Aram

> *"The land promises nothing and keeps its promise."*
>
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**Aram** is a massive country which makes up makes up most of the western part of the **Southern Countries.** Leaders of the country style themselves as **Pharaoh**, such as the current leader, **Phoebe Ma'at.**

The Pharaoh rules from her capital, **Khorramabad,** which towers and shines over the desert landscape.

## Geography

Aram is the hottest region in the Southern Countries. The region is rocky, mountainous, arid and dry, and is the only desert on the continent. Aram is bordered by the Southern Ocean, which separates the country, and continent itself, from **Tyrth**. Stretching through the western part of the country, the **Sunspear Mountains** stretch from along the entire country. There are two major passes, **Kingsgrave** and **Sandstone Pass**. Kingsgrave leads to the port cities of **Myrcellan, Rhoynar,** and **Ras Al-Khair,** which are all large, bustling port cities, frequently used for trade. Sandstone Pass leads to the massive port city of **Bur** **Sa'id.** While both are passes and all ports are used for trade, Sandstone Pass is typically seen as the quicker and safer pass, thus more trade despite only one city.

Though most countries see Aram as an arid wasteland, the Aramites see it as anything but that. Eastern Aram, and the closer you get to **The Empire**, the ground typically consists of dry sand, unsuitable for agriculture and living altogether. There are very few people who live in Eastern Aram, save for desert bandits and the occasional oasis fortress. Eastern Aram is also home to horrible sandstorms, which seem to swallow most attempts at cities and forms of civilizations. This makes most invasion attempts futile to the extent that Aram rarely pays attention to them.

Central/Western Aram are a bit more hospitable, due to the tillable land and the occasional inland river. In Aram, inland water is more valuable than gold, and rivers and wells are guarded with savage fervor. There are three major rivers running through Aram. The **Murru River** originates in the Sunspear Mountains, running down through South/Central Aram and into the ocean. A nigh impenetrable fortress simply known as **The Bulwark** protects the source, keeping the lake jealously guarded. The **Myspr** **River** originates at the bottom of the Sunspear Mountains, going through the **Ketha Lowlands**, effectively supplying the slave region with drinkable water. And **The Nahr** is a river which originates in Khorramabad, the massive capital protecting it with a sturdy defense.

The southern and northern coast of Aram are treacherous, lined with cliffs, raging storms, whirlpools, hidden shoals, with very few safe landings.

## People

Aram seems to be one of the lesser populated countries, likely due to its inhospitality. Aramites differ in a great many ways to the rest of world. Most Aramites are native to Aram, dating back to more or less the beginning. Aramites are known for their brutality, fast speech, and licentiousness, and are viewed with mistrust by most neighboring kingdoms. Aramite bastards are given the surname "Sand".

Aram contains mosques for Islamic worshippers and temples for the main religion, that of the worship of the Old Gods (Egyptian Gods in our modern time), as well as the worship of their God-Pharaoh Phoebe Ma'at.

## Culture

The culture of Aram is deeply ingrained in beauty, stemming from their leader. Those who are seen as "ugly" and "disgusting" are seen as almost lesser, and

## Economy

Aram, despite its inhospitality, exports many things besides ore and slaves. It is known for exotic products which are uncommon to the rest of the world. These products include bananas, melons, dates, figs, plums, pomegranates, lemons, spices, and Aramite Oranges, which are known to be some of the best oranges one can find. Orchards and gardens are typically watered by the spider-web of canals that are typically found in the cities, and especially Khorramabad. Fine silks can also be found being exported from Aram.

It's obvious main exports are those of ore and slaves. Aram is known for being the hub of slave trade, using an astronomical amount of slave labor. Aram tends to keeps its slaves under the whip due to it's technology, a certain type of slave collar and chains. The collars are quite durable, but their defining trait is that of suppressing a persons powers, making them incapable of using magic. Most of the slave labor is directed towards the Sunspear mountains, where tons and tons of precious ore are mined out of the mountains.

Though Aram typically uses camels as their main transportation, horses bred and raised in Aram are famous, for very good reasons. The horses are typically very beautiful, and are revered for the fact that they are capable of running for two days and two nights before tiring, needing only a little bit of food and water. Despite that, the horses are smaller than warhorses, and are incapable bearing the weight of armor.

Though Khorramabad is not set on the port, smaller ships are capable of going through the Nahr river to trade directly with the capital. If not, most ships go to trade at Bur Sa'id, with caravans going through Sandstone Pass. As they go through the pass, caravans typically take on supplies at the mountain city of **Khanq Quarya** before making the trek to Khorramabad.

## Military Strength

Despite its lower population, Aram is still capable of raising an army of at least 30,000 troops strong. Usually though, it keeps a relatively small military force unless the situation arises. Despite the small military, Aram is well known for having an impressively trained military. They are capable of surviving in the harsh desert and use their conditions to their advantage. Their training is harsh, and they show no mercy to their enemies, using everything to their advantage in order to destroy them.

## History

Aram is one of the oldest known countries in the world. Its history stretches back to the first people and has lasted throughout the centuries. The country itself started out with simple tribes, spread throughout the desert land.

## Relations

Aram, unlike most nations, is rather secular. Though it is willing to do trade with any nation, it doesn't seem to favor, nor hate, any nation. Aram is known to be politically neutral to almost all nations, though it maintains trade with every nation willing to trade.

Despite all of the neutrality, there have been talks of an alliance between Aram and the recently formed Empire, which is goes against the neutrality that Aram has kept for so long.

## Notable Residents

### Khorramabad

 Seshat Sheikh | Mistress of the House of BooksMistress of Builders
 Nefret |  |  | Fortune Teller

## Quotes

*"Who knows what treasures hide beneath that vast desert. Thousands of years, thousands of buried cities and civilizations. History left untold, forever entombed, forever waiting to be found."* - Quinlan Maskov, Journal entry #86

*"Aram had seemed a queer place to him when first he came here on his own, many years ago. He had drilled himself on the common speech that men usually spoke before he set forth, but the Aramites all spoke too quickly for him to understand. Aramite women were lewd, Aramite wine was sour, and Aramite food was full of queer hot spices. And the sun seemed to disagree with him, glaring down from a blue sky day after day." -* Elvish visitor

*"Aram is sand and scorpions, and bleak red mountains baking in the sun. It's enough to drive a man mad." -* Cecil Dure

*"Their Pharoah would not commit to actual battle unless Aram itself was attacked, and the northern countries were not headed by fools. Though some of their allies may be."* - Adira Sakura

*“If there’s one thing a person shouldn’t do, it’s head towards an Aramite warrior, for you will never get there. How do you catch sand in the wind?” -* Common military saying

*"Aramites fight best at home, so I say let us hone our spears and wait. When those in Tyrth come down on us, we shall bleed them in the passes and bury them beneath the blowing sands, as we have a hundred times before."* - Selvis Sand, lieutenant in The Bulwark

*"In my country, I am the absolute standard, and those unattractive are no different from those who are slaves. Hah, you ugly men who are third-rate and inferior, prepare yourself! Do make yourself at home to your heart’s content here!"* - Phoebe Ma'at, the Pharoah