Kiyashe

Kiyashe
Flag used by the city of Ektunhu
Capital	None
Ruler	Multiple
Government	Independent autocracies
Demonym	Kiyashen
Adjective	Kiyashen
Languages	Various; Aserdian and Common especially
Religions	Aserdian pantheon

Kiyashe (pronounced key-AH-she) is a region in southwestern Brightmarch. The cenotes of Kiyashe are home to aquatic peoples that would otherwise rarely be found so far inland. Complex political webs and feuds bind together the cities built into the watery caves.

Geography, flora, and fauna

The Kiyashe Peninsula is a karstic landscape. Caves, sinkholes, cenotes, springs, canyons, and other eroded features are common throughout the area. In some places on the surface, unusual rock formations abruptly jut out of the ground amongst the forests and grasslands of the region. This rough terrain has discouraged most surface dwellers from establishing communities in the region - the large number of predators, especially raptorial dinosaurs, that thrive in Kiyashe is certainly another factor.

Underground, the cenotes and caves of Kiyashe host rich biospheres of their own. Plants, animals, and magical creatures that have adapted to life without ever touching the surface thrive in the underground networks. Even the open cenotes, exposed to the surface above, have highly unique fauna. In some places, surface creatures that have fallen into one of the region's many sinkholes have found niches of their own. The deepest and widest of the sinkholes are sometimes even home to large subsurface forests.

There are no major rivers or bodies of water in Kiyashe, as the porous rock of the area allows almost all of the water to drain into the subsurface reservoirs.

The climate and weather of Kiyashe is similar to the rest of Brightmarch.

Demographics

The subterranean watery communities of Kiyashe are inhabited primarily by merfolk, joined by significant numbers of azarketi, sahuagin, and tritons, as well as a handful of locathah and aquatic elves. Non-aquatic peoples are uncommon in this part of Kiyashe, but not absolutely unknown, as some land-dwellers find reasons to relocate to the cenotes.

Though Kiyashe is best known for its aquatic denizens, the surface is inhabited just like the rest of Brightmarch, though the population is relatively small. Humans, half-elves, elves, and others live in the Kiyashe Peninsula. The surface inhabitants of Kiyashe are largely nomadic and there are almost no permanent settlements.

Culture

Religion

Religion in Kiyashe is varied and fragmentary. Each community tends to congregate around a deity who they value particularly highly, which might be completely different from the religion followed by their neighboring cenotes and caves. Clerics often get caught up in the rivalries of the subsurface world, as the churches and temples get drawn into ongoing feuds. Lawful deities and those who are concerned with aquatic life are generally emphasized in Kiyashe, though not exclusively.

Society

The flooded caves and cenotes in which most of Kiyashe's inhabitants reside are somewhat lacking in natural resources. There is little ore to be mined and comparatively few places to grow or find food, which has led to a culture of intense competition between communities. Kiyashen rulers have a reputation for constantly scheming against each other for control of resources, often forming alliances and breaking them just as quickly as soon as a better opportunity arises.

Those that live on the surface in Kiyashe have a keen understanding that they need to be careful of where they set up their camps. Many formations that could easily become sinkholes remain hidden just below the surface, liable to easily collapse under stress. Trained animals are often used by these surface-dwellers to determine where it is safe to step - though such collapses do not happen frequently, people living on the surface always remain vigilant.

A few rare plants and even animals, thought to have gone extinct, are known to have been later discovered in some larger cenotes. These have been of great interest to some individuals elsewhere in Brightmarch, though they have largely been frustrated by the near-universal refusal of the underwater leaders to allow expeditions to see what else thought lost to the surface might be found in hidden places in Kiyashe.

Large eels are sometimes trained and used as mounts in Kiyashe, providing a way of quickly traveling through the underground passages. Swarms of electric eels are widely used as border defenses, clustered in strategic tunnels to provide a serious hazard to unwanted visitors.

Architecture and urbanization

In Kiyashe, where one resides is a near-certain indicator of social status. Living space in the cenotes is almost always reserved for high-status individuals, while the watery caves form the abodes of the rest of the population. Most structures are carved into or built out of the region's native limestone, a plentiful and easily workable material. In the caves, buildings are usually clustered into or along the walls, leaving a large channel open for transportation. Meanwhile in the cenotes it is common to leave the outer ring open for the same reason, with structures instead built more towards the center. Parks and other spaces for purely aesthetic purposes are often located in the larger cenotes.

Some cenotes have surface outposts, locations protected by guards loyal to local rulers. These outposts serve both as a matter of prestige, demonstrating one has the ability to project influence towards the surface world, and also as practical lookouts for any threats. To access these surface buildings, some cenotes have pulley elevators to carry up those who otherwise might have issues with movement out of the water.

In the caves and darker cenotes of Kiyashe, glowworms and other bioluminescent animals and plants are widely used for lighting.

Languages

Aserdian and Aquan are both widely spoken in Kiyashe. Common sees some use as well, though mostly only as a diplomatic language, for aiding communication with surface visitors.

Food and cuisine

The aquatic peoples of Kiyashe largely subsist on food they grow or catch below ground. Some submerged caves are used to farm fish, eel, and crab, which together makes up the bulk of the Kiyashen diet. These are supplemented with foraged snails and water-dwelling plants, especially varieties of watercress and others that can thrive in the cenotes that receive more sunlight.

On the surface, most land-dwelling inhabitants of Kiyashe hunt and forage for their food. Due to the scarcity of surface water, rain collectors made out of bone and tortoise shell are widely used to gather water for drinking and cooking.

Art

In the grandest of the palace-cenotes, reliefs bearing intricate designs cover the smoothed sides of the sinkholes. Usually these reliefs depict scenes that convey local history or the aspirations of the rulers that commissioned them - some older designs, those created thousands of years ago in now-unoccupied cenotes, include renditions that are clearly elven aeroliths and colossi.The artisans that carve these reliefs occupy a highly prestigious position in Kiyashen society, able to command a great deal of respect (and payment) for their works.

Fashion

Shell jewelry is a popular accessory in Kiyashe, made largely from snails and mollusks that live in the watery caves. Larger and more brightly colored jewelry is seen as a status symbol, and some can become very elaborate in design. Certain shells, particularly those of the unique iridescent spiral snail of the region, are reserved for use by the rulers of Kiyashe.

Travel

Borders in the subterranean world of Kiyashe are tightly contested, especially in the flooded caves that connect the cenotes to each other and to the sea. Travel between the communities can be a difficult process that requires seeking permission from each ruler who's territory is crossed. Even if such approval is already sought and received prior to one's journey, it is still not unusual to get hassled by guards zealously protecting their sections of the caves.

The network of caves in Kiyashe forms a maze that is difficult to traverse without a detailed map or experienced guide. Maps available to the surface world are sparse and unreliable. In the aquatic communities, however, maps of the underground are extremely precise and constantly updated, though they are tightly guarded. The rulers of the underwater communities understand the possible danger of allowing this kind of information to proliferate, and therefore keep their maps to the caves under lock and key, especially when their own territory is concerned.

The aquatic peoples of Kiyashe have also charted surface routes between their cenotes, for use only in emergencies. Those that can survive outside the water still often need to return to it regularly, and are therefore poorly suited for overland travel.

Government

The aquatic communities of Kiyashe govern themselves quite differently compared to most of the rest of Brightmarch. Nearly all of the settlements in the cenotes and caves are autocracies, some hereditary monarchies and others functionally military juntas. Most of the cenotes are somewhat isolationist, not only from each other but also from the surface world. Due to their intense competitiveness over the relatively scarce resources of Kiyashe the various rulers of the region only temporarily form alliances with each other, to be disregarded at the first hint that one might be able to gain an advantage over their former ally.

Kiyashen rulers are often keen to request tasks to be performed by the few outsiders that manage to gain their favor. In particular, these leaders prefer to use foreign visitors as emissaries, due to their perception as neutral to the region's many feuds.

Economy

Though the settlements of Kiyashe begrudgingly exchange goods with each other, they do not have large scale trade relations with outside communities. The cenotes are not particularly rich in natural resources, and those they do have they would prefer to hoard for their own benefit. Merchants that have come to seek arrangements with the leaders of the Kiyashe almost always leave empty handed.