Oscan (pronounced OSS-kun), formally the Grand Kingdom of Oscan, was once the site of a prosperous kingdom but today is home to roving hordes of mindless undead and little else. The living barely cling on in a small number of locations, most notably the northern city of Tasha. Rumors have it that the undead are the result of the kingdom’s rulers playing with forces beyond their control.
The few remaining inhabitants of the region sometimes refer to the kingdom as the Deathlands, and to themselves as Deathlanders.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Located on the southernmost edge of the Sangora Desolation, much of Oscan is dry and arid. Little rain falls in the northern half of the kingdom, though the southern half gets rather more precipitation. Oscan farmers had learned over centuries to work with the long dry periods and occasional flash floods, however, and the old kingdom prospered.
Oscan is bordered by water in three directions: by the Kilche Sea to the east, the Mhasmuth Ocean to the south, and the Tabaha Bay and Gray River to the west. To the north, the kingdom stretches only a short distance into the Sangora Desolation.
The landscape of southern and western Oscan is largely covered in low density tropical forests of palm trees, as well as mangroves along the coast of the Tabaha Bay. Much of this part of the kingdom is quite hilly. Moving towards the Sangora, the forests gradually thin out into expansive tropical savannas before turning into the arid scrublands that characterize much of the north. Cacti, thorny shrubs, and palms adapted to dry environments are common there, with many growing in the valleys between the plateaus past the end of the Fangs of Khurazar.
Animals found across Oscan are as varied as its environment. Creatures like like maned wolves, giant anteaters, monkeys, tropical birds, foxes, lizards of varying kinds, and more are common, as are larger creatures like rhinoceros, giant scorpions, and drakes. Dinosaurs are also found in the region, with herds of herbivores like triceratops wandering the savanna, though rarely north of the Fangs.
While most of the undead of Oscan are humanoid, some were animals or magical beasts in their prior lives. In particular, some paladins have reported sighting horde leaders astride skeletal triceratops or nightmares, using them as massive mounts.
History
Rise of the undead
In the middle of the hundredth century, Oscan was in the midst of a time of great prosperity. The artists, craftspeople, and merchants of Oscan had established close ties to the nations of Kea Racha, and the kingdom was thriving as a regional power after the breakup of the Sangiran Empire.
This all came to an end in early Y9940* as the dead began to rise across Oscan. Hordes of the formerly dead emerged from cemeteries, gravesites, and anywhere else the dead were interred, seemingly in unison. Though initially repelled and returned to the grave in some settlements, ultimately efforts to fight back the undead proved fruitless as they congregated into larger hordes, enveloping small communities as they moved.
It is unknown for certain what caused this mass resurrection, though it is widely believed that the last king of Oscan, Verore the Unready of the Aril dynasty, played some role. Although there is some disagreement as to whether he raised the dead himself or made a pact he did not fully understand, many of the surviving Oscans blame their old monarch for their predicament.
By late Y9941*, those that could leave Oscan had fled the kingdom. Much of the remaining population of Oscan evacuated to Aesar, the only part of the kingdom that had successfully kept itself clear of the undead.
Demographics
The population of Oscan are overwhelmingly undead, mostly of the mindless varieties. A small number of intelligent undead direct their hordes around the lands, but many hordes also just wander around by chance.
A small living population still resides within the Deathlands. Most are within the northern city of Tasha, which includes humans, suli, ifrit, oreads, and others - the descendants of elementals were always more prevalent in Oscan than in most of the rest of the world. The few living inhabitants of the Deathlands that do not live in Tasha are either paladins and their companions, attempting to cleanse the land, or Oscans who were lucky enough to be spared from undeath, hiding in small outposts. Small communities still manage to hold on in Endovelicus and Port Anzu in particular.
Though not permanent residents, a large number of Bleached Bone gnoll tribes regularly crossed over the border into Oscan to hunt or scavenge. Since the rise of the undead these tribes have dispersed across the desert as they try to find new hunting grounds, with many still wandering the Sangora to this day.
When Oscan was still a realm of the living, it had a sizable elven population who arrived in the region after the Banishment.
Culture
Religion
A variety of gods were worshiped in the days of the Kingdom of Oscan. The region followed a number of faiths, a complex blend of deities from the Chaskan, Aserdian, and Khapeshan pantheons. Hasamel, Nisaba, and Aya were considered particularly important.
Since the rise of the undead, religion has shifted quite drastically. The staunch opposition to the undead presented by some followers of Harinna and Shai has been quite popular, aided by the presence of paladins who have traveled to the Deathlands to fulfill their oaths. Some survivors, however, have come to the conclusion that their former kingdom cannot be saved, or is not worth saving. While the government of Tasha tries hard to quash these beliefs, underground cults to both Lotan and Erra have formed. While the former actively attempts to undermine the security of the city, the latter still pose a problem by refusing to work and proselytizing others to join their nihilistic religion.
Languages
The primary language spoken in the Kingdom of Oscan was Tabahan, though a mix of other languages were also prevalent, including Common, racial tongues, and Sangiran.
Architecture and urbanization
Oscan architecture tended to involve rectangular, flat roofed buildings, often set into the ground in order to keep the lower level cool. Walls were usually built of wattle and daub around wooden frames, frequently painted bright colors once the walls were dry. Residential buildings frequently featured small walled gardens facing the street, and trees were often grown around the house to provide shade and help keep the inside from getting too warm. Ceremonial buildings like palaces and temples featured large facades, ornate patterned walls that stretched up a ways past the roof of the highest floor.
Gem growing
A unique art form of Oscan is gem growing, the practice of artificially creating precious stones, especially diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and beryl. Only known to a handful of artisans, this process is incredibly slow but results in very uniform gems with exceptionally few impurities. Gem growing is a nearly lost art at this point, as since the rising of the undead the specialized laboratories required have either been destroyed or are too dangerous to return to.
Grown gems have certain distinctive qualities that distinguish them from those that formed naturally. To some elsewhere in the world, preference remains for natural gems and Oscan grown gems are considered inferior. In Eretrebus, these gems were for a time used as high-value currency due to their predictable values - with the near-halt of new supply, this use has declined significantly.
Government
Functionally, the Deathlands have had no government since the collapse of the Kingdom of Oscan. Tasha is under a military protectorate, led by General Tarchon Lasa and the remainder of his forces. Disobeying orders is punished harshly here, though most understand this is a consequence of the lack of resources and persistent undead threat they face.
The old Kingdom of Oscan was a hereditary monarchy, subdivided into provinces governed by viceroys.
Economy
The living inhabitants of the Deathlands are too preoccupied with survival to have much of any economic goals that go beyond that. Most of the undead care little or not at all for wealth, though some of the intelligent undead are known to have amassed collections of looted artifacts as they travel the realm.
Oscan was formerly one of the foremost producers of metal in the world, both in raw ore and in completed items. The mines of Oscan produced silver, gold, abysium, mithral, and others. Oscan metalworkers, jewelers, and weaponsmiths were world-renowned, and their finished wares greatly valued.
Relations
Despite their shared undead nature, the ruling class of Tarkuus looks down on the Deathlands, viewing the undead in Oscan as beneath them. Tarkuus refuses to have anything to do with the Deathlands and deeply resents any comparisons.
While some paladins have arrived in the Deathlands from the Sun Refuge, crusader leadership maintains that Tarkuus, as a well-organized nation of intelligent undead, poses a much more imminent threat. They have been supportive of calls for paladins and clerics from elsewhere to travel to Oscan, but have not provided much aid themselves. They were, however, instrumental in organizing the evacuation to Aesar.