The peoples of Loss, part 2

Illustration by Sabrina Tobal

The Hegemonians of Anqimenès

Disciplined, authoritarian, sexist and proud, of Nordic and Slavic origin, these are the inhabitants of the great religious and conquering Empire of which Anqimenès is the capital. They are the most important and devoted followers of the Church of the Council and consider it legitimate and just that the rest of the world should live under their yoke. The Hegemony is unquestionably both one of the most civilised places in the urbanist sense of the term to be found in the world of Loss, and at the same time the most militarised society to be found anywhere. Practically one in eight inhabitants is, in one way or another, a member of the religious and military structure of the legions and the Church. Finally, they are without doubt the most sexist people in the Seas of Separation.

General appearance: Nordic people with an imposing build, but less powerful in appearance than the Dragensmanns (1.80 m to 2 m). Their hair is predominantly black or brown, blond hair is not very common, but blue eyes are very common.

Personality traits: Racist, disciplined, cultured, distrustful, proud, religious, sexist, traditionalist, industrious and militaristic. The people are particularly fearful, even servile, towards any representative of the Church.

Language: Qemedius, an academic language still widely used in the scholarly and scientific literature of the Seas of Separation. The complexity of its written grammar – its alphabet uses both an alphabetic and syllabic system, as well as ideograms – is legendary.

Virtues: Honour above all else, respecting traditions, laws, hierarchy and social position. The Hegemonian respect for honour, built on cumbersome laws derived from the dogmas of the Church, is truly stifling and contributes to the lack of freedom and fantasy felt by any foreigner travelling to Anqimenès. Paradoxically, for a people that prides itself on its unparalleled culture, Wisdom is rarely considered except by the highest authorities of the Church and under the control of its Dogmas. It should be noted that most Hegemonians cannot read at all.

Organisation: The Prophets do not rule the Hegemony, which is governed by two Consuls elected every fifteen years. But the Church’s power extends to the entire administration. The empire and its cities were governed by senates under the Consulate; the latter headed a central Senate in which only aristocrats who were veteran members of the Ordinatori or the Church could sit. Power was acquired on merit and maintained through nepotism, always on condition of being a member of the Ordinatori or the Church. With the exception of a few military officers, women were never given access to positions of responsibility and were considered to be underage and dependent for life.

Religion: The religion of the Church of the Council in its most orthodox version. The Hegemonians leave no room for any other form of faith, and do not admit the slightest apostasy or reinterpretation of dogma. The Church’s inquisition is merciless in the Hegemony to any deviation from the laws and prohibitions of the Council and has immensely more power than the civil judicial authorities.

Enemies & allies: while the Hegemony’s greatest enemy is Hemlaris, things are changing a lot and the empire realises that to destroy the Ruby Throne, it has to take down Armanth, which involves Athemais and his allies. Its other impregnable enemy is the Dragensmanns. But half the Seas of Separation have no love at all for the Hegemony. In the end, their main ally is the north of the Eteoclian Plains, and to a lesser extent the United Cities. However, the Hegemony trades with everyone to satisfy its devouring need for resources.

Capital: Anqimenès, the largest known city, with almost 2 million inhabitants. It is also the most organised and fortified, protected by three series of ramparts thirty metres high.

Production & trade: Anqimenès imports far more than it exports. What it does produce in quantity is primarily metallurgy, including titanium, followed by military equipment (reputed to be the best in the world) of all kinds, luxury goods – loss-metal technologies, drapery, cabinet-making, perfumes, slaves, goldsmiths and jewellers. It produces a great deal of agriculture and exports wine, beer and other spirits.

Cultural notes: the Hegemonic culture is absolutely patriarchal, with no power or rights for women, who are regarded as inferior beings. The slavery of many women is particularly sordid, affecting as much as 10% of the female population. It is also the culture that employs the most labour slaves: being a captive or prisoner of the Hegemony leads to a fatal and painful enslavement that does not leave many years of life expectancy.

Names

– Male: Ragus, Flavius, Andro, Semerain, Numerom, Qintus, Gonord, Arismus, Ballard, Caeso.

– Female: Auria, Verbe, Tinis, Emetia, Nome, Armanda, Gerepis, Nesime, Tertie, Nemetia, Avilae.

The Hemlaris & the City of Ruby

The inhabitants of the Empire of the Ruby Throne are Asians related to South-East Asia. They are a diverse cultural melting pot whose members place respect and the position of each individual in the scheme of things above all else. The Hemlaris are fairly sexist and very xenophobic. They employ an administrative system that controls the movement of foreigners. However, this only really works in Cymiad and its major ports, as the rest of the empire is too vast for this control to be really effective. The Hemlaris are particularly hostile to the Hegemony. The Emperor’s Warriors, an elite force modelled on the Ordinatorii legions, are known for never surrendering, a reputation for loyalty and courage that extends to even the most humble of inhabitants.

General appearance: Asians closely related to the peoples of Thailand, Indonesia and southern China. Their height varies from 1.75 m to 2.05 m. They have golden to brown tanned skin, slanted eyes and black or chestnut hair. There is a great deal of cross-breeding and a wide variety of appearances. It is common for wealthy Hemlaris to dye their hair bright or garish colours, including red.

Personality traits: proud, xenophobic, sexist, courageous to the point of sacrifice; organised and respectful of conventions and hierarchy. However, there are many local disparities due to the variety of ethnic groups and local cultures. They are, however, a refined people of gifted builders and engineers.

Language: Khuo-qin-thahaa-hmi, which everyone calls Hemlaris to make life easier. It is written in ideographic script (similar to Chinese sinograms) and although it is fairly complex to learn, it is widely used and accessible.

Virtues: Honour above all. Everyone’s place in the scheme of things is sacred, but the Hemlaris also judge individual honour and the Virtues as a means of social elevation and consideration. As well as Courage, which they have in abundance, Hemlaris are not ashamed to run away from an adversary, but they never surrender. Duels are always important, as the vanquished will only admit defeat if their opponent shows honour.

Organisation: An empire that often resembles a federation of feudal territories. It is managed by an efficient and huge civil administration. The empire is governed by a powerful aristocracy jealous of its privileges, headed by the Empress of the Ruby Throne. The highest administrative positions are hereditary and only passed down from father to son. Women of power are not so rare, but they are subject to the authority of the heads of family and do not choose who they will marry or what their destiny will be. Women were bargaining chips for alliances or concubines, and were treated little better than the average “doma” – the lower classes. The latter (small craftsmen, farmers and fishermen, workers, etc.) were respected and considered, but had few rights and were treated like serfs. The bourgeoisie, on the other hand, was much freer and much more progressive.

Religion: A variant of the Divine Council, which makes the imperial family the custodians of the Celestial Mandate; this means that the Empress is considered to be of divine essence. This is a schism of the Church, which dominates Hemlaris society. Her Church is no longer dependent on that of Anqimenès and his prophets, who consider her to be a heresy. The Celestial Mandate is very rich in varied rituals and gives pride of place to mythical, even deified ancestors.

Enemies & allies: Hemlaris has good trade relations with almost everyone, but severely limits its diplomatic exchanges. Its two main enemies are the Hegemony (they are in a state of war, even though there have been no armies on the march for decades), and the United Cities, despite fruitful trade. Hemlaris has somewhat stormy relations with Armanth, to whom it has had to cede exorbitant commercial advantages that it cannot renounce.

Capital: Cymiad, the City of Ruby, powerful, sumptuous and orderly, capital of the empire with almost 600,000 inhabitants.

Production & trade: the list of what Hemlaris produces would be endless, with its empire supplying a host of raw materials, including silk, bronze, steel, ceramics, dyes and inks, gunpowder and fireworks, naval and til drapery, me-kwei (a beer similar to sake) and other spirits, and luxury slaves. The Empire imports a great deal of metals, linen, spices, slaves and foodstuffs from the south and Eteocle.

Cultural notes: Hemlaris is a mosaic of peoples and ethnic groups under the tutelage of the Empress of the Ruby Throne, so locally you can easily find cultures that differ from the model described here. Slavery is common, widespread and very harsh, but the emphasis is on High Art and the slaves of the Houses of Pleasure. It is very common for both the lower classes and the nobility to sell one or more of their daughters when they are teenagers to Houses of Pleasure, or to repudiate a wife in the same way. Hemlaris society is changing rapidly with the progressivism of the bourgeoisie inspired by the Armanth model.

Names

– Male: Adung, Chen, Boontung, Taniat, Banjit, Hanuman, Durmi, Hong, Mlathi, Nankun, Engh, Hongswa, Prahong, Vaython.

– Female: Wanii, Yai, Yindee, Nata, Aini, Sun, Cahaya, Taya, Cundi, Sondhi, Annuyai, Choi, Len, Daychanee, Emyarang.

The Jemmaïs

A complex blend of Indian, Mediterranean and North African roots, the Jemmaïs are a people in their own right, enriched by the arrival of refugees from all over the world. Humanists in the contemporary sense of the term – even if slavery is present – fiercely agnostic, resolutely scientific, they are survivors and nomads with a few urban and agricultural towns redoubling their ingenuity. Hated by the Church and the Hegemony, feared by everyone else, they are not really known by anyone. For more than 400 years, most of those who travel or live around the Seas of Separation have hidden their origins. Only the Master Merchants of Armanth and Athémaïs, and a few caravaneers from the Fringes, have permission to do business with them. It is said that no-one can reach the borders of Jemmaï-he Jil, their territory at the heart of the Rift, without a Jemmaï guide. The Apostates live not far north of the Jemmaï territories, but are completely self-sufficient and have very little contact with their cousins.

General appearance: Of relatively average height (1.75 m to 2 m), with a matte, tanned complexion, Jemmaïs usually have black hair. Red hair and green eyes are rare, but less so than elsewhere. Jemmaïs are also often rather dry, with features that are cut with a serrated edge.

Personality traits: Distrustful, secretive, implacable, pragmatic, incredulous, curious, cultured. The Jemmaïs have no beliefs, only philosophies advocating progress.

Language: Kammaïa, which has five different alphabets. The simplest comprises 31 letters, but the other four are veritable encryption codes that are increasingly difficult to decipher.

Virtues: Courage and Wisdom are considered and emphasised in equal measure. The harshness of life in the Rift, the Jemmaïs’ fierce resistance to the Church’s crusades, their fierce independence, their cohesion and their attachment to progress, science and culture have never diminished. Even non-warriors, all Jemmaïs, men and women, know how to fight; training in their martial arts is virtually an institution.

Organisation: Representative democracy. The Jemmaïs clans and villages are run by elected councils. Any citizen, male or female, can vote, but only veterans aged 45 or over can be elected to the council. The council then appoints its Jhe’mels, the ministers responsible for running the clans and towns, and can dismiss them at any time. Jemmaï society is very gender-balanced, although women are forbidden from serving as warriors, with a few exceptions. There are very few Jemmaï towns; they are a nomadic people, organised around particularly well thought-out and managed agricultural or mining centres and herds of animals in semi-liberty from which they take what they need. There is, however, a small but high-quality industry.

Religion: The Jemmaï civilisation is fiercely secular and hostile to any form of organised religion, starting with the Church. However, there are informal cults and rituals based around shamans and the respect and veneration of ancestors and great philosophers of the past, whether Jemmai or not.

Enemies & allies: The Jemmaïs have few allies, which can be reduced to Armanth and to a lesser extent the Athémaïs. The nomads of the Fringes are wary of them, as are the Eteoclians, who hear very little about them… and the rest of the world takes them for a legend, a bad omen. But woe betide any Jemmaï who is captured by the Church or the Hegemony. He’ll end up executed, after being tortured to find out everything he knows.

Capital: No Jemmaï will ever reveal the name of their people’s capital, and all avoid mentioning it, but it is nicknamed ‘Himanil’ – Sanctuary/Havre – and acts as a library, the heart of Jemmaïs knowledge and wisdom. There are thought to be around 40,000 inhabitants.

Production & trade: The Jemmaïs are virtually self-sufficient, relying on internal trade. However, they imported cereals, wood, wine, fabrics and spices via their roads to Athémaïs and exported metals and minerals from the rich deposits of the Rift: iron, sulphur, manganese, lead, silver and titanium. The Jemmaïs export very few finished products, crafts and engineering, but these are sold at a premium and are sought after by the wealthiest collectors.

Cultural notes: The Jemmaï people rarely practise slavery (for example, that of the Loss Singers), which is temporary and always ends in emancipation after a few years. They are also a very equal people, but Jemmaï women are almost never seen outside their territory. The Jemmaïs always hide their origins when they travel and are very secretive. None of them will talk about their country, their people or the science and technology of their contemporaries, even to someone they trust. There are more Earthlings and their descendants among the Jemmaïs than anywhere else on Loss and a large number of Loss Singers, trained in schools. Any foreigner entering the Jemmai-he Jil without an authorised Jemmai guide can expect to be massacred or, if they’re lucky, escorted back to its borders.

Names

– Male: Rihal, Aryan, Mayak, Mani, Nohan, Vikis, Neeren, Varun, Jay, Daras, Nishanti, Ragant, Sunail, Tushaïr

– Female: Ayami, Sahy, Kuva, Neealam, Esawati, Ahima, Lenya, Rinti, Akuni, Seema, Shivan, Ira, Ania, Daevi

The Nomads of the Fringes

Neighbours of the Athemaïs, they live off livestock in the deserts and arid plains of the Fringes, close to their horses, longilas and herds of sikas, in countless patriarchal clans. Often tall and massive, with black skin, they are famous for their endurance and lack of mercy, but also for their generosity and shady pride. The Nomads are all of them and have built magnificent cities, some of them troglodytic on cliffsides, all of them trading posts and rich, luxurious oases surrounded by ingenious plantations. The Nomads of the Fringes are also known as Fringians.

General appearance: tall (1.85 m to 2.10 m), and mostly slender, even feline, but massive and broad people are not uncommon. Their skin is black, café au lait to chocolate in colour, as is their hair, which is curly and very often frizzy. Their prominent features accentuate their wild look, but their women are renowned for their beauty.

Personality traits: Proud, superstitious, ruthless, generous, welcoming, willing to party, loyal, warlike, stubborn, fiercely independent. Nomads often go to war, it is even a tradition for them.

Language: Mengetsu, written in the Athémaïs alphabet.

Virtues: Honour is very important to the social cohesion of each Nomad tribe, and they are very fussy about respecting traditions and keeping their word. They trade very well, but cannot abide lies and deception. Deceiving a Nomad is a bad idea. The hot-tempered and easily angered nature of this people, whose customs are sometimes cruel, explains their reputation for a lack of Wisdom.

Organisation: Clan-based monarchy. Each tribe recognises its common ancestors and is led by a king. Succession is by the first eldest son, but can occasionally be passed on by the first eldest daughter if there is no son. She cannot reign, but can choose a regent until her first son can do so. The kings are usually surrounded by a council chosen by all the aristocrats and influential families in the clan. Quarrels are common in this system, as everyone tries to be one of the influential members of the royal council. Women are totally excluded from political life, but in private, men listen to their wives and mothers, even if women’s position remains in the background.

Religion: The Divine Council, but with a strong presence of ancient local beliefs of shamanic origin. The notion of taboos (things, places, gestures, people) is a recurrent theme in Fringian beliefs and customs. The Fringians are superstitious and believe in a host of demons and evil spirits born of the desert and the Rift, and the Church has preferred to incorporate some of these beliefs rather than try to eradicate them. There are shamans among the Nomads, but they are very rare, frowned upon by the Fringians and hide from the Church’s Inquisition.

Enemies & allies: the Nomads don’t really have any enemies. In short, they get on well with anyone who doesn’t interfere with their way of life and their beliefs and traditions, which are often quite far removed from the Dogmas, making them unpalatable to the Hegemony, the United Cities or even Etéocle. The Fringians’ main allies and trading partners are Athémaïs and Ereb’heïm, despite the Nomads’ annoying habit of regularly raiding small, poorly protected towns, and to a lesser extent Eteocle.

Capital: Daremath, on the edge of the impenetrable Forests of Steel. It is a magnificent, lush city built in the shadow of a great red rock peak, with a population of around 50,000.

Production & trade: Nomads trade in large caravans from north to south and along the desert to the Athaemais border. They export leather, skins, standing sika, glassware, spices, various metals including copper, iron, silver, metal loss, luxury fabrics and dyes, as well as gems. The Frangians import salt, cereals, fish, handicrafts and luxury goods to ensure their way of life.

Cultural notes: The Fringians are often in conflict with Athemais or with each other. There are very few cities, but they are powerful and well-protected; they have a well-deserved reputation for being magnificent havens with palace-like settings and gardens. They are close to rich mining sites, and always built around ponds and oases. There are also trading and slave markets, with large numbers of slaves sold by the nomads, captured during clan raids and, rarely, farmed. Despite this, the Fringians remain a very nomadic people, who do not keep as many slaves as their reputation would suggest, and whose women are freer than their appearance would suggest. The Nomads are among the few who know of a few roads leading to the south of the continent of Loss, beyond the Fringes, but those who do venture there are few and far between and tell grim and unbelievable tales of what they have found there.

Names

– Male: Yared, Eyasu, Tsegay, Mulugia, Nahoum, Ocram, Kassahun, Sassay, Imengetsu, Jalid, Kassa, Hiliwuna.

– Female: Hawi, Fayza, Tsega, Annan, Saba, Yarebisra, Betelhen, Halim, Niya, Hatinsay, Yenu, Asalina, Saede.

The San’eshe

A people of uncertain origin, but resembling Polynesians, the San’eshe have a strongly tribal and shamanic culture, which places great value on courage and passion and makes no distinction between the sexes. They haunt their deep, mysterious jungles, usually living a semi-nomadic life. The cult of the Council has never taken root there, and for good reason: the San’eshe jungles are terribly dangerous and only a few coastal creeks can be colonised. But the San’eshe use merciless violence to prevent such settlements, showing a rare hatred for all outsiders. Historically, they have been the victims of Teranchen and Athemais raids to capture slaves for centuries, and their forests are beginning to be exploited to extract ealta, a resin used in industry and shipbuilding.

General appearance: remarkably tall Asians (1.85 m to 2.10 m), with fine, distinguished features. They are a mixed race people, similar to the Polynesian peoples. With black eyes and long, straight brown or black hair, they are notoriously well-built and cat-like. Blue eyes are surprisingly common, and while redheads are very rare, they do appear from time to time.

Personality traits: Passionate, wild, impetuous, generous, but xenophobic, easily belligerent and terribly suspicious of strangers. Courage, in all its forms, is their greatest quality.

Language: Kami’ama, written using an alphabet of series of coloured knots on lines of fibre. Writing is rarely used, but is becoming more widespread.

Virtues: Courage. The San’eshe are tough, quick to prove their bravery, their jungles are deadly and life can be short, so for them this is the most important and vital of the virtues. Next comes Wisdom, the prerogative of the elders and shamans, which is also vital, as it teaches how to survive danger and keep tribes alive. Honour is of little importance to an egalitarian people who share everything and do not fully understand the meaning of the word private property.

Organisation: tribal with direct democracy; the clans are organised around a sage, a hunting chief and a shaman. Everyone has an equal say in any decisions that need to be made, but most decisions are taken by consensus of the entire tribe. Elders, hunting chiefs and shamans can be either men or women, the only thing they have in common is that they are generally tribal elders. Succession is also by consensus, so it may be hereditary, but this is by no means customary. The San’eshe make only one difference between men and women, and that is pregnancy and childbirth: for a San’eshe to be an adult, he must prove his courage in an exemplary manner. But giving birth is considered by the San’eshe to be a demonstration of courage of the same value as having experienced a battlefield or having accomplished a hunting exploit.

Religion: a shamanic cult very close to nature, which believes that all living things have a conscious mind. Shamans are traditionally women, but this is not always the case. They are the only people of Loss to consider the Loss Singers to be truly sacred and the most visible expression of the spiritual and physical nature of the living entity they call Shaya: Loss.

Enemies & allies: To be honest, apart from the Erebs on a sporadic basis, the San’eshe have no allies and the rare contacts with other peoples are, for the most part, hostile to the last degree. As the San’eshe are considered to be a breeding ground for slaves and their jungles a zone of exploitation, they are friends with no-one.

Capital: None. There are rumours of a sacred shamanic sanctuary which serves as a gathering place for the San’eshe people, but none of them have ever been willing or able to talk about it.

Production & trade: None. The San’eshe harvest everything they need from their jungles and trade only sporadically, with the rare contacts that don’t end tragically. They don’t really look for imported goods, but steel and strong fabrics may appeal to them. The San’eshe are known for their exceptional beryl craftsmanship. Despite their partly nomadic and savage lifestyle, they practise a thriving agricultural industry.

Cultural notes: The San’eshe have no towns or commercial centres. They live in tribes of a few dozen to a few hundred members, often nomadic, moving through their deep and dangerous forests with ease, in perfect harmony with their harsh and deadly environment. They shun interaction with outsiders, and with good reason, as they are usually hunted for the purpose of enslaving their reputedly splendid and flamboyant women. They never practise slavery themselves, and any lost Earthlings they find are adopted by the tribe… if they survive the jungle. Federative movements are beginning to emerge to fight against their invaders.

Names

– Male: Afiri, Newari, Ahurei, Endi, Kahau, Kaiemé, Haku, Lawkua, Nui, Leré, Raaitor, Tsutuné, Venga, Poairu.

– Female: Eeva, Enda, Aitiare, Ahinu, Ilona, Ina, Khelani, Opuhi, Maiva, Manahiri, Piri, Poia, Seira, Uhupa, Hani.

The Svatnaz

These wooden men of Slavic origin are cousins of the Hegemonians, separated from them at the very beginning of the expansion of the Church, which they strongly reject in its orthodox version. The latter have persecuted and hunted them as a breeding ground for slaves for centuries. Persecuted, almost exterminated and deported en masse, the Svatnaz have learned to live hidden away in their deep, cold forests, living a partly nomadic life and constantly retreating towards the western shores of the Griffin Taiga or towards the borders of the Dragon Snows. They are very good sailors, with small, light and manoeuvrable ships.

General appearance: Of Slavic origin, with a broad build, but much less massive than their neighbours, between 1.75 and 1.95m tall, fair skin, but a little more tanned than that of the Hegemonians, eyes mostly brown and hair mainly chestnut to brown. Blonds with blue eyes are not uncommon, and there is a small population of redheads.

Personality traits: Distrustful, reckless, travellers, daring, cautious, cunning, vengeful, generous. No Svatnaz will ever trust a Hegemonian.

Language: Kateren, a language mixed with Hegemonian and Dragensmann dialects. It is written in the Dragensman alphabet.

Virtues: Courage. The Svatnaz are a people of survivors hardened to resisting their implacable and permanent enemy, who have been harassing them for centuries. Courage has forged the relentless warrior nature of this small people, and their traditions involve a number of ordeals frightening enough to make even a Dragensman hesitate, but which the young members of the clan, including some women, comply with without hesitation.

Organisation: clan-based and patriarchal, organised into large fortified villages, either troglodytic or mobile on the backs of domesticated dharomos. The men hunt, trade, fight and protect, while the women farm, rear and manage the household. From the outside, men and women are clearly separated and the former dominate the latter, but from the inside, mothers, wives and sisters are always listened to and respected, and in villages and tribes, the head of the family is the grandmother. The Svatnaz are accustomed to having several village settlements and to travelling from site to site throughout the seasons, a mobility that provides them with a better defence against Hegemonian raids.

Religion: An ancient and much altered version of the cult of the Divine Council, mixed with shamanic traditions and the worship of clan elders. This cult has its own dogmas and religious figures, and it is even rumoured to have its own hidden Prophet, quite different from those of the official Church. Of course, this religion, which the Hegemonians call the Schism, is considered a terrible heresy and unforgivable by the Church.

Enemies & allies : The only true allies of the Svatnaz are the Dragensmmans. The Dragensmmans are suspicious of the Svatnaz, who follow a religion they greatly dislike, but despite this, there is genuine mutual support and respect between the two peoples in the face of their common enemy. There is a great deal of trade, and without the help of the Dragensmanns, the Svatnaz people would probably have disappeared. There is also regular trade and relations with the Gennemons. As for their enemies, they are the Hegemony and its allies, and all the peoples who come to hunt them like game.

Capital: Kratezneg, a mobile village partly built on the backs of dharomos, large armoured mammals. The clan is one of the largest Svatznaz communities, with around 2,500 warriors and 14,000 inhabitants.

Production & trade: the Svatnaz only trade with the Dragensmanns and Gennemons, and to a fairly limited extent. They trade in fish, skins, fur (always rare on Loss), leather, ivory and rare plant products such as certain mellias, as well as leather and ivory crafts, beryl (crockery, weapons) and slaves, selected from among their convicts who are most likely to be sold at a high price. And sometimes redheaded girls, simply because they are so valuable. In exchange, they usually import grain, sika wool, cloth, rope and metal crafts.

Cultural notes: The Svatnaz have been persecuted for a thousand years by the Hegemony, who regard them as heretics and a kind of slave breeding ground, and they can almost be considered an endangered people. Despite appearances and the clear roles assigned to men and women, Svatnaz society is relatively egalitarian, and does not prevent a woman from pursuing a career traditionally reserved for men, nor does it restrict their freedom of opinion or action. Shamans are not uncommon in Svatnaz communities, and redheads are generally always free. But not the Loss Singers, who are enslaved and entrusted to the shamans. Slavery is rare, but cruel, and the Svatnaz sometimes trade slaves (including their own, usually convicts, but not always) with their neighbours.

Names

– Male: Bogdan, Zleytan, Andru, Yuri, Godzimir, Cezlaw, Radim, Bretik, Blahos, Boïr, Milcho, Zecdaw, Vladimir.

– Female: Vera, Sveltana, Slava, Stana, Cvita, Milena, Mirka, Siluswa, Bojka, Miluse, Luba, Miledena, Lida, Rosica.

The Teranchens & the Imareth

The Teranchens and the Imareth are two neighbouring islands whose peoples are so similar that we have brought them together under a single description. We’ll point out the cultural differences between the two, the main one being that they don’t get on very well. Of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern origin, the Teranchens are excellent sailors, known for their indiscipline, cunning and relative lack of consideration for honour. Cultured and always cautious, their ships dominate the islands of the archipelagos, and while the Teranchens prefer to trade, Imareth has practically made piracy an official institution. They are often referred to as the cousins of the Athemaïs and are very close to them, sharing their progressive spirit, their sense of commerce, their thirst for discovery and their regard for women.

General appearance: Mediterranean in appearance and of average height; slightly short (1.75 to 1.95m). They are tanned, with fairly matt skin that can sometimes be café au lait. Their features are aquiline and pronounced, and they often have brown or black hair, often curly, sometimes even frizzy. They are fairly similar to Athémaïs, but can have very pronounced Middle Eastern features. Light-skinned and fair-haired, however, are no exception.

Personality traits: Cunning, commercial, clever, open-minded, ambitious, greedy, hospitable, undisciplined, cautious. Teranchens hold the literary arts and music in high regard.

Language: Eqrasi, a language whose alphasyllabic script only comprises a few hundred letters, but which is also often written in Athemais.

Virtues: Wisdom, when it comes to sharpness of mind, alertness, cunning, reflection and all aspects of intelligence and strategy. It’s something that all Teranchens admire and respect, well ahead of honour and courage. It’s worth noting that the Imareth are a little more fussy about honour than the Teranchens, who are known to be smooth talkers and swindlers who don’t even hide it.

Organisation: Constitutional monarchy in city-states; the Teranchens hold their royal lineage and aristocracy immensely dear, although the latter is mainly representative. City-states are ruled by kings surrounded by a council elected by direct suffrage by all social classes. Women cannot vote, but depending on the city-state, they can stand, campaign and be elected. Absolute monarchies do exist from time to time, but they do not last long. The Teranchens are a people who value their independence and freedom, and rivalry between the City-States is widespread. In Imareth, there are ports and trading posts run by pirate princes. Here, there is hardly any constitution, but the Councils of Pirate Princes, sometimes as powerful as kings, are nevertheless elected by the ship captains, although often a position is taken by force of iron and cunning.

Religion: The Divine Council, but with nuances and a lot of water in the wine of the Church’s orthodoxy. The Teranchens are not really very religious and have little problem with being part of regions considered heretical by the Church of Anqimenès. There is some friction between the Church and the authorities of the City-States, but the balance found in a moderate version of the Church’s principles and rules seems to endure effectively. The Teranchens have taken advantage of this to revive local rites and traditions inherited from the cult of the Sea and the ancient Hellenic gods.

Enemies & allies: The Teranchens do not really have any enemies, but rather rivals, such as the United Cities and the north of Eteocle. Although the Church has declared them heretics, that doesn’t really prevent them from trading with everyone, even the Hegemony. Their best allies, however, are clearly Athemais and Armanth. However, Imareth is not in the same position. The Athemais have little love for this pirate people, even though they trade with them, and the coastal city-states of Eteocle and the United Cities fear them.

Capital: Gillas for Imareth, a heavily fortified port with a population of 65,000, partly used for piracy. For Teranchen, the famous and magnificent Khoïenomos, known to all sailors as the port is so essential to trade in all the Seas of Separation, with a population of over 300,000.

Production & trade: the Teranchan Islands are hardly known for their raw materials, apart from fish in abundance, and exports of precious metals: silver, gold, platinum and loss-metal. It is two trades in particular that ensure its wealth: the particularly flourishing slave trade that passes through its islands, and the manufacture of finished products, mainly all possible forms of pottery and containers, including wood, glass, terracotta and ceramics. It’s a veritable industry, with luxury manufacture of jewellery, leather goods and precious metals added to the mix, as well as sculpture and cut stone and their engineering in architecture and the navy.

Cultural notes: The Teranchens have an entire maritime culture that is a veritable way of life: half of its inhabitants are more or less sailors. They have always had another tradition, that of piracy, and Imareth has no qualms about making coastal raids on its neighbours, plundering anything that can be monetised and sold elsewhere. But the Teranchens do the same very often and without shame. In fact, the slave trade is a thriving business for them, thanks to the captives they bring back from these raids. However, the Teranchens do relatively little to enslave their compatriots and even less to enslave their women, whom they respect a great deal.

Names

– Male: Aegeus, Ajax, Vivianos, Balerios, Gaios, Yolopous, Gillipe, Danil, Dedalo, Dimosthenis, Kleonikos, Oresto, Paschalis

– Female: Adramea, Arabela, Areti, Glycène, Litsa, Noula, Ganyphée, Démeter, Giasimé, Doris, Laydia, Kyra, Olymbia