Medratheer

Medratheer

Size: 11,475 square miles

Population: 1 056 921

Capital: Rih Shadid

Leadership: King Ouros Syron

Official Languages: Common (Medrathi), Payit, Gnomish

Demonym: Medrath/Medrathi

Demography: Human (71%) Gnome (12%) Tabaxi (7%) Lizardfolk (2%) Other (8%)

Common Deities: Waukeen, Nepthis, Thoth, Bast

Currency: Medrathi Khysen

Establishment and Early History

Medratheer has long been a land of great geographical interest, particularly in regard to The Seam, a canyon in the north of the Kingdom that is believed to delineate the only (known) border between the original supercontinents of Eritremas and Colhar. It is over The Seam that the first city of Medratheer, Rih Ashtar-Shadid, was built. The first monarch of Medratheer was the barbarian Queen known only as Ix, and little is known of her history prior to her ascent to the throne. What can be extrapolated from a number of ancient etchings and early poetry, however, is that Ix claimed the crown through contest, against a rival faction-leader Raqqus. The contest in question was a mysterious ritual, which historians believe was called The Trial of The Desert Lily. No details of what the participants underwent as part of the trial are known, but a funerary inscription for Raqqus leads historians to believe that he died shortly after his defeat. The reign of Ix was long, over 50 years, and the nature of how her predecessors were selected is unclear, although considering that the next century or so of leaders were of a variety of races, it is unlikely that the crown was passed dynastically. However, was the crown found its way to Qarin Syron in 637 PR, this became the case, it has remained with the Syron family ever since.

Medratheer expanded quickly over the centuries, making use of its location as a land bridge between the East and West of Oud Vhar, and developing a flourishing Merchant economy. Due to its large land mass and low level of vegetation, it also became the official hospice state of sufferers of Lightbourne Plague, for which it takes a yearly tithe from each of the other kingdoms.

Leadership

King Ouros Syron is the current monarch of Medratheer. He has a number of potential heirs, namely his eight identical daughters, Valeria, Vintressa, Vaine, Victorina, Vriea, Verona, Virgina and Vathis Syron. The famed Eight Princesses of Medratheer are the subjects of a great deal of art and literature, despite announcements following their birth that they were a portent of great doom for the kingdom.

Ouros Syron is, technically, the first Monarch to move the seat of the throne from it's traditional place at The Seam, although the original palace remains intact, Ouros Syron had it transposed into the centre of the famed travelling city of Rih Shadid (a neologism, the original city name of Rih Ashtar-Shadid means "The City That Binds", King Syron claims that Rih Shadid means "The City That Defies Boundaries")

Military

Medratheer possesses a great mounted legion, The Dune Brigade. These talented beastmasters have captured the rare and dangerous megafauna found in the heart of the Ember Ash Desert (most commonly the Giant Salamander and Giant Horned Beetle. The arrival of the Dune Brigade, mounted on their gargantuan beasts and bearing their traditional sunforged scimitars has often spelled disaster for rebels and insurgents.

In addition to the Dune Brigade, the ancient, all female, order of Gavirrs, (otherwise known as poison-spitters) has recently been officially employed by the crown. The Gavirrs are small in number, a group trained from birth in the removal of poisons from snakebite victims, who are immune to the venom and can suck it from wounds of victims without injury. Their number has depleted further over the years, perhaps due to the practice of leaving their newborns in a pit of cobras for seven days, in order to test their ancestral abilities.

Currency

Medrathi currency is made up of small, humanoid looking figures, based on characters from the ancient Medrathi folktale, The Silk Merchant’s Son. These figures are also used to play Trader’s Chess

Sultan- the highest value piece. Depicts the wise sultan from the tale, who realises that the boy in the tale has been selling woven star-reeds in place of silk, but tells no one. Sultans are sometimes referred to as “Grandfathers” due to some Medrathi believing that the original folktale depicted a wise old man instead of a sultan.

Nobles- second highest value piece. Depicts the gullible noble from the tale, who trades the Boy a fine horse for a roll of his pseudosilk

Merchant- third highest value. Depicts the boys father, who sends him from home and tells him not to return until he replaces a horse that he lost.

Horses- depicts the fine stallion that the Noble trades with the Boy

Sons- Depicts the unnamed Boy, and the hero of the tale, which teaches children that intelligence and boldness is awarded above all things, and that being gullible is worse than being a liar.

Geography

Medratheer is overwhelmingly arid, with most of her landmass taken up by three separate deserts. There are also small oasis areas, and a large salt flat approaching the coast to the west. Medratheer has no mountains, but the great dunes of the Perista Desert would rival many of Titan Vale's ranges in sheer size.

Major Towns And Cities

Rih Shadid

Oba

Talrezi

Narba Waters

Kol's Well

Miv Taron

Arqhas