General Facts

The Khemetar are born and raised in a society that is as harsh and unforgiving as the desert in which their city is nestled. In order both to survive and to maintain the glory of their civilization, they are brought up to be acclimated with the brutal competition that is seen in every single field of their daily activities. There is no room for error, as weakness, be it physical, mental or spiritual, is promptly dealt with and punished by their iron fisted ruler and his ever vigilant guardians.

For these reasons, Khemetar interrelationships are based on personal benefit and bear a greater resemblance to an alliance rather than to friendship. One of the main teachings of their religion, which can be observed quite clearly in their way of living, is that, while the personal greed of one man is detrimental, the accumulated greed of an entire nation is not only beneficial, but also mandatory for the creation and maintenance of a sustainable society. In other words, even though it may seem socially harmful for one man to wish himself more prosperity than to his peers, when all men share such a mindset, they are forced to cooperate with each other and to improve themselves through competion in order to obtain the desired fortune.

Foreigners, on the other hand, might view Khemetar as a very interesting, charismatic and exotic people. This is in no small amount due to the fact that these desert dwellers are inclined to treasure potentially lucrative international alliances and, thus, treat important or rich outlanders rather well. Nevertheless, if you are a foreigner, it is always good to bear in mind that whatever kindness the Khemetar show towards you is very unlikely to have been prompted by sheer generosity.

 

Government

Unlike most of the other races, the Khemetar rely on a very simple and, therefore, highly efficient organization to govern them. A single person, believed to have a link with the Gods themselves, rules Khemet with undisputed power. Even though this position, known as Neferan, or simply referred to as The Throne, is most commonly filled by a man, there is nothing that prevents a woman from ascending to it. Sovereignty, in Khemet, is hereditary as long as the current ruler, when the time comes for succession to take place, has an able-bodied child to take over the throne. In case that condition cannot be met, the Neferan must, then, choose a successor, which can mean a change in the ruling bloodline should the chosen one be unrelated to their predecessor. In the rare occasion of a Neferan dying before that can happen, their next of kin is to be the one to rule the whole of Khemet.

To assist the Neferan and to oversee all the other lesser positions, a Grand Vizier is appointed and kept as an advisor by the sovereign. This role is traditionally performed by a male, more often than not of old age and great wisdom. The only other person, with the obvious exception of the Neferan, that enjoys as much prestige among their people as the Grand Vizier is the High Priestess of Khemet. Her influence, however, is limited to the religious sphere, whereas the Grand Vizier, having direct and constant access to the Neferan, usually gets to express his point of view regarding issues of any nature but the religious one. It is his the task to ensure that everything in Khemet runs smoothly, which mostly means replacing innefective personnel as well as carrying out judiciary decisions.

The Grand Vizier never trespasses the limits of Khemet. Whenever someone must be sent abroad to negotiate with rulers or representatives of foreign nations, it is the Vizier’s task to do so, whereas the Grand Vizier stays home to deal with emissaries from other races. This position bears a great resemblance to the previous one, with the exception that the Vizier acts as an assistant and advisor not to the Neferan, but to the Grand Vizier, who is in charge of appointing him. Even though there is no real limit to the number of Viziers that can coexist at a time, it is common practice to keep only one man in such a position. As it can be expected, the Vizier has more limited powers, but enjoys the freedom of being able to travel abroad, which sometimes allows him to become influent by means of personal alliances with foreign diplomats or sovereigns. Needless to say, doing so might also result in terrible consequences for the Vizier should his superiors learn about the nature of his actions abroad.

 

Army

The military plays a vital role in Khemet’s society. Firstly, as it happens in any other human culture on Khaeros, it is responsible for protecting its nation and people. However, there is also a secondary task assigned to the Khemetar army: to ensure that the ever present competition among its citizens does not go out of control. This goes beyond the common law enforcement observed in other countries. In Khemet, the military often acts in a more preemptive way in order to deal with troublemakers. It is not uncommon for citizens who are found engaged in more fiery debates to be publicly beaten by guards, as an example for the others. Furthermore, a Khemetar may be arrested for mere suspicion of plotting against the authorities. There are, however, serious repercussions to any guard who arrests a prominent citizen that is later proved innocent. For that reason, only the poor are usually arrested preemptively. This creates an atmosphere of caution among the populace, inhibiting potential acts of treachery such as assassinations and kidnappings from taking place.

On the top of the military hierarchy and assigned by the Grand Vizier himself, the Vashnir, or simply Commander, is a man of great importance and prestige among the Khemetar. He is expected to lead the army in times of war, as well as to train it and to appoint its officers. There is no greater military position in Khemet than that of the Vashnir, with the exception of the Kaphiri, who are the Neferan’s personal guard. As far as law enforcement is concerned, the Vashnir is also entitled to deliberate the innocence or guilt of people arrested for petty crimes, such as thievery or assault, as well as to decide their punishment. On the occasion of more serious crimes, the Grand Vizier must be saught for a judgement to occur. If he is nowhere to be found within a period of twenty-four hours, then either a Vizier is consulted if present or the Vashnir carries out the judgement himself.

Directly under the Vashnir in the military chain of command, the Kuliakh, or Captain, is responsible for enlisting and training each individual soldier, as well as patroling the city’s vicinities in the company of any available personnel. In times of war, it is common for the Vashnir to appoint more than one Kuliakh to lead their batalions in combat. However, when war is not imminent, one Kuliakh is usually enough.

Having the duty to accompany the Vizier abroad, as well as to perform the duties of the Kuliakh during his absence, the Hyari is an important figure within the military, even though he does not have the same power and prestige as the Vashnir or the Kuliakh.

The bulk of the army, however, is known as the Mnemaran, or Soldiers simply put. They are primarily divided into mounted and foot soldiers and further categorized depending on whether they fight from close quarters or afar. They are responsible for upholding the law and defending Khemet against invaders, having but a low amount of prestige while at this stage of their careers. However, a Mnemaran that excels in battle or in law enforcement might receive the honour of being called an Akhis Mneraman, or, in other words, a Veteran Soldier. Along with an increased salary, they also receive a greater deal of prestige, even though that comes at the price of further expectations towards their actions.

 

Commerce

In Khemet, there is no shame in forsaking the path of the warrior in order to become a crafter or merchant. In fact, they have almost no limitation towards the kind of activity a citizen is able to perform to attain prestige. What defines a shameful or praiseworthy career is the amount of power or gold obtained as a result from work, especially since those two things cannot be easily dissociated from one another among the Khemetar.

For these reasons, those that successfully earn their living through commerce often find themselves to be in a position of influence within their society. That is especially true when a merchant is able to create commercial liaisons with businessmen from other nations and, thus, be capable of showcasing rare and unusual goods among their wares. Due to the arid climate, the Khemetar are prone to import delicacies from other races as well as timber and other resources their land is devoid of. Even though they do not have a great variety of goods to offer in exchange, their durable linen is often saught by foreigners. Of course, their abundance of valuable minerals such as gold and silver, as well as gems, more than makes up for such a narrow array of bargaining goods.

Khemetar merchants enjoy a good deal of freedom, having direct organization to administer them. This, however, results in a certain drawback they must face. Every Spring, during the festivities in honour of Mah’tet and the renewal of the cycle of life, citizens are expected to make donations to The Throne. The most substantial ones certainly come from the craftsmen and competition here plays again an important. The six families that donate the largest amounts of gold, which must exceed at least ten gold coins, are given a temporary Writ of Passage that not only grants them the opportunity to travel abroad and to receive foreign guests in their households, but also entitles them to the status of Khalasha, the Khemetar nobility.

 

The Khalasha

The six merchant families that receive Writs of Passage in the aforementioned manner are temporarily considered to be part of the Khemetar nobility for the duration of their Writs. There are also some other citizens in Khemet who are regarded as Khalasha for as long as they fill a certain position within the society. Those are: the Grand Vizier, the Vizier, the High Priestess, Priests and Priestesses, the Vashnir, the Kuliakh and the Kaphiri. These men and women have the right to visit foreign lands as long as that does not compromise the duties they are expected to perform. Moreover, they are the only Khemetar citizens who can receive outlanders as guests within their household. Other than those rights, they are also to be treated by the rest of the populace with utmost respect and to be regarded as a higher priority in everything.

 

Marriage & Offspring

Marriage, in Khemet, is almost uniquely arranged by parents. It is tradionally done this way not only to take full advantage of the negotiations that preceed the matrimonial rites, but also to avoid grievance. When two families agree to marry their children, the first thing they need to decide is which one of them will gain a new family member and which one of them will lose one. This is usually deliberated in a very simple and yet effective manner: the family that offers the greatest sum of valuables will get to keep both theirs and the other family’s member. For this very reason, the Khemetar pay close attention to the education and health of their offspring. Within a Khemetar household lies the only place in the desert where one person actually cares for the next one. Again, it is certainly debatable whether this interest is genuine or not, since a family member is regarded as an asset. One way or another, this concern certainly does not imply exaggerated displays of affection, but rather a zeal regarding the well-being and development of all family members.

 

General attitude towards the other races

vs. Alyrians

They are a quite resourceful people. It is in our best interests to keep them content in order to ensure the stability of our timber trade routes. Other than that, they are polite and pleasant enough to deal with and make good allies.

vs. Azhurans

Despite their strange habits and the difficulty to get a permission to visit them, it is definitely worth it to keep good relations with the Azhurans, since their Obsidian is rather invaluable.

vs. Mhordul

They lack the appropriate communicational skills through which negotiations are usualy carried out. Moreover, they have nothing that we can take advantage of, except their will to destroy life in general. However, trying to manipulate them can lead to regrettable situations, so it is usually best to simply avoid them altogether.

vs. Tyreans

Dealing with a Tyrean is a very delicate matter, since they tend to be quite unstable and unreliable. Nonetheless, it is certainly worth it to take the risk in order to get our hands on a sizeable amount of Steel.

vs. Vhalurians

They have a bit of every common thing, but nothing overly exotic or useful. We mostly seek them for cheap food and beverage. However, we should never trust them completely, because theirs is a society in which men are too different from one another, which leads them to unstable periods and thoughtless acts that have, in the past, even led us to war.