Zattaria, The Scattered Desert Settlements

It takes a determined person to find much in the seemingly endless sea of sands and occasional cacti. But within it rests several humble sprouts of green where life clutters around desperately to the water source. These oases are often the temporary home to the tents of traveling merchants rather than permanent buildings. The trade here is unpredictable beyond the typical needs, luxury or artisan items can be available one day but be off to the next oasis another day. Traders often travel from one oasis to another to both leave the desert and return to the uncommon adobe settlements that litter land near the rivers. Not far from the adobes one would find the rivers are well occupied with farms of various crops that thrive in the heat and generous water source that is usually so rare to obtain. Every source of water within the deserts has at least one church and multiple shrines in honor of the gods they believe in.

## **Laws and Legal Rights**

Due to the absence of an official government leader, the specifics can change from each oasis and settlement. Rule is often determined by whoever ‘’owns’’ or has remained in one area for the longest or whomever is the largest group at the time. This makes the deserts rather dangerous for lone travelers as they can easily be taken advantage of and be subject to suffer a number of different crimes. To try to have some order, these are the guidelines most established stops in the sandy wasteland have engraved in stone for all to follow:

Thieves are punished with the removal of fingers or hands; the number of digits is determined by the value of the object in question. Entire hands are only to be removed when one is caught attempting to steal steeds (camels, horses, oxen, etc.) The victim of theft can decide to show mercy to the thief but will be considered as suspicious if they do not at least demand a finger. Pinkies and middle fingers are considered of lowest importance, while the index, ring, and thumb are considered more valuable. Theft can also include the damage or entire destruction of an object.

Murderers of the innocent will either be exiled or killed themselves, depending on who the victim was and if it can be proven the deceased was truly an innocent person. Those who kill thieves who were already missing 3 fingers or a hand are believed to have only been defending their goods.

A priestess of an area is always to be respected and left unharmed, as doing otherwise will bring about the wrath of the gods she speaks to. If one is found to have done significant damage to her or her shrine, they will be tied against a cactus to suffer a gruesome death. Their body is also left as a warning to all others and is often the first tradition outsiders will ask of to avoid the same fate.

Slavery is seen as disrespectful to the gods and no one from these lands dares to partake in it. Those that do within these deserts will have both hands removed, as they are considered in violation of both theft and murder of the victims’ lives because the time spent enslaved can never be redeemed. There are some warriors and traders that will assist enslaved individuals from other lands to escape - though they will need convincing if the victim is said to be in the situation due to being a criminal.

## **Religion**

Religion in Zattaria

 Lianreen is a goddess depicted as a slender woman of hair like a starlit sky, dark skin, and silver eyes. She is believed to be the one who shares wisdom with priestesses and grants the deserts cooling nights and rains. Some even think she saves lost travelers from deadly sandstorms by gently guiding them to an oasis while their eyes are forced shut from the raging sands. Those who wish to please her will often have potted cacti in their homes or in their gardens - any sort of cactus would do, but shrines in her honor usually have cacti that grow white and blue flowers.

Firaneth, an unforgiving god seen as a sturdy man of blazing red hair, orange skin, and golden eyes. He brings the blistering sun and anger to all storms he touches - sometimes even disturbing Lianreen’s peaceful rainfalls with thunder and lightning or turning her well-meaning showers into floods and mudslides. He is particularly angry with mankind for being greedy and interfering with the land. In order to please his desire for destruction, priestesses are often gifted objects of value to be destroyed at the start of every new year.

## **Customs and Traditions**

At the beginning of every year, just before the land is prepared for the next season’s crops to be planted, every settlement takes part in a celebration for an entire week. The festivities consist of free meals and drinks for the day, music and performances of countless sorts - sometimes outsiders of a settlement will bring new ideas of art with them: A popular one with every crowd are the fire breathers and those that can tame a beast to perform simple stunts. No currency is exchanged on these days and even the priestess offers small trinkets that promise good fortune and protection for the year to come. At the end of the week, a massive bonfire occurs where everyone is expected to burn at least one item of value, approved of by a priestess, to please Firaneth and ease his wrath as much as possible so that winter will end and that spring may come.

Weddings are a humble gathering that take place in a settlements church. Witnesses are invited by the priestess performing the ceremony and, when possible, include the parents of the happy couple. Vows are exchanged while the priestess murmurs a prayer and an artisan applies simple, matching tattoos on the left wrist of the bride and the right wrist of the groom. These tattoos are either of a cactus, a crop, a livestock animal, or a collection of stars with the partner’s name below it. Preferred ink colors are green, white, or blue - but most can only afford the cost for plain black ink. The couple serves food and drinks to the witnesses after the ceremony and may receive gifts in return of value or use.

Markets are prepared every morning before dawn, placed in the section of a settlement that is furthest to the east. They are a nearly daily event, as traders are always arriving with new goods regardless of local harvests. Tents and displays compete for attention through size, color, and noise. Traders from outside of a settlement find the most success if they are charismatic and kind to every visitor - but this can be a slippery tactic as thieves may be able to snatch away goods if they focus too much on one customer.

Blessings are granted by priestesses and can be vague, usually only assuring one of a better harvest, finding love, or warding away ‘evil.’ A priestess with a better connection to the gods - or more accurately, arcane capabilities - will grant grander blessings such as cure various ailments, reveal truths, find what is lost, or predict the future.

## **Society**

Priestesses rely entirely on the support of others for their livelihood but do surprisingly well and are respected for their skills and vast knowledge. They typically work closely with farmers, warning them of when to plant to better avoid unfavorable seasons and ways to protect crops from floods and droughts. If no one else in place to dish out a punishment to a crime, a priestess will be turned to have a decision made. They are sometimes capable of magic and this will allow them to stomp out people who are dangerous to a community without requiring brute strength.

Traders tend to be the wealthiest and most likely to be in control of a region, if only temporarily due to their need to travel. They bring goods of every variety across the lands and are the best source of news for those who remain in one location throughout their life. Thanks to this, traders are often seen as rivals to priestesses in terms of knowledge. More troublesome traders will hire warriors to protect their goods and assert their right to be in control of an area. This can lead to clashes between groups that will either end in the death of many involved or ended suddenly by the interference of a priestess.

Artisans can choose to remain in one location, but the more ambitious will travel with other artisans and traders to find the highest quality materials to work with for their crafts. Those that do not end up traveling become important members of society and will take on apprentices to keep their techniques alive. They play a key role, and both priestesses and farmers will do what they can to encourage artisans of every variety to stay in a settlement. This includes unique blessings from the priestess and better trades than what outsiders would receive from the farmers.

Farmers rarely leave the place where they’re born and take a great deal of pride in their crops and livestock. They are the most likely people to be selected by a priestess to assist with shrines and temples. Farming families that have done ‘the most’ for the priestess will see their daughters selected to be the next priestess of the settlement. Sons, meanwhile, may be approached by the priestess for marriage - which can be seen as one of the highest honors in these deserts.

Warriors are seen as untrustworthy for they tend to have a number of scars that could be mistaken as punishments for crimes. While no one would outright fight with a warrior on their own, they will deny them of certain privileges such as: purchase of ale, the hand of a daughter in marriage, wedding ceremonies (as they will be suspicious of how the fiancée was obtained), and at times - participation in markets as a whole. Orphans are the most likely to end up forced into the undesirable life of a warrior from mistakes made out of desperation to live.

## **People**

People of this land tend to be fairly lean and tall, allowing their natural body heat to be perfectly comfortable in the desert. Usually, their skin is of darker complexion, but generations of mixed bloodlines can result in them being paler as well - though never nearly as pale as races found outside of the intense drylands. Hair color can also come in a number of different shades but is usually kept short or at the very least out of the way.

Their eyes are humble colors, such as browns, hazel, or dark greens. They prefer to wear brightly colored, light and loose-fitting outfits that shield them from the sun without absorbing its heat as eagerly as darker colors and tighter clothing might. Favorite colors to wear would be reds, yellows, and oranges for those who frequently trade, while those that tend to the farms would lean more towards yellows, blues, and greens.

## **Cuisine**

With the arid desert surrounding them, the choices in food are very limited, with the greatest variety coming from the adobe settlements on the river. Cactus is seen as a food of last resort, but it not unheard of. It's quills and water contents are doubly useful for survival or trade purposes. More common foods one might find are dried figs or dates, as well as creatures like snakes, scorpions, and lizards. A common meal for those outside of the settlements might consist of a grilled lizard or snake, cooked over a fire before dawn or after dark, and leftovers saved for the day's travel. Dried figs and the occasional locust are supplemental for this and saved to augment the breaking of their fast.

Those who live within the settlements have a greater variety of food. Stews of snake, fish, or the occasional camel are a commoner's fair, though meaty and nutritious. Those better off will enjoy the great variety of citrus that can grow on the fertile grounds of the rivers, prominent among them being the lemon. For those able to bear it, chilies and hotter peppers can also be found, leaving a burning sensation in the mouth. Experienced cooks even use a dash of venom in their stews, giving it a fiery bite, but one which the locals have grown accustomed to as well as enjoying the unique flavor. Sugarcane is a rare commodity, but still present on the rivers, and sugar spun sweets are a festive treat, carved into intricate shapes.