Mumak Mahûdom

The nation to the south of the Blind Bastard's Domain and to the north of the Wayrest Desert is known as the **Mumak Mahûdom** or just as **Muamar**.

## History

The past of the Mumak is clouded in mystery, since written records of their history are not commonly found. Oral stories and traditions vary between clan to clan, but most agree that the Mumak hail from the plateaus, deserts and canyons to the west, migrating to the area around the Cuprum Hills. The Mumak have been living alongside their northern, coastal neighbors of Aruanda, of whom they rarely clashed with, due to their lack of interest in their territories. Instead, wars were always common between the numerous lords – known better as **Mahûds** – who were vying for control of their various territories and chiefdoms, as well with the various Orcish clans that inhabit the northern portions of the Cuprum hills.

Almost a thousand years ago, the Mumak were united under a **Mahamahûd** –meaning “Great Mahûd”- who rules over all the other Mahûds. The city of Ifghazar was built around the Cuprum Hills by the first Mahamahûd, and has served as Muamar's capital ever since. Thanks to its rough terrain, when the various Mahûds had to ascend the city for a council, they had to do so without their prized elephants, facing each other as equals. However, the Mumak were united only in name. In reality, the Mumak society and government were always very decentralized, with the Mahamahûd usually being more of a figurehead of the Mahûdom, and less of an authoritative ruler. Whenever a Mahamahûd or another Mahûd got too powerful, most of the other feudal lords joined forces to counter their advances.

A few years ago, the Mumak called a great council, facing threat of invasion after Renne, the exiled Empress, landed on the northern coast of the peninsula and seized the Aruandan-Azaneese port of Moridan. This council was held in the capital city of Ifghazar, and every Mahûd, as well as the Mahamahûd attended. After two weeks of debating, the council came to the conclusion that in order to combat this army of foreign pirates and mercenaries, they’d have to not only stay united, but also seek the aid of outsiders. Envoys were sent to the escaped Aruandan slaves of Nosso Lar, the members of the four Orcish clans that weren’t allied with Renne and for the first time in centuries, a Mumak crossed the Sea of Fog, seeking the assistance of the elusive Misty People.

Although all the Orcish lands were integrated into the Blind Bastard’s realm, some high ranking Orcs rallied their loyal troops to the Mumak’s cause, and together with the Aruandans, formed a defensive alliance against the Blind Bastard’s Domain. Although Renne’s men have continued raiding and plundering, no efforts have been made to further their advances south so far, and the region is still uneasy about the prospect of all-out war.

## Government

The Mahûdom is currently ruled by Umbar Hurakim, the Mahamahûd. The lesser Mahûds pay tribute to him, although like always, they and their own vassals have a great say in the country’s external relations, since their armies amount to more than eighty percent of the Mumak’s troops. For that reason, the title of Mahamahûd is not that coveted. Each individual Mahûdom is ruled by a clan, and many clans in history have rose from nothing to greatness and to nothingness again. Whenever an issue troubles the Mumak, they hold a great council in the city of the Mahamahûd, Ifghazar. Although the title of Mahamahûd is hereditary, whenever a Mahamahûd dies with no heir, the rest of the Mahûds vote for another lord to take his place, often choosing a ruler with little military power, as to not endanger their own position in the future.

## Geography

The middle of the Mumak’s lands is hilly, in a region known as the Cuprum hills, on which the capital city of Ifghazar is built. Ifghazar is known as “the city of ceremonies”, and a relatively small population lives there and the surrounding mountain villages. That’s because the Mumak have historically inhabited the surrounding grasslands, forests, savannahs and arid shrublands, where their sacred elephants thrive and are able to roam with ease. Apart from Ifghazar, most of the big cities are built on the banks of the Death River – appropriately named because of the huge amount of battles that have occurred around its shores – thanks to the fertile lands that surround it. For that reason, the Death River has been ansubject of contention and a major strategic point for most wars fought in the Mumak lands. There are very few coastal towns, thanks to the Mumak’s aversion of large bodies of water, a fear which stems from the Sea of Fog’s unnatural mist that looms over it at all times.

## Economy

The Mahûdom’s economy is primarily agricultural and pastoral. Wheat and barley are cultivated over large areas, as are pulses, sugarcane, and oilseeds. Wool and textile production plays a big part in the economy of Muamar, with Mumak carpets and tapestries fetching a high price in foreign markets. The Elephants of Muamar are unique in the regard that they have four tusks instead of the usual two, and for that reason they provide a solid source of ivory. Harvesting ivory is only allowed from the bodies of dead elephants, and doing so otherwise is punishable by death. However, that doesn’t stop the occasional poacher or greedy Mahûd from illegally killing elephants in order to peddle their ivory tusks to Drunig merchants.

## Warfare

Although the Mumak utilize spear and falchion wielding infantrymen, deadly archers as well as horse riding cavalrymen, the Mumak’s armies are famed throughout Giantstep for their use of the **Muamar Elephant** –possibly the largest species of Elephant- in combat, using them to charge towards the enemy and instill fear into their hearts. They even strap towers to their backs, garrisoned by Mumak archers and spearmen.

In certain cases, the Mumak use a form of shamanistic magic in order to tame **Muamar Tigers** for use in combat. These beasts are few in number and are so large and ferocious that only the most skilled **Saer Quans** –Mumak word for Beastmaster- are able to tame them. The Beastmasters usually train a tiger so it enters into a rampage whenever it detects a certain bright colour or a specific shape, usually the one pictured in the enemy’s banners.

## Culture

The Mumak are a tall, dark skinned people, with black hair and black eyes. Mumak men cover their chests and backs with tattoos and body paint, while also decorating themselves with several golden and ivory ornaments like collars, earrings, and nose rings. These decorations vary from area to area, and are usually an indication of an individual’s caste or allegiance towards a specific clan.

Elephants play a large part in the culture of the Mumak, and are almost considered sacred, so much that the word for “elephant rider” in the Mumak language has become synonym to the word “ruler”- Mahûd. According to tradition, a Mumak was deemed unable to rule unless he was able to tame and ride an elephant into battle, and a lord's elephant was seen as a symbol of his power. The sons of noble birth usually grow up with an elephant, which eventually becomes their mount when both reach the appropriate age. The Mumak elephants are also covered in the same ornaments as their masters, and are generally considered more like companions and less like tools. Common colours used in body paint and banners are scarlet, crimson, black and sierra. The Mumak have an aversion towards the sea and for that reason they make poor sailors and fishermen, due to their fear of the sea, an aversion they developed thanks to the unnatural mist that covers much of the Sea of Fog. This has been the subject of many Mumak superstitions and folk stories.

## Religion

The Mumak follow a number of indigenous cults, some of them influenced by the Aruandans, and others by the people to the north, such as the Gokmavi Khaganates and Gilgemash. This fact could prove that the Mumak hail from these people. The religious lore of the various Mumak clans is written down in two texts – the Tariz Ishtar and the Zahy Shuahil. A variety of gods, demons and saints are comprised in the Mumak pantheon, with three deities being universal among all iterations of the faith. The **Elephant** and the **Tiger** are considered sacred animals, akin to gods, with the Tiger representing war, power and ferocity and the Elephant representing wisdom, leadership and loyalty. The water demon known as “**Raksasa**“ is considered the antithesis of all things good and rightful, and is said to reside in the Sea of Fog, sending his ghastly soldiers to flood the sea with mist and drown any sailors, while also singing out a haunting song that sends all who hear it into a trance.

## Demographics

### Humans

The Mahûdom’s population is almost exclusively human, with the native Mumak, a tall, dark skinned people, being the majority. Each Mumak clan, apart from having different traditional tattoos and piercings, also has some unique characteristics, such as the northern Umaro clan, who are known to be of sturdier build than most others, or the clan of Ashram being known for their amber coloured eyes. Apart from the Mumak, there is a small population of Aruandans that live in the western coast, having fled from the Blind Bastard and choosing not to seek refuge in Nosso Lar.

### Orcs

The only significant non-human population lies in some outlier Orcish clans in the north. Even though all but one Orcish clan (the Izhtuli, who were conquered by the Mumak a long time ago, but were spared and tolerated) were independent and occasionally warring against each other and against the Aruandans and the Mumak, it all changed when Renne invaded, dividing the Orcish clans and using them against each other, leading to their subjugation. Not all of them stayed under her domain, however, with some fleeing towards the Mumak to the south, being sheltered by the Mahamahûd in Ifghazar, against the wishes of some of his Mahûds. The Mahamahûd has promised these lesser Orcish clans that he’ll defeat Renne and free their people, making them chieftains, and in exchange they’ll swear allegiance towards the Mumak.

## Foreign Relations

### Blind Bastard’s Domain

Although the Mumak were neutral towards the port city of Moridan when it was under Azaneese influence, the two nations are now hostile, thanks to Renne’s exile army of mercenaries and pirates that conquered large parts of the former Aruandan and Orcish lands. The Mumak, for perhaps the first time in their recent history, feel threatened by an external threat, and for that reason established defensive alliances with their neighbors against the Blind Bastard. Renne does not plan on negotiating with the Mumak, and intends to establish a powerful Empire that’ll provide her with enough manpower in order for her to be able to reclaim her rightful (at least, according to her) seat of the Azan Empire. For that reason, she plans on advancing against Nosso Lar and the Mahûdom, using her allied Orcish forces as meat shields against the mighty war elephants.

### Nosso Lar

The Mumak and the seafaring Aruandans have enjoyed centuries of cordial relations. The pacifist nature of the Aruandans and the dislike of large bodies of water of the Mumak led to both of these people not having ambitions of conquest towards each other. As such, trade became common between the two, with certain Aruandan tribes establishing an alliance with various Mahûds against the Orcish clans of the northern Cuprum hills. However, since an official alliance was never sought out between the two, the Aruandans had to fend off the exile army of Renne by themselves, and quickly fell to the Blind Bastard’s sword. Some Aruandans escaped and sought refuge in the Mumak lands, and when the refugee nation of Nosso Lar was established, the Mumak vowed to protect the Aruandans from any further incursion, and as such signed a defensive pact with them. There’s still a pocket of Aruandans who have settled down in Muamar, thinking they are safer there since Nosso Lar is more vulnerable to an attack by Renne.

### Star People

Contact between these two is rare. Even before the arrival of the Star People around 660 years ago, the Mumak rarely ventured beyond their southern borders and into the depths of the Weariest Desert. Even though they are used to their arid lands, this desert’s lack of water makes it a particularly daunting task to move using their war elephants. As such, Mumak raids into the star people’s lands are far and few between, due to the harsh climate and terrain that makes these raids a risk that’s usually not worth taking. For that reason alone, raids usually only happen in periods of famine or drought in the neighboring Mumak clans, where they are forced to raid the star people in order to seize some of their cattle.

### Misty Isle

There is not a single Mumak alive that has ever seen the Mistfolk, so all Mumak stories about them stem from hearsay, superstition and rumors. The Mumak avoid crossing the Sea of Fog like the plague and the Mistfolk’s elusive nature are one of two reasons as to why all encounters between the two so far in history are unconfirmed stories that have been watered down by myth and legend alike. It’s said that when the ancestors of the Mumak were crossing the Sea of Fog during their great southern migration, many of their sick and wounded drowned when a mysterious fog and a haunting, hypnotizing song unfolded over the sea. This legendary event gave birth to many stories – truthful or not – about the Misty people, some of who still survive to this day.

### Terrania Freeholds

The Mumak have occasionally roamed to the northern reaches of Terrania. Since those lands are lush are covered by thick forests and exotic plants, this makes traversing them a hard task for the war elephants and horses of the Mumak. For that reason, some southern Mumak clans had tried to cut down parts of the Terranian forests, in order to expand their own dominions. This effort, however, was countered by a woodland spirit known as “the Ent Elder”. Although the Mumak were able to take down many of the beasts and the smaller Spriggans that were under the command of this spirit, the Ent used some of its ancient magic in order to turn the war elephants and tigers of the Mumak against them. Cowering in fear, they ran with their tails between their legs back to Muamar. Since then, there have been no organized efforts to exploit much of Terrania’s resources, with the only interaction occurring being trade with their Chugaranni cousins and small scale harvesting of berries, fruits and other plants of the forest.