Akatzar

Akatzar
Capital	None
Ruler	Multiple
Government	Tribal monarchs
Demonym	Akatzari (tribal or city preferred)
Adjective	Akatzari (tribal or city preferred)
Languages	Uulam; Aanar; Qaani; Ukkarak
Religions	Ezun; Qenga visitants; ancestor monoliths

Akatzar (pronounced ah-KAT-zar) in the southern Stormlands encompasses much of the land between the Storm-Path in the north and the O'oen Ice Sheet in the south, including the entire Zkher Steppe. The nomadic hobgoblins of Akatzar rule uncontested the open steppe while holding the settled peoples of the rivers and coast as vassals. The tribes regularly clash with each other and with those outside Akatzar in the name of their living war god Ezun.

Geography

See also: Zkher Steppe

The most defining geographical feature of Akatzar is the Zkher Steppe, a vast expanse of shrublands that stretches from the Amanas Mountains in the west to the shores of the Na-Gaesa Ocean in the east. Herds of herbivorous creatures cross the steppe in search of grazing grounds, which can be quite far apart and separated by long treks across rough rocks where little grows.

Eastern and southern Akatzar is more hospitable than the western and northern steppe. Many rivers cross the landscape there, such as the Erash, Vakheq, Utanvra, Eero, and Haikak, which are fed by snowmelt in the Barricades and the Silent Hills. The effects of the Great Tempests have drawn away all water from the Southern Rim, and so no rivers emerge from the northern mountains of Akatzar. It is around these rivers where the majority of the population of Akatzar lives, within great cities that rely heavily on the seasonal waters for irrigation. Trees cluster around these rivers as well, part of a far more diverse ecosystem of plants than can be found in the west.

The climate of Akatzar is broadly cool and dry. Parts of the steppe see so little rainfall that they verge on desert, while the east closer to the coast is somewhat wetter and more temperate. Snowfall is common in Akatzar not just in the winters but for nearly a full half of the year.

History

Though the region has been populated to some degree for quite a long time, the origins of Akatzar as a culturally if not typically politically unified area only begins with the first appearance of the war god Ezun. The god's campaigns to subjugate the hobgoblin tribes brought them together for the first time, and after his appearance his followers' devoted drive to prove themselves his avatar have continued to centralize the tribes and their subject cities under singular figures for brief times, though such efforts nearly always quickly fall apart.

Demographics

Humans, kobolds, and dwarves account for most of the population of Akatzar, primarily living in the riverside cities and towns in the southeast and along the coast. Through politically dominant, the tribes of hobgoblins are proportionally a much smaller part of the population.

Culture

Religion

Religion in Akatzar is quite varied. Where the hobgoblins worship a central deity, the other inhabitants of the region broadly eschew gods in favor of far more local spirits.

The war god Ezun is the paramount divine figure to the hobgoblins. The Bear-Who-Is-King once conquered the tribes in the distant past, and now even after he has departed his influence remains, as the hobgoblins still compete to see who can be venerated as the god's avatar, a figure who is simultaneously a mortal and the god incarnate. There can only be one avatar at any given time, though there are typically many claimants, all of whom attempt to prove their legitimacy through combat with each other, in direct duels sometimes but more commonly through leading their tribes to war. Should a powerful avatar succeed in their show of strength, they are capable of uniting the warring tribes, a prospect feared by the neighbors of Akatzar and those living under the hobgoblins' rule. In all the millennia of Ezun's worship only four avatars have ever even briefly held the title uncontested.

Within the cities of Akatzar, the creation and veneration of ancestor monoliths is common, as is the case across much of the Stormlands. More unique to the region, however, are qenga visitants. Of these household spirits, some are protective entities who watch over beds, hearths, and entrances, while others are evil, seeking to subvert their more beneficial kin in order to steal from those who live in a dwelling, with a particular focus on the theft of food and dreams. Complex rituals govern mortal interactions with qenga, as all wish to remain in the good graces of good spirits while keeping the evil ones at bay.

Society

The most prized possessions of the Akatzari hobgoblins are their steeds, at least for those well-off enough to afford one. These horses are central to their lifestyle, used for transportation across the steppe, hunting, and the ritualized warfare between tribes. Spears are the preferred weapons of Akatzari horsemen, either used in melee or thrown with the use of atlatls. War elephants are also used while on campaign.

Inter-tribal warfare in Akatzar is highly ritualized. Participants attempt to capture each other, or else to inflict injuries that will lead lasting scars, but not to kill or maim. Hostages taken in the course of battle are nearly all ransomed back to their tribes, and therefore provide a method of acquiring wealth and prestige, but it is no less a demonstration of faith, especially when targeting those who are said to be in Ezun's high favor. Warfare that goes farther than this limited form, where killing is the intention, is rare in Akatzar, and generally reserved only for threats perceived as existential to a tribe.

Scars are seen as shameful to the hobgoblins of Akatzar, as they show an individual was weak enough to be wounded and presumably captured in battle. As a consequence, tribal soldiers tend to wear armor that is as heavy and protective as they can manage without overburdening themselves or their horses.

Interaction between the tribes and the cities of Akatzar is perhaps surprisingly minimal, as long as the tributary arrangement remains in place and neither side attempts to renege on their responsibilities. The hobgoblins know they are in a disadvantage in the terrain near the rivers, away from the steppe, and the city-dwellers prefer not to risk any combat against their highly trained and well-honed overlords.

Languages

Akatzar is linguistically quite diverse. Uulam, Aanar, Qaani, and Ukkarak are all commonly spoken, and it is not unusual for any given individual to be at least bilingual. Languages are not, in general, divided along ancestral lines - a hobgoblin horseman and a human farmer in the south are equally likely to speak Uulam, as are individuals in the same roles in the north equally likely to understand Aanar.

Architecture, migration, and urbanization

Hobgoblin tribes are nomadic, ruling the settled population from their encampments spread across the steppe. These move infrequently, only as required seasonally or when pastureland becomes barren. The grazing lands of most, and therefore their base of power, are the west of Akatzar, leading them to often be quite distant from the cities they claim as tributaries.

Buildings of heavy stone construction designed to last are typical in the cities and towns along the rivers. Homes share walls for efficiency and to allow for shared heating, important in the cold climate. Many feature round glass windows in the roofs for light, with few in the walls. To confuse and hinter evil qenga, doorways and exterior stones in walls are carved into irregular shapes.

In smaller towns and villages away from the rivers, buildings are often semi-subterranean.

Food and cuisine

The settled peoples of Akatzar are primarily agriculturalists, relying heavily on grains grown in riverside farms. This they supplement with fish from the rivers and foraged mushrooms and fruits from the forests. The nomadic hobgoblins, meanwhile, are hunters and pastoralists, keeping small herds of horses, ux, and sheep and engaging in mass coordinated hunts.

In the tribes, the position of cook for the king is one of the most prestigious roles one can possess, only given to the most faithful right-hand figure of the leader. Similarly, "assistant to the cook" is commonly granted as an honorary title, bestowed upon allies and family. This conveys the trust a monarch places in the individual, as such a role in practice would be the best positioned to poison them.

Arts

Akatzari hobgoblins create elaborate carvings from the horns of bison and ux, which they use to adorn their encampments and steeds.

Government

Governance in Akatzar is based far more upon personal loyalties than any sort of institution. This is most famously the case with the hobgoblin tribes, who tend to follow leaders who prove themselves through personal feats and often rule by fear. It is no less true in the cities of the southeast, where various clans often vie for influence through patronage networks based on competitive gift giving. Prominent figures and families are likely to throw their support behind whoever promises them the most, but these loyalties are fickle in such a cutthroat environment, and an offer of a greater reward from their current rivals may soon cause a switch in sides. All of this is in service of gaining backing in the hereditary councils that preside over most cities.

Together, the hobgoblin tribes consider the settled peoples to be something akin to vassals or tributaries. The tribes compete amongst themselves for influence over a given city or area, but rarely involve the city itself in the fighting, as doing so would spoil the prize. These vassal arrangements are usually, but not always, rather hands-off, with taxes in the form of corvee labor demanded in exchange for protection. Such protection is typically from wild beasts and creatures rather than from other tribes due to the aforementioned arrangement.