Paelia

Capital of Paelia, Kublai

**Paelia** is a steppe province in Jibra'il and is the largest province of the empire.

## Geography

Paelia is located in south Jibra'il, sharing its western border with Soroz and its southern one by Koranthia, The Deep. It also shares a small land border with Epria Oblia in the north-east, and Alssariq-Thoth to the north. Paelia's long coastline on Koranthia gives it a multitude of ocean fishing ports. Paelia occupies a rich territory of fertile farmland, temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrub-lands surrounding the foothills of the mountain, Tanrıların Mızrağı.

## Wealth

Paelia while has a generous economy thanks to its exports, the province is the second largest supplier of the weapons and trains many of the soldiers in the empire at large. This in turn makes them fairly wealthy.

## Culture

The plains area of Jibra’il is home to several nomadic tribes that roam the area. There are three major tribes in the area; The Khoridai Khanate, The Khujaa and The Mol. All of these tribes share a cultural history back from when the lands were first settled and are followers of a minor deity that is said to be their founding ancestor, Žena Magle */jin-ah mag-lay/*.
In smaller towns and villages, the people are more tribal with a Turkish/Ottoman, Monghol or Persian mixed with it. In the larger cities and towns they are more militaristic, and structured to an extent- with a focus on respecting warriors and authority (be it familial through the patriarch or matriarch, or societal through the state) while being more Persian, with a little bit of Imperial China’s attitude (that being the further away from Paelia you are, the weaker and more ignorant the people are). Citizens of Paelia are taught respect for the clans who guard the Tanrıların Mızrağı.

### The Khoridai Khanate

The Khoridai Khanate, which roams the western area of the steppe, is known for its strength and ferocity in combat. Khoridai have lived in this area for centuries, but it wasn’t until the current ruler, Khan Taghai, came into power that they really became a force to be reckoned with. Taghai swallowed up the lesser clans in the area, either through marriage or slaughter, and constructed a massive horde that roam the lands along the jungled area of Jibra’il. They often force many nearby villages and towns to pay tribute to them and raiding those that refuse or try to fight back. Their clan is known for their skilled mounted swordsmen called Kheshigs that strike swiftly with dual scimitars while mounted on steeds that blink in and out of the material plane, making it nigh impossible to predict where their next attack is coming from. Khan Taghai’s own cousin, Alexandra, deserted the Khanate along with a large contingent of forces and bent the knee to the Alephi Emperor. Many people view her as a traitor while others view her as a savior; the relation between the two Khan’s has been hostile ever since and raids inch ever closer to Alexandra’s territory.

### The Khujaa

The Khujaa are a smaller clan than their Khoridai cousins, but what they lack in numbers they make up for with their abilities. Nestled in and around the base of Tanrıların Mızrağı, the Khujaa people have become attuned with nature and are able to harness the very elements themselves. At a young age, members of the clan are sent up into Tanrıların Mızrağı to retrieve the egg of a great beast from its nest and return with it. This is a dangerous rite of passage that many do not return from or only grab eggs of lesser beasts on lower levels of Tanrıların Mızrağı; but those that climb higher and higher into the cloud layer return with the eggs of divine beasts that bond to them when they hatch. The current ruler of the Khujaa is a girl in her preteens named Oyuun who climbed higher than anyone has before and brought back an egg ten times her size. That egg eventually hatched a gargantuan eagle whose wings span entire villages. The Khujaa clan has made a deal with the empire that has set them as guardians of Tanrıların Mızrağı and any outsiders who wish to climb Tanrıların Mızrağı must have the favor of the Emperor and pass the clan's trials. Those that try and climb without either of these shall be taken down by the warriors patrolling the skies.

### The Mol

The plains area of Jibra’il is home to several nomadic tribes that roam the area. There are three major tribes in the area; The Khoridai Khanate, The Khujaa and The Mol. All of these tribes share a cultural history back from when the lands were first settled and are followers of a minor deity that is said to be their founding ancestor, Žena Magle.

The Mol vary greatly from the other clans, being more set to spreading their culture and traditions to those they encounter. Rather than being situated in a central area, the Mol travel around in massive yurts pulled by great beasts of burden and visit many different cities and population centers around the plains of Jibra’il. They often trade fine embroidered leather goods, ornaments and wood carvings wherever they go as well as pass along their cultural history. Instead of being ruled by a chief or a khan, the Mol leadership is based around a council of elders that commune with the spirits when making any big clan decisions. One thing the Mol are known for that separates them from the other clans is their music which incorporates throat singing that can also be used in combat.

## Military

As one of the larger provinces in terms of population, Paelia is where many of the empire’s soldiers are trained, made to endure life on the steppe.

## History

It has been less than three decades since the Emperor brought Paelia to heel and slew the Warlord, Khan Khasar Khoridai, and took his niece, Alexandra, as his concubine. These actions caused The Great Horde of Paelia to fracture and become weak; many of the less powerful tribes falling in with Alexandra and the Emperor, the rest scattering to the steppe where the imperial soldiers dare not tread. Khan Khasar’s son, Khan Taghai Khoridai, survived his father’s death and rallied the people of the steppe under him, vowing vengeance against the Emperor and the traitorous wench Alexandra. Even in the towns the people are divided on what clan to give their support to, causing many violent altercations with the Imperial troops stationed in the cities and leading to more than a few deaths. In retaliation, Alexandra and her Imperial backers have taken to dealing with the rebellious citizen in a more discrete way. It is not an uncommon sight to Alexandra paying a visit to such citizens, them and their families' existence completely vanishing like they never existed.. Or, that’s how the rumors word it at least.

For these last decades, the new Khoridai horde has been growing in strength, raiding Imperial towns and trade routes between Paelia and Soroz. Some say the horde is double the size of the previous Khan’s, but no Imperial scouts have made it deep enough into the steppe to confirm. The heads of those that have tried are found on stakes outside of Imperial controlled towns and cities. All that is known is that when a raiding party of Kheshigs comes to a town, the town either pays tribute or burns.

## Appendix

* All natives of Paelia are descended from Khoridai exiles
* Worship both Korg and Žena Magle as main gods.
* Cities tend to be near rivers and water, allowing them to send ships to nearby places of the empire for trade and travel.

## Gallery

The Mol have large caravans of the moblie yurts they use as housing and businessA village up the mountain of Tanrıların MızrağıThe skilled leader of The Khoridai Khanate, Khan Taghai.Tsagaangerel /sahg-ang-jehr-ehl/ is a member of the council of elders to The Mol tribe.The Mol tribe's yurts as shown pulled by camel bisonLeader of The Khujaa, Oyuun and her eagle- Өргөн