Karazh

Karazh

(Nation)

Capital

Ular Kel

Ruler

4715 AR: Hakan Ulzhan of tribe Kaskyrbai

Government

Monarchy

Images of Karazh

Source: Distant Shores, pg(s). 56–63 (1E)
War of Immortals, pg(s). 97 (2E)

Karazh is a nation located in Casmaron's Grass Sea.

History

Flag of Ular Kel.

For millennia, Karazh has been the home of the nomadic horse-mounted Kara people of human ancestry. The lands lacked any cities for hundreds of miles until the founding of Ular Kel by Altyn Batyr, the first Water Lords who transformed an open oasis located at the intersection of two trade routes into a bustling mercantile hub.

Other horse tribes mocked Batyr and his tribe as a "Dead Tribe" for settling in one place, but his following grew as caravan guards, merchants, and exiles joined his cause. Ular Kel came into conflict with horse tribes, rival upstart Water Lords, and other nations multiple times, but the city persisted—whether through the acts of its swift, mounted defenders, or by bribing away invaders with tribute.

Karazh is otherwise sparsely populated, and while foreign powers have attempted to control it, none have held that control for long in the face of fierce resistance by its elusive horse tribes.

Recent events

Following the death of Gorum in 4724 AR, formerly peaceful tribes in Karazh went to war with each other. Several oasis settlements were burned as a result, and raiders and refugees alike pushed into the bordering regions of Ayyarad, Kaskkari, and Zelshabbar.

The hilt of the Sundered Sword of Gorum also fell near the Conqueror's Stand, a monument to the minotaur warlord Voradni Voon, and became the epicenter of rallying hordes of inhuman beings—including centaurs, minotaurs, and three giant cyclopes—eager to avenge past grievances and pursue violent expansion.

The activity stanched trade between the Padishah Empire of Kelesh and the eastern Casmar lands of Kaladay, Yalais, and Galdeskar, leading Queen Shubat to send a force of Isfahi Cavalry and Kara horse nomads led by her niece Layilah al-Parishat. However, her force was soundly defeated, and al-Parishat has since disappeared.

Geography

Much of Karazh consists of the Grass Sea, a land of immense trackless steppes that surround the sprawling walled capital city of Ular Kel.

Government

Ulzhan, the hakan of Karazh as of 4715 AR.

The realm is ruled by a hakan, or Horse King, the most powerful of the thirteen han who lead each of the Great Tribes. There is a divide between the people of the cities of Karazh, including the capital of Ular Kel, ruled by their Water Lords, and the nomadic people of the clans, with the Water Lords paying tribute to the hakan. As of 4715 AR, the hakan of Karazh was Ulzhan of the Kaskyrbai tribe.

Organizations

The Iridian Fold is well known and respected within Karazh.

People

The Kara people live their lives by and around their horses, whom they consider to be both their most valuable possessions and their lifelong companions. Kara horses are renowned for their intelligence, and Kara tribes allow them to roam free when not put to a task. Despite their freedom, Kara horses stand guard overnight at encampments and fight riderless alongside their tribe in combat.

Kara tribes live in round, collapsible, tent-like felt gers when not travelling between foraging grounds. They commit to their nomadic lifestyle and do not practice agriculture.

Nature

Bison range across much of Karazh.

References

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