Mia'Nihaul

mia'Nihaul is one of the six continents. It was the third to be populated.

## Geography

The interior of mia’Nihaul is a sea of sand dunes that shift day by day. But along the coast is a series of small gulfs, jetties, and islands, lush with palms. There are numerous walled cities within the so-called “fertile circumference.”

The desert is dotted with l’Zuli deposits, which the Nihauli prize greatly, and are the goal of many desert expeditions. In the middle of the desert is an enormous city, the jewel of the ancient world: b’Vel. The entire city is said to rest on a single tower that rises out of the shifting dunes, cut from a single block of an unnamed black stone. But b’Vel has been concealed by the Everstorm since well before the Event. Beneath b’Vel’s many domes hides the legendary library called the a’Qash. According to myth, the a’Qash contains an archive of every word ever written; a record of every event that has ever happened; and a prophecy of every event that will happen. The hunters of the a’Qash are known as the a’Qashananda.

In the south, the t’Ro isles have lush tropical jungles and crystal clear beaches. The water between these isles is home to the world’s largest coral reefs, and is also the ancestral home of the nomadic gypsies known as the b’Hemian, who travel the sands spreading their wisdom, often to the chagrin of the rest of mia’Nihaul. b’Hemial is a permanent settlement [read: ghetto] for those gypsies who’ve been ostracised by the impetuous fury for which the a’Labír are famous.

There must be special mention of the y’Vier, the cities that roam the skies over mia’Nihaul. They appear on no map, for they move from day to day. This is where the Third Way, the a’Qashtet, receive their training and avoid persecution from the imperial forces of Maratar, who have annexed the sands.  Once there were seven Skycities, now only three remain. They fly due to the willpower of the a’Qashtet, who standing around an Everfire at the base of the Skycity. The a’Qashtet who use their power to raise the cities into the sky and conceal them with clouds are heroes to the inhabitants of the Skycities, who call them a’Qashlas, the all-knowing.

mia’Nihaul has seen more warfare than any other nation in the world, and the span of the Spine between the Sands and the Steppe is heavily damaged. mia’Nihaul is the most common battleground between the two empires. For this reason, most of its Old Cities are destroyed. The desert is thus peppered with ruins, the names for which are only know in the a’Qash.

## Climate

mia’Nihaul is fairly hot, but not unbearable. The seasons show very little change here. The “fertile circumference” sees regular rains in the winter, but the desert gets precious little rain at any time of the year. There are frequent earthquakes in the northern region around the city of b’Hemial. But more dangerous are the sandstorms that waft into the cities, triggering alarms and widespread panic.

## Resources

mia’Nihaul’s largest resource is the blue crystal, l’Zuli. They also have brass and bronze, soft wood, paper, q’Fee, coal, silk, and sugar. They love perfumes, but need the salt of Golgóssa to make their balsam base. Trading is so rare between the empires that it’s unbelievably expensive to buy the glassware or salts of the Commonwealth.

## Flora

Tropical trees. Palms. The coconut. The j’Lap (jalapeno). The papyrus paper-producing plant, the p’Rus.

## Fauna

The Caracal, q’Orl, can draw out the truth using their purr. The Moonowl, s’Lo. The Gecko, the g’Qi. The Camel, the q’Mel. The Sandmouse, m’Non. The Gargantuan worm, q’Orsini. The scarab, the s’Qara.

## People

The a’Labír. Proud, intellectual, strong-willed. They are known for being the wisest philosophers, most creative cooks, as well the wittiest comedians. They grow long beards and curl their mustaches. They have tanned skin, sometimes quite dark. They grow wavy auburn, hazel, or blond hair. They have bright eyes, a mix of hazel, cyan, yellow. They vaguely resemble south Asian earthlings.

The b’Hemian. Witty, humble, permissive. They were first subjugated and marginalized by the a’Labír, who saw them as wily merchants and false soothsayers, then by Maratar who did not understand their mystical practices. They often have curly hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. They resemble a mix of Arab and Jewish earthlings.

## History

Ancient. Shortly after arriving the sands, the a’Labír made war, and the b’Hemians made libraries. In the year 420 AF, the great dynast, Demasquin Nihaul f’Rol conquered every corner of the Sands, thus uniting mia’Nihaul as a single nation with its capital in his birthplace, q’Ro. Demasquin f’Rol is famous for his military victories and for instating the Library Diqtat, which ensured all future dynasts would protect the precious libraries of the Sands. And all dynasts since have honoured the Diqtat: no matter how badly a city was scorched and sacked, its libraries remained untouched.

After f’Rol’s death, other dynasts rise to power, warring constantly among themselves in an attempt to repeat f’Rol’s military achievements. But no one after f’Rol is successful in uniting the sands. Dynasties thus come and go, enveloping vast lands or small spans of desert in their embrace. The librarians call this the Everwar, and the early philosophers argue that it’s human nature to engage in endless warfare.

In the year 690 AF, Arfaxad arrives on mia’Nihaul shores, conquering what is now called the Snake, and establishing numerous settlements along the coast. For this reason, there are ancient ruins of Old Arfaxad along the northern coast: their alabaster pillars and silver trinkets fill the sand.

But the Sandpeople traded more than silver and q’Fee with the Arfaxadi settlers. They traded stories and texts. The philosophers of the Sands quickly learned that Arfaxad’s history was also filled with war, and they began to theorize deeper about the inherently violent nature of human beings.

In the year 900 AF, the Third immortal, Qualito intervenes. She invites the greatest philosophers to b’Vel, and proctors the first Exam there. Most philosophers study the great tales of war, and the great Dynasts of history--but the exam has strange questions: how glass spectacles are made, how long to fry a j’Lap for the best flavor, how many grains of sand there are in the desert. Those who pass the Exam become the first a’Qashtet, word-keepers, and reject the idea of human nature wholesale--whether as inherently violent or peaceful. They believe in the will of man to traverse all possible worlds.

However, despite the Diqtat, the Everwar was growing more and more harmful. The great library of s’Ro, where the a’Qashtet gathered their mystical texts, was accidentally burned by a dynast-army. The a’Qashtet no longer trusted the layfolk. In the year 1055 AF, the legendary a’Qashtet named Quitsen lifts the first Skycities (the y’Vier) into the skies north of s’Ro, where their libraries would be safe. b’Vel remains landbound.

In the year 1790 AF, the Soral Republic falls, and the Cliffmen settlements are abandoned on the north shores of mia’Nihaul, where the intolerant a’Labír banish the b’Hemians of their cities. The resulting ghetto is called b’Hemial. Later, in the 2000s AF, the Arfaxadi Merchant’s Guild would convert the Snake into a permanent trading port.

In the year 2414 AF the a’Qashtet named Senquen t’Aris returns from a tour of Golgóssa with a copies of the Windbearer’s beadsheets, copied with permission from Dodamba.

Precolonial. In the late 2900s, the greatest conqueror since Demasquin f’Rol comes to prominence. The dynast is called al’Habim Heram s’Olquis. At the s’Olquis dynasty’s height, it stretched from q’Sel all the way to b’Hemial. The dynast s’Olquis was fascinated by a clock he discovered in b’Hemial, and thereafter invested his money into new inventions, resulting in the creation of the steamworks in 2991 AF. In a few short years, the Sands’ were full of steamwork devices. This is a time of technological innovation, poetry, and peace. This is what historians call the Bronze Age of mia’Nihaul.

s’Olquis’s great-grandson was a proud ruler. After his sexual advances were rejected by an Arfaxadi woman in 3047 AF, he ejected all Arfaxadi traders from the Sands. This would set off a chain of events that resulted in the creation of the Commonwealth, who waged war against s’Olquis and dethroned him, thus re-established the Snake as a trading port.

Colonial. After the exile of the great-grandson of s’Olquis to the smallest isle of the t’Ro, there was a power vacuum that lasted for centuries. Would-be dynasts warred to take his place, but no one retained power for long. It’s during this time that Maratar invaded the Sands, conquering the whole continent in 3914 AF for the first time since the f’Rol dynasty. Maratar’s first order of business was the “Arson of the libraries.” This is an utterly devastating chapter in the history of the Sands, since those libraries had accrued enormous piles of knowledge which remained unmarred through thousands of years of war. Watching her precious libraries burn, Qualito is said to weep for 100 years. It’s during this time that the Everstorm begins: a massive thunderstorm that rages endlessly in the desert, concealing the city of b’Vel from sight. No one living in b’Vel was ever seen again, and no one who set out to find the city returned.

In the centuries after Maratar’s invasion, four Skycities are brought down by the Maratim super-soldiers: the Squares. The libraries of these Skycities are also arsoned.

The remaining three Skycities, like the hidden city of b’Vel, become icons of resistance against the Maratim empire. Although many Nihauli swore allegiance to Maratar, there were more who swore allegiance to the Skycities. These rebels helped the Skycities resupply in secret, while the Squares hunted both the Skycities and their helpers. During this time, a movement seeking Nihauli independence through parliamentary means rose to prominence, although making little impact.

The Event. A great sandstorm swept some cities away during the Event and tightened the “fertile circumference” of the Sands. Thereafter, the Nihauli are the only people in the world without a culture surrounding “the Gap,” since the Gap of the Sands reside in the hidden city of b’Vel. Many believe that both the Gaps and b’Vel are merely myths.

Taboo of the Maya. Most of the a’Qashtet already resided on the Skycities before the Taboo, far from Maratar’s hands, but all librarians who resided in the cities were quickly massacred. And although they’re not Maya, the b’Hemians were subjugated all the more afterwards.

Notable Names. Demasquin Nihaul f’Rol. Quitsen. Senquen t’Aris. al’Habim Heram s’Olquis. Ali l’Stair. Shrimomargada q’Aram. Sil d’Taki. Alassin t’Ro. Qualito. Quinta.

## Politics

Historically, there have been many dynasties who gained power through conquest, leading to constantly changing borders and changing allegiances. During the s’Olquis dynasty, the Everwar ended, and was replaced with an enlightened parliamentary socialism. The dynasty was of course determined by heritage, but the real governance of the nation was left to the elected q’Ortans, who decided where the surplus wealth generated by all industries would be invested. Under Maratim rule, however, a ship of the Sorzein fleet decided where the surplus of each city was invested. The political system is very similar to that established by Maratar in ye(Salem, however the parliament still exists, and anyone can run for q’Ortan. The deeply independent spirit of the Nihauli persists, and there is a highly organized and professional political class that oppose their status as a colony of the empire. However, this resistance is strictly non-violent.

## Economy

Before Maratar’s invasion, the economy was largely socialist, with very active unions working closely with parliament. After Maratim’s invasion, the economy could be described as both state-capitalist and state-communist; in both cases, there is centralized control of the economy. Trading with Arfaxad is very rare and highly controlled by Maratar. That means Arfaxad wares are unbelievably expensive. Whatever trade occurs with Arfaxad is strictly conducted through the the Snake. This is the only place where Arfaxad ships can dock anywhere in the Maratim empire, and thus it is an extremely affluent and lively area of the world. It’s also a hub of espionage.

## Law

mia’Nihaul has rigorous legislation. The q’Ortans are careful how they phrase their written laws, but all laws are the logical unfolding of apriori principles called the o’Fish, which all q’Ortans agree upon. But the unfolding of principles into policies can be a huge cause of disagreement. The o’Fishtet are the judges, literally “the keeper of the principles.” The Rite to Will is the first principle of the whole legal system, and bans any form of slavery absolutely. Maratar honoured this aspect of Nihauli law, and reserved their slave-factories for the Steppe. Maratar instead established a vast propaganda empire, as well as handsome rewards for hard work, to manufacture consent in the Sands where they would simply bludgeon it from the Steppe.

## Class

Before to s’Olquis dynasty, there was a rigid caste system. During the s’Olquis dynasty, there was more or less a classless society, although the b’Hemians were still marginalized. When Maratar invaded, they imposed the old caste system again. Professors, poets, and librarians were considered highest caste, for their labour served the development of the spirit. The second caste were those citizens whose labour served the development of society: warriors, o’Lifacts, q’Ortans, o’Fishtets, even the dynast himself were all considered second caste. The third caste included all citizens whose laborour served the day-to-day needs of individuals: shopkeepers, miners, fishermen, farmers, beggars. Although there are some visual indications of someone’s caste, the distinction is largely made by smell. Perfumeries are close to eclipsing the libraries in their cultural capital, and some already consider the o’Lifacts to be first caste. The b’Hemian nomads are noted for their sweaty stench, their desert-beaten salt stains.

## Currency

Historically, Bronze Plates were used as currency, imprinted with serial numbers from each city’s central bank. However, some cities introduced paper money, as a Bronze Notes, though the banks still used a bronze standard. “I owe you”s are very valuable in mia’Nihaul: “My word is my bond,” as the saying goes. With Maratar’s invasion, there are three acceptable currencies: Plates, Notes, and the Maratim Zazein.

## Military

The armies of the Sands have great siege technology and highly trained archers. But the royal guard wield the s’Moida, the crescent blades. Metallurgists combine trace amounts of very rare metals into their bronze, and encrust gems into the hilt. They also employ many weapons that involve fire; flaming spears, flaming arrows, primitive flame throwers, and simple explosives.

## Technology

mia’Nihaul had medieval technology until the s’Olquis dynasty, which introduced the steamworks. Thereafter, their technology involved all kinds of machines of interlocking bronze gears and steampower. They had mechanical clocks, binoculars, prosthetic limbs, and trains.

## Transportation

Historically, traveling the Sands was only accomplished by Camel. It was much easier to travel by ship. But after the s’Olquis dynasty, trains connected the coastline.

## Communication

Writing letters is really popular. Courier moonowls travel between cities. Hydraulic tubes mail letters within cities. Secret messages can also be encoded in perfumes.

## Medicine

Drawing of geometric shapes upon the body using yellow paint. They also perform crystal meditations.

## Cuisine

Hot food vs cold food: cold food is considered inferior in all cases. Qafi is extremely popular: a thick caffeinated drink like espresso. Bread is highly prized. Wafers, honey, beef, chicken, peppers, turnips, garlic, naan, edamame, lamb, beef, white olive, very Mediterranean. A well-rounded omnivore diet, but absolutely zero dairy. They find the Canyonites disgusting for drinking yak milk, they could think of nothing more repulsive. A rare delicacy is the painted bread, with thin lines like hanna. “Food art” is a popular diversion for the wealthy.

## Fashion

Buskins are very popular. Both the a’Labír and the b’Hemians are really into loose clothing: the cowl, the tiered cloak, the turban, the veil, the bronze headdress.

Some uniquely Nihauli items include: the qua’Lat: Ceremonial robes for women, densely woven with embroidered detail. The qua’Fan: male equivalent. The b’Ernus: very long cloak, can be wrapped up into a hood. The f’Roq: specifically designed for desert expeditions, protects face from sand. The n’Orquam: bronze plated armor, extremely valuable, worn as fashion and for defense.

## Language

Ancient language vaguely inspired by Hebrew, each letter associated with a t’Ro card. 22 letters, one card for each letter, each isle of the t’Ro, and each day of the month. It is believed language came before the world; the Author wrote the world using language which pre-existed the world. Certain letters come before other letters, too. 21 letters with an invisible 22nd letter, the original letter, unpronounceable.

## Music

Two streams: extremely dense rhythmic experimentation, vaguely inspired by ragas. Three main instruments: the s’Tar, the s’Bla, and the s’Bura. Then there’s the popular vocal style, performed publically as lamentation or celebration.

## Myth

Myths abound regarding the fiery angel, the executor of justice, the demoness of light, the Third immortal, Qualito. Just like she pushes Fran to action by terrifying her, Qualito often intervenes in the lives of her people as a violent mentor. She teaches her subjects to strengthen their willpower through tests, through deceit, by forcing one to find their own inner strength in life-or-death situations of her own design. “Hone the mind as the tip of a fresh-whet spear. Virtuous thoughts manifest as easily as the rake,” as her student Quitsen once wrote. Qualito also created a secret oasis in the desert, whence anyone who drinks becomes immensely clever; however, once must risk their lives to find it.

The first mortal lover of Qualito, called Alassin t’Ro, the Prophet of the Sands, died for our sins, so that he will make it easier to manifest virtuous desires and more difficult to manifest the rake. He died for our sins; even in death he embraces the dangers of our undisciplined minds, absolving our thought-mistakes.

Myths abound regarding the hidden city, the city of prophets, the city called b’Vel, where the Third Way originated. The dead Maya appear in astral form there, but can only speak what they’ve written while alive. The librarians of the a’Qash do not speak at all. The librarians are called the a’Qashtet, and are all considered prophets, who can see the future as easily as the past. Note: the primary directive of the Künbrekthnïr is to erase all prophecy from the earth: the future cannot be known. They must destroy all mention of the return of the Seventh, and b’Vel is said to contain the complete prophecy of the Seventh.

The a’Qashananda, or the Hunters of the a’Qash, seek the prophecy of the Seventh inside b’Vel. It’s said even after finding the hidden city, they must pass through a special room, full of mirror monsters: the m’Erfaque, who reflect all thoughts back at their thinker. The a’Qashananda must master their own thoughts, then, lest all their wayward thoughts be manifested immediately. It’s also said the a’Qashtet will kill anyone who speaks within the Library of b’Vel.

An early a’Qashtet was Sil d’Taki. She was an insanely knowledgeable b’Hemian with perfect memory and a very clear inner eye. She started “Ghosting” the texts in the a’Qash: that is, visualizing a ghost standing beside each text. d’Taki’s visualization was so clear that anyone who reads the text after her will also see the ghosts she saw. The ghosts are in fact the authors of the text, who lie dormant within the text itself. Later prophets learned to communicate with the ghosts of texts that weren’t physically present, and transcribed the words the ghosts said, who can see both ways through time, thus creating prophecy.

Myth of Eladrid r’Laso, who fled Maratar’s purges into the desert with the full prophecy of the Seventh, never to return.

The v’Das of Shrimomargada q’Aram contain hidden numerical values which reveal the location of b’Vel. The story tells of a terrible Wyrm in the sands who eats books. A great summoner creates a terrible Golem which defeated the Wyrm, but the Golem attack nearby cities. More summoners came after him, creating ever greater Golems to defeat the previous one, each with more arms than the last. A legendary summoner, Alassin t’Ro, defeated a Golem with 6223 arms, and ended the cycle of escalating Golems. The numerical value of the arms follows no clear pattern, but contain hidden longitude and latitude values, revealing b’Vel.

## Rituals

The quo’Ra. Pomanders strung everywhere on the final day of every month, metal balls containing incense.

The guo’Losen. Painting of the dromedary (camel with one hump) before setting out on a desert-voyage.

The v’Sper: evening prayers recited from the dome-towers above the village. All participate by listening in silence.

The m’Rjen: an archway of flowers for decorative purposes, erected at the end of the year every seven years, and “passed through” to signify the passing into a new cycle. Afterwards, the flowers are all incinerated.

## Calendar

The b’Hemian mystics of the t’Ro isles devised an astrological calendar which all of mia’Nihaul now uses: Seven days make up a deqan. Three deqans make up a month. The last day of the month is the quo’Ra day. Six months make up the year. That makes 18 weeks per year, and 126 days per year. Every seven years, there’s a 127th day which stands alone called the m’Rjen. Each month corresponds to a sign of the o’Diaq:

s’Qara              Gemini-Cancer

velo(Ra             Leo-Virgo

Telzeit             Libra-Scorpio

Samboru              Sagittarius-Capricorn

Lektha               Aquarius-Pisces

Falco               Aries-Taurus

The m’Rjen’s astrological function is to offset the shifting vernal equinox, so the months remain coterminous with the signs in the heavens. However, its mystical implications have expanded with time, signifying the transience of all life.

## Religion

The Cult of Qualito was called the Everfire. They had many practices which involved writing prayers on paper, and burning it. They also etched runes onto rocks, which were turned into sand and donated to the desert. Pilgrims will carry a candle upon their person at all times, called the Flamewoumb. And in every city is a constantly raging Fire. Their intellectual forms of devotion involved the cards of the t’Ro, the rune tree of the q’Bala, the signs of the o’Diaq. The Cult of Qualito is now considered coterminous with the Maya of the Third Way and is thus banned by Maratar.

## Gender and sex

One can’t really say mia’Nihaul is patriarchal or matriarchal. Due to the high value placed upon education, writing, and the libraries, women occupy many esteemed positions in Nihauli society. However, this does not mean that the bombastic men of the sands respect all women. In fact, some of the more regressive aspects of their society view women as useless unless they work within a university. Prostitution is prevalent, although arranged marriages were banned by the s’Olquis dynasty. Marriages are a big deal for the Nihauli, and involve a deqan of celebrations.

## Aesthetics

Hugely into poetry. There are countless famous poets who write with complex rhyming and rhythmic schemes. The most famous of these is Shrimomargada q’Aram, who wrote the v’Das: a collection of mystical poetry whose proximity to the cult of Qualito has led Maratar to burn the works. They have other popular arts: knot tying, gold wire sculpture, gear-art. Perfumes: balsam is the base for perfumes, often used as a synonym for perfumes themselves. The knockoff perfumes without the salty balsam base are more common, so the real perfumeries will often call their wares “true balsam.”

## Architecture

mia’Nihauli architecture is vastly different in the crowded Qasbas of the inner cities, where narrow alleys zigzag along jagged steps, where crime is rampant, and where four or five people might share a single room. Whereas, in the outer cities, vast open spaces are shared by all. Here, you’ll find the grand Arqades: large public places where merchants are banned. The Arqades have sand-floors, even though they’re indoors. String sandals for walking on the sand are a pre-requisite for entering the outer city. Nearly all buildings here are topped with domed qupolas with jeweled finials. There are grand s’Rai: the courtyards in the hotels where travelers comingle, and where the s’Tee [round couch] resides.

## Education

Insanely valued. The educated have more social capital than politicians and definitely more than warlords. One is expected to memorize a lot of information at the libraries, which are often in secluded places at the fringes of cities.

## Philosophy

Poetry and philosophy are impossible to disentangle in mia’Nihaul. There are the q’Afias: poetry with rhyming couplets and refrains (see Qaafiyaa), meant to be read aloud, with a non-rigorous, populist philosophical discourse. There are also the v’Das (see Vedas) which are more closely tied with the cult of Qualito, but are works of rigorous philosophy in poetic form. In contemporary times, there’s also the s'Gram, which is the current choice of academic writers, and consists in short, aphoristic, single stanza poems, unfurled in a serial fashion to develop an ongoing train of thought.

## Magic

The Third Way, the Way of the Will, a’Qashtet, Wordkeepers.

The Third Way revolves around willpower, which is described as the power of the Author. More pedestrian uses of this power manifest in storytelling. The a’Qashtet can project images into the minds of their spectators. At higher levels, they can access the a’Qash through meditation, and see all possible futures and pasts.

The Third Way urges the acolyte to develop the inner eye to visualize all possibilities. Their philosophers call the realm of total possibility the qua’Natum. Then, they are told to focus the mind only upon that possibility they wish to manifest. For example, the moisture in the air could arranges itself into ice. The clouds above could spontaneously discharge lightning. The sword of an enemy could disintegrate into sand. All these things are possible. Only the Author can choose for the miraculous to happen. But you are the Author. The key is to focus upon the desired outcome. See only its probability, not its improbability.

The a’Qashtet value knowledge above all else. The tyro of the Third Way must spend long hours studying in the libraries, memorizing great amounts of information, learning the t’Ro, the o’Diaq, the q’Bala, and pass an intense exam, before learning the more miraculous aspects of the Way.

At the highest levels, the a’Qashtet can create ex nihilo; generating weapons out of thin air; clouds of smoke for cover; and even food when hungry. The very highest ranks are summoners, who can create entities called Golems with minds of their own.

The a’Qashtet are also the originators of the concept of investment. Group focus is always stronger, and so groups of a’Qashtet with united willpower can perform truly amazing tasks, such as the lifting of the Skycities into the air. A circle of at least three a’Qashlas reside at all times in the pointed base of a Skycity, encircling an Everfire, while an additional six to nine a’Qashtet invest them with their power.