Xalifaunians

Xalifaunian's were the inhabitants of the wealthy and populous land of Xalifaunia on the farthest western reach of Maer'Ka. They were a very social and extravagant people, known for their creativity and skills in the performing arts, their strange pantheon of celebrity Gods and Goddesses, and the excessive wealth of their homeland. To outside eyes Xalifuanian's often appear flamboyant and strange, with the artificially bleached hair and flashy jewelry of their local elite. But Xalifaunian's are one of the oldest and most complex cultures of the New world, with a great wealth of artistic wisdom and great temples adorned with the gold found in large amounts across their homeland, in fact the Xalifaunian's often refer to themselves as the "Golden People".

## History

Xalifuania was one of the first nations to rise following the end of the Thousand Years Summer due to its long growing season and abundance of precious metals such as Gold and silver. The Xalifuanian Kingdom was founded during the Epoch of Reconstruction after their first God-Queen, known as the Paramount was crowned by the priesthood of Holywood. Power was all in the hands of the Paramount, who was not only the absolute monarch of the Kingdom, but also the Priesthood which held great influence over the people.

Xalifaunian's remained independent for much of the Epoch of Reconstruction until they were conquered by the Mexihtec Empire who allowed them to keep their native paramount as a vassal to their Gran Tlatoani. Later, they were conquered by Gunnar the Great, whose general Lewhuss who declared himself paramount and established a Texhun dynasty which moved the capital to Quochella and ruled for a few centuries. Texhun-ruled Xalifaunia was then conquered by the first Khagoan Emperor Don Wabbash, who also declared himself Paramount despite ruling from Khago itself, a tradition carried on by all succeeding Khagoan Don's until their adoption of the Arkivist Faith centuries later. Xalifaunia was a major economic asset to the empire and was considered the personal estate of the Imperial family due to its immense wealth. Xalifaunian's were often sought after as slaves by wealthy Khagoan Aldermen and nobles to serve as jesters, court musicians, entertainers, and actors in theaters across the empire.

Xalifuania would later become an important province of the breakaway Texhun Empire and then the Moormun Empire of Dezuret, which imposed its unpopular and rigid moral codes upon the freedom loving Xalifuanians.

## Culture

To the Xalifanian, entertainment an socialization were a key aspect of life. Their cities were studded with numerous theaters, brothels, and bathhouses where people would meet with friends to indulge in wine and other pleasure. The Xalifaunians were notorious for their sexual freedom, with orgies and sex parties being a commonplace occurrence at the gatherings of elites and temple ceremonies where sacred prostitutes were abundant. Men and women were considered to be equals in society, and often women had far more power and freedoms then men did. Transgenderism was also extremely common and was not considered a taboo by anyone and was looked upon as a noble thing.

Xalifuanian elites were known for the extravagant and over the top fashion trends, often bleaching or dying their hair vibrant colors and both men and women wearing flashy wigs and make-up. Both sexes adorned themselves in golden jewelry and precious stones, often wearing garments which revealed parts of their bodies which would be considered inappropriate by more conservative people such as Texhuns, Moormmuns, and Khagoans. The homes and palaces of Xalifaunians often had walls painted with scenes of sexual encounters or colorful figures. Being attractive in appearence was of utmost importance to the Xalifuanian, with some even undergoing strange surgical procedures performed by their priests which altered their facial or bodily forms.

Despite the freedoms the elites enjoyed and the immense wealth of their homeland, the masses of Xalifaunian's were poor urban servants and rural peasants who worked the vast agricultural estates or gold and silver mines of their overlords, unable to question the divine authorities of the paramount and his priesthood. Xalifuanian peasants were some of the poorest in all of Maer'Ka, living in tiny adobe huts and shacks and slaving in the pistachio and artichoke fields, secretly praying the god of poor farmers whom was looked down upon by the wealthy, Xhavez.

## Religion

Main Article: Holywood Pantheon

Xalifuanian's worshiped a pantheon of Gods and Godesses based on misinterpretations of celebrities and actors from the Beforetimes, these deities were known as the Stars and were believed to have descended to heaven after gaining enough fame to become immortal. The priests of the various cults of these Stars would dress in outfits or costumes to appear more like these ancient movie stars whom they emulated and looked up to.

The priesthood was led by the ruler of Xalifaunia, the Paramount, who was believed to be a living God and representative of the Stars on Earth. The Paramount and Priesthood resided at the massive palace of Holywood which overlooked the native capital of Ellae. Here, and at various other temples across Xalifuania, the priests would perform strange rituals which often involved acting out scenes from ancient scripts in front of holy relics housed by their temples such as ancient canisters of film and props, before anointing them with scented oils.

Despite having to partake in the state religion of the Holywood pantheon for the sake of not being persecuted, the peasantry had little in common with their nations gods and chose to secretly pay tribute to a God imported from Ar'Sonia known as Xhavez, who represented the poor and downtrodden laborers.