Mura'kesz

The name 'Mura'kesz' [*moo-rah-kesh*] means “center” in the desert tongue. Though the desert of Mura'kesz is vast, it is perhaps the smallest nation (by population) in Tirisea, but a powerful political entity with strong ties to every other civilization in the world. Known for its rich culture, vibrant people, exotic goods, taboo procreational practices, and above all, the unmatched artistic talents of its citizens, it's fair to call Mura'kesz a cultural (and tourism) capital of Tirisea.

## Quick Facts

* **National Language**: Jamessa
* **Government**: Dictatorship
* **Current Leader**: Maharaja Mohamarr Zahiam
* **Land (climate)**: Desert (tropical, dry)
* **Demographics**:
	+ 100% Sun Elves
		- **Including visitors and non-permanent residents**:
			* 74% Sun Elves
			* 6% Dwarves
			* 5% Gnomes
			* 5% Laputi
			* 4% Elves and Half-Elves
			* 3% Humans
			* 3% Orcs and Half-Orcs

## Geography

The nation was named simply for its location relative to the rest of Tirisea--at the arid desert center. The moist ocean air is blocked by towering mountains that border two sides of the nation. However a deep river (the desert people simply call it “Nahara,” their word for river) cuts along the foot of the mountains, passing through the northernmost portion of the desert on its way out to sea. The area is constantly eclipsed by the mountains, creating a small but permanent sliver of shade and shadow year-round that often cloaks the Capital and much of the river. It has never, ever rained, or otherwise precipitated, in Mura’kesz. (Citizens love to hear stories of precipitation--they have seen storm clouds over the mountains but never over their lands).

## History

Originally, the Elves and Humans of Tirisea were ancient enemies, and Half-Elves therefore few and far between. In the rare instance that one was born, they were at best ostracized and at worst hunted and killed.

### Origins

Mura’kesz began as a large group of Elves and Humans squabbling over unused land, who were forced to work together to survive the harsh desert climate they both wished to claim. The Elves had fled from the clan wars of pre-Dyffryn Caidris times. Most of them hailed from Clan Raymes, a clan with a musical knack, known for it’s lithe and able fingers that could strum the most delicate string instruments with incredible grace and control, while the rest had broken off in much smaller packs from the other troubled clans. They sought an escape from the constant looming threat of war and a stable new land to call their own, so much so that they were willing to cast aside their long-held clan differences and band together to travel to the hitherto uninhabitable desert lands of the other continent.

At the same time, a significantly larger group of Humans had broken off from a nearer-by ancient Human civilization, which initially included Daneel Olivaw, eventual founder of Amalgama and the Collective. In fact, the first Human Maharaja of Mura’kesz, Afdala, was great friends with this man. They both had left their city in the hopes of creating something better, and while each desired to be part of a seamlessly unified people, Daneel’s focus was on a system where people would want for nothing, whereas Afdala craved not only a strong brotherhood, but a superior one, though in what ways he was not exactly sure.

In the desert, each race had different things to bring to the table. Humans possessed an incredible grasp over magic and an innate adaptability, while the Elves, though outnumbered, had well-rounded intellect and ages-old experience at their disposal. They begrudgingly shared the hostile space, their two districts working in tandem for years until inevitably they began to intermix and procreate.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the resulting crossbreed was an incredible creature--exceedingly beautiful and possessing many of the best traits of both races. Suddenly, interracial marriage was the most desirable union, and for the first time in Tirisean history, Half-Elves began to emerge as their own legitimate crossbreed. Nowadays the Elves, Humans, and their hybrid progeny exist in relative harmony in lands such as Dyffryn Caidris, the Coral Isles and Great Trench, thanks to the bonds of survival and kinship formed, albeit unintentionally, upon the collaborative founding of Mura’kesz (shortly before this decision was made, Daneel parted respectfully from Mura’kesz in pursuit of his own dreams, and even after Amalgama came to be, the nations remained in friendly contact).

### First Maharaja

But within the budding nation of Mura’kesz itself, things took a different sort of turn. It wasn’t long before Afdala, leader of the Human sector, claimed that their ideal interracial offspring was a sign that perhaps the two different districts of Mura’kesz should merge together more formally. After much debate over a number of other potential candidates, the Elves eventually agreed to make Afdala the first singular leader, under the title of Maharaja, of a unified Mura’kesz.

Afdala wasted no time in implementing rigorous rules. He established a true dictatorship, took counsel from no one lest the mood struck him, but treated all his citizens with an amazing amount of care and respect. He walked the streets with urchins, promoting the idea that they were all a part of the same fledgling species, mothers and fathers of a brand new race on Tirisea, and each of them deserved praise and happiness for their contributions.

Maharaja Afdala quickly earned the love of Elves and Humans alike before making his greatest proclamation yet. He wished to transform the future generations of Mura’kesz forever, aspiring for a “pure” Half-Elven nation. Afdala would never impose a restriction on love--men and women could continue to marry whomever they liked, regardless of race. But they would not be permitted to procreate unless the couple was interracial, ensuring that one day the nation would be composed entirely of their beautiful crossbred children.

### Second Maharaja

After Afdala died, a new Elven leader named Murakiba took his place, and Maharaja Murakiba took the former leader’s quest for purity one step further. His rule marked the beginning of enforced birth control on every male civilian save the Maharaja, making the Maharaja the sole procreating male and supplier of male genetics for future generations. He reasoned that such a practice would further improve the chances of even more desirable traits in Mura’kesz Half-Elven offspring, since all Maharajas were rigorously tested and chosen for their superior qualities of mind, body and spirit. This meant that during his reign, only female Humans were eligible to bear children. But even after the last Humans and eventually Elves of Mura’kesz had died off, and Mura’kesz had long since become a pure race of Half-Elves (even taking on the name "Sun Elves" to differentiate themselves), the Maharaja remained the only male allowed to procreate. The desert people continue to strive towards genetic optimization by the same means today.

## Leadership

Maharaja Mohamarr Zahiam is the current leader of the nation Mura'kesz. A tall, handsome Sun Elf in his mid 40s, Zahiam has ruled since his early 20s--when he became one of the youngest Maharaja in history. He is charming when addressing foreigners but more somber with his own people. Despite beginning his reign so young, he is a mature leader who makes fair, moderate decisions for his people. He is a true master of economics, working more closely with his Dwarven allies from Great Trench than any of his predecessors, and Mura’kesz has financially flourished under his rule. His even-temper and cool exterior make it easy to politely converse with him, but very difficult to figure out what he’s really thinking or actually get to know him. Mohamarr Zahiam is a mystery to his people, but has so far never steered them astray and has their steadfast love and loyalty, as is the case for the vast majority of Maharajas. He has been known to invite less women to his bed than expected, preferring to spend most of his time at the Sharr Marivah (the Bard’s College) or locked in his study, poring over laws and trade reports. Although Zahiam is more aloof than his predecessors, it is still relatively easy for any person, foreigner or native, to get an audience with him.

### Procreation

Each morning and each night, one fertile, married woman in the city is brought to the Maharaja’s palace so he can attempt to impregnate her. There is no shame in it--in fact, the women who successfully conceive are treated with great honor and respect, and allowed to keep and raise their child with her spouse. The Maharaja does not lay claim over his children, and all his people are free to raise his sons and daughters in whatever manner they wish. However every married couple is tasked with raising up to two children, whether birthed by a member of the couple or by someone else’s wife. This helps with load balancing, so that the husbands of particularly fertile women need not be responsible for financially supporting a burdensome amount of children, and to give purpose to any infertile or unlucky women who would have otherwise never gotten the chance to raise children.

At times when the desert’s population dwindled, the Maharaja would see more than two women a day, and skew the system to mate repeatedly with the women who have already borne children until they produce more. In times of surplus population, the leader would default to the more leisurely one-woman-twice-a-day approach. The Maharaja never marries and never takes a mistress--both are thoroughly unnecessary.

And yes, this means that every woman will some day share a bed with her father, or sometimes son (the Maharaja will always be one of them to her), and every married couple will someday take responsibility for rearing their brothers and sisters, or their grandchildren. But the Maharaja is so far removed from the daily lives of the people that they don’t view this as odd or repulsive in the slightest. Most people won’t ever know anything about their leader except that he is a great, fair ruler and his seed created them--his personality is revealed only through the political, economic, and social decisions he makes for the nation; gone are the days of Afdala when Maharajas would roam the streets and integrate personally among the common people. The citizens of Mura’kesz view their incestual rites as merely a honed method for producing ideal Half-Elven offspring with humanity’s most favored traits, physical and mental, since those are all exemplified in each Maharaja who is allowed to take power.

### Maharaja Trials

Men go through an extremely rigorous test (after the first, somewhat democratic appointment of Afdala) to become a Maharaja--since every male citizen has a birth-right to the position, the appointment of a new Maharaja is completely merit-based. The exact trials that potential candidates undergo are unknown to all but the test administrators, and there is much debate over who exactly those administrators are--A cult of high magisters from foreign lands? A band of meddling gods? All that is known is that they are not from the desert lands.

The aim of these trials is to push one’s mind, body and spirit to its breaking point, and in doing so judge who is best fit not only to rule the desert people, but to embody, characterize, and father the next few future generations of Sun Elves. When one Maharaja dies, all and any interested men in Mura’kesz make a trek away from the safety of the nation and into the still-uninhabitable heart of the desert. Usually, only one candidate survives and he his crowned the new Maharaja. In the event that more than one man returns home, a brief period of rest is allowed before a second trek is made, and this will continue on until there is one sole survivor. No man can intercede to help judge or choose a Maharaja; a Maharaja must be chosen through natural selection, emerging victorious as proof of the favorable traits needed to weather the harsh desert climate, and most importantly, maintain the superiority of future Sun Elves.

In the absence of a Maharaja--while the trials are taking place--Mura’kesz essentially closes its doors to the outside world. All foreign visitors are sent home, and even extended-stay students at the Bard’s College are deported, and will have to reapply for permission to continue their studies once a new Maharaja returns. No one leaves or enters the nation until the new Maharaja is crowned, and the Monks are responsible for keeping the peace and handling any issues of unrest that may occur in the interim. Anyone behaving in an unruly manner that could possibly be perceived as opportunistic is arrested without warning and contained in jail cells until their new leader returns to judge them properly. It is typically a very quiet and solemn time for the nation, and incidents are rare and have yet to be anything beyond the Monks control.

## Religion

Mura’kesz does not deny the existence of deities, but scoffs at the worship of them. The desert people prefer to learn their lessons and develop their morals based on mortal experiences--the plethora of glory, successes, honor, advancements, betrayals, mistakes and regrets seen in the day to day exploits of mankind. In Mura’kesz, children grow up studying grand stories of mortal adventure, not religious scripture. A Bard’s College was built beside the Maharaja’s own palace, to encourage all citizens to seek out, craft, and share new stories, so that they all might better understand the mortal condition and the universe around them.

However, Maharaja Murakiba, the one who started the “only Maharajas can procreate” tradition, admitted to having taken a leaf from the gods’ book. He pondered what it was that compelled mankind to give its faith blindly to distant, divine beings, and came to the conclusion that it was the idea that all men were created by the gods--and there is a both an unbreakable bond and debt inherent in such parenthood. He searched for ways a mortal ruler could achieve that level of loyalty, and came to the conclusion that by making the Maharaja the sole male procreator, he would literally be the father of each and every one of his people, as well as link all his citizens to one another as siblings. The amount of loyalty, community and solidarity this system created among the Sun Elves is truly astonishing. When every man in your nation is your brother, and every woman your sister, and you are all ruled over by your father, you will take care of one another and side with one another above all else.

## Magic

The High Magister is the only secondary leader in Mura’kesz, although he has no political involvement whatsoever and does not advise the Maharaja on any non-magical matters. The Magister is none-the-less relied upon heavily to keep the city clean, warmer at night, safe from violent desert storms and weather, and the underwater buildings functioning properly. Much to their chagrin, one of the Mages most important functions is also to keep all the citizens on a regiment of strict, fool-proof magical birth control. They are also tasked with performing a harmless, but permanent sterility surgery on Lore-Gatherers and merchants (two all-male groups), because those they are the only citizens allowed to regularly leave the city, and no Sun Elf would ever be allowed to breed with a non-Mura’kesz--not even another Half-Elf from a different land.

   The Sun Elves are not known for their magical aptitude, so due to the extremely complex nature of magical tasks required to keep Mura’kesz running smoothly, their High Magister is traditionally an Elf, Human, or Half-Elf (no other races would be eligible, and Elves are favored because they do not have to be replaced as often) recruited by the Maharaja himself from the University at Dyffryn Caidris. The High Magister, and a small, elite team of Mage assistants, are the only foreign inhabitants of Mura’kesz, grudgingly accepted out of necessity. The same strict birth control that regulates the rest of Mura’kesz is imposed upon the resident Mages as well, but even so they are forbidden from copulating with any female Sun Elf, on the off-chance that something goes awry. They are permitted to live in the Emir’shariia palace only so that the Maharaja and his spies can keep a close watch on them.

But most ostentatiously, there is the fact that the Bard’s College exists partially underwater, and the Maharaja’s palace is fully submerged. See below.

## Districts

The nation is lied out physically like a half-sun: the Capital is the orb of the sun within the river, and all the rest of the nation fans out from the head in long rows like rays. Each “ray” is a numbered district from 1-13. Even-numbered districts are for ordinary citizens--merchants, craftsmen, farmers, teachers, tavern owners etc. Odd-numbered districts house all artists, Lore-Gatherers, and aspiring Bards. Most of the people in these outer districts are considered commoners, but those in the artists’ districts inspire a special respect, and are treated as a higher class than those with more mundane professions. The closer you live to the Capital or to the river, the better off you tend to be--and the less distance you have to walk to get to either; the poorest people live on the fringes. The most desirable districts to live in are 1 and 13, because the entire length of each one borders the river.

The only royalty or nobility is the Maharaja himself. He shares his palace with the city Bards and their families, and the High Magister and the Magister’s serving mages. Mura’kesz Bards are the only “upper class” citizens that officially exist between the district dwellers and the Maharaja, and can pretty much do as they please, so long as they do not lose the favor of the Maharaja and maintain their ranks at Sharr Marivah.

## Landmarks

The “capital” of Mura’kesz is not a city, but rather used to refer to the two massive landmarks at the helm of the nation, submerged side by side in the massive Nahara river that borders northern Mura’kesz.

### Emir'shariia

The first is the grand palace of the Maharaja, called Emir’shariia (“Command and Inspire Mankind”). It took decades, and the help of many outsourced Mages, to build. The palace is a decadent, gilded structure with domed rooftops and glittering adornments, nestled at the very bottom of the river. Because it lies far beneath the surface, the palace often lies in shadow, and so magical lights dance around it constantly like strings of colorful lanterns that illuminate the dark water. The entire building is enclosed in a magically-sealed air bubble, so that once you enter it feels as if you are on land again. To get to the palace, people board richly-woven carpets on the shore that float them down to the entranceway, and bring others back up again. Sitting atop one of the carpets grants the riders underwater breathing so long as contact is maintained. Upon entering the palace, warm gusts of magical winds envelope your body, drying your skin, hair and clothes in a matter of seconds.

### Sharr Marivah

The other component of the desert “capital” is the nation’s most famous landmark: the Bard’s College, Sharr Marivah (“Inspire Stories”). Unlike the palace, the college does not rest on the river floor. Instead, the huge, pyramid-shaped structure is built into the northern banks, and only the bottom half lies underwater, while the top half juts out above the surface. Instead of carpets, a golden bridge descends from the shore to the underwater entrance, and all those who walk atop it can breathe underwater until they step off, and enjoy the same magically-sealed air bubble and drying procedure that the palace provides once they enter the building. The elite of Mura’kesz study and compose here--the Bards and their Lore-Gatherers. The Bards are the composers and the performers, the ones who take raw tales, rumors, facts, and spin them into literary, artistic gold.

The Bards study in the submerged, lower levels of the college, while their Lore-Gatherers train in sunlit the upper levels. No one sleeps in Sharr Marivah. The Bards return to Emir’shariia, where they and their families are fed and lodged in the palace so long as they are employed at Sharr Miravah, and the Lore-Gatherers return to their homes in the finest sections of the artists’ districts.

Sharr Marivah serves also as a great archives, or library, cataloguing every single event of significance in the mortal realm for the last few centuries.

## Bards

    Wise men note that the Bards of Mura’kesz have the ears of the world. Their stories are the ones most commonly cited when people need to reference, and make assumptions on, obscure races, nations and practices. If there is a widely-accepted rumor or story related to how a nation operates or a racial stereotype--it most likely originated from Mura’kesz. Thus, the Bards hold a lot of international power, and it is universally beneficial to maintain cordiality with them at the very least. Many an up and coming city state has lost its footing due to slights on particularly influential Mura’kesz Bards; tourism has fluctuated in established nations to a notable economic detriment or boon based on their whims and silver tongues. Maintaining a good relationship with Mura’kesz is like maintaining a good relationship with the commoners of the entire world. If you were to go to war and could send only one person to rally the other nations on your behalf, your best bet would be to choose a Sun Elf Bard from the top classes of Sharr Marivah (and it has been done before, with great success, and I’m sure there’s a famous story from ancient times about the desert Bard who once convinced the rest of the world to join forces against an antagonistic nation, leading to its upheaval).

### Lore-Gatherers

Their Lore-Gatherers are men trained in the physical arts, primarily monks and martial artists, who learn to defend themselves because they are among the few people allowed to travel outside of Mura’kesz. They leave fairly consistently in order to gather news, stories, achievements, inventions, scandals and any developments or interesting affairs made by all and any mortal races, and then bring them back to the Bards to finesse and prepare for audiences. Many Lore-Gatherers work for Sharr Marivah in a general sense, but the most prestigious Bards may have one or two Lore-Gatherers that are specifically assigned to them.

## Law and Crime

There is no crippling poverty in the small, well-controlled Mura’kesz society. Some people are worse off than others, but everyone has somewhere to sleep, food, water, and heat during the cold desert nights--even if this means they need to plead with the Maharaja, who with a simple command can force more able families to take in the urchins and set them back on their feet (though this level of intervention is rarely necessary; when every starving citizen is your kin, people are much more willing to help each other out).

For nearly all instances of crime, petty or severe, the offending party is brought before the Maharaja, who decides their fate. He has no precedents or guidelines to oblige to, and sometimes Maharaja’s judge criminals based on a whim, or on their physical attractiveness, or any other arbitrary factor. (The current Maharaja, however, has a reputation for making very fair, level-headed decisions).

Public execution would never be allowed, as the Sun Elves are very sensitive about their limited life span. It is the greatest shame to be put to death prematurely when your time on earth is already so short. Death would probably never be used as a punishment, for the simple fact of how precious each year is to the Sun Elves.

Petty crimes are few and far between, since the community cares for itself fairly well. Lore-Gatherers patrol the streets of each district when they are not out collecting stories or training in the Sharr Marivah, using their monk skills to act as a silent but vigilant guard force that catches infractions and brings the perpetrators to face their leader.

Physical training is highly regarded--it is considered a great crime to let your body fall out of shape, since the society has always aimed to give Mura’kesz citizens the best assortment of genes. Thus people who gain or lose too much weight are taxed extra until they see to the problem.

It is illegal to have sex without the magical birth control provided by the High Magister, and if ever someone were to break that rule and be caught, there would be hell to pay. As of yet, no one has been unlucky enough to be caught trying to pass of one of their own children as a true son or daughter of their Maharaja.

### Women

Women (and girls, beginning at the age of 5) dress in colorful, light silk veils for modesty during the day. Because Sun Elven women are expected not to kiss, touch, or have any physical intercourse with a man before they are married, a woman’s lips are considered a very scandalous thing to be seen in public. Their hair is also seen as a means of enticement reserved for the Maharaja and their future husbands. The rest of their bodies, however, are usually very much on display, with tight, cropped shirts and translucent, flowing sleeves, skirts, and pants. The Sun Elves are proud of their fit and curvaceous figures, and very comfortable with the mortal body--their own and that of others. It is the romantic intimacy of things like a woman’s lips, smile, hair etc. that cause shame when paraded about town.

But this style of dress is also very practical for keeping cool under the desert sun. Men too tend to favor loose, revealing silk clothing, and many respectfully keep their chests and legs covered, though they are not required to. The men usually dress in white to keep cool and the women in color to express themselves while most of their face and hair is hidden.

No women are allowed to leave the city, ever, because the necessary sterilization that male citizens who leave are subjected to would never be performed on a female--to do so would rob Mura’kesz of another vessel to carry children of the next generation. Merchants and Lore-Gatherers are male professions, and while women can occasionally become Bards if they possess a great aptitude for it, there is no reason why a Bard must leave Mura’kesz to do his/her work. They sometimes do, to better direct the efforts of Lore-Gatherers or to seek out whispers of tales that particularly appeal to them, but the purpose of Lore-Gatherers is to take care of all the research for the Bards, so that Bards are free to remain in Sharr Marivah and create/hone their craft. Any woman who leaves without express permission of the Maharaja would most likely be exiled, sterilized, and never allowed to return.

## Trade

Trade is vital to Mura’kesz, since they do not have enough natural resources to maintain their nation without it. They would probably make an effort to charm as many nations as possible with their charismatic and clever merchants, gaining trading privileges with all of them.

There are only five major teleportation pads in all of Mura’kesz (since it is a relatively small nation where most of the traffic is from foreigners entering). One is dedicated solely to travels to and from Great Trench, one for the Heartlands of Laputa, and another for Amalgama. The final two can be attuned to any other teleportation unit in any nation, and are used for traffic to and from all other nations.

### Main exports

Date and citrus tree fruit (some of the few plants that can grow in the desert climate), cooking oils, fine silks, woven goods, elaborate baskets and tapestries, rare jewels (they wash up mysteriously on the desert dunes from time to time, as if spitted forth from the molten core of the earth itself, and are unique to the desert sands), hot spices, fast-drying ink. Mura’kesz is most famous for their tailoring work and of course their art. They export fine art, sculptures, well-written plays, costumes, exotic clothing, lovely instruments, long novels, poetry, tapestries, etc. It is a common practice for foreign nobles to visit Mura’kesz and commission one-of-kind pieces to furnish their manors.

And of course, Bards! The wealthy worldwide pay ludicrous sums for the prestige of having a desert Bard travel to their lands and perform at their feasts and celebrations. It is almost expected to have a Sun Elf Bard present at any grand scale affair of significance.

### Main imports

Primarily food sourced from wetter climates and paper--to write/draw/compose/outline/sketch their art and archives on.

## Language

Because trade is very important to the desert, so is language. In addition, Mura’kesz translates the works of its Bards it into as many languages as possible before selling them on travelling trade caravans. Most Sun Elves grow up learning multiple languages, and linguistic teachers are a common, respectable profession of the middle class.

In addition, every Sun Elf speaks their own language: Jamessa [*jah-mess-uh*], ‘language of the Sun.’ It is forbidden to teach Jamessa to any non-desert folk, simply because it is the language that Sharr Marivah Bards use to scribe and organize the famed college’s archives, and keeping it a national secret protects the sacred artistic materials from prying foreign eyes and thieves.

## Non-residents

Long-term visitors are heavily regulated, but travelling merchants and short-term tourists are openly welcome. Mura’kesz has the most luxurious, reasonably-priced inns to entice people to stay for a bit, but all rates skyrocket ludicrously after a 2-week stay, and any foreigner needs explicit permission from the Maharaja himself to stay in Mura’kesz for longer than one month.

At home, the Mura’kesz Bards do not perform in theaters, but anywhere they please--in the streets, district markets, Emir’shariia palace, along the riverbank, on the rooftops of unsuspecting homes, etc. Natives and visitors alike stop what they’re doing and scramble to listen and learn when a Bard is near. Oftentimes when one Bards strikes a note on his lute, or cries out a poignant opening monologue, several other Bards will appear and integrate themselves into the song or story. Many of the most memorable performances are completely improvised on the spot, and the Bards like to include their audiences, particularly when ad-libbing plays. Visitors come from all over Tirisea just to sit on simple sandstone benches in the market squares and listen to Mura’kesz Bards in the streets--it is something they will not soon forget.

Visiting women of all races are required to cover up their faces in the style of the native women before entering Mura’kesz. There are only three major teleportation pads in Mura’kesz, (since it is a relatively small nation where most of the traffic is from foreigners entering), and the officials that operate each of them also provide standard, white silk veils free of charge to all female visitors. There are native women standing by whose job it is to aid and instruct foreign women on how to properly wear the veil when in public. These employees tend to be some of the sweetest people, since they don’t want any trouble with uncooperative foreigners.

Of course, merchants crowd around every building that houses a teleporter, more than happy to sell a travelling lady a more colorful veil, or even a bejeweled one. While it is normal for Sun Elven women to adorn the crowns of their veils with jewelry, golden chains and the like, it is never a part of the actual veil itself. To a Sun Elf the difference is obvious, and nothing is more garish than the glittering catastrophes pawned off on wealthy tourists; but you would never know it from their unfalteringly charming smiles.

Because Sun Elven women are forbidden to leave the desert, the only way a foreigner could ever catch sight of them is by visiting the nation. And those who have visited know nothing of them but the flaunted shape of their bodies and their eyes--therefore plenty of rumors circulate about these mysterious, faceless women. Sun Elven men are certainly nice to look at, but are their women truly as beautiful as they claim to be, or are they hiding deformed visages beneath their veils?

And of course, tourists are forbidden from touching Sun Elven women, but that is an offense that happens quite often and the local women have found many ways to keep the affairs covert. There is no real danger in it, since the women are protected from pregnancy by the High Magister’s spells, but Sun Elves would always prefer to be safe than sorry when it comes to these matters.

## Social Norms

### Surnames

Every Mura’kesz citizen hyphenates the surname of their “true” biological father (the Maharaja) after the surname of the man who raised them (their mother’s husband), as a sign of respect and recognition to the Maharaja, and for more practical identification/organizational purposes. Otherwise it would be difficult to keep track of which generations of citizens came from which leaders. It is possible for one couple to raise children born by two different Maharajas, in which case the children would share the first part of their last name--their family name--but each would have a different second surname following the hyphen.

### Marriage and Sex

All Sun Elves must marry and can copulate freely within the marriage. Adultery is something that happens all the time, for many reasons: the nationwide mandatory birth control makes it a rather low-risk affair, extremely early marriages do not always pair the most compatible partners, life is short for Sun Elves and they are hard-pressed to deny themselves a variety of pleasures. But it is rarely talked about; people usually play dumb to their neighbors escapades, since technically, promiscuity is a crime, and if word of the affair reaches the Lore-Gatherers they must take the adulterers before the Maharaja to plead their case. Often times they are let go with minimal reprimanding, but every once and awhile a leader may take particular offense to such a thing.

Women can only be called to the Maharaja’s bed after they have been married (that is their coming of age so to speak, because it signifies that they are ready to be wives and therefore also ready to be mothers). That being said, men and women marry very early in this society (anywhere from age 13-16, and it is highly unusual for males or females to remain unwed by 16), in order to present more able-bodied child rearers to their leader as soon as their bodies are capable of childbearing. Every woman is expected to abstain from sex until marriage, and then after they have said their marriage vows the first man they bed will be the Maharaja, to provide him with a clean slate. This takes place on the bride’s wedding night, and the following night is the first time she will know her husband in that way.

Sun Elves have certainly bent the rules and fooled around before they married, but the women (and most men) stay strict about the loss of a woman’s virginity, since that is something the Maharaja is entitled to, and so it is not theirs to give away. And the Maharaja, expecting a virgin, may very well notice an absence of blood.

## Attitudes of the General Populace

The Sun Elves of Mura'kesz are a bright, creative, and healthy people (in spite of their short lifespans). They are cheerful and charming, very smooth talkers, passionate lovers, and fiercely loyal to their families, and by extension their entire nation. Pride in their nation is sometimes a big weakness-- they generally take criticism well, except when an outsider dares to scrutinize the oddities of a culture they could never know well enough to judge. Sun Elves are remarkably slow to anger but when they do they are also slow to calm back down.

But Sun Elves do tend to be mellow, laid back and fun-loving. They have few day-to-day worries and exist in a very open-minded, non-judgmental society, where the atmosphere is one of creative experimentation. Their constant exposure to art makes them well-accustomed to music and dance, and sports and holidays are always extravagantly celebrated. Many Sun Elves fear or distrust magic-users, but are more accepting of magical effects or items. They are an adventurous people who love the thrill of trying new things.

And of course, they all love a good story--particularly a tale of adventure.