Nanji Citystate Alliance

Country Name: Nanji Citystates

Population: 1% Naga, 20% Imuuga Human, 9% Westrasi Human, 0.5% dwarf, 50% Vishga Human, 12% Lizardfolk, 4% Beastmen, 4% Other

Capital: None (the various city states are largely independent from each other)

Government: Collection of Oligarchies

### **Culture**

The Nanji Citystates are a collection of ancient nations that have long been members of the Honorable Ecinevian League, and are treated are treated as a separate nation more due to key cultural and racial differences rather than because they are politically unique within the League.

The main difference is that few Westrasi humans have shown any interest in moving to this thoroughly wretched area, where working the land is difficult, and the naga elite are to savvy to allow themselves to be bought out by Westrasi merchant lords.

Like their cousins in the Kingdom of Ivory, and Nulamore, the naga are politically powerful here despite their limited numbers, but unlike elsewhere they rule openly in much of region, and even where they don't, there is no question who is in charge. Still, like elsewhere, they keep apart from most of their human subjects, holding court in underground chambers, and teaching magic in secluded schools.

The Imuuga have been the primary servants of the naga in this region since antiquity.  They combine the focus on mercantilism, scholarship, bureaucracy, and craftsmanship of the Gloria-Etalia faith with the decadence, magic use, and narcissism of the naga.  Work is done at a leisurely pace, hobbies are extravagant and wasteful, and the frequent parties even more so.  However, those who try to move up society too quickly find out the hard way that the internal politics are cutthroat.  It is not uncommon for overly ambitious youngsters to get demoted to the lowest tiers of the slave caste.

Westrasi humans (generally from the Merchant League states) and dwarfs (recruited from Hjektlonikakkana are treated with respect since the vast majority of them descend from skilled craftsmen, scholars, and other highly paid specialists.  Although some have kept their cultures, others have "gone native" and follow the customs of the local elite.

Vishga humans are mostly slaves and peasants, though it has become increasingly common for them to work their way into the middle class.  Life as a peasant is comparable to many other regions, though treatment of slaves is notoriously poor.

Lizardmen, beastmen, and other "monster races" both local and imported are generally used as soldiers, guards, and overseers.  Different military and quasi-military groups compete to recruit the most fearsome and exotic looking creatures, and it is common to see the likes of giants, ogres, gargoyles, trolls, hobgoblins, goblins, and other stranger creatures in Nanji war bands, though oni, treant, dryads, and vampires are seen as untameable and not tolerated.  Gold Coast Tribesmen, Tnz'qran, and Amazons are also recruited for these purposes, with the Tribesmen in particular seen as more savage than most non-humans.  Most are recruited willingly, though some are slaves kept in line with a careful regime of drugs and abuse.

Some lizardmen tribes in the east live in their traditional manner in return for pledges of loyalty and light taxes.

### **Religion**

Most inhabitants follow one of many subbranches of the "Punaji Kupta" branch of the Gloria-Etalia Faith, which is really just a syncretic mix of Gloria-Etalia with various pagan faiths.  The Nanji in particular tend to include elements of naga worship in their interpretation of the Gloria-Etalia faith, with the naga seen by many as angels of Gloria-Etalia, particularly those with two heads (a belief that many other subbranches of the Punaji Kupta faith find heretical).

Upper and middle class Nanji shun the bulky clothes of Westrasi cultures for thin silk clothing, elaborate hair stylings and dyes (though some men and a few women go bald), body paints, tattoos, henna patternings, mascara, eye liners, and numerous chains, piercings, and rings of gold and other valuable materials.  Snake motifs are extremely common.

Lower class Nanji and the more valuable slaves make do with minimal adornments, and cheap silk and textile clothes, while the least valuable slaves are forced to wear crude clothes of plant parts, animal skins, or nothing depending on how low on the pecking order they are.

### **Organization**

Most of the city states are either directly ruled by naga, or are ruled by Imuuga puppets on behalf of naga masters.  Below them there is a wealthy elite of landowners, merchants, scholars, bureaucrats, and craftsmen, ruling over a larger class of poor farmers and slaves.  Most soldiers and guards are also slaves, but their lifestyle becomes considerably better the higher they move up the chain of command, as does the lives of intelligent slaves chosen for clerical work.

Magic users are common in this area, and military tactics rely heavily on magic, poisoned weapons, and various forms of alchemical fire, since heavy infantry tactics are of little use in the jungles, swamps, and rocky outcrops of their region.  Though some heavy infantry units are maintained for ceremonial purposes, and to fight in the occasional battle where their skills are relevant.  Like their distant cousins in the Ivory Kingdom they are also fond of war elephants, while scouts prefer larger breeds of capybara as mounts.

### **Origin**

Many Nanji Citystates can trace their origins back to the first Suoxi migrations into the region, but some are said to be the result of an even older lizardman civilization.  Over time a three tiered system developed with the naga on top, and those of purer Suoxi (the Imuuga) blood ruling over those of more mixed origins (the Vishga).  This system broke down somewhat during the War of the Fire Rose, but came back stronger than ever during secondary migrations by Suoxi peoples into the area following the defeat of the Treant Empire.

### **Diplomacy**

The Nanji Citystates are members of the Merchant League and have the same political allies and enemies as other nations in the league.

They have to put up with constant raids from the Punaji and the Gold Coast Tribes, but don't seem to take it personally unless someone important is hurt, or something expensive is destroyed.  They trade with both these regions plus Mun, particularly via the House of Concordance.

### **Geography**

The region is notoriously wretched in terms of terrain.  The western portion is a low lying isthmus filled with swamps, while the inland hills to the east are a jagged mess of rocky outcroppings where slaves and poor laborers work in open pit mines in hot, humid conditions far from the sea breeze.  Arable land is densely populated, and covered in the pig and capybara farms, plantations of breadfruit, sugarcane, bananas, and various narcotics, and ponds of catfish, fire eel, and flamingos.

### **Economy**

Each of Nanji city states has different sources of wealth, but generally each city state is considered well above average in terms of wealth by the standards of the Merchant League.  Various narcotic substances drive the economies of the western city states, while gold and silver mining are key in the eastern hills.  All the city states are also heavily involved in the slave trade, and will sell to anyone, even the brutal Gold Coast Tribes.

The ruling and middle classes of the Nanji are quite wealthy and import all manner of items from around the world, mostly via Echinev.