Sari'ana

THE PLACE

Quick Background
Sari'ana is the oldest known country of Doa'Dane. Its existence spans into the days of the Enojan Empire, but it is often agreed a strong, unified civilization existed in the infancy of the Empire, perhaps even long before. In the Enojan Empire's early decades of expansion an attempt to spread north into Sari'ana failed. The Enojans were met by a Tour de Force from the Sartans, who repelled any and all attacks attempted by the invaders. Even in Antiquity Sari'ana's military might was unfathomably organized and potent. It has been long believed the Sartans experienced both the Copper and Bronze Ages centuries before the rest of the continent. (This is perhaps due to the close relationship the Sartans have had with the inquisitively scientific-minded Ithuet.) Although much of Sari'ana is covered in desert, it appears that it is the Cradle of Civilization on this side of the Impassable Range.

The civilization of Sari'ana has always remained somewhat humble and quiet, never attempting to overextend its political boundaries, even in the wake of the collapse of the Enojan Empire. The Sartans did, however, aid the Enojans in rebuilding after the collapse of the Empire, thus a number of Sartan loanwords can be found in today's Enojan. Currently Sari'ana has the largest standing army, its soldiers conceivably the highest trained of all. Its military elite, the Paragons, act as Doa'Dane's fail-safe mechanism, asserting their might when the continent becomes unstable due to conflict. The most notable occurrence was in 670 A.E., when the early Daylic Church's first military order, the Knights of the Rising Sun (KoRS), went rogue and began committing atrocities against Sali and supposed witches. The KoRS nearly overthrew the Daylic Church if not for the assistance of the Paragons. Once the KoRS were destroyed, the Paragons helped the Daylics reestablish military order by creating the Triumvirate. The original Triumvirate consisted of three chapters of knights, one each from Kedesh, Tardesche and Västødland, and was designed to keep military power out of one single group; if one chapter went rogue again, the Church would not be helpless to handle the problem with two other chapters at her disposal. Presently the Paragons spend most of their time chasing down slavers of the Sojzan Slave Trade, which sometimes carries slaves through eastern Sari'ana.

The Environment
Most of Sari'ana is semi-arid and its heartland is home to Doa'Dane's largest desert, the Sea of Dunes. A number of minor mountain ranges spring from the central and northern reaches of the country, acting as geologic partitions separating Sari'ana's various ecosystems. The northern regions of Sari'ana are carpeted in fertile, grassy steppes leading into the the vast jungles of Manalseia. The central regions are all but covered in desert, and the southern regions are semi-arid and rocky. Temperatures soar during the days all year round south of the minor ranges. North of the ranges the heat is equally unforgiving but, as one nears Manalseia, the heat is augmented by humidity. Overall there is little annual rainfall in Sari'ana south of the minor ranges, with monsoon conditions becoming more apparent the further north one gets.

Politics
The Sartan government is unique among the others of Doa'Dane. Still gripping tightly to the ancient concept of a warrior priest-king, Sari'ana is governed by a military-based theocracy. The ruler of the country is known as the Rajanim, a Sartan word loosely translating to "king-priest." (The word Raja is used in Modern Enojan as the title of their ruler and treats it to mean "king.") The Rajanim acts as King, General of the Army, and High Priest, and is trained from birth to perform each duty efficiently. More than any other duty, the Rajanim focuses more on the role of king. The high command of the Paragons typically handles military issues, though the Rajanim always has the final say in major military decisions that may affect the country as a whole. Sartan religion, as explained below, is not as orthodox as it once was, so the occasional need for a high priest is limited. Conjointly, the common people of Sari'ana take part in handling the facets of the faith. The Rajanim steps up when issues of interpretation arise more than in any administrative or ecclesiastic capacity. Because all Rajanim are trained from birth to take on the position, succession is hereditary. Still, in the event there is no heir to the "throne," Sartan law permits a Paragon of the high command to assume the role as Rajanim.

Religion
The Sartans observe a monotheistic faith devoted to their patron deity S'Argon. S'Argon is said to be the first of the priest-kings, a force to be reckoned with. The greatest warrior that ever was, S'Argon is equally capable of compassion and mercy. Argonic religion permeates every aspect of Sartan society. There are no temples dedicated to S'Argon, as each home in Sari'ana is considered a temple. Most religious observance is public and communal—the people gather in the homes of neighbors and family each day to pay respect and homage to their patron deity. These observances normally occur in the evenings after the workday, and family and neighbors gather at ones home to pray and eat together. The Argonic faith defines Sartan culture.

THE PEOPLE

Physical Characteristics
There exists no true defining physical traits for the Sartans. Most denizens of Doa'Dane south of Sari'ana only see the darker-skinned Sartans. These Sartans hail from the desert regions of the country and their skin-color ranges from a dark brown to coal black. Their eyes are deep brown and their hair is almost always a dark brunette. Some desert dwellers have sun-bleached hair. The northern Sartans, beyond the minor ranges, are lighter in skin tone, with wider and rounder cheekbones and more almond-shaped eyes. Their hair and eyes are also dark. Southern Danic people are seldom exposed to Sartans from beyond the minor ranges, though one look at a company of Paragons is a testament to the diversity in physical characteristics.

Culture
Sartan culture has remained relatively static for millennia until recently. In the last two centuries, the Sartans have embraced the southern idea of mercantilism and appropriately begun converting their coastal cities into trade hubs. As mentioned above, religion plays a substantial role in Sartan culture, and the result of communal prayer is a stronger sense of community cohesiveness.

Sartan culture is patriarchal, so women do not share the same options as males. Sartan society revolves around military and community: the men fill military roles and the women domestic ones. Women are not permitted to hold government positions and rarely are they found as traders. By law all males must serve in the military for a minimum of ten years starting at the age of sixteen. The women remain at home and fulfill domestic responsibilities. Because the women remain at home they tend to become community leaders, and most of the time women are at the forefront of communal religious observance. With the absence of a systematic form of religion, ecclesiastic and monastic positions are unavailable, but if such institutions existed, surely women would fill those positions. Instead the women act as community leaders responsible for predicating communal law and making sure their community remains happy. The Sartan government listens to her people, and the voice of the people is always conveyed by a female community leader.

Native Tongue: Sartan

Origins: Sari'ana

Usage: Sartan is among the oldest spoken human languages of Doa'Dane. Once exclusively spoken in Sari'ana, the country's economic progression has carried the language to new regions both mainland and insular. Although the Sartans speak Keshe, their national language is Sartan and many merchants are learning to speak the language. The Sartan writing system is epigraphically similar to Classical Enojan.

Kingship: Sartan derives from the same mother tongue as Enojan, thus the two languages are relatively similar. It is believed that Sartan predates Classical Enojan by at least a millennium. Enojan and Keshe are more closely related than Enojan and Sartan, so Sartan is unique among the languages spoken presently.

Restrictions: People native to Sari'ana begin with Sartan and must spend a language slot to learn Keshe.