Esharin (Old Lore)

> "*The skies roared thunder as the air ran thick with the flying sand. But louder then the storm sounded the song of the five. And when daylight colored the sands golden, the desert gave birth to its first and only childer. This day, the sands that swallowed Mu Karath gave us a new home*"
> ― Oracle of An Keth
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>

## Biology

### Appearance

Short, olive skin, dark eyes, fuzzy black hair

## Introduction

The Esharin are the first civilisation of the Aniter and inhabit the dry western shores of the Kune desert. Since the Dark Ages they have been the largest empire in all of Apophis.

## History

### The Dark Ages

After the fall of Mu Karath, Esharion lead the Aniter out of the city before they where swallowed by the First Storm. He was a godking of his own right, a almost immortal man that lived for hundreads of years. He was Hagashs chosen son, first of the 14 Hagashin. Unlike his brothers who seeked vengeance, he wished to guide his people further and they embraced him as their true leader.

According to the Kurafei, the First Storm appeared as a giant cloud of flying sand, moving fast enough to destroy walls and shread flesh. Although the Aniter seeked protection in the surrounding mountaints, the sandstorm blinded every single one of them. Esharion was the only one that keept his eyesight and became their leader. But even with his vision he was not able to find a way out of the great *Tutafan* desert.

Their fate did not abandon them however, as the nightsky lit up in the flames of *Namaphat*, the great comet. Esharion was the first to ever see it. Soon enough, his chosen scholars supported his descision of following the skies guidance. It took them 80 days and 80 day to find a way out of the great desert, but thanks to the comet that was even visible in the brightest daylight, they arrived in the green heart of Apophis.

Here, they discovered the ruins of a once great city. Under the pale stonewalls they saw the shadows of large creatures with scaly skin and large fangs. Although intimidating, Esharion soon realised that they did not came to attack them. He spoke to them as kin and in return, the reptiles known as Asak invited them into their great temple. For 6 weeks the tribes stayed at this city that became known as *Tatoth*. There, the Asak healed their eyes and gave them the food and water they missed for so long. Esharion saw the magnitude of these creatures that where much wiser then men, but also weak in numbers and flesh. In order to create a mutual paradise close to old Mu Karath itself, he decided the Aniter would stay in the Asak lands.

#### The Second Sundering

The majortiy of his people did not support this idea however. They rather followed *Namaphat* further, believing the paradise lay in the west ripe for the taking. Although Esharion knew a paradise could not simply be found, he was aware every attempt to convince them would be futile.

The great lizards did not simply let them go however. No warning of their Great Enemy that ruled over the west could stop the Aniter. At last, they cursed all those that abandoned Esharions lead just to walk into the jaws of the Great Serpent. Each and every of these Aniter would face their doom through lies, storm and drought in the desert. They would rather let them die then give the Samesi new servants to infect. *Hayad* and *Nasan*, the new leaders of the Aniter, cared little for this curse. They lead the majortiy of their kin to the west in order to find the promised paradise.

Those true to Esharion stayed however, forming the Esharin, first of the fourteen tribes to come.

#### The Age of Rebirth

Esharion himself became to human voice of the living gods of the Asak. His people spread across the five remaining cities, soon worshipping new masters. From them they learned a new language, architecture and faith. They studied the their arts of war and magic aswell as peace and philosophy. Due to these teachings, the Esharin quickly prospered, constantly rebuilding the cities that where depopulated through the Scaleblight.

The humans proved very beneficial to the Asak. Not only since they made up for their low numbers and slow breeding cycle but also because they where skilled students and servants. Unlike the Aniter under the rule of the *Suthekru*, the Esharin served their masters only by conviction as failure was never punished.

#### The Anit War

After the years passed the kunic empire of the Asak slowly rose to its old glory. The living gods decided, with their human servants and new ressources, they might be able to bring back the war to their ancient enemy. Although Esharion tried to stop them, they confinced him at last and started to recruit a great army all across the five cities.

At last they began their conquest, marching into the west in order to burn the forest and destroy the dark temples. Over twenty thousand Esharin marched in this army, accompanied by several hundred Asak and three of the five living gods. They wished to suprise their enemies with a quick movement of their army, hoping they wouldnt expect war at all.

The *Suthekru* however where prepared. Before the Asaks forces could even reach the nawangian jungles, they walked into a trap. The first and bloodiest battle of the war to come became known as *Nut sha Alathat* or "Night of Bloody Tears". The enemy revealed their countless servants and Samesi that infiltraited the Esharin soceity since hundreads of years. Unseen blades cut through the throats of the majority of the generals and wild Samesi ravadged across their camp. The ranks where already devastated before the *Suthekru* forces even arrived. They brought their own human army together with five *Suthekru* gods and countless serpentine servants. The Asak forces where completly destroyed and scattered into the night. Within a few hours, thousands of humans had lost their life, together with two of the Asak gods.

What was worse for the Esharin was the loss of Esharion himself. They believed him dead while in fact he was captured and brought to the west. There, in the halls of Atep, the *Suthekru* infected him. Soon after he returned as a Samesi, strenghten by the *Great Serpents* dark powers.

In the following years, a long war ensued. Although the first battle would always be the largest, the *Suthekru* send their agents and servants, slowly grinding the Asak empire from within. Esharion himself waged war against his former homeland, uniting the most dangerous of the Samesi and human servants under his cabal. Many of his old friends and children even joined him, believing his lies without the shadow of doubt.

The last battle of the Anit war took place in *An Keth*, the Asak capital. Esharion and his cabal found their way into the city and the great temple atlast. Insteat of killing the godess *Anput* as he was tasked with, is former servants trapped him and his Samesi on the roof. Since none of their weapons was able to harm the accursed creature he had become, they burned down the entire temple. Esharion is believed to met his end there.

### The Pratonian invasion

Soon after Esharions fall, the first Pratonians arrived at the coast of *Khrafa*. They found a kunic empire weakned by war. They conquered the ancient cities within three months, slaying each living god and Asak servant aswell as the *Suthekru* in the west. The Esharin soon adapted a new faith and followed the pratonian believes as long as they ruled.

## Culture

> "*Do not let the teachings of Aton fool you. Man are not made equal. As the mortal citizens throne above sewerrats and outlaws, the wealthy throne above their servants. And above all shines the light of the true daugthers of Esharion*"
> ― Nofrata, High Lady of Assuan
>
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### Society

The esharic soceity is divided into highborn and lowborn. The rich nobility traces itself back to the founder of each city, the five daughters of Esharion. In fact, their high status evolved from the powerful priests during the Asak reign and the Anstolh Matra of the Pratonian empire. The nobility is seen as higher men as the blood of the first king runs through their veins. Although slavery is forbidden in the Kurashai, the highborn are above many laws and have complete controll over most lowborn. Most see the common people as their property and treat them as such, making every lowborn a second class citizen. Yet the nobility rarely leaves the great temple and the high gardens, meaning that most lowborn will never see one in their life.

The esharic soceity is strictly matriarchal. This goes back to the teaching that women embody humanities harmonic, civilised and enlightened side while men represent its bestial, primitive and warhungry nature. Although they admit there are expeptions, this image has burned itself deep into esharic minds. For that reason women usually have higher position in society. This plays a huge role in the nobility where its extremly uncommon for men to gain influencial positions. Among the common people, this is only relevant as womens have slightly improved rights and a higher prestige. Yet women are not allowed to join the esharic armies or bear arms other to defend themselfes, as the art of war is the art of man in their eyes.

### Nobility

The esharic nobility, known as *Kemashu,* is different from the common people in many aspects. They have their own customs, rites and names. Unlike their lowborn counterparts, the highborn are organised in ancient families. Each of these strives for power and fame among the temple and the outer city. While some focus on the plots and intrigues surrounding the High Queen and her court, others try to become popular among the lowborn through festivals and charity. Although many do not care for the opinions of those below them, it is far easier for an esharic noble to gain controll over the cities economy and trade with the outer world when they are famous.

   Like the Pratonians, every noble that has no interest to take part at this struggle for power is still able to live a life in luxury and dedicate themselfes to personal interests. Yet, once a family looses enough renown and wealth, the High Queen is able to banish them into the outer city where they have to live as wealthy lowborn. To do so, the family must have committed a crime worth punishing like murder or the siring to too many bastards.

There is a strict set of ranks among the highborn soceity, that decides their power and influence among their kin:

* **High Queen**- This rank is by far the highest among the Esharin. A High Queen is the supreme ruler, priestess and judge of every living soul in her city. She is completely above the law and has absolute command over the cities army. A High Queen is the only priestess allowed to enter the godchamber at the peak of the temple where she can speak to her *Maad Shadu* and gain access to the cities Born.
* **Princess-** This rank is given to a female noble that the High Queen decided to be competent enough to take her place after her death. She may even ennoble several princesses that compete for the throne, making sure the next High Queen is skilled in the arts of plotting. A princess has supreme rights that vary depending on her leader. Usually they function as their right hand.
* **Supreme Courtess**- The court of a city consists of the most influencial and rich highborn a temple has to offer. This court adivises the High Queen and is in command of tasks she has no time or interest left to spare. They usually organise the cities founds, guards and soldiers. Each court consists of eight members. To gain a position one must be chosen by a current Courtess or the High Queen herself.
* **High Lady**- A High Lady is simply a highborn with a set rank in the esharic nobility. To be raised into this status means more influence and renown. High Ladies again take care of tasks in the city the court has no interest or time for. In order to become a High Lady, one needs to be in service of atleast one Supreme Courtess.

### The Great Houses

The esharic institutions are organised in the five great houses that are represent in each city:

* **House of Maad-** The public fain is known as *House of the Spirits*. It consists of a giant hall up to 50 meters in height. Within the largest festivals and services are celebrated. In the outer parts of the fain, the priests reside and safeguard the esharic knowledge, making the House of Maad the main libary of each city aswell. The church is not only responsible for keeping the city clean, inspiring faith and train priests but also for teaching and preserving magical, philosophical and mundane knowledge. The House of Maad in *Assuan* even contains the original first book of the Kurafei.
* **House of the Dead-** The mortuary temple of each city is known as the *House of the Dead*. It contains the corpses of all former High Queens aswell as those of countless nobles. Within it, there are chambers where the mortuary priests reside and perfom the necessairy tasks to enable the dead their afterlife in the fourth district.

* **House of Kalashu**- The main fortress and training facility of each esharic army is usually located outside of the city. It is here where recruits enlist and soldier are trained and sleep. The *House of Kalashu* also contains almost all weapons and the main armory of the city.

* **House of Nushek**- The House of trade is the esharic equivalent to the guildhalls and contains the main market. It is usually a huge hall with countless levels full of small stands and shops. It is not only the heart of trade but also the hub for mercenaries, thiefs and assassins.

* **House of Shakali-** The secret hall of witchhunters hosts the *Shakali order*. This ancient organisation traces itself back to the Dark Ages and trains Samesi hunters. They are well armed and dedicate their entire existence to the eradication of all creatures of the night. Contrary to esharic customs, the *Shakali* only accept women as hunters since most do not expect a warrior behind the mask of a noble lady. In fact, *Shakali hunteresses* are supreme fighters due to a lifelong training.

### Love and family

In ancient days, marriages where mainly sealed for political reason. Over time the esharic soceity has evolved however. In the current times a women can marry as many men as she desires. Althought weddings with political background are still common, the role of partners has changed. A wife has the role of a households leader, organiser and mother. Men often work in order to sustain the family, although it is not uncommon for women to work in esharic soceity. Marriage is not only a symbol of love, many women also seek multiple men for a higher income, influence, pleasure or status. Usually, a mother arranges the first partner for her daughter once she reaches adolescense. After that she is free to take as many men as she wants. It is common that a wife not only pay the wedding but also a dowry to her new husbands family. Among the lowborn, these marriages are very casual and mainly based on mutual agreement. Wealthy Esharin may "buy" a husband from their poorer family, but a marriage is almost never forced.

Among the highborn, the marriage and choice of partners is far more important. Marrying other nobles is almost always based on status and purity of blood. Families with the renown of bastardblood are usually regarded lower when it comes to marriages. Love and lust are usually not associated with noble weddings. Instead, any highborn may have as many servants to fufill their desires, as long as they remain childless. Only two nobles are allowed to sire children together, everything else simply invites taint into the pure blood of Esharion.

For the highborn, a wedding is always a important festivity. Usually, the event is publicly celebrated and the lowborn are allowed to see the couple before engaging in countless public festivals and feasts. Among the lowborn, weddings are more religious and hosts only the closest friends. The exception is the first wedding of a dauther that symbolises adulthood. It is usually celebrated with all relatives and many friends and closer to a real fete then a religous ritual.

Esharic families usually have less children then the ones of other empires. Instead they recieve far more care. A child spends the majority of its time with education and studying. While poorer children are teached by their mothers, wealthier families afford local schools or renowned philosophers. The most common subjects to study are religion, math, history and philosophy.

Every highborn child grows up under strict controll and surveilleance. They are raised to be strong and cultivated. While male childs are trained to become great warriors or thinkers, females are focused on education, history and leadership. A child does not share the amenities of a common highborn. They are treated with rigor and are not even able to command the lowborn. Once they reached their 17th birthday, they are seen as adults and gain all rights of the esharic nobility and a new name. This event is usually celebrated in a large festival. The climax of this celebration is the *Rite of Deliverance* where the young noble enters one of the lower sanctums. There they are allowed to speak with a *Maad Nitai*, a supreme spirit. The spirit will ask them three questions. Should they be answered correctly, the highborn recieves the *Blessing of Shadu*, which equals a drink of Bornwater.

### Laws and punishments

The Esharin law system is mainly based on noble judges. Any highborn can function as a judge and executioner for their lowborn servants. A female noble can legally declare anyone guilty or innocent, but never punish or execute criminals themselves. Male nobles can not judge over their servants, but punish them in any way they seem fit. Although they have the right to do so, this is rarely relevant for the majority of the population as their masters usually are above their common concerns. To replace the noble judges that spoke right in ancient days, modern Esharin are judged by bastards or rich men. They usually have enough high blood in their veines to be above the typical lowborn, but not enough to live a luxury life in the temple. Judges can only be female and dispense justice at eight great courts distributed across each district. They can directly controll the cities guards and order them to attack, torture or brand anyone they see appropriate as long as no higher noble intervenes.

The esharic set of laws is huge and contains more laws then anyone could know. Their codes are not written as a clear set of rules but rather as a collection of philosophical texts discussing the nature of rigth and wrong and the many froms of evil. A judge must consort these texts before rendering judgement, but can usually impose whatever she sees fit. Should her choices be questioned by other judges or nobles she must be able to explain her descision based on the common esharic philosophies.

Highborn can not be senteanced by lowborn judges and are indireclty above many laws, especially regarding tradition and faith. Only the High Queen can dispense judgement on her kin as she is the only judge the nobility accepts.

There are three major categories of crime each punished differently. The least severe are *crimes against tradition*. These include insults, excitement of public annoyance, adultery aswell as depraved inclinations. Foreigners can not be judged when committing those crimes, but are usually punished with a short custody. Worse are *crimes against the faith*. Should a Esharin destroy or defile a building in the inner or outer city, he is seen as a enemy of the spirits. Simple graffitis at housewalls are reason enough to publicly whip a man until he faints. In cases of heresy, the local judge is supported by a Lector Priest to determine a fitting senteance. The most severe violations of esharic laws are *crimes against solidarity*. Those include murder, rape, theft and kidnapping and are almost always punished with death.

Esharic senteances are almost always executed publicly. Punishing a criminal behind closed walls is seen as the hiding of an unjust verdict. Public punishment do not only increase the law-abiding, it further humiliates and condems the criminal. Many see esharic punishments as unnecessairy strict and cruel, but the hate against felons and outlaws runs deep in their soceity. To most common forms of punishment are lashing, branding and bashing. The least severe crimes often take a simple fine. Should that not suffice, a criminal is usually imprisoned for a few weeks. It has also become common to make criminals into public workers that clean the streets and decorate the houses and walls to redeem themselfes to the spirits. After that, any senteance is executed publicly. Many criminals are simply bound to a pillar where they have to endure the mockery and hate of their fellows. They are usually guarded by sentinels to ensure they are not harmed. A heavier from of this punishment is executed along public streets where the outlaws are unguarded and at the mercy of anyone who walks by. It is forbidden to kill or free them, but in any other regard, the outlaw can be maltreated by any law-abiding citizen. Most senteances are executed at public places like markets or wells. All forms of torture or death are shown openly. Usually, outlaws are stoned to death by the public, but there are also more cruel forms of death. The highest form of punishment in the esharic cities are the glass towers however. These huge spires are made entirely from colored glass and tower above the outer walls as bastions of justice. The criminals inside are condemned to strave to die in these huge constructs that channel the light of the three suns. The towers often reach temperatures of 50-70 degrees and make their captives die of thirst, heatstrokes or simply the boiling air.

### Script and Language

The Esharin scripture derived from *Alaruut*, a script used by the Haquid and Nawangians which originates from humanities earliest texts of the First Cult. Over the ages, the Esharin changed *Alaruut* swoly. After Pratonian influences, they created the scripture known as *Chapra*, which is still used today.

   According to Esharin belief, the first tribes made their scripture after the roots of the *Jaladai trees*. It is said it was the first time the Anit saw trees again after the long hardship of the *Tutafan desert*, and this moment served as inspiration for their scholars.

Each sentence consists of a straight line to which letters can be attached, forming words. Depending on the categorie the letters are either attached to the middle, the upper- or the lower part of the line. The end of a word is marked by a small space devoid of attached letters.

#### Esharic names

The esharic nobility has adapted the naming tradition of their former pratonian masters. Their family name functions as their forename however and is casually used when trying to be polite. All children of a mother are given the same name usually, with a suffix determining the order of their birth. Since Esharin distinguish between genders for this order, the female suffix ends with -a and the male with -u. The first esharic numbers are: *akh, wakh, nahn, shad* and *dal*. Once a highborn is 17 years old, they are considered adult and have the right to choose a name of their own. Still their parents often call them by their old name as a sign of intimacy.

The esharic lowborn have a more simplistic name system. As long as they dont belong to a high family that lost their status among the nobility, they will not have a family name. Instead, they use the Haquid naming tradition. Unlike the Haquid, only their mothers name counts as surname and gains the suffix -*esh*, the ashantic word for "kin".

### The Esharic Empire

Although each city governs itself like a seperate state, all of them are united and see themself as a true empire. This empire is known as *Kurashai*, which translates to *"*realm of legends". According to official counts, it hosts five million people. Yet, the Esharin do only count those who life in the six great cities as inhabitants of the *Kurashei*. The empire itself streched across the entire eastern half of Apophis until the cap of Amali. The cities, villages and towns inbetween do not host Esharin per definition and are only their vasalls. The esharic armies are spread across the entire empire. They guard the countless settlements under Esharin rule aswell as the caravans trading with the great cities. In return they demand a tenth of each settlements income. This money flows direclty into each of the six cities and funds their great works of stone, glass and gold. Despite the military protection and common identity, the *Kurashai* mainly defines itself as union of trade. This is mandatory for countless villages and towns in the desert that could not survive without the constant supplies. Apophis in general has many ressources but they are not equally distributed. The Greenreed Bays are the empires granary with large fields of wheat, yet they lack minerals and metals. The deserts are rich of glass and metals but lack water and food. The eastern coasts have acess to alot of fish, meat and rare animals but it is extremly hard to build plantations or dig for metal. They are mainly inhabited by the Amalians.

The *Kurashai* is ruled by the *Shak Alesh*, the "golden council". It consists of three high queens that govern over the fates of the entire empire. To take the place as such a High Courtess, a queen usually has to be highly influencial and be chosen by a current High Queen as her sucessor. This ensures that only the wisest and strongest rule. In reality, High Queens often pass on such a position to a princess below them. This has led to having a few cities that govern all others. Although these roles might change on rare occasions, the Courtesses usually belong to *An Keth*, *Assuan* and *Gharat*.

## Religion

The Esharin have a unique interpretation of the common shamanism. Like most Aniter, they worship the elemental spirits that dwell in Apophis deserts. Since the cities of the esharic empire are thousands of years old while changing almost not at all, the spirits have grown strong and influencial within their walls. At some point, the Esharin begann to worship their cities as gods.

Based on this belief, they have woven magical knowledge, history and their legends into their own faith known as *Maad kasha*, the "might of spirits".

### Origin

The Esharin believe that the universe consists of a endless web of energy and every form of existance is simply a possible state. This energy, known as *Nemeret*, is split in two major forms: *Kadai* or "destruction" and *Shuud* or "stability". In the beginning, the world was a realm of eternal monotony, free of progress. This realm, often compared to a round mountain, was known as *Ma´da.*

What initialised the drastic change of *Ma´da* is not clear. Lector Priests the became one with *Nemeret* say the percieved and echo of something older then energy itself. This ancient whisper of unkown origin rasped the first crack into the eternal foundament of stone.

Since this day, the orderd energies of *Shuud* slowly turned themselfes into *Kadai*. At first, this change was a blessing to the mortal world as it created the forms of *Nemeret* that became known as water, air or even life. But after some time, the spectrum began too close again as the wage started to tilt. Slowly but steadily, more and more forms of existeance are turning into destructive energies. This means that the universe is set into a slow state of eternal decay until one day the last bit of energy will have turned into destruction.

Since men rose from the primordial sands in the heart of *Tutafan*, they stretched their hands to the light of the suns. To give their worship a shape, they erected the great citiy Nu Kashat. The city of Ten Thousand was governed by Esharion, the first man to ever breathe the air of Apophis. He was one with *Nemeret* and used his power to turn every house, wall and temple into a bastion of stability. It was build to withstand the taint of *Kadai* and remain in its form until the end of time.

Yet, Esharions spell was flawed as a crack remained in the western wall. through it, the energies of destruction where able to slip in and walk the city as shades. The Kurafei names the greatest of these shadows *Shaitan*, herald of the God of faces. The ancient book describes him as a demon formed of darkness that consumed humans before taking their form. He spread the taint of *Kadai* across the city and desired to fully break Esharions seal protecting the sacred stones. To do so, *Shaitan* murdered his firstborn son *Sakhme* and took his face as a mask. In this new shape, the demon tricked his former family and wove intrigue and lies into the great court of Nu Kashat. In the final night of his scheme, *Shaitan* gathered the shades he had sired and given a human form and let them prepare a great ritual to break the seal of order.

Esharion himself found them in the depts of the cities great temple. The High King destroyed each of the shadows but as he faced *Shaitan* in the form of his own son, he was unable to fight. Instead he fled from the cursed chamber and gathered Nu Kashats inhabitants. Knowing of the evil that was to descend, Esharion lead them out of the city minutes before the ritual was finished. As the cities great seal broke, the skies darkened above Apophis. *Shaitans* ritual did not only destroy the magic protecting the city, but it also summoned chaos itself that took controll over the desert. The sands arose to the First Storm, grinding the city down and destroying all life that was left inside. Since this day, the light of the suns was purged from the nights as storms ravadge the lands.

Esharion did not survive his great cities fall. His soul was bound to its walls and without it, he aged years within days. All children he had left where his five daughters *Uskare*, *Sipha*, *Neferi*, *Kauketh* and *Ifnu*. On his deathbed, his daughters surrounded him and heared the whispers of his final vision. After they buried him, each of them used her powers to fufill the dream mankind had dreamed since its emergeance.

Following the example of Nu Kashat, each daugther erected a city, forming stone and clay from *Nemeret*. They cannalised great amounts of magical energies into their cities, creating a consistent paradise within a decaying reality. These 5 cities embodied Esharins ideal of stability within change.
The power of the daughters ritual raised each of building, wall and tower in the cities from mere sand. Where the construction of Nu Kashat had taken centuries, these new cities where finished in a sinlge night.

Yet, each daugther knew that a seal was not enough to protect the city from harm, so made the sacrifice their father was not willing to take. They bound their souls to the sacred cities for all eternity, taking their own lifes. Instead, they lifed on as gods within the stone of their manifests. Across the centuries that followed, they spend their unending lifes obeserving every citizen and guiding their noble heirs in the great temples. Inspired by the life and love of the humans they guarded, they gave birth to their own children, the *Maad Nu*. These spirits share their realm and serve their mortal sons and daugthers. through this sacrifice, every esharic city will remain until the end of time and even stand when all other life has faded away.

### The Maad Nu

The word *Maad* means spirit or holy ghost. It refers to the spirits dwelling in the stones and clay of the esharic cities. They gain shape and idenity through the worship surrounding them and as such, embody the protectors of the city. Only the priesthood is allowed to command and controll them through magic. Like everywhere else in the esharic soceity, there is a strict hierarchy even among the spirits

#### Maad Shadu

According to esharic belief, each of the 5 older cities represents a godess known as *Maad Shadu*. They teach its inhabitants that each street, house and brick is part of it. Its children, the *Maad Nu*, life between the stones and walls as spirits. They protect the inhabitants from harm as long as they honor the will of their mother.

Each of the great cities represents a twinfaced diety. The first, *Asai*, the stone, represents the stability and the dead materials it is build of. It bears the cities name and function as its corpus. The *Asai* is the embodiment of order and consistency, demanding the inner city to remain in its ancient form. It is often depicted as an old man.

The second, *Pharea*, is the undying soul of the cities founder. Each of them was a daughter of Esharion during their mortal lifes and grew in wisdom and strenght across the eaons. They represent the cities life, the human inhabitants. Every *Pharea* is the keeper of morality, customs and laws in the city and concerned with everything regarding its mundane life.

The *Maad Shadus* personalities and powers are surrounded by mystery but there is nothing known for certain. They inhabit the dark bowels of the temple and guard the esharic Born so that no intruder or abuser may touch it. They gift chosen highborn, priests and great warriors their blessings in the form of Bornwater and magical protection.

The five *Maad Shadu* are:

* **Uskare** the royal heart, firstborn daughter of Esharion. She embodies strength, majesty and willpower more then any other esharic godess. She protects *An Keth* and its inhabitants.
* **Sipha** the wise and secondborn. She embodies the spirit of the Aniter the most as she is associated with wisdom and philoshpy. She guides the city of *Sash Anu*.
* **Neferi** the relentless mind and thridborn. Neferi is the patreon of mages and priests, inspiring arcane knowlede. She is the great protector of *Assuan*.
* **Kaleith** the misterious and fourthborn. She incarnates secrets and intrigues. Her watchful guidance weaves the fate of *Tatoth*.
* **Ifnu** the mercyful judge, lastborn daugther of Esharion. She is associated with judgement, laws and righteousness. Ifnu is the godess of *Kumphai.*

#### Lower spirits

    There exist several types of spirits inhabiting the sacred cities. They are ranked by their influence and religious association. The main subdivision is based on Born spirits, which are able to give blessings and street spirits, which influence the outer parts of the city.

* **Maad Nitai** are the firstborn among the spirits. There exist only three of them in every city and they are seen as the heralds of the twinfaced godess. *Maad Nitai* have controll over the Born and give it to chosen people as blessings. The High Priestess can summon them whenever she desires, but otherwise they only appear during events of significance.
* **Maad Bathu** are the weakest of all Born spirits. They have the role of guards and overwatch the sacred waters while constantly carrying them from the bowels of the temple to the cities fonds. Because of them, the Born will always remain on a balanced state, never fading or overflowing. The *Maad Bathu* make sure the cities Bornwater only flows within the city and never leaves it. They also manipulate it to form gifts to its citizens.
* **Maad Shut** are the protectors of the city. As spirits of war they attack intruders, are summoned in war and posses statues in times of need.
* **Maad Saukh** are the most common street spirits. They speak to the inhabitants through statues, begin to chant during festivities and color stones in motley forms during the dusk and dawn. These spirits can be invoced to perform simple tasks or carry the Flying Chariots across the skies.
* **Maad Mortai** are not classified as spirits by the House of Maad. Instead, they are the spirits embodying the esharic believe that their dead live on forever in the night district. They move across the empty streets as streams of cold air, spectral forms or sinnister whispers. Slowly but constantly they drain the energy out of every living soul that enters the fourth district exept the mortuary priests.

### Priesthood

The influencial priesthood of the House of Maad is organised in a strict chain of ranks. As the main scholars, mages and teachers of the Esharin, priests are regareded especially high among the lowborn. Their order is the interlectual heart of the *Kurashai*. Both men and women are allowed to become priests but only women can reach the highest ranks.

* **High Priestess-** The High Priestess is a member of the highborn court and is directly chosen by the High Queen. As the leader of the House of Maad, she is what her queen is too all Esharin, a supreme leader. She has to power to invoce and speak to the *Maad Nitai* whenever she desires.
* **Librarian**- The Librarians are in charge of each cities great library in the House of Maad. They are the keepers of old knowledge and spend most of their life copying and preserving ancient texts. Librarians are the philosophers and scholars of the priesthood. Many of them studied the arts of magic and became powerful wizards.
* **Astronomer**- The Astronomers interpret the stars and suns for future events. They are all blessed with the gift of Foresight and serve as soothsayers and powerful mages.
* **Abtess**- The Abtesses focus on the spiritual guidance and the preserveance of the House of Maad. They almost never leave the public fain and hold sermons and services in it.
* **Lector Priest**- The Lector Priests make up the majorty of the priesthood. Lector priests are active everywhere in the city aswell as the fain itself. Each of them possesses magical, spiritual and mundane knowledge. Lector priests are able to perform any task the fain calls for. The name itself comes from the *Litany of Rarea* they read out at wells and marketplaces every day.
* **Hour Priest**- These priests are either young and at the beginning of their careers or poor men that are employed to give their life a purpose. The term Hour Priests refers to their temporary serivce trice a week. They perform simple tasks for other priests, but their main assignment is to keep the cities clean and ordered. Those with the ability to do so spend their time painting houses or singing as ministrels on the streets to please the spirits and add their part to the eternal beauty of the cities.
* **Shudshai zealots-** The order of *Shudshai* represents the warrirors and guards of the fain. They are the personal bodyguard of the High Priestess and are used if the priesthood wished to demonstrate power or punish the faithless themselfes. Some High Queens have forbade this order since they represent a thread to her power and the order of priesthood and nobility.
* **Mortuary priests**- Only the oldest esharic women are allowed to become mortuary priests. Although this is seen as a great honor, only few are willing to spend the rest of their lifes in the night district. Since only the old are close enough to death to survive in its realm, no priest can be younger then 60. They life in the House of the Dead, extract Bornwater from the corpses and perform the rites necessairy to allow a soul a afterlife in the fourth district.

### Religious practices

**Rites of water**

Water is of central importance to the Esharin. Not only because its the lifeline of their civilisation in the dry desert, but becasue they see it as a open window to the spirits. The *Maad Bathu* carry the Bornwater from the temples depts to every public well in the city and the biggest is set in the House of Maad. In the center of the giant fain stands a pond of sacred water rich with the energies of the Born. During festivals and services the spirits often take shape in the water, tuning in the chants and dances. Despite the church there are 962 great wells distributed across every city. They are the center of local worship. During the dusk and the dawn there are public services with three Lector Priests reading a sermon from the *Litany of Undying Stone*. They are guarded by eight armed sentinels to ensue that none may distrub the ritual. The lowborn assemble around the well and speak their prayers. Each of them can utter a wish to the spirits that might be fufilled through the water. Most ask for strenght or long life while the sick beg for cure. After the ritual has ended, every Esharin may step to the well and draw water from it with a bronze bowl. Three are served at the same time while the rest has to wait in long lines.

During this rite, the *Maad Bathu* carry more Bornwater then usually to the waters surface and may shape it to fufill a special purpose through the power of Bornweaving. This can strenghten those in need of it, cure diseases or even regrow lost limbs in rare cases. The stronger the faith the more likely one is to get such a blessing.

Lector Priests at the House of Maad can perfom similar acts through invocing the spirits in the great well. They spend most of their day creating specialised elixirs for the sick and needful. Although they are far less helpful then real Bornelixirs, they are still able to help in many cases.

**Rites of glass**

The *Kurashai* is renowned for its skilled glass blowers. But the Esharin do not only use colored glass for ornaments, art and weapons. The priesthood believes that the clear glass made from the white sands of Kune reveals more then a reflection. Those who look into it see their soul and true self. Although this belief might be wrong, it is part of many esharic rites. Not only do they carry glass amulets to protect themselfes from lies and deception, they also use these mirrors to reveal the vile Samesi, a belief again wrong. The fain contains a glass chamber where each wall is made of mirrors. These chambers are used to make confessions and seek ways to redeem oneself from morally transgressions. Skilled priests may use their magical abilites to change the images in the mirrors to squeez out a confession or showcase guilt.

**Rites of death**

The Esharin believe that the night district represents their afterlife. After their death, every esharic corpse is taken into the House of the Dead where the Bornwater is extracted from their corpse. The reamining hull is burned and the ash stored in a canopic jar. This jar is carried to a small shelf in the house the Esharin payed for before their death.

Only the Highborn are allowed to keep their Bornwater. Their flesh is conserved in oil and natron. After the process is finished, their face is covered with a golden mask portraying their lineaments and the corpse is taken to one of the many thrones in the huge halls.

Usually foreigners are not allowed to be buried in the fourth district since their essence would taint the esharic Born and their spirits take the place of better men. *Assuan* is the only city that currently allows foreigners to buy themselfes a place in the night district, a descision that is met with alot of dislike.

**Sacred books**

There are six sacred books among the esharic priesthood. Althought their content and prominence varies, all are written in the same style. Each book is made up of 63 individual texts while each text begins with the word *Rhun*, which can mean spell, incantation or chapter. This ambiguity reflects the similarity between ritual speech and magical power for the esharic priests. While some contain real spells and arcane knowledge, others are filled with symbolic tales or virtues of old.

This most important book is the *Litany of Undying Stone*. The great litanity consists of a set of sermons that each have the power to invoce and strengthen the cities spirits aswell as a set of rites that increase the potency of spells. It is carried by every Lector Priest and is their symbol of power.

Other important books are the *Codex Solaris, the Liber Nocris, the Licania Shalori, the Book of Namarat* and *the* *Asrai Esharion*.

## Esharin cities

> "*Never before have i seen such beauty. Every street is free of dirt and the stink that usually sticks to every inch of a large city. Here even the smallest stone is worshipped as they honor their gods through absolute care and cleanliness.*"
> ― Anrich Blackblade, Aschian Worldwalker
>
>

The *Kurashai* consists only of six cities. Although they build alot of smaller towns and villages along the most important traderoutes, they continued the Asak tradition. Five of these cities are older then mankind itself, while the sixt was build during the pratonian reign.

### Structure

Each of the five ancient cities follows the same basic structure. In its core lies a giant temple, once build to heat the Asak eggs with the power of the suns. After the ancient gods have been cast out, each of the great temples became the center of the Esharin nobility, priesthood and wealth. In its giant chambers there lie several palaces, armories and fains. The temple has four great gates from four which gigantic straight streets lead to the outer reaches of the city.

Around the temple lie the holy gardens. Depending on the city they are either on ground level or way below, forming a artifical canyon full of water streams, exotic animals and plants. These gardens are huge, the smallest about 60 square kilometers while the gardens of *Sash Anu* are larger then the rest of the city. These gardens contain holy animals from Apophis aswell as exotic creatures from the islands or other dimensions. They life in the shades of giant trees and all sorts of other plants. In modern times, the gardens also contain artifacts and statues, expressing the wealth and worldliness of the cities leaders. The gardens are strictly guarded and every lowborn entering them without permission is publicly executed.

A inner wall protects the temple and gardens from the outer reaches of the city which host the poorer population. These outer districts are divided in four areas, each facing one side of the temple. The dawn district, usually the wealthiest and cleanest, represents the sunrise. It also hosts the House of Maad, the main public fain of each city. The sun district represents noon and is usually the poorest und most rundown. The dusk district is the main traiding port of most cities. The fourth, usually facing the west, is the district of night and does not house the living. It is a giant graveyard where the dead from the cities population are drained from their Bornwater and stored in small houses. Only the families mourning the loss of their beloved and the mortuary priests are allowed to enter this district of the city. The Esharin believe that the spirits of the dead live on their life in the district of night and the size of their house represents their status.

    The outer walls wich a gate on each of the four sides seal the city against attackers. The poorest members of the Esharin live in overcrowded slums pressing against these great walls. Some cities have almost no slums while others like the ones in *Tatoth* are bigger then the city itself. Even though they stretch across several kilometers no Esharin would dare to build his house at the walls of the fourth district.

The eight gates of each city are usually made from brass, bronze or even gold and are decorated with priceless ornaments of glass, silver and diamond. Despite the temple they are each cities pride and represent a replica of the great Gates of Mu Karath. They are guarded by two giant beasts made from stone who are believed to awaken when the city is in eminent danger.

#### The Temple

The temple lies in the center of each city. All of them are build exactly the same by its former makers, although some have been modified over time. The temple has a height of 120 meters and a footprint of 5 square kilometers. It consists of 25 floors from which each has a height of 3-5 meters which 3 floors being 8 meters high. About 18 of these floors are huge balconies that used to function as sunbeds for Asak eggs. In modern times they have been reconstructed to provide a view on the outer city and cool the temple with wind. Should the heat of day become unbearable servants will funnel water down a hidden system of pipes. At large windows and gates it will shower down, producing a cool breeze that blows through the entire temple.

On the top of each temple stand six towers. The largest of them are the sun-towers, each of them hallowed to one of the three suns of Apophis. On their top stands a golden sickle that fences the sunlight and reflects it out of the city, depending on where the sun stands. The smaller towers are the star-towers and reflect the light of the great stars *Kashrim, Aladrim* and *Magarim.* The light is catched in special mirrors and reflected on the templewalls to light them in dark nights.

In the highest room of the temple lies the *Maad Shadsha*i, the godchamber. It represents a sanctum that bears a deep shaft containing the cities patreon godess. Only the High Queen is allowed to enter it and speak with her great ancestorial spirit. This shaft is the only entreance to the Bornchambers deep in the temples bowels. Only the great spirit can transport it to the surface and gift it to the Queen in the form of blessings.

#### The holy gardens

The gardens represent the living incarnation of the cities patreon mother and its living soul. The larger, more exotic and beautiful the garden is, the more the spirits thrive and life grows in the next years. The gardens are the center of many religious rites, but also the pleasance to the nobility. Since each temple is constructed similarly most cities define their pride over their garden. The larger the plants, the wilder the animals and the more beautiful the flowers, the higher is the city regarded. There is nothing in the gardens that can harm the nobles, but many believe their beasts to hunt the careless in the night. It is rumored that all animals will attack intruders once they set foot in the gardens.

#### The four districts

The outer city is divided into four major districts. Each of them has his own guard, local goverment and its customs. The wealth and beauty can vary extremly between districts.

*The Dawn district*

Usually this district is the cities pride. It is the most well organised and hosts the wealthy population of the lowborn Esharin. Usually, the public fain is located in this district.

*The Sun district*

This district is usually the most rundown and reserved for the poorest of the poor that still belong to Esharions blood. This district is usually the part of each city where the suns burns the brigthest and where the heat becomes unbearable during noon.

*The Dusk district*

The district of dusk is usually the most diverse of all parts of the city. It hosts both the rich and the poor aswell as the most foreigners. People say the dusk district ususally carries the cultural heart of each city, as the dawn district carries its pride.

*The Night district*

The district of dead is forbidden territory for the living. The Esharin believe that their dead live on in the small houses of the fourth district. Every family must pay the house they will spend their afterlife in and only the wealthiest can affort large mansions. The night district is believed to curse the humans that enter it alive. No living men can wander the black streets for longer then 12 hours, then he will join his ancestors as a homeless spirit. The mortuary priests that wander the streets and perform the last rites are the oldest part of the civilisation and are immune because of their old age.

*The outer districts*

Although not official districts, the outer ones are often the biggest and the only ones growing. According to esharic beliefs, the holy cities can not be expanded and must always remain in their ancient form. For that reasons, the slums clinching themselfes to the outer walls are only inhabited by Nawangians, Haquid and outlanders. There is barely any govermental surveillance in these districts. Most of them are run by Deepwalker Syndicates or other criminal organisations.

The Prisonwalls

The esharic prisons are build into the thick outer walls. Criminals serve their time in small cells in absolute darkness. Most criminals are publicly punished or executed however. As symbol of shame, the worst criminals are brought to the great glass towers. Each city has between 3 and 8 of them and they are build out of transparent, colored glass. Inside, the prisoners slowly die of thrist, heat and direct sunlight. On hot days, the glass towers are heat up to temperatures of almost 70 degress.

Transports

Although some cities like *An Keth* and *Gharat* have well organised streets, the majority of alleys are extremly dense and overcrowded. For that reason, the main trainsport way across the cities are Flying Chariots that are lifted by invocated spirits. Sometimes there are entire boats full of people traveling above the city. The air traffic is strictly regulated however. Since only priests can awaken and controll the spirits moving these vehicles, they are under direct surveillence of the House of Maad.

Outside of the cities there are stables that host caravans of camels, antelopes and Mulakks as main mounts. Some cities use *Kalawths*, sandboats, to travel wide distances. These boats move across the sand as if it was water and are controlled by a Lector Priest that enslaves the wild spirits of the desert to serve his will.

### Spirits

The *cities of spirits* gained their name from the countless elemental spirits that live inside the cities. They mostly remain in a sleeping state. The priests and mages of the House of Maad are able to awaken them however. This enables them to move and repair walls or even entire houses, awaken statues to life and let them speak to the cities inhabitants. There are countless statues erected across every city, depicting former High Queens or the patreon daughter that created it. These statues are the center of worship as they are able to speak to people around them. Since spirits take the form of worship, most of these spirits incarnate common desires and philosophies or simply the will of the *Maad Shadu*.

When a city is in grave danger, it is rumored to awaken completely. The great guardians at the outer gates will come to life together with any statue within the walls. The houses start to move and the walls and streets start swallowing enemies that walk pass them. This phenomenom has never been observed, but the Esharin are certain that it will happen one day before the Last Storm.

### The six cities

* **An Keth**- *An Keth* is the biggest of all cities. It does not only host the biggest population but also the largest riches. It is the clostest to the esharic villages in the *Greenreed Bays* and profits from the agriculture and fishing in the nothern east. Many see it as the captial of the *Kurashai* as it contains the grave of Esharion himself.
* **Assuan-** *Assuan* is the center of trade for the *Kurashai* and the entire west of Apophis. It is overrun with forgeiners and represents the main gate to other worlds.
* **Sash Anu**- The famous city of gardens is divided into its depopulated oldtown and its modern harbour. The inner city mostly consists of expensive gardens, so large it is impossible for their guard to roam them and prevent regions from overgrowing. Sash Anu is the main port and essential for Nawangian and Kharafian trade.
* **Kumphai-** *Kumphai* is also known as the city of hunters. It is the gate to Nawanga which makes it essential for the trade with the west. The city is overcrowed with Nawangians and they took over many of their customs and even have a second fain devoted to the *Orikasha*. The city marks the western border of the Kurashai.
* **Tathot**- The shady overgrown city is the most isolated of all cities. Long ago it was named "city of thieves" and it never failed to live up to its renown. *Tathot* survives through trade with the Haquid tribes of the desert aswell as farmland in the inner city. The oldtown of Tathot is extremly small and rundown compared to other cities. Yet it is the second largest city as huge slums and outer districts strech across the desert planes, most likely inhabiting more humans then any other city. Tathot is also the city of assassins, cutthroats and mercenaries and has a dark renown.
* **Gharat**- Once known as *G´har Ara*, the self proclaimed capital of the *Kurashai,* was build by to Pratonians to outshine the Asak cities. *Gharat* does not share the same customs, language and faith as the other cities. They speak a hadranic dialect of *Pratonian* and believe in a ancestor cult based on the teachings of the Anstolh Pratass.

## Armies

> "*If you kill in the shade then nobody will see it; if you strike during the day then nobody will forget it.*"
> ― Abstract from the Asrai Esharion
>
>

### Rules of war

There is a ancient agreement between all cities that no Esharin may destroy or conquer one of the holy cities. Yet quarrels between High Queens are not always solved peacefully. Should diplomacy fail, the dispute is solved with war. Yet, inner conflict is executed much more civilised then in other empires. The affected cities will rally their troupes at a chosen location and attack each other at a arranged time. Assassination, attacks at unagreed times and the employment of Haquid and foreigners is seen as a sign of weakness and dishonor. A battle is always carried out on the open field, often even at weather conditions that benefit both armies. The blood is spilled far away from sacred ground and never in reach of greater defenses.

Although armies often march to battlefields, most of the fights are not decided by a direct confrontation. Instead, two or more Chepeshai attend to a duell of honor to decide the fate of the battle. Should this be rejected or the outcome of such duells be ignored, battle becomes inevitable.

The side that wins has claim on everything the parties agreed on before. This might be gold, workers or the life of chosen nobles. In rare cases it may even mean the death of the High Queen. Should a city break any of the sacred rules of war, they are punished by the entire *Kurashai*. This often means a siege that blocks all trade, food and water from entering the city until the High Queen surrenders.

Even against foreign threads, they attempt a ordered style of war. Honor and the protection of the great cities have the highest priority for any esharic general.

### Organisation

Each esharic city has a standing army of its own. In order to join this army, there are three possible procedures. The first is to enlist at the *House of Kalashu*, the local bastion. Those who enlist as simple soldier have to work for the army atleast five years while their only payment is food and a bed to sleep. Despite the military training each morning, they have to work as guards, legmans or laborers. After they served five years they gain the rank of *Kalesh* and can return to their houses. They recieve a small payment and function as civil guards. Should they witness a crime they are forced to interfere and arrest the outlaw. Atleast one day each week they need to work as watchmen in uniform, guarding gates or markets. Once war calls, they have to join the army and march into battle.

Those who wish to earn a higher rank without serving for five years can pay a high fee when enlisting. To do so, they need to have a flawless background and pure esharic blood. They are free to eat what and sleep whereever they want during their initial training and become higher ranked guards in the city. They recieve a high payment and guard main gates or treasuries. Unlike the common Kalesh, they have to work everyday but are trusted to be above bribery. Most of them function as Protector guards in battle and have the chance of becoming enforcers.

The last method of joining an esharic army is to be born into the fitting position. Almost every male highborn is part of the army where he can serve as a Chepeshai or other form of elite soldier. Many of them are subcommanders, adivsors or higher ranked enforcers.

Members of the army have a higher reputation and are highly respected among the lowborn. Many strive to join it and they usually limit the numbers during time of peace. When war calls however, the army is filled with thousands of willing men. Only at that time, foreigners have a good chance of becoming Kalesh. Although not officially forbidden outlanders trying to enlist themselfes are either rejected or forced to quit after a few years.

### Units

Like most Aniter, Esharin rarely use heavy armor or full body protection in the blistering sunlight. Most warriors are protected by a helmet and a large shield while the rest of their body is covered in enforced cloth or leather stripes.

#### Light Infantry

The most common rank among esharic soldier is *Kalesh*, meaning warriorkin.

* **Men at arms** are warriors consisting of simple citizens or employed Haquid, which are not trained at all. Their weapons are rarely consistent and their only role in combat is mass to slow down and fend of enemies. They are only brought when a city is in grave danger. Fielding men at arms is seen as a sign of desperation among the six cities.

* **Kalesh spearmen**- are the common unit among the esharic line infantry. They are often barely trained and their only task is to pin the enemy in place as long as possible. Typical spearmen are dressed in long and thick clothes offering the most protection without using expensive leather or metal. Their heads are protected by a large turban able to absorb most attacks. Wealthier cities may afford helmets for more protection. A spearmen is armed with one of the four types of spears and in rare cases a additonal knife.

* **Protector guards** are the elite among the lighter infantry. They are protected by heavier helmets and bronze platins on chest and shins. Their weapons can vary alot depending on their role, but most of them carry a large shield and an axe or short chepesch. Some wield two handed weapons like spears and halberds.

* **Kalesh archers** are the core of any esharic army and make up the majorty of their numbers. Every true Esharin participates in the art of archery but only the most skilled are raised to the rank of Kalesh archers. They can fire the arrows of their heavy longbows so quickly that three arrows fly before the first hits its target. Only the most determined Haquid hunters can match their skill and accuracy in archery.

* **Tribal support troupes** are hired warriors from the local Haquid tribes. Most of them are mercenaries, allies or prisoners. They are usually used as archers to increase the numbers. Some are elite warriors that mastered their tribal arts of war and enforce choke points or protect generals.
* **Shieldbearers** are a special form of support troupe. They either carry shields or *Diresas*, large wooden planks of 5x5 meters or larger. They have small wheels to move them and metal spikes to anchor them in the ground. Shieldbearers organise and move them to create barricades and protections on the battlefield.

#### Elite Infantry

* **Chepeschai** are the most elite foot soldier in esharic armies. They are usually male highborn that chose the life of warriors and guardians. Each of them is armed with two short chepesch, a short bow and a dagger. They wear a golden armor enforced with steel plates that covers most of their body. Their helmet resembles the head of a animal associated with male strenght.

* **Shakali hunters** are all female inquisitors and witchhunters of the *Shakali order*. They spend their entire lifetime mastering the arts of the hunt with swords, bows or bare fists. Although lightly armored and weaker, the fighting prowess of a *Shakali* is said to outshine even the noble *Chepeshai*. They are only employed when a High Queen suspects Samesi activity among the enemy lines. Each of them is trained to root out and slay these fiends wherever they walk.

* **Deathbringers** are esharic assassins that are used on the battlefield. They either hide in formations as simple soldiers and attack enemy leaders or skirmish in small units across the sands to distrub enemy forces and start flank attacks from hiding spots. They are armed with short swords, poison arrows and in some cases small grenades.

* **Shepti** or *Golden Spirits* are statues of massive gold controlled by a animated spirit. They guard the city and inner temple. In times of need the priests awake them to march to war. *Shepti* are a rare sight on the battlefield but also one of the most feared. It is almost imppssible to destroy their golden shells with normal weapons. Only crushing impact or magic destroying the inner spirit can stop them. The statue is about three meters high and shaped like a muscular man with the head of a Golgoloss. They are armed with swords, spears, maces and in some cases long golden claws. Every city owns between 200 and 400 of these golden guardians, while 30 of them stand in each outer district and the rest in the holy gardens or temple.
* **Maad Shut** or *Wild Spirits* are elemental spirits given power and a stable concept through a skilled Lector Priest. They are often used as weapons of war. *Maad Shut* are described as creatures half lizard half men made entirely of shifting sand. They can change their form and move across the battlefield like tiny sandstorms. Normal weapons can barely harm them, although other mages possess to power to neutralise them relativly simple. A *Maad Shut* loses its power after a few hours and becomes nothing but wishpering sand again.

#### Cavalry

* **Antelope riders** are a light cavalry that is used in larger numbers. Its riders are armed with spears or bows. They use the speed and agility of their mounts to charge exposed flanks and disturb enemy formations. In modern times they are mainly used to weaken stronger cavalry from range as they are faster then any other mount common in Apophis. Against forces with no similar cavalry they often simply surround forces already engaged in combat and weaken them with arrows or quick engagements.

* **Mulakai** are the main cavalry used by the Esharin. They ride lightly armored *Mulakks* and are armed with heavy spears or long swords. Mulakai are used as a shock cavalry that complelty breaks weakened formations.
* **Steelfang guardians** are the mounted equivalent to the Cepeshai. Many royal warriors prefer this style of combat over the footed variant. *Steelfang guardians* are mounted on well trained *Sabantir*. Animal and rider are heavily armored. While the beasts claws and teeth are enforced with metal blades, the riders are armed with long swords or maces. *Sabantir* are slow and heavy compared to other cavalry, but make up for that with their brutal force. They do not only best any other cavalry but also any exposed infantry should they reach them.

* **Chariots** are used to back up generals and other cavalry. Inherited from their pratonian masters, Esharin use chariots to demonstrate their strength. Across the centuries they have lost their effectivness although they are still common.
* **War elephants** are a elite unit imported from the eastern esharic settlements in the Greenreed Bays. They are armored and bear a small pavillion on their back that houses 3 archers. These tuskless pear-elephants are smaller and calmer then the Nawangian ones and thus rarely used.
* **Flying Chariots** are special chariots embound to one of the spirits of the great cities. They fly across the battlefield with the speed of up to 40 km/h. They usually carry mages, generals and in rare cases archers across the battlefield. Flying charitos are the main transport for esharic aristocrats and their most expensive versions are also carried to war.
* **Solar Barges** are a more advanced version of the Flying Chariots. Although build from metal, they are shaped like a boat and fly across the air, carried by the sacred spirits. The earlier versions always carried a solar engine; although in modern times these barges prefer to drop bombs or flachettes; yet they derive their name from giving this contraption the advantage of being airborn. Their main use is in modern days is to deploy troops behind walls or enemy lines during sieges. In times of need they are build from wood and used to carry supplies into the city should all roads be blocked. They also transport royal families should they wish to move between the cities.

#### Artillery

* **Spearthrowers** are small ballistas mostly used against shieldwalls and beasts. They have outstanding range and accuracy and are mainly used against War Elephants or enemy cavalry. They will either be deployed on chariots as mobile artillery or on walls.
* **Solar Engines** are composed of a suffisticated row of mirrors that funnel sunlight into devastating beams. Since they rely on clear skies they are extremy effective in the dry Kurashai, yet almost useless in Nawanga or outer dimensions. Every esharic city deploys several on their walls; yet they often install them on large chariots or warwagons.
* **Trebuchets** are mostly used in sieges to destroy enemy gates or weaker fortifications. Sometimes smaller versions are used to break esharic shield walls and make way for cavalry charges.

#### Command

* **Malashu**- Malashu is a umbrella term for a system of ranks that represent the crown of each esharic army. The exact ranks vary in each city, but all of them are generals from the nobility of the city. The High Queen is always the highest rank, although she rarely leads her armies. Malashu is an all female rank. They might be mages, priests or simply great strategists. It is very uncommon for them to fight in battle as they mainly organise their forces and inspire them from their flying chariots.
* **Lector Priest**- Lector Priests lead regiments and function as local leaders. Their role in battle is to inspire the men with speeches, prayers and chants. Lector priests can be both male or female but are usually well armed and ready for direct confrontations. Many Lector Priests are mages or Foreseers that dispell enemy sorcery and scout the battlefield for supernatural enemies.
* **Enforcer**- Enforcers are usually mounted generals. Their role is to move quickly among the lines, carry messages from one part of the army to the other and hunt desateurs. Enforcers are armed with a chepesch and a whip. They might not always hunt every last man down but once formations break he either forces them to regroup or face punishment for their betrayal.

#### Spirits of war

There exist countless records of esharic mages using the power of the spirits in war. Although invocated spirits are not uncommon weapons, old legends speak of entire legions of sandsoldier, statues awakaning and the dead marching under the hand of powerful Magepriests.

### Weapons

Esharic weapons are made from steel, bronze, wood and gold. Although nobles often wield blades made from metal, the majority of all weapons host a blade made from glass. The esharic glass blowers have mastered the art of hardening and sharpening glass until creating what is *Shut Ranu*, meaning black steel. Although this glass might be less stable then iron and can not be sharpened, it is far cheaper to produce and allows the esharic armies to arm their soldier with weapons of higher quality.

The main esharic weapon is the **chepesch.** This curved blade comes in two variants: The *Long chepesch* is wielded with two hands and has a lenght of about two meters. Its heavier then most swords and ideal to break heavier armor with its weight and impact. The *Short chepesch* is used with one hand and close to a standard sword. Short chepesch are between 0,7 and 1 meter long, depening on the usage.

The **khopesh** is a smaller variant, about the lenght of a lower arm. It is closer to a large dagger or smallsword and used as secondary weapon by infanterists and assassins.

Spears are most common among esharic soldier. There are four variants: **Shadshe, Kashe, Adshe** and **Modshe**. The *Shadshe* spear is the shortest and most stable. Its blade is shaped like a sickle and mainly used for duels and small infantry formations. The *Kashe* spear is mainly used in large formations with little training. Its about 3 meters long and ends in a sharp iron tip. *Kashe* spears are easy and cheap to produce. The *Adshe* spear is the most common among large blocks of infantry and ideal to fend of enemies. It is about 3,5 meters long and the has three blades. The first and longest is extremly sharp at its tip and edges. The secondary blades are spread to the sides and allow the soldier to better controll how close enemies can come. It is extremly uneffective against cavalry as it easly breaks under high impact. The *Modshe* spears are by far the longest and most stable. They are mainly used against cavarly. They have a pointy end at both sides while the second is used ram it into the ground to increase its stability. The tip of the spear consists of a single extremly peaked blade with small barbes at the side that cause massive damdge to horses and other mounts.

The **Asalak** is a short sword that ends in a fan-shaped iron- or glassplate. They are mostly used for representative purposes as they have little use in actual battle.

Other common weapons are **maces**, **axes** and **hatchets**.

Esharic bows, although in common use, are worse then those of other Aniter. Since wood is rare in the Kunic wastes and needs to be imported from the *Greenreed Bays* bows are often very expensive. For that reason, there exist two other variants of bows. The first is made from fibrous black glass. These glassbows have far shorter range then their wooden counterparts. For that reason they are only used as short bows for barely trained soldier. The second variant known as *Shashu* is made from steel or bronze and a true masterpiece of esharic engineering. The strength of the bow comes from a system of cranks and wheels rather then the flexibitly of the bow itself. Those metal bows, although even more expensive, have the highest range and strength among all anitic ranged weapons. Skilled esharic archers are able to hit their targets on a distance of more then one kilometer and pierce metal plate armor from close distance.

### Tactics and strategies

The esharic art of war is as ordered as anything else. There are about 8 tomes, known as *An Ammubi.* They contain strategies and philosophies typical for the *Kurashai*. Generals and queens that stray away to far from these tomes are considered dishonorable and weak. A victory must be payed with the blood of simple soldier and the faith of citizens, not with ambushes and betrayals. The common strategies are still relativly effective even though they are predictable.

The most common is known as *Kashri* and is best suited to the esharic style of war. Infantry is used in the first rows of the formation, equipped with spears and swords. They try to pin enemies in place as long as possible. Behind them, the shieldbearers and craftsmen erect mobile defenses like *Diresas.* These mobile barricades do not only protect the lightly armored core of the army from missiles, they also slow down the enemy and force them into several rows of shielded lanes that do not allow them to stay in formation or move freely. Archers are positioned behind these walls and permanently fire at the enemy army. They might not be able to defend themselfes well once the enemy brakes through the first rows of *Diresas*, but in those alleys the esharic cavalry can attack enemy troupes. There they can barely defend themselfes and the riders can charge in and pull out in seconds. These corridors of death usually break and devastate any army as they have to fight themselfes through 8-30 rows of these defenses. The well trained cavalry is positioned at the side of the later protections. At the flanks of the army they can manouver undistrubed and protect the sides of the corridors.