Caliphate of Tartus

## Summary

The Caliphate of Tartus is a theocracy that borders the Grand Duchy of Karazzan (Formally Khanite of Karazzan), Empire of Eternus, and the Republic of Surugo. It was formed when its great leader the Crimson Prophet unified the largest burghs and tribes into a singular body under his rule. While a majority of the population still live in their semi-nomadic lifestyles more people flock to the cities each generation wanting a reprieve from the dangerous jungle. The Caliphate until recently was still in the stone age as they had no metals readily available for surface mining. With the unification however this problem was solved with the help of Empire of Eternus who help teach us the complexities of metal working. With these newfound tools and weapons our prosperity boomed and we began cultivating lands for agricultural goods. With all of these boons to the Caliphate it has emerged as one of the preeminent nations in the world due to its membership within the Eastern Trade League.

## Birth of a Nation

### The Crimson Prophet

The Crimson Prophet also known as the Chosen of Halios, The Great Unifier, Slayer of Krishna and the Disciples of Rattakith, and the Golden Eyed Warrior is the leader of the Caliphate was born in 857 on an unknown date in what is now day Surat. Not much is known of his juvenescence as written records are few and far between during this time. We do however that he was born with crimson mane and fur and eyes that shined the color of the gold. It is said that he himself is an aspect of Halios but we shall never know. When he was 12, he was tasked by his tribe (In now day Surat) to go and survive for 6 months in winter alone so that he may learn the importance of self-reliance and the need of a tribe to survive. This tradition while foreign to the people of the Tartuan jungle was rarely done as almost none of those who took the journey survived. The elders however deemed this boy to be worthy of the challenge. When the young Prophet returned from the journey it was with the air of a warrior, not that of the spirited boy that left. Upon his shoulders laid a pelt of a monstrous hyaena that he slew with his obsidian katar. He was praised as a warrior and entered the service of Halios as one of his faithful warrior priest. In his trials to be deemed worthy of priesthood he met the first of his eight companions, Ligmites. Their journeys where legendary as they strode to all parts of the jungle, it was with Ligmites that the Prophet tamed his mighty war elephant Bhavabhuti. After his priesthood he and his new companion of Ligmites met the second of the companions Balvir. They became fast friends and have remained close companions ever since. The third companion is Sooraj, the fourth Amar, the fifth Sulini, the sixth is Vayu, the seventh Lavanya, and the last was Lia. With these great warriors the Prophet united the 8 great tribes of old into an alliance to crush their spiritual enemy of Krishna and the disciples.

#### The Battle of Surat

The battle begun whilst the Prophet and his companions where away from the new town of Surat. They were out looking to tame a new war elephant for their newest member Lia who they met a few years before. By this time the Prophet was in his prime at the strong age of 22 and his sense where sharp. He noticed after some time the smell of smoke coming from the direction of the town and knew at once something was wrong. He and his companions rushed toward the town in frenzied rush trying desperately to save their friends for this unknown onslaught. The scene they arrived on was a slaughter, and they knew this to be the work of Krishna and her disciples. The companions were bewildered and horrified, how had Krishna sneak upon the town and why attack now when she was on the defeat. Their horror however was quickly quelled when the Prophet leaped into action cutting a bloody swath through the disciple amassed in front of them shortly joined by Ligmites and Sooraj. The rest of the companions new instantly where the Prophet was heading as his father and mother where both elders of the town. As they cut their way through to the city center where the elders lived, they were meet with a gruesome scene. The Prophets family as well as that of the other elders where impaled upon stacks with their stomach sliced open exposing their organs. The Prophet flew into a cold rage but it Sooraj who met Krishna first. In the flurry of their melee Sooraj took the worst of it. Krishna rained down devasting blow after devasting blow with her wicked macuahuitl. Sooraj one of the most capable warriors of the companions was no match for her furry and was beheaded in a savage blow. As his head landed at the feet of the Prophet all sound stopped for a second before quite was interrupted by a ferocious war cry that would send shivers down to any that herd. The melee that ensued was epic to behold as they moved with the deadly precision, cutting down those who tried to interfere on both sides. None of the Surati people could match the Prophets skill at arms, not even the mighty Ligmites who stood a head taller than him at this point. Krishna however was not just his equal but better and it began to show as the Prophet took more and more wounds in their melee without even scratching the leoness. Krishna swung a blow with her mighty weapon and it impacted with thunderous might as it shattered the Prophit's katar sending him reeling and finally falling to the ground next to Sooraj's life less corpse. As Krishna readied for the final blow a faint sliver of light crept from the heavens threw the smoke that clouded the sky. Quickly with reflexes of cobra the Prophet seized the opportunity moving his polished silver shield to blind Krishna. She, being unprepared for the sudden beam of light jump back in defense but it was to late as the Prophet seized Sooraj's spear from his cold body and proceeded to impale Krishna with such ferocity that it lift her into the air. The day was won. The disciples seeing their leader fall tried to flee but the other companions caught them and killed them to the man. A short time after the battle the 4 high priest gathered in square where the Prophet had slain Krishna and officially named him the leader of their people and the Champion of Halios.

> *"Without Sooraj's spear the Caliphate would not exist." Ligmites*
>
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### The Foundations of a Nation

With peace spreading through the land at Krishna and the disciples' deaths, the Prophet began unifying the more nomadic tribes into the system of rule in Surat quickly gain large swaths of land and being able to settle other settlements outside of Surat. Along with this rapid territorial growth our people also came up with a tithe system where every summer solstice the nomadic tribe and representatives of towns and city journey to the holy city and participate in the festivals and games held in honor of the gods. The social order was also reworked as the Prophet became the leader of church and all priests holding high privileges. Regular citizens come after the priest, with the then shunned lower caste citizens below them. Finally, are the untouchables those deemed so unworthy they are shunned into exile outside of the cities and are not allowed to step foot on holy ground. Finally, the Prophet looked to nations outside the jungle for aid in developing metallurgy of our own to greatly strengthen the kingdom. This has made the Caliphate a very prosperous and important nation on the world scene.

## Life and Culture of the Jungle

### Life in the Jungle

Life in the jungle is primarily of a semi-nomadic nature as the individual tribes traverse set regions of the jungle to maintain different growing areas. The primary agricultural goods grown are rice and spices but with the vast swaths of territory the tribes travel to new areas to grow constantly to maintain optimal land fertility. This help alleviate the stress upon nature that over farming causes and keeps the people strong as no weak soul will survive the harsh jungles. Many of the tribal feuds still exist since the times of antiquity but there are harsh punishments for those who break the Prophets peace so warring between the tribes have all but ceased to exist. Many small temples dot the jungle as many tribesmen wish to give offerings to the gods and seek guidance from the residing warrior priest or head priest of the temple. Many women go to the temples of Edea for childbirth as the fertility goddess would surely protect a mother in labor. The jungle despite all of the advancements remains an inhospitable place as the fauna and carnivorous flora kill thousands a year. The new towns and cities however are growing rapidly due to the hostile nature of the jungle many of the new generation do not see the reason of clinging to the old ways and have begun to move towards cities on mass. The influx of people has turned Surat into the largest city in the jungle in a few decades. It has gone from a measly 4,000 people to 42,105 in just the span of 30 years. This change has caused vast industrialization in the once nomadic peoples. Cities have changed the people to be more akin to foreign peoples with many becoming tailors, blacksmiths, scholars, professional soldiers, woodworkers, shipwrights, and more. The Tartuans use to the more nomadic lifestyle, however, still keep their characteristic trait of bluntness of speech as they still have not mastered the way of the word as others have.

### Cuisine of the Tartuan People

Due to the vast river networks in Tartuan lands the people have a healthy diet of fish, river rays, and other aquatic animals. The Tartuan people still also enjoy a healthy abundance of wild game from water buffalo and guar to barasingha, and many other species which all make up unique dishes of their own. Also, with the growth in agricultural production rice and spices have been more accessible within the last 2 centuries fabricating an interesting food culture.

* Mohinga- is a traditional food eaten at breakfast consist of rice noodles covered with a fish-based soup with a few variations on the dish adding other supplements.
* Biryani- is another traditional meal that is a mixed rice dish made with spices, rice and either with a meat such as fish, beef or even venison or with other vegetables based on availability.
* Curry- is the foremost type of meal eaten in the jungle mad with a variety of different ingredients to suite the eater's taste. They can consist of many ingredients and spices from fish, beef, venison, pork, chicken and many others making it a very popular and broad-spectrum food.
* Kabobs- are also popular choice of Tartuan people with the heavy emphasis on meats and spices.

### Festivals

There are two yearly festivals in which the Tartuan people celebrate. Both celebrations last a week and are deeply rooted in religious and cultural beliefs. Many people attend these festivals as they flock to the major cities in the thousands making encampments all around the cities.

* Halios' Passage- is the festival celebrated at the winter solstice. There are many games, festivals and events that happen during this time. Chief among these are the sacrifices made on the day of solstice where hundreds of criminals are gathered and murdered so that the sun may continue to rise for another year. There are also many gladiatorial games hosted during this time to instill those who fight with new vigor, courage, and strength all aspects of Halios' character. Also, during this festival the members of the church who have perished during the last year are given monuments in the Palace of the Prophet so they may always be remembered by the people. These rites and rituals are performed by the High priest in Surat, but other priest should they not be able to come to the capital for the festival may perform their own sacrifices and games.

* Edea's Birth- is the festival celebrated at the summer solstice. This festival is to embrace the birth of the mighty Congra which is said to have been carved by Edea on the solstice as the Congra is the lifeline of the jungle. During this festival many parades happen showing of the elephants recently trained by their sacred handlers. Gifts are made to the temples as tithes and for blessings of the gods. Sacrifices are also made during the solstice day though on a lesser scale than on Halios' Passage. Great events are held where the wealth of the nation is shared among those of citizenship. Also, during this festival many disputes are handled via dueling, though rarely to the death.

### Cultural Beliefs

The Tartuan people value bravery and loyalty above all else and find who would betray them to be viler than the disciples of Rattakith. This does not however, mean that they are naive to espionage and treachery from others. The Tartuan people also value community bonds as and self-value to a community as the tribes of old relied on each of the members to do their part or be exiled. This strong idea of giving to the community means very few Tartuans will retire and those that are detriment to society are shunned into the lower caste and have privileges revoked. Even though they are a predatory species they are averse to slaughter or capital punishment unless forced to. They know that every being has value to the tribe so the dislike the idea of outright execution though exile usually resorts in death. These cultural beliefs ground the Tartuan people with trustworthy values of loyalty to the group rather than to oneself. They do not have any strict gender role as well viewing men and when not by their sex but rather by their value to the community in which they lie. Tartuans also value nobility, and honor so any deal they make they will not break.

## Religion

### The Pantheon

The gods of the Tartuan people are mostly bestial in their aspects. This is mainly due to the fact the Tartuan people see certain formations and creatures and associate that with the gods. There are 4 primary deities in the pantheon with hundreds of minor or smaller regional gods as well.

* Halios- The god of the sun, battle, and courage. He is said to be the father of the Leonin species. He guides the sun through the underworld every night battling the demons set on world destruction. His form is that of a crimson lion with golden eyes. His patron city is Surat.
	+ Halios God of the sun birthed the leonin species when his battle with Rattakith one of the Arch Demons shook the heavens. The battle is said to have raged a millennia with both of equal strength Halios however was a cunning warrior and allowed Rattakith to cut him with a glancing blow to allow himself to get closer. Halios then vanquished the demon and imprisoned him under the largest mountain so that he may not interfere with the travel of the sun across the heavens. It was from that wound caused by Rattakith that his divine blood spilled from the heavens. Where those blood droplets landed became the first of the leonin people.
* Edea- The goddess of fertility, river ways, birth, and motherhood. She is believed to have carved all the river ways with her tail giving the world life with the sacred water. She visits mothers the night before the birth of their children to bless them. She also is the reason for the land to be so rich in the resources the Tartuans need to survive. Edea is the form of a viper as a mother scorned or wronged is as deadly a vipers venom. Her Patron City is Surat and Bangladesh.
	+ Edea is believed to have been the second god to manifest into the heavens after Halios. It is believed that Edea birthed the world from her union with Halios and then carved its features with her tail. Being bored of the other gods she populated the planet with many animals and gave the world water so that things may live. She is also believed to be the mother of all of the minor gods.
* Aros- The god of Knowledge and nobility. He is believed to have lit the night sky with stars and formed the moons of our world. He guides sailors along the cost for safe voyages through his stars. He takes the form of a mighty war elephant. His patron city is Odisha
	+ Aros is said to have gifted all the life that Edea created sentience so that they can share the same emotions as the gods.
* Uella- The goddess of festivals is seen as a joyous trickster. There is not many major stories that involve her but hundreds of localized ones of her taking the various shapes and causing mischief among the villages though never overtly harmful. Her primary form is that of a leopard.

### Church Organization

There are 4 main bodies of the church. The highest body is that of the prophet who is the overall spiritual leader of the faith yet does not necessary lead the sermons and sacrifices. The second highest is the 4 High priest, these 4 men form a council that oversees the day-to-day aspect of the faith and kingdom. The third Highest is the regular priest that are spread out across the jungle acting as county governors and spiritual leaders for the more rural tribes that are scattered across the jungle. The last main body of the church are the warrior priest that are the chamber militant that guard all religious leaders and possessions.