Daos

Daotian Celebration

## Background

Daos is a semi-arid nation with the edge of the The Vast desert to the north and a savanna and lush jungle climate to the south. Generally, the country is not seen as advanced in technology as it's neighbors, which causes some to see it as a country of savages but that is not the case. Daos is home to numerous tribes that have settlements of varying levels of advancement. Each tribe is headed by a tribal chief and conflicts amongst the tribes is historically common. Cedor is the capital but being a divided tribal country, power can change hands rapidly as various tribes vie for power. Currently the tribal king is Sefu Taji, he has maintained a delicate peace amongst the tribes created by his father for the last five years. Daos has had several border conflicts with Shamir as the more fertile southern territories of Daos offer an attractive addition to the Shamirian nation. The major challenge has always been for the Shamirites to able to amass and coordinate their ground forces across the large distances of the Shamirian nation to push into Daotian territory.

## Geography

The Daotian geography varies with the climate. To the north it is more arid where the desert changes to a greener semi-arid state. Generally, the country is fairly flat with only a few mountains. The vegetation becomes more prevalent as one travels farther south. Once in the south, the country is covered by dense jungle teeming with dangerous wildlife. Several very large lakes dot the countryside with Cedor sitting on the banks of Lake Masika.

## Government

The country is run by a tribal king that has a council of advisors that establishes and enforces laws. The king also has the Circle of Chieftains. It is a panel of chieftains from every major tribe. They debate national as well as local issues and the king makes decisions on what is to be come standard law. The head of the advisory council is a shaman that helps interpret religious implications and influences. Because governing authority changes hands fairly often, standardize laws can be difficult and capricious in their enforcement. Common tribal law tends to be the default as many of the tribes have similar belief systems that govern their individual behavior within the tribe.

## Economy

Daos has a artificially limited economy. Their predominate limitation are their trade routes that are governed by the geography. Western cities trade mostly with Shamir and the West via water routes. Trade routes from Cedor are mostly oriented east due to the fact that the main water routes are in that direction. The desert separating the land routes north make those routes for trade uncommon although not impossible. Also, because of the disparate nature of their tribal divisions most agriculture is subsistence. Two commodities that are of note are coffee and diamonds. The southern area just north of the jungle has a humid climate ideal for growing the coffee beans and their prized as delicacy beverage in the west and east. Strangely enough, it is more popular in the west and in Shamir than other Eastern Kingdom countries. Also, small deposits of diamonds have been found in the drier parts of the country and has brought a certain amount of wealth as well as a certain amount of continued conflict over who will control that wealth.

## Defenses

The Daotian army is sizable but also discordant at times. Tribal chieftains are required to answer the call when called to national defense by the king but infighting and internal conflicts often weigh in. Most Daotian men are raised as warriors. Although not as martial as the Jungti or Ristoran, theirs is a culture where every man must hold a weapon and defend his loved ones and property. Daos has a very small navy. They have a large coastline but they have never developed into a major seafaring nation.

## Notable Locations

### Ikeno River

The Ikeno River is the main waterway that flows out to the Jade Ocean from Lake Masika. This extremely wide river has a slow current that allows for ships to sail upriver and make port in Cedor for trade. Many settlements and tribes make their home along the watercourse. There are other tributaries that eventually flow out into other large branches and to the Jade Ocean. These are often used by smugglers and those that desire to escape notice but the Ikeno is the main route.

### The Situni Jungle

The large, often impenetrable jungle covers the entire southern region of Daos. The contrast to the semi-arid savanna in the north in climate mirrors the contrast of the people from that region as well. Some find that living in the Situni is extremely difficult and dangerous but there are several tribes that make their home there. Even Cedor makes it's home on the edge of the jungle so as to have one foot in both regions.