies this love of life and much of their artwork and written literature is of an erotic nature. The highest art form is dance. Dance in Vendhya is often a spiritual experience, which tells stories of the gods, great heroes or even moral lessons. As with all of its art, Vendhya’s dance is striking and distinctive, especially the beautiful and complicated codes of hand-gesturing included in the various dances. For the Vendhyans, the hand alone can portray emotions of all sorts, as well as represent gods, humans, nature, action and animals. Each pose, each movement of the body or hand creates an effect or atmosphere that borders on magic, affecting man and nature equally.

The combination of man and nature impacts not just dance but all of Vendhya’s art. Paintings, carvings and sculptures feature hallowed, multi-armed gods and goddesses as well as inspiring mortal heroes. The art is embellished further with dazzling arrays of spirals and curvaceous lines, including vines, tendrils, arches and domes, each detailed in painstaking exactness. Vendhya‘s beauteous art appears very exotic to Hyborians.

Beyond the impressive art, much about Vendhya’s culture is different from Hyborian culture. For example, Vendhya does not have inns as might be found in Shadizar the Wicked. Instead, the Vendhyans prepare guest houses for travellers, as pilgrims to and from their numerous cities are many. Taverns exist and are a good source of information. However, foreigners are not trusted in Vendhya and are simply treated as potential spies.

Spying is an ancient art in Vendhya but the price to pay if caught can be one’s life or even slavery. Slavery is a fact of life in Vendhya. Slaves can be of any caste and slavery is often used as a punishment.

## Clothing

Everyday activities are proscribed and restricted by numerous religious and secular rules. Even clothing is affected by these rules, although some choice in attire is allowed. The basic garment in Vendhya is called a dhoti, which is an unstitched length of filmy cloth wrapped around the lower part of the body, similar to a skirt. Women can wear a choli, which is a loose fitting blouse, if they want. Women in warmer regions tend to wear far less than the women on the mountainous slopes. Tribal women sometimes wear saris, a length of fabric wound around the entire body, with the loose end thrown over the shoulder. Urban Vendhyan women rarely wear saris. Clothing tends to be gauzy and coloured beautifully, for the Vendhyans have a deep appreciation for gold, silver and jewelled embellishments. Some women wear turbans, although this is uncommon. Women wear make-up and jewellery, including armbands, rings, waist belts, leg and anklets, earrings, nose rings, toe rings, crowns, tiaras and other headdresses. Some women wear filmy robes Vendhya The Golden Kingdom ‘Gold? There is more gold in Peshkhauri than you ever saw… and it is but a drop of all the treasure of Vendhya.’ – Vendhya place gauzy veils over their other clothing. Some dancing girls wear only the veil, ankle-bells and finger-cymbals.

Men also wear the dhoti, although it is usually white or black, not the bright colours worn by women. The dhoti can be worn as a skirt, or it can be wrapped through the legs to make a garment resembling trousers. Some men wear upper garments, such as vests or fitted shirts, while others do not. Almost all men wear large turbans. Men also wear some jewellery, such as rings, anklets and bracelets. Many adorn their turbans with feathers.

## Women and Marriage

Women, except those given to an ascetic life or born to the ruling caste, are obliged to marry by the priests of Vendhya, usually around the age of nine. Polygamy is permitted if such a practice can be afforded. A Kshatriya must marry a Kshatriya but may have pleasure slaves of lower castes. If a woman‘s husband dies, it is considered honourable for her to immolate herself on her husband’s pyre but she is not required to do so. Certain stones are set up in a shrine after a woman performs this ceremony and these stones are worshipped as holy.

## Social Standing

Vendhya’s culture resembles that of the mythical India described in the Vedas and the people are divided into distinct classes, or castes. The people are born into these classes and this arbitrary system of division cannot be altered by skill, prestige or wealth. However, the caste system is similar to the feudal system of the Hyborians for the caste system implies a series of privileges and corresponding responsibilities. The caste system is not intended as a scheme for oppression but simply for order and organisation. Although vertical mobility is not possible, horizontal mobility certainly is. The highest of these classes, at least in regards to secular power, are the Kshatriyas, who are considered semi-divine beings in their own right and from whom the king is chosen.

Higher in spiritual power than the Kshatriyas but lower in secular strength is the philosopher caste. To them belongs the responsibility for religious observances and education. The next category is the merchant class. Although some merchants have wealth to rival their rulers, they are limited in actual power – they cannot hope to raise themselves to the ruling caste; class is a birthright and cannot be altered. Below the merchants are the serfs. A lower class exists, technically outside the caste system, one created for the conquered aboriginal peoples of the area. This is an ‘untouchable‘ class and they are treated with contempt and scorn, forced to live outside the cities, towns and villages. They are also banned from participating in Vendhyan religious rites.

(Note: Only Kshatriya can take the noble class, either at first or any other level. Vertical mobility in Vendhya is impossible, so a Vendhyan from a lower caste will not be able to garner much power – unless he leaves and returns with a false identity, or possibly becomes a member of the ruling class in some other nation.)

## Trade and Economy

Vendhya is largely self-sufficient. It boasts abundant mines of precious metals and a well-developed agricultural base, including textiles such as cotton and silk. Vendhyan steel is light and nearly unbreakable, so Vendhyan swords are in demand in the eastern nations. Vendhya trades with Iranistan and Turan, although Vendhyans never trade their best items. The best work of Vendhya’s artists, farmers, and craftsmen go to Vendhyans. Anything left over is for trade.

A popular wine, both as an export and within the nation, is Shirakman Wine, a Vendhyan scented wine. It is unclear whether Shirakma is a region in Vendhya or the name of a vineyard, or even just the type of wine. In addition to wine, Vendhyan meals include warm tasty wheat bread served with barley, rice, or peas. Vendhyans raise fruit such as dates and melons. Farmers raise cotton and keep herds of sheep, pigs, water buffalo, and zebus. Fish is also popular in both the rural villages and the cities.

The Vendhyan government uses the nobles to organize mass feeding ceremonies, as well as public distribution of grain and other necessities, to insure the economic survival of the people.

## Military

Even the military is affected by religious rules and regulations. Only members of the Kshatriya caste can fight in the military, so most Vendhyan soldiers are Kshatriyan nobles or soldiers who have at least one level in nobility. Other soldiers come from the Nayars, a warrior sub-caste of the Kshatriyas.

The Kshatriya nobles form the backbone of Vendhya’s fighting forces. These caste soldiers train for war their entire lives. Many are not truly suited for it; they lack the willingness to kill or the reflexes needed to keep them alive. However, just as many can wield scimitar, light lance, and bow just as easily as they can recline in their luxury palaces. In war, each Kshatriya wears a scale corselet topped with a steel cap. They carry light lances for use on horse back and scimitars for hand-to-hand fighting. Most also carry short but powerful bows, giving them the ability to act as archers if the need arises. Although they are trained in the art of archery they must dismount to make an effective archer unit.

The lancers are soldiers or nobles who fight from horseback. They are equipped with chahar-aina armour, light lances, kukris, and khandars. Alternatively, they can be equipped with scimitars instead of khandars.

The infantrymen are archers, foot-soldiers, or borderers. The archers wield their traditional hunting bows with care, practicing for hours every day, working on both pin-point accuracy and rapid volleys of arching arrows. They wear leather jerkins and steel caps in battle. The foot soldier learns the subtle arts of spear and shield. He wears a leather jerkin and protects himself with a large shield. He carries a wide bladed hunting spear, useful more for pinning tribesmen to the ground than hunting game.

High-level soldiers become instructors and are expected to perform as doctors and healers. Many start taking ranks in Heal after they are appointed to such a role.

## Religion

Vendhya reveres the mystical religion of Asura, a religion born of enormously complex rituals derived from four great books, the compilations of centuries of religious thought and practice. The priestly class prize their intellectual acumen and they use that intelligence to further their own aims. The people believe in a cosmic order and in cause and effect that extends beyond the physical realm. Even as the Vendhyan civilization was taking shape, the priests taught that if these mysterious and shadowed rituals were performed incorrectly, the cosmic order would be disturbed and catastrophe would follow, for Asura kept a keen eye on how smoothly the world ran. Of course, the priests were the only ones that could perform these clamorous rituals properly, allowing them to rise as a class above even the Kshatriyan rulers, at least in spiritual matters. As a result of this sense of cosmic order and justice, Vendhyans believe in a heaven, a hell, and the judgment of souls.

## Goverment

The government of Vendhya is efficient and organised. The people, other than the aboriginal ‘untouchable’ caste, are treated well. They have free medical care and all from the highest government official to the soldiers to the servant are paid regularly. Artisans, be they craftsmen or poets, are paid a stipend from the government so that they have the free time to devote to their art. People who labour on public works are also paid by the government instead of just strong-armed into it, as would be the case in Aquilonia or Nemedia. Even the poor are fed, for the towns and cities each have a large, central building for storing communal grain. Few Vendhyans are selfish enough to store their own grain. Food is for all to enjoy, not for hoarding.