Vudra

Vudra

(Nation)

Titles

Impossible Kingdoms of Vudra

Capital

Indapatta

Ruler

Maharajah Rajeshwar

Government

More than a hundred mahajanapadas, or semi-independent kingdoms ruled by rajahs in service of the maharajah

Demonym

Vudrani (singular and plural)

Adjective

Vudran

Languages

Vudrani

Religions

Thousands of Vudran deities, including Irori

Images of Vudra

Source: The Inner Sea World Guide, pg(s). 206 (1E)
Sixty Feet Under, pg(s). 66ff. (2E)

Vudra (pronounced VOO-drah) (also known as Vandu) is a vast peninsula extending from southeastern Casmaron with a total area nearly equal to that of Avistan. Vudra is home to the Vudrani, a human ethnicity known for their gregariousness. Also known as the Impossible Kingdoms, Vudra consists of more than one hundred mahajanapadas: semi-independent kingdoms ruled by rajahs. These rajahs in turn serve the maharajah, an emperor-like figure descended from Khiben-Sald, who in his lifetime spent a decade as an honored guest of the ancient Garundi wizard-king Nex.

Most recent contact between Vudra and the Inner Sea region comes as a direct result of Vudrani now dwelling on the Isle of Jalmeray, located in the Obari Ocean between the countries of Nex and Qadira.

History

The history of Vudra, and of Golarion as a whole, is told in the Mizravratta Brahmodya, dictated to the sage Balazastar by the goddess Likha. According to this account, as the goddess Vudravati walked across Golarion, she was courted by twin brothers Obari and Embaral. Though she took both as lovers, they fought so fiercely out of jealousy that Vudravati feared they would kill each other and wreak havoc across the world. To separate them until they could reconcile, she lay between them and went to sleep, her body forming the land of Vudra. She birthed children of both Obari and Embaral while in this slumber, who are believed to be the Vudrani peoples of today. This account claims that Vudra has been in existence longer than Golarion's continents were in their current places. Most foreign scholars, however, dismiss such claims as exaggeration.

During the Age of Destiny, new civilizations formed city-states—early mahajanapadas—in the Dhavala River basin. Endless wars between them strained resources and raged across Vudra until Irori's ascension drew the entire subcontinent's attention and respect.

Early history

By the middle 300s AR, Vudra was culturally united, but politically split amongst a "hundred" kingdoms of varying degrees of interdependence. The Spawn of Rovagug called Kothgaz, the Dance of Disharmony came upon the chaotic region and wrought much destruction. The legendary psychic Vanitapati led the defense of this land, channelling the collective will of countless psychics, occultists, sorcerers, and common people. In a battle that supposedly cost a million Vudrani lives, the hero-priests cast the Spawn into the ocean and boiled it, weakening it to the point where the creature's heart could be extracted. The heart was cut into 101 pieces and not all are still to be found in Vudra.

Khiben-Sald

Two centuries later in 530 AR, the "jungle princess" Chhaya nearly completed Vudra's unification until the prince Khiben-Sald, who claimed descent from Vanitapati, decapitated Chhaya to expose a rakshasa scheme to install her as their puppet. He instead declared himself maharaja, founded Indapatta as Vudra's capital, and established a powerful centralized government through political mastery. In 563 AR, Khiben-Sald led a fleet west to Jalmeray, then a part of the magical realm of Nex.

By Khiben-Sald's death in 597 AR, Vudra was one of the most powerful empires on Golarion, and his descendants have held the title of maharajah in the ensuing millennia.

Imperial Vudra

Following in Khiben-Sald's example of demonstrating international strength, Maharani Sitavati established a treaty with Kelesh in 1490 AR. In 2187 AR, Maharajah Kumarkal established trade relations with Tian Xia.

In 2822 AR, the Vudrani returned to Jalmeray, wrested control of the island from the Arclords of Nex, and established it as a permanent colony in the Inner Sea region.

In 4275 AR, rogue occultists tried and failed to replicate Vanitapati's psychic channelling, causing a tsunami to strike the eastern Vudran coast that killed tens of thousands.

When Aroden died in 4606 AR, the retreating oceans exposed a massive land bridge connecting southern Vudra to remote islands filled with fissures that unleashed thousands of aberrations. Mahajanapadas established a tenuously fortified front that has held, if desperately, since.

Inner Sea region explorers

The great explorer Selmius Foster of the Pathfinder Society blazed a trade route from Absalom to Vudra in 4320 AR. He perished ten years later, in 4330 AR, on the island of Bhopan while continuing his voyages into the east.

House Arkona of Korvosa became a major trading concern between Avistan and Vudra after their final gamble of sending a trading vessel in 4458 AR—dubbed the Reprieve—proved more profitable than their wildest dreams. The Arkonans continued to send ships until 4708 AR.

Rajput Shivji Shashibhushan, a necromancer, constructed the Palace of Ivory and Bone in 4465 AR, but the rajahs finally defeated him and razed his jungle stronghold in 4505 AR.

Geography

A Vudrani man.

Vudra is commonly divided into nine geographic regions:

• The Cradle: The Dhavala river basin of southern Vudra, where Vudrani civilization is said to have begun.
• Crying Jungle: A dense jungle forest along the Baghshahi River in northern Vudra, between the Johar Mountains and Embaral Ocean.
• Divine Garden: A sacred land of pilgrimage on Vudra's eastern shore, as well as an important trade route with Tian Xia.
• Falling Mountains: Steppes split by the Lohaparbat Mountains and dominated by garudas, with a desolate southern shore that is home to the massive Bhula Prison.
• Golden Basin: Home to the capital of Indapatta, as well as the wealthiest mahajanapadas and productive agriculture.
• Narhari Desert: A desolate midwestern region landmarked by the Bahig River and the gargantuan sinkhole where it terminates near the bandit city of Gadbadigat.
• Open Bridge: The land bridge formed in the wake of Aroden's death that became the front against an unending invasion of subterranean aberrations emerging from the Boiling Maw.
• Western Ghats: Vudra's rocky western coastline dominated by the Johar Mountains and settled by tunneling ratfolk, dotted by cosmopolitan trade ports such as Golquila.
• Wide Water: The fertile banks of the Matra River produce food and trade goods between nourishing seasonal floods.

Relationships

Vudra maintains an uneasy peace with Kelesh, and while it has faced growing tensions in recent times, neither side is eager for open conflict with each other.

Inhabitants

A Vudran ratfolk practitioner of ranatagi.

The Vudran people have a reputation for being consummate exaggerators and embellishers, a trait that would make them unbearable were it not for their constant good cheer and charisma. Beside the native Vudrani humans, Vudra is also home to Kelish peoples, aiuvarins, cambions (particularly faultspawn, spitespawn, and beastbrood), simian vanaras, ophidian vishkanyas, garudas, ratfolk, rhino-headed kashrishis, curse-twisted ratajins, and rakshasas. Janni are often bound into service for Vudran nobles. The god-hating fiends known as asura are particularly common in Vudra, with its thousand gods the lands are rife with the religious ruins that asuras favour using for their lairs.

Numerous Askedhaki catfolk also roam Vudra, making a living as wandering traders. They often congregate in roving caravans; the warriors of these caravans take it upon themselves to hunt down any creatures that prey upon the people of Vudra, including tigers and rakshasas, in particular. Unfortunately, due to their striped fur and fondness for expensive jewellery, the Askedhaki catfolk are sometimes mistaken for the tiger-headed raja-krodhas. To avoid this, Askedhaki will often incorporate religious symbols and blessed items into their outfits as these objects are an anathema to any rakshasa.

Ethnicities

Vudrani ethnicities are numerous, and though subtle to outsiders, they are clearly recognized by other Vudrani. Three ethnicities dominate in numbers:

Vudrani-Dhavala

The Dhavala populate most of Vudra, especially the Western Ghats, but originated in its central plateau.

Vudrani-Parbatkay

Mountaineering Parbatkay live hard lives in walled mountain settlements or remote pagodas in Vudra's northern mountains.

Vudrani-Banjarey

The more nomadic, equestrian Banjarey travel the Narhari Desert as proud, independent families unsworn to any mahajanapada.

Castes

The symbol of Irori, the Perfect Human, head of the Vudran pantheon.

Vudrani society employs a system of four primary, non-hierarchical castes—artisans, priests, scholars, and warriors—into which each Vudrani is born. While modern society is less strict about adhering to castes, few stray far from their social path.

Religion

Vudra is the home of Irori, who is one of the core gods of the incredibly diverse and complicated Vudran pantheon. The thousand gods of Vudra also include such deities as Chamidu, Dhalavei, Diomazul, Gruhastha, Lahkgya Likha, Raumya, Suyuddha, Vineshvakhi, and Vritra. It is believed that the Child-Goddess may be also of Vudran origin.

References

Paizo published a major article about Vudra in Sixty Feet Under.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.