Matarsah (pronounced mah-TAR-sah) is a nation primarily inhabited by river and wood giants on the coast of the Gulf of Timakal. The giants are content to tolerate the presence of smaller folk, as long as their traditional lands are respected. Non-giants are uncommon in Matarsah outside of the cities of River's End and Old Saden.
Geography, flora, and fauna
A land of dense tropical forests interspersed with marshes along the rivers and grasslands in the interior, Matarsah is hot and rather humid for most of the year. Monsoons seasonally make landfall in the coastal regions.
Fed by a large number of tributaries, most beginning in the Shields, the Lifewaters is a major river in Matarsah. Slow and wide, it winds a long and languishing path across the region before eventually flowing out into the gulf. The Lifewaters is central to the life of the river giants of Matarsah, who live in small communities and on houseboats up and down the river. Towards the coast, the river estuary widens into a brackish marsh. Mangroves line much of the coast.
Lake Segra is the largest body of water in Matarsah, though it is joined by many smaller lakes and ponds. A large island within the lake contains a small lake of its own, around which a major wood giant community, Segra Kana, has grown.
History
Though the wood giants of Matarsah generally see little use for detailed recorded history, the annals of their river-going brethren are quite in-depth. Mostly told through the format of long family histories, these records recount millennia of life in the region around the Lifewaters. The distant ancestors of many of the wood giants of Matarsah originally lived in the forests to the north, now under the control of Tarkuus, but were pushed out and migrated south when the undead empire expanded its holdings.
When the Sangiran Empire began to expand into the lands around the Gulf of Timakal, representatives of the Eternal Suzerain met with giant leaders in Y8205*. Not wishing to come into conflict with the giants, who saw they might be forced to move yet again, and seeing little practical reason to extend imperial control into the region, an imperial decree was issued guaranteeing the giants independence in Matarsah and limiting the population of smaller folk allowed to settle in the region. Even as the empire seized modern-day Bukuran and Vothan grew inland, the decree was respected.
After the collapse of imperial control around the Gulf of Timakal in Y9612*, the decree no longer held any significance. Regardless, in the following centuries the lands of the giants have been broadly avoided, with the notable exception of the port city of River's End. Without the enforcement of imperial limits on the population, River's End has grown significantly, transforming the once small settlement into the largest city around the gulf north of Marakkate.
Recently explorers from Yadena have begun venturing into Matarsah in search of untapped Crucibles. The wood giants that live in the forests surrounding the cartel's territories are vigilant for these intruders, as they do not wish to see their woodlands taken over for the cartel's enterprises.
Demographics
Many inhabitants of Matarsah are river giants or wood giants. Some giants of other kinds have found their way to the region as well, but are rather more uncommon. Humans, half-elves, nagaji, and others live in Matarsah as well, though they almost entirely reside in and around River's End and Old Saden.
Culture
Religion
The giants of Matarsah are not, in general, very religious. The wood giants often adhere to animistic beliefs, though they typically do not see prayer and other expressions of faith as being particularly important. Some wood giants are devotees of Shai, at least in part as a reaction to their past exile from the territories of Tarkuus.
The river giants, meanwhile, primarily follow a religion or philosophy they call the Cosmic River. Widely associated with Taliash by non-giants, the Cosmic River is believed to be a primordial waterway that carries the world along in its current. In the cosmology of its faithful, the Cosmic River is a cyclical entity - though sometimes worshiped as a deity, it is rarely personified as such. The fresh waters that feed rivers on the Material Plane are thought to originate from the Cosmic River, seeping through the earth until they flow freely once more, eventually making their way out to the oceans and then to the primordial river to begin the cycle anew. The river giants of Matarsah also believe that the passing Lifewaters collect their memories, taking them to the Cosmic River to proceed through to the Material Plane again when their recollections and knowledge would be useful to future generations.
Society
Some among the river giants consider it a point of pride to never leave their beloved river, spending their entire lives in the water, on their boats, or on the islets upon which their communities are built. Most, however, do not hold to this practice, and are perfectly content to wander into the forests when opportunities arise.
Their exile from Tarkuus has strongly affected the wood giants of Matarsah. They see undead as a great anathema and tolerate no such creatures in their lands, regardless of the reason for its presence. Due to the alliance between Yadena and Tarkuus, and the occasional presence of Tarkuusan advisors within the ranks of the cartel, the wood giants likewise keep a watchful eye for any Yadenan expeditions into their forests.
Both the river giants and wood giants make heavy use of trained animals. River giant boats often keep crocodiles as guard animals, and river dolphins as pets and for assistance in fishing.
While neither the wood giants nor the river giants consider smaller folk in their territory to be hostile, generally speaking, both groups do not care for the presence of those that refuse to abide by their traditions. To the wood giants, this means harming their forests or the animals they have placed under their protection. The river giants can be rather more capricious and unpredictable, but generally do not appreciate disrespect to the river, such as dumping waste or interfering with its natural course.
Traditions
To the river giants, they are connected to river both in life and in death. When a river giant dies, a special reed boat is built for them by their family or compatriots. With their body weighted with stones and placed on top, the boat is then set adrift for one last journey down the Lifewaters. These boats are intentionally designed to deteriorate as they makes their way downriver - to the river giants, this allows the deceased to choose their final resting place, where their body sinks into the silt of the river bed. Still, a rare few eventually end up flowing past River's End into the Gulf of Timakal. Interfering with these boats is seen as a great sign of disrespect, and is never tolerated by the giants.
Language
The majority of Matarsans are fluent in Timakal and Jotun. Sangiran and Common are widely spoken in the coastal settlements, especially in River's End, though less often in the interior. Even non-giants in Matarsah typically learn Jotun.
Architecture and urbanization
Matarsah is very sparsely inhabited, with almost all permanent settlements located along the Lifewaters. Wood giants in the region maintain very few towns, preferring to instead live a nomadic life, wandering large ranges in the forests and tending them as they go. The river giants likewise are primarily nomadic, residing in their houseboats and moving up and down the river. A small number of river giants settlements have been established on riverbanks, islets, and the like, but are more encampments and meeting spots than towns in a typical sense.
The flat-bottomed boats of the river giants are each large enough to provide a home for a small family, or at least a few individuals, and usually contain a small semi-enclosed hut and all the typical amenities. These boats are built of wood and reeds, and are maintained with great care - houseboats are family possessions, passed down between generations.
Where the wood giants do make permanent settlements, they rarely build what might be considered typical structures. Rather, they prefer to slowly grow tree canopies together and clear the ground cover underneath. These natural roofs then serve as gathering places or open air homes.
River's End, Old Saden, and the handful of smaller coastal settlements are primarily built in Kea Rachan styles, brought to the region by those that arrived in the days of the Sangiran Empire.
Arts
The river giants build large cairn-like sculptures along the banks of the Lifewaters, using large boulders found along the river or the nearby forests. Standing up to twenty feet tall, these both have aesthetic appeal to the giants and serve a practical purpose. Placed at regular points along the river, these sculptures can be used to determine distance and current location in lieu of a map.
Food and cuisine
Neither the river giants nor the wood giants of Matarsah are agriculturalists. Rather, they mostly hunt, fish, and forage for their food. The river giants prepare elaborate fish-based dishes, using blends of vegetables and seasonings that grow along the riverbanks. Crawfish, plentiful in the river, are a particular favorite among many.
Magic
The giants of Matarsah are typically inclined towards primal magic traditions. Many wood giants are druids or rangers, as are a not insignificant number of river giants.
Government
The giants of Matarsah mostly organize themselves along familial and tribal lines. Leaders in their communities tend to be experienced elders, who are looked up to for guidance and direction. In the river giant settlements along the Lifewaters, tribal leaders convene councils to govern their communities collectively.
River's End is governed as a merchant republic city-state, functionally completely independent. Old Saden, meanwhile, is ruled jointly by two mayors, one elected from the giant population and one from the ranks of the smaller folk.
Economy
River's End is the only major port in Matarsah. Ships visiting the city carry goods to and from foreign cities, mostly those within Kea Racha. While the giants of Matarsah trade for goods they require and cannot easily obtain themselves, their communities are generally quite self-supporting.