Gharzaraa

While the Heimarkan's settled western Exscillon, another group of refuges would settle the east and become desert nation Gharzaraa. Gharzareens are descendants of the Rashishi. The Rashishi people worshiped Dommah Rae, a god of knowledge and sand. They had a tome in their possession, which they called the Ohmbakulah. The Ohmbakulah was an artifact from the ancients of the Great Desert of Rasa . Measuring ten feet tall, eight feet wide and three feet thick when closed, the Ohmbakulah serves as an epic in which all history is recorded.

Empires fell and crime became the norm in Rasa. Fearing for the Ohmbakulah's safety, a group of enscribers received a vision from Dommah Rae. He told them of an unknown land that would be safe for the tome, and would still bear resemblance to their meditative home. So they left and found Gharzaraa. They were believed to be the first humans on Exscillon. All the others followed them, while they went about their mission of safeguarding the Ohmbakulah in Gharzaraa.

## Current Day

Gharzaraa (lit. “Weeping Mountain”) takes up a great portion of western continental Exscillon, and two major islands along the western coast (Qisakor to the west, and Khyal Watan to the north). Gharzaraa is mountainous and arid, the terrain dominated by rocky cliffs, valleys and highlands. This makes the majority of the region difficult to navigate, with very little arable land and a sparse population.

The chief landmark of Gharzaraa is Mount Gharzaraa, from which the nation takes its name. Positioned roughly in the center of the nation, Mount Gharzaraa is the highest peak in Exscillon. The mountain is girded by the capital city, Obelaar. Obelaar is the primary population center, and is the origin point of the Water Roads; a complex system of aqueducts which spans much of Gharzaraa. The Water Roads collect water from the melting snow and ice atop Mount Gharzaraa’s peak, and channel it across the country to be used for irrigation and public consumption.

Gharzaraa’s culture places great importance on the concepts of personal heroism and achievement; to this end, the Gharzareen people are divided into a rigid caste system. At the top are the Storied, a caste composed of individuals who have proved their worth through great deeds, be they acts of courage, works of amazing craftsmanship or engineering, or displays of great cunning or intelligence. A member of the Storied is set apart from more common castes by their Legacy Name. A Legacy Name is appended to the individual’s given name, and lists that person’s achievements. Legacy Names can be quite long, and are typically used only in formal settings. This leads to such formal affairs being quite drawn out and tedious, however: deliberately shortening or omitting parts of one’s Legacy Name is considered an insult of the highest order. Thus, a conversation with Sarukh, the Stone Hammer, Slayer of Gazash, Kinshield, Marker of Ways, Vanguard of the 3rd Company and First Blood to Maliyah of the Mountain can take some time to complete.

Entrance into the Storied is not limited by birth or heredity. Rather, all Gharzareen have the opportunity to earn a Legacy Name and become one of the Storied. However, any citizen that reaches his or her 20th year without having accomplished anything worthy of a Legacy Name will be relegated to the Gharzareen working caste, the Unsung. The Unsung are the farmers, laborers and craftsmen of Gharzaraa; and though not as honored or glorified as the Storied, their necessity is recognized by all. It should be noted that members of the Unsung may still accomplish great things and thus be elevated to the Storied; such occurrences are rare, however, as the average farmer tilling the field has little opportunity for heroism.

The third caste is the Speakers, comprised of merchants, traders, and diplomats. Members of the Unsung which display talent in these fields will be assigned to the Speakers, which are responsible for trade and diplomacy with the other nations of Exscillon. The Speakers are generally looked down upon by the other castes; a common jibe directed towards them is that “they wag their tongues because their sword arms are too weak.” Despite this, their presence is tolerated, as most Gharzareen recognize that their society would not function without trade and resources from other lands.

The fourth and final caste is the Sullied, comprised of the worst criminals of Gharzareen society. Any man or woman who commits a Dire Crime as defined in Gharzareen law (which includes murder, rape, and treason) is a member of this caste, regardless of their former standing. Sullied may never ascend beyond this criminal status, and are considered entirely beyond the protection of the law. Those that escape capture or execution are pariahs to the Gharzareen, unwelcome wherever they go. Most Sullied will be imprisoned indefinitely, or, at worst, sent to Khyal Watan to die.

The ruling faction of Gharzaraa is the House of Memory, based on the island of Qisakor. The House of Memory keeps the Ohmbakulah, a relic of their homeland which is believed to be a gift from the Gods. Measuring ten feet tall, eight feet wide and three feet thick when closed, the Ohmbakulah serves as a national epic in which all history of the world is recorded. This task is looked after by the Enscribers, a group of scholars, historians and scribes within the House of Memory. The Enscribers gather, collate and record the tales of the heroes and their deeds, before finally committing them to history within the Ohmbakulah. Some among the Enscribers are rumored to possess a form of foresight; capable of divining the future by extrapolating from the past. All Gharzareen believe that when the last page of the Ohmbakulah is filled, the world will end.

Most political power is held by the Architects, the second faction within the House of Memory. Chosen from among the elite of the Storied, the role of the Architects is to shape the history of Gharzaraa for the better. The Architects may number anywhere from a mere two or three members to several score, depending on how many of the Storied may be considered accomplished enough to join. The Architects are generally led by one member chosen from their ranks, dubbed the High Architect. Any member of the Architects is eligible for this position, and may challenge the current High Architect for his or her seat. When such challenges arise, the Legacy Names of the incumbent and challenger are compared by the others, and whichever they deem most worthy of rule is chosen.

Gharzaraa is famed across Exscillon for the quality of its stonework, with architects being requisitioned from among the Unsung to erect stone structures of surpassing beauty and strength. It has been said that no stone laid by a Gharzareen has ever fallen; an unlikely claim, though a testament to the faith placed in their architecture. Gharzaraa thus conducts a great deal of trade in stone quarried from its mountains and worked by the expertise of its masons. Gharzaraa also trades vast quantities of coal, a resource found in abundance among its mines, as well as exotic spices and herbs which grow in no other climate. In exchange for these resources, Gharzaraa imports a great deal of timber, wheat, and iron, little of which can be found within its borders.