Rafiah

Rafiah is the region furthest south on the continent to the south of the Jongura and south-east of the Mezorale. It is a land mostly know for it's desert, inventive people and unusual trade goods. The region also includes lush coastal areas, marshlands and patches of tropical forest generally overlooked in common perception. Rafiah has the oldest organized trade routes of any region, some stretching as far away as Amato or the Lost Coast. This trade has given the archipelago along it's south-east the name "the Merchant Sea". The region also has a long history of powerful wizardry and dealings with jinni.

**People**

Rafiah has large populations of Raf, gnolls, ratfolk and elemental-kin. Merfolk ply their trade wherever there is a connection to the sea and jinni roam the deserts or serve powerful wizards. Stranger still are stories of goblin mages and serpent men in hidden cities beyond the dunes. Rafiah has a culture tied to technological achievements, mysterious sorcery and a strong regional identity. Permanent structures are typically built with mud, clay and brick. Typically buildings stay only a couple stories in smaller settlements, but in cities structures stack into complexes and apartments woven with stairs and ladders making them confusing to outsiders. Nomadic tribes in the regions interior keep large colorful tents which are large enough for the furnishings they transport with them between oases, wells and watering holes. It is a crime punishable by torture and death to poison a water source.

Hospitality has developed as an important point of honor for the natives due to the dangers of the deserts. Being a "bad host" or a "bad guest" are both extremely taboo and can lead to being socially banished. Merchants from Rafiah pride themselves are their willingness to make a deal and a price is not set until it is agreed upon. A custom of haggling which foreigners sometimes find confusing between hurled insults and sudden price changes, often walking away having paid more than average cost. Traditional Rafiah garb includes tunics, robes, loose fitting pants and scarves. Generally these garments are made of linen, cotton and often vibrantly coloful due to ready access to dyes and a cultural disdain for the "status of nobility". Jewelry is common for men and women alike including piercings. Makeup and tatoos are common and henna is something of a national artform.

**Climate & Geography**

Rafiah lies in a tropical zone with most of the region getting very little rainfall. Along the coasts and the Great Serpent grow a variety of palm trees, wide varities of underbrush, vines and flowering plants. At the Great Serpent's southern most inlet within the region are wetlands and a great stretch of grasslands all the way to the edge of thick jungle. This green expanse forms an incredibly diverse range of flora and fauna found no where else on Madrian.

Except along the coast, Rafiah is surrounded by mesas, arroyos and mountains restricting rainfall almost exclusively to areas near the ocean. Because of this the land quickly becomes desert as one heads inland. Hardy plants and cacti populate the areas where shade and a sources of water are available. As oases and aquifers disappear, so does this sparse vegetation and the dunes begin. Only the nomad tribes and adventurers brave these areas. Out in these arid stretches are dunes, salt flats and strange stories. Nomads speak of places sculpted by jinni and sorcerers. Beyond the dunes to the east is believed to be a place called the Plains of Iron. It is said to be all plates of metal and crevessases belching poisonous gasses until stopping short of the Bloody Cliffs of Mezorale.

**Economy**

Clockwork and steam-powered inventions have been common in the cities of Rafiah since the Reign of White Castle. During the time of Pharoahs the first schools of Wizardry beyond elementalism were invented by natives of the area. As such the people of Rafiah have strong attachments to both and do not look at such things as unusual. Embracing these two things has led to them becoming quite common and the simplest forms being easily manufactured. Over the centuries clockwork inventions and magical trinkets have become Rafiah's most common exports. Raf clocksmiths are even superior in skill and quality to dwarves in their craft. Rafiah also exports large quantities of dyes, textiles, alchemical substances and minerals.

Because of their long history and well established shipping lanes, goods from Rafiah are found all over the world. This extends a certain amount of fame to the merchants themselves. Rafiah is known to many outside nations as a land of wealthy merchants and desirable goods, a reputation that the region has taken to heart. Good of lesser quality are rarely if ever exported and generally only make it as far as the poorest homes in whatever city produced them.

**Government**

Rafiah is a loose confederacy of guilds. Generally these guilds are allowed to make regulations concerning those within their organizations. The guilds within a particular settlement then have meetings where the broader governing occurs. Things such as city guards, municipal construction or maintenance and taxes are determined. Above all other Guilds is the Thieve's Guild. Formed during the time of the pharoahs as the heart of the slave uprising, the guild became a symbol of independence for the Raf. Though distrusted for good reason by outsiders, the Thieve's Guild actually functions as an oddly moral executive government.

Personal freedoms are paramount to the people of Rafiah and as such critics exist of the guild system. While at the highest levels where the most scrutiny exists, officials are careful to avoid obvious corruption. The current King of Thieve's tends to be more celebrity than thief. The guild system came out the violent overthrow of the previous government after all. However guard captains, minor officials, and wealthy guild heads in the cities and especially outlying settlements have many accusations against them. The freedom and lack of genuine firm control of these sorts of figures allows them to get away with quite a bit. A corrupt and wealthy guild master may never be brought to justice if he's far from the capital.

Nomad tribes are free to govern themselves and generally make decisions for the tribe via gatherings of all adults. However personal conflicts are settled by the individuals involved and duels are not uncommon for more intense quarrels.

**Landmarks**