The Championship of Nabal

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*The deeper the risk, the sharper the reward.*

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## *Overview*

The Championship of Nabal is the primary power worshipping Skaad and Nektis. Nabal is geographically diverse, with many varieties of forest, grasslands, and coastal regions drawn within its borders.

### Raso

The capital city of Nabal, Raso, resides on Klathau Island in the middle of the Ingeir Lake. The southeastern shore of Klathau is the most developed part of the island. Tall, spiraling buildings of wood and stone rise into the heavens, visible from any part of Ingeir’s shoreline, and well into other parts of Nabal too. The tallest towers are well over eighty stories, and house the Championship’s financial, religious, academic, and artistic centers. Indeed, there’s nothing quite like the Towers of Raso, each of which possesses several distinctive, disk-like landings that fan out from all sides. These landings famously have no railings to prevent curious sightseers from plummeting to their deaths.

The area at the base of the Towers is home to bustling market squares, residential buildings, taverns, inns, shops, and other such amenities. Beyond the boundaries of Raso, the rest of Klathau Island lies relatively untouched, with a few slivers of land dedicated to agriculture and some of the shoreline partitioned to fishermen. Otherwise, the dense jungles in the heart of Klathau Island are largely untouched by humanoid habitation, and are protected by strict conservation laws.

The government of Nabal is unlike any other on Andake. The head of state is the Champion, who wields absolute power over the rest of the government. Their second-in-command is the Regent, whose power and influence are second only to the Champion. Supporting the Champion and their Regent is a sophisticated council of scholar-officials, court magicians, and military leaders whose sole job is to advise the Champion on the best way to implement their policies. Champions and Regents are generally keen to get a lot done during their time in power; after all, they only have five years to do it. That’s because Champions are not inherited -- but won.

The Championship Challenge is an event that occurs every five years in Nabal, a grueling trial of brain and brawn that determines the new leaders of Nabal. The winner becomes the Champion, and the runner-up the Regent. Once your term as Champion or Regent is up, you can never take the trial again. The contents of the Championship are a strictly guarded secret, and are entirely determined by the reigning Champion with some input from their Regent. As such, the trial varies intensely from year to year, with no limitations or rules in place to control what happens. To add to the level of risk, the contents of the Championships are only revealed on the day of the event. As one can expect, a system of government like this means that Nabal is accustomed to intensely variable periods of boom and bust. This makes Nabalians a particularly hardy people, familiar with the winds of change, and adaptable to boot.

Raso is also the seat of power of the Kusing Guild, one of the most prominent criminal guilds in Andake.

### Culture

The name of the game in Nabal is risk and reward. Like the gods they worship, the people of Nabal, most specifically Raso, subscribe to a winner-take-all, fortune-favors-the-bold mentality, a daring outlook on life mediated by the teachable muscle of skill. Many hasty newcomers to the Championship, desperate to prove themselves, overextend their talents and end up acquiring lifelong injuries -- or even get themselves killed. Those who truly understand the teachings of Skaad and Nektis know that risks must be undertaken with bravery, yes, but also cunning and skill.

In Nabalian culture, valor and mastery are not limited to feats of magical or martial prowess. Singers, dancers, poets, and performers of all stripes and shapes can find a daring home in Nabal, where artistic risk-taking and experimentation are equally encouraged as physical acts of courage. So, too, are philosophical and academic radicalism. The most extreme thinkers from all over the political spectrum are welcomed with open arms in Nabal, whose censorship laws and cultural taboos are lax, if non-existent. Shame is only socially mandated if: risks are taken without proper consideration of the situation; you blame someone else for your own failed ventures; or if your failure directly or indirectly harms someone who did not agree to undertake the risk.

## Landmarks

### Nabalian Scrublands

Nabal is geographically diverse. The Championship’s northern portion is mostly scrubland, a feature shared with the Republic of Talmaad. As one might expect, Jhaadeedaans and Nabalians frequently engage in both skirmishes and trade at the northern border. Bushfires are also common. As such, the settlements there are similar to those of the Jhaadeedans: clay beehive huts with muddied grass roofs. Many of the Nabalians who live here are herders, hunters, and merchants who hire mercenary corps to protect their assets from Jhaadeedaan raids.

### Brittlefinger Woods

The dry grasslands transform into the spiny forests of the infamous Brittlefinger Woods, populated by spiky trees, succulents, and variably fertile soil. These spiny forests see Nabalians clustering the peaks of the highlands, where the trade winds are wet, making the earth good for farming. Here, the foundations of homes are made with stone, while the walls and roofs are made from the decay-resistant wood harvested from Nabal’s indigeneous spiky trees. Desert creatures frequently roam these forests, hiding behind cacti, underneath the rocky soil, and in the shaded areas of rain shadow cast by the highlands. These creatures pose a constant threat to the livestock and livelihood of farmers.

### The Azure Grovelands

The subhumid forests of the Azure Grovelands are the most densely populated area of Nabal. Cultivated farmsteads, fishing hamlets, larger villages and townships dot the fertile prairie-lands stretching between copses of trees. Here, mountainous hills and wide swaths of green grasses are common, as are trade routes and rest stops for weary travelers on their way to Qiulong or Talmaad. The southeastern border of Nabal is populated by a subtropical bamboo forest, which demarcates the boundary between the Championship and the Kingdom of Qiulong. Like the northern border, these forests are also strictly guarded by officials from both sides of the bamboo partition, their paper agreements backed with fire and steel.

### Ingeir Lake

In Common, Ingeir means “Love-Shorn,” a fitting name considering its heart-like resemblance. Ingeir Lake is the third-largest lake in all of Andake, yielding the second place to Uma-ori in Jukai and the grand prize to Moroz’s massive Zeema Lake. Nevertheless, Ingeir is extremely deep, and massively wide, so much so that the opposite bank is impossible to see even on the clearest of days. Ingeir is populated with islands of varying sizes, shapes, and habitats, including Klathau Island, where the capital of Raso is housed. The long and winding Biyan River originates from Ingeir, ending somewhere in the Godspine within the Kingdom of Qiulong.

### The Dragonfang Coast

Finally, the forests and grasslands of Nabal give way to the Dragonfang Coast: a jagged stretch of warm yet windy bluffs, rocky beaches, and tidal flats dotted with tidepools and saltwater deltas. Seaside towns built atop hills overlook the vast Hema Sea to the south.

### Klauthou Jungle

The dense jungles in the heart of Klathau Island are largely untouched by humanoid habitation, and are protected by strict conservation laws. These jungles are home to a huge variety of wildlife, and the Godshard of Skaad and Nektis hide in the recesses of the jungle after the Cataclysm.