Essential Details
◆Name of Realm: The Nerakan Confederation
◆Rulers: High King Azhi Kharosen
◆Culture:The Nerakan Confederation is a tribal confederation comprised of four peoples - The Manu, the Oida, the Jekar, and the Avra. While it's hard to tell the difference between the four peoples in times of peace, during battle, each group decorates themselves with a symbol of their associated "sacred animal" - The Manu wear lion pelts on their heads, the Oida have massive horsehair plumes, the Avra attach elaborate "wings" made of wicker and eagle feathers to their armour, that whistle when they ride fast enough, and the Jekar wear jewelry made from cow horns. All four groups are pastoralist nomads - relying on gathering and hunting for food, and constantly moving their herds of cattle around in order to avoid using up one particular region of the steppe. Some Jekar and Manu clans in the southern, more fertile part of the steppe practice transhumance rather than "true" nomadism, but either way, they're frequently moving around. The Confederation has no clear internal or external borders - The lands "owned" by each of the four Peoples follow the movement of the Peoples themselves, not the other way around, although the Jekar generally live in the west, the Manu in the south, the Avra in the north, and the Oida in the east.
The Nerakans have five "sacred animals" - Cattle, horses, eagles, lions, and griffons. Cattle are their primary source of food and leather, and are integral to the Nerakan economy. All Nerakans learn to ride from a young age, and to hunt from horseback. All Nerakan warriors fight primarily from horseback, aside from Griffon riders. Golden eagles are used in hunting by falconers, and eagle feathers are used for fletching. Lions are a symbol of the High King and the goddess Nerak, who is said to take the form of a lioness on Earth. Nerakans are one of the few cultures on Aarde that can consistently tame Griffons, although it is a lengthy and highly dangerous process even for them. Griffons are considered the "beasts of kings", and the most elite Nerakan warriors ride them into battle instead of horses.
The Nerakans have no written record. Instead, shamans memorize history, law, medicine, and religion, and recite them in the form of poetry and song. The Nerakans allow and expect women to fight to the same extent men do, and there is no institutionalized sexism. (Although cultural sexism still exists, to an extent.) Polygamy is common among both genders, although "chains" of marriages are illegal - If a woman has multiple husbands, none of those husbands can have wives other than her, and vice versa. Each of the four Peoples is ruled by a Chief, who is selected by the elder shamans from among the people who can trace their ancestry all the way back to one of the four Great Princes. In turn, the High King or Queen is elected, with anyone who can trace their ancestry back to the Great Princes eligible as both an elector and a candidate. The "Children of Manya", the family of the Chiefs of the Manu, are elected to be High Kings and Queens as often as any of the other families combined, owing to their semi-sacred status and the fact that they founded the Confederation in the first place. Certain other significant decisions, such as declaring war, are also decided by a council of the clans rather than unilaterally by the monarch. Good and just rulers are considered to possess a metaphysical "Radiance", and rulers who are cruel or make poor decisions are said to have lost their Radiance. It is said that the ancient and greatest High Kings and Queens were so wise and just that their Radiance was physical, to the extent that they glowed from within and could melt metal by touching it.
In terms of ethnicity, Nerakans have features people from Earth would call "Central Asian". Nerakans generally have black or bright red hair, and brown eyes. The total population of the Confederation is approximately 280,000 people, with 30,000 living in Dejak Nesh, and the remainder roaming the steppe.
◆Religion: The Nerakans worship two gods. First and greatest of the two is the Sun, who is worshiped as the creator of all things and the highest and greatest being in existence. The second is the Sun's daughter, a warrior queen named Nerak. While the Sun is considered to be above Nerak, Nerak is more popular and is more emphasized in art and myth. There are thousands of other gods and minor spirits, of varying power, but none are considered worthy of worship aside from the Sun and Nerak. Nerak perpetually battles the demons of the world, who want to destroy the Sun and return the world to nothing. Whenever Nerak is temporarily defeated, an eclipse occurs.
The most famous and important myth in Nerakan tradition is the Death of Nerak. In the story, Nerak is betrayed and slain by her sister, Xibana, who is jealous of the worship she receives. The Sun grieves for a month, but then sacrifices half of his power in order to return Nerak to life, causing the cycle of day and night. Nerak returns to the land of the living, but when the Sun dips below the horizon, she decays into a corpse once more, only to return with the sunrise. The site where Nerak died and was reborn is believed to be Mount Devanta, an isolated mountain in the middle of Avra territory surrounded by flat plains. Mount Devanta is highly sacred, and every spring during the Festival of the New Dawn, thousands of pilgrims flock to the mountain to proclaim their devotion to Nerak and the Sun. Another myth states that long ago, Nerak fought an enormous dragon and defeated it, but was unable to kill it, and thus imprisoned it within the mountain, where it still roars and breathes fire to this day. Nerakans believe Nerak created the first Griffon to care for and defend an orphaned Manu prince.
Fire, sunlight, and lions are all sacred symbols associated with the Nerakan religion.
◆History:According to legend, long ago, Nerak realized she was lonely in her fight against the demons of the world, and took four human princes as husbands: Jeki, Avan, Orun, and Manya, who would become known as the four "Great Princes". She had a thousand thousand children with them, who became the ancestors of the Nerakans. One day, the four husbands were arguing amongst themselves about who among them was the greatest, so Nerak issued them a challenge: Each of them would tame one animal, and he who tamed the greatest animal would be named the greatest among them. They disappeared into the wilderness to complete their task, and months later returned.
The first to return was Jeki, leading a cow behind him. Jeki paraded the cow around Nerak's tent, showing off its size and beautiful horns, and then slaughtered it. He carved it and served its meat and milk to Nerak's followers, then presented Nerak with a composite bow made from cattle horn and sinew. She smiled, and accepted his gifts.
Next to return was Avan, with a golden eagle resting on his outstretched arm. He demonstrated the bird's hunting abilities, served a feast of game it had caught, and presented Nerak with arrows made with eagle feathers. She clapped when the eagle caught its prey, and accepted Avan's gifts with a wide smile.
Third was Orun, who rode astride a slender long-necked horse, with a golden coat that had a metallic sheen. Orun rode around the outside of Nerak's tent, demonstrating his horse's speed and endurance, and used Jeki's bow and Avan's arrows to demonstrate his skill at firing from horseback. After his demonstration, he served potent airag made from the horse's milk to Nerak, who became drunk and danced and sung with her followers well into the night.
Finally arrived Manya, who stood beside an enormous lion. All of Nerak's court went quiet as Manya and his beast entered the room. The lion snarled and growled at the assembled people, but immediately stopped and began whimpering when Manya glared at it. A great cheer went up celebrating Manya's achievement. The lion was led back out of the tent, where it fled into the wild. Jeki, Avan, and Orun tried to match Manya's feat in the following months, but found it impossible.
For his great achievement, Nerak named Manya her greatest husband, and he was made the first High King. As a gift, Nerak gave Manya the "Radiance", a piece of her divinity that had become separated from her after her death. Manya became a demigod with this gift, and shined as bright as the Sun. Later High Kings and Queens would also claim the Radiance, although eventually it became lost, with most believing a particularly cruel and tyrannical ruler had it taken back from them by Nerak. The descendants of Jeki became the Jekar, the descendants of Avan became the Avra, the descendants of Orun became the Oida, and the descendants of Manya became the Manu.
Assets
◆Resources: Cattle, horses, and (in the north, around Nishdevanta) obsidian. The Nerakans have become wealthy off of the east-west Ferran trade network, which passes through their territory.
◆Strongholds: Non-applicable, unless you count the mobile tent settlements the Chiefs and High Kings and Queens hold their court in, which are far from "strongholds".
◆Towns: Two major settlements exist with Nerakan territory. The first is Nishdevanta, a settlement of pilgrims and merchants south of Mount Devanta that grows into a massive metropolis every spring and then declines into a small village for the rest of the year. The second is Dejak Nesh, which is located in Jekar territory on the western Ferran coast. While unlike Nishdevanta, Dejak Nesh is heavily populated all year round, it too is mostly home to foreign merchants, who import wares from Aea and southern Ferra and export them across the steppe to western Ferra.
Military
◆Military Commanders: High King Azhi Kharosen, Princess Ramesh Kharosdeti, Chief Simurg Simurgdeti, Chief Orun Yabgen, Kasta the Shaman
◆Military Strength: Cavalry. Lots of cavalry. Every Nerakan child learns to ride at the same time they learn to walk, and they learn to shoot from horseback not long after. About 60% of a Nerakan army consists of lightly-armoured and highly maneuverable horse archers. They use herding techniques designed to control cattle to instead control enemy soldiers. Another 35% consists of heavy cataphracts, with men and horses armoured head to toe in overlapping steel scales, wielding long spears and buckler shields, as well as short curved swords to finish off anyone who survives their charge. When the horse archers have harassed the enemy long enough, the cataphracts charge and strike the final blow.
In terms of absolute numbers, the Nerakans can levy approximately 75,000 warriors at any given time.
◆Special Troop: Griffon riders. The remaining 5% of a Nerakan army is comprised of the ruler, the Chiefs, and their elite bodyguards, who ride into battle on the back of tamed Griffons, armed and armoured similarly to the aforementioned cataphracts, and wielding long spears tipped with curved blades designed to pull unlucky enemy soldiers out of formation, off of a horse, or even into the air. Griffon riders are used as scouts and heavy cavalry that can attack from above.
Diplomatic Relations
◆Allies: The Northern Yekken Clans are believed by many to share a common ancestor with the Nerakans, including the Nerakans themselves. While the Yekken do not share the Nerakans' religious beliefs, the Nerakans believe their religion is indelibly tied to the land they inhabit, and thus do not fault their Yekken "brothers and sisters" for not worshiping Nerak. The trade that flows northeast from Mzenes and the Khars inevitably passes through Nerakan territory and is taxed by them, tying together the two groups economically as well as culturally. As such, the Nerakans and the Northern Clans have traditionally friendly relations, even as the southern Yek'sik cities sneer at the "northern barbarians".
◆Rivals:
Other Information
◆Location: The grey square marks Mount Devanta/Nishdevanta, and the red square marks Dejak Nesh.