Amenta

THE PLACE

Quick Background
The origins of Amentan culture and society are shroud in obscurity. Because history is transmitted orally from generation to generation, there exists no tangible records with which to compare to others. One thing is certain, however, and that is the fact Amentans have shared land at one time or another with the orc tribes. The political boundaries of Amenta are only demarcated by those established by neighboring countries. In the east, where the Amentan plains meet the wastelands of Thyris Nod, no true boundaries can be found, neither political nor physical. This has kept empires of antiquity and modern nations out of the lands controlled by the two Amentan tribes, for if an invasion were to occur the Amentans could simply draw Western armies into the frozen wastes and simply wait for the elements to destroy the invaders.

The Amentans are isolationists and keep to their territory. They have no desire to expand their hunting grounds and thus never threaten the West. A trade agreement exists between the Amentans and countries of the West. Amentans are conservationists to a degree; they hunt for five years and then stop for five years to allow game to repopulate. During the five-year repopulation period the Amentans trade to Western countries a rare and precious stone called diclypsum in exchange for provisions. The fact the Amentans only trade diclypsum once every ten years makes the stone that more precious.

Environment
Amenta's climate changes drastically as one travels from the north to south. In the north the air is dry and warm, the summer temperatures in the region reaching blistering heights. The south, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. The elevation increases in the south and cold, wet air blowing in from the Herosian Sea keeps the temperatures low. Southern winters almost always come with snow and below-freezing temperatures. Amenta's terrain consists of steppes and rolling plains, with little to no massing forests shielding the population from freezing winds in the south or dust storms in the north. The land is fertile but the climate prevents the implementation of agriculture, thus the indigenous population scavenges for edible plants and hunts wild game for sustenance.

Politics
Two tribes populate Amenta, the Ibodi and the Gubai, and the country is loosely partitioned so that each tribe has its own territory: the Gubai in the north and the Ibodi in the south. The two tribes significantly differ in their social and hunting practices and thus this contributes to ideological incongruity. Each tribe has its own leader, though at some point in the past the two tribes decided a position was needed to keep the peace and look after the welfare of all Amentans. Thus, Amenta is controlled by a tribal leader known as the D'gu. The linguistic value of the word d'gu is unknown, but some believe it may relate to something on the order of "wise one."

The D'gu is selected through a process that is somewhat democratic. In order to maintain equilibrium and fair practice, the two tribes trade off in providing a potential D'gu. For one [undetermined] term a D'gu from the Ibodi tribe will reign, then the next term one from the Gubai will reign. When the time comes the tribe providing the D'gu will supply a small number of candidates. The other tribe will then vote on the best candidate. Once the D'gu takes power he will then select a cabinet of military advisors from both tribes. This ensures that the benefit of both the Ibodi and Gubai will be considered. Moreover, the presiding D'gu becomes a neutral entity, several all ties with the tribe from which he hailed.

Religion
Because extensive exposure to the Amentans is forbidden, little is known in regards to their religion. One thing is for certain: the Amentans practice a form of animism wherein they associate divine spirits with flora and fauna. It is unknown as to whether the Amentans have their own form of animism or share a similar form with their orcish neighbors.

THE PEOPLE

Physical Characteristics
Amentans are average in height but tend to be very lean in build. Their skin is slightly tan, their hair and eyes dark. Some Amentans have dark green eyes but this appears to be rare. There is nothing to indicate that those seldom born with green eyes are ostracized or held in higher regards. One tribe, though, can be distinguished from another based on how an individual's hair is kept and physical demeanor.

The Gubai are horsemen and keep their hair cut short, rarely longer than the shoulders, even the women. Because they spend most of their lives on the backs of horses, the Gubai tend to be bow-legged. Ibodi men wear their hair long with a series of intricate braids, but they tend to keep the hair above the center of the back. The Ibodi women, however, wear their hair quite long, and some tales speak of beautiful Ibodi maidens whose hair would drag behind them on the ground. The veracity of such tales is questionable. The men of both tribes seldom wear facial hair. This is perhaps because the Amentans do not naturally grow much hair on their faces. Facial hair on those that do wear it tends to be patchy and short.

Culture
Because Amentans are isolationists they rarely permit people from outside their communities to visit within the boundaries of their country. Those of whom do visit must gain special permission to travel within the boundaries of Amentan territory lest they be killed on sight. This aggressively guarded isolationism makes it difficult for interested parties to gather enough viable information pertaining to Amentan culture. It is commonly known that the Amentans are assembled tribally and that they are all fierce warriors. It is also known that their culture rests upon a foundation of primitive habits to gain sustenance, mostly hunting and gathering.

It appears that Amentans know no form of agriculture and thus their communities are strictly nomadic, following the movement of game throughout the countryside within their borders to attain food. This information allows scholars to infer Amentans hold hunting proficiency in high regards. The affinity for hunting thus perhaps dictates social status within a community, and social status within a designated community thus contributes to status held at the tribal level.

Native Tongue: Amentan

Origins: Amenta / Thyris Nod

Usage: Amentan is only spoken within the borders of Amenta. The country practices isolationism, thus the language is not shared with anyone. During trade years Amentans communicate by speaking Keshe. There is no written form of the language.

Kinship: Amentan has no known kinship with any other language. However, it said that a scant number of lexical items are similar to those found in both West Odish and Serjz. This is probably a result of Odish-speaking peoples migrating north through Amenta during the early Bronze Age.

Restrictions: No one other than Amentans may speak this language.

Because Amentans do not roam beyond their homeland, a player may not choose to hail from Amenta.