Kedesh

THE PLACE

Quick Background
Originally a southern province of the Enojan Empire called K'dach, Kedesh has risen to become Doa'Dane's chief economic and military superpower. The name of the country derives from the Sali word kej'sa, meaning "free person." Due to the differences in Enojan and Sali languages, the Enojans pronounced the word as kesh, and the early inhabitants of the K'dach Province referred to themselves as Keshe. The name "Kedesh" is a result of mixing the Sali word kej'sa and the province's name of K'dach.

Kedesh was established roughly in the year B.E. 35 by Yirmîyahu (Jeremiah) Mal'achi, the Chief Battle Tactician of the Enojan Empire. After his successful campaign acquiring modern-day Sarjevi and Kjevska, General Mal'achi was awarded the title of Satrap and given a sizable province in southern Enoja in which to govern, to which he retired. Mal'achi quickly passed laws abolishing slavery and eventually took a Sali wife. He rebelled against the Enojan Empire, leading the Empire's largest and final rebellion. Over the course of several decades the Keshe fought against the Enojans, finally winning a victory when the rebels invaded the Empire's capital of Enoja-Dai and executed the Khalif Abu-Diah.

Environment
The Keshe hinterlands are rife with diversity. Extensive seaside cliffs and coastlines taper the west, rich and dense forests blanket the east and south, and far-reaching plains begin centrally and continue into Enoja to the north. The climate is temperate with both mild summers and moderate winters, with its fair share of precipitation brought in from the Bloodmoon Sea. The winters are more wet in the south, snows cloaking the highlands, whereas the central and northern reaches of the country remain relatively dry. Overall, the climate of Kedesh is considered pleasant all year by most.

Politics
Kedesh currently practices a Constitutional Monarchy. Yirmîyahu Mal'achi died during the rebellion against the Enojan Empire, but his son, Jeremiah II, took over as monarch at the end of the revolution. The monarchy was sovereign and was maintained by crowning male sons of the Mal'achi family. At some point the bloodline became sterile and the final Mal'achi died without leaving an heir. Before the final Mal'achi died he wrote a constitution for Kedesh, establishing a somewhat democratic political system. He established a House of Speakers consisting of nobility which serves as advisers to the crown. A monarch is voted into office by the House of Speakers and may establish a sovereign/blood monarchy. The constitution prevents a power vacuum, enabling the nobility to elect a new king or queen in the chance one dies without an heir.

Religion
Kedesh is considered the home of the Daylic faith. Although the faith may have originally spread from the south, it was developed and it evolved in Kedesh. Before the establishment of Carna Dane, the Holy City, the three holy sites of the faith were small shires of Kedesh: Cheia, Lesnatha and Mirneax. There is considerable diversity within Kedesh, but most denizens of the country are Daylic. Kedesh is home of the Desian Order, one of three military orders of church knights of the Daylic faith called the Knights Sacellum.

THE PEOPLE

Physical Characteristics
Kedesh is a melting pot and thus it is difficult to describe the true physical characteristics of a Keshe person. Kedesh was established whilst freeing the Sali, thus thousands of elves from the south fled north into the country. The humans and elves mingled in community and in mating, thus Sali today appear more human whereas humans appear more Sali. The Keshe range from tall and short, fat and thin, and their skin tone changes based on where they live. Northern Keshe tend to be darker in complexion than southern Keshe, and some rural Keshe humans in the south carry distinct Sali features such as high cheek bones and angular brows.

Culture
In order to make Kedesh a beacon of progress and hope, the early Mal'achi monarchs devoted substantial resources to developing centers of faith, education and trade. At the same time the Daylic faith was maturing, Kedesh developed a number of learning annexes in Cheia, Mirneax and Lesnatha. Each of these annexes were phased out as the University of Turglædesh was erected in the capital city. Kedesh to this day is considered the country of enlightenment.

Above all commerce is considered the most important aspect of Keshe culture. Shops are open early and remain open until after the sun sets in most metropolitan areas of the country. By and large the Keshe are capitalists, therefore, whilst a beacon of enlightenment, Kedesh is also a source of greed and materialistic self-worth. Kedesh has become a country of individuals as opposed to a country made up of a people. This internal point of view has its social consequences: one will not find a solidified sense of community among the citizens, especially in metropolitan areas. However, the Keshe are highly nationalistic, patriotic almost to a fault at times. Although Kedesh has become a capitalistic melting pot, the Keshe always unite in times of crisis both real and apparent.

Native Tongue: Keshe

Origins: Enoja / Kedesh

Usage: Keshe is the Danic trade language, thus it permeates every culture on Doa'Dane. Most countries long ago neglected their native tongues and focused on learning Keshe, ergo more than 85% of Danic countries use it as their national language. Keshe is considered the "Common" tongue by nearly every country, so in most cases it is the first language of any given people.

Kinship: Keshe is a daughter language of Classical Enojan, hence it is related to both Enojan and Sartan. However, once Kedesh became independent, and also after long exposure to the Sali language, the Keshe tongue changed significantly. With a growing population of Sali in the country during its infancy, a flood of elvish loanwords entered the Keshe lexicon. Because the two languages differed greatly, to simplify communication the Keshe language dropped most of its case forms and nearly all inflectional properties. The same occurred in the Sali language. The Keshe language is now partially Enojan and partially Sali in so much that the Sali and Keshe languages are mutually understandable.

Restrictions: None. Keshe is the first language of most people.