Selesymemar
Selesymemar is an ascendant polity on the eastern coast of Kahara. Originally one of many smaller human populated polities, Selesymemar through strategic political alliances and conquest gained and integrated these neighbors. After that they started, through a series of wars, chipping away at the remains of the Thaxninham Empire until they lost most of their holdings except control of the strait leading into central Kahara.
History
The earliest records of history showing humans living on the east coast of Kahara are millennia old, starting from settled tribes to eventually a series of smaller polities.
Selesymemar was originally not particularly noteworthy among these polities, but innovations in military structure a couple centuries ago would give it an edge. By reinforcing large groups of levies with a small well trained professional fighting force under direct control of the ruler Selesymemar saw success in conquering its neighbors.
While the process took several decades, Selesymemar had united the culturally similar but distinct groups in its region. Many of the newly conquered nobles pledged fealty to their new rulers and for most the difference was felt in greater ease of travel more than anything else, as linguistically the countries were already similar.
After that a series of wars against Thaxninham for complete control over the Kaharan east coast took place. These wars ended with decisive but not complete victories for Selesymemar, and as Selesymemar slowly took control of their new lands, consolidating control over large parts of the Kaharan east coast. Ultimately these campaigns stalled as Thaxninham was guaranteed protection by Chigulfia and the Olcea Trade League, but by then Selesymemar had become the dominant power on the Kaharan east coast.
Military
The core unit of Selesymemarian military operations is largely levies with a core of trained professional slave soldiers trained from a young age loyal to the Selesymemar ruler rather than any lesser noble, many of which are trained in war magic to serve in fire support roles or designed to raid an opposing army's back lines. Leadership from nobles trained in war magic serve as professional officers.
Selesymemarian naval strength is noteworthy compared to the rest of the Kaharan east coast, but is mostly an anti-piracy force of lighter ships augmented by wind magic.
Magic
Most Selesymemarian magic is themed around the trade winds the credit with their success. While all major schools of magic have a presence in Selesymemar many spells take on the appearance of air and wind. Elementalists focusing on wind magic are the most well known.
Selesymemarian War Magic
Outside of Selesymemar, the most common magic associated with them is war magic. This often takes the form of destructive winds, such as a Barrage appearing as a powerful tornado touching down on its target, but the wind can also represent transportation when used with an ability such as Scout Teleport. On the sea their wind magic is best known for aiding its ships in maneuver and combat.
This development of Selesymemarian war magic is relatively recent, within the past couple centuries. At first it was primarily in a fire support capacity but as Selesymemar's neighbors started to respond with less dense army formations it would evolve to include spells to assist with infiltration and damaging enemy supply lines. This corresponds to the rise in increased wealth from trade which led to Selesymemarian magic appearing to be associated with the wind.
Foreign Affairs
Selesymemar is slowly expanding its influence over the Kaharan east coast, regularly looking for opportunities to keep expanding its influence. While they have made some conquests and alliances to secure key inland trade routes, much of their focus is on the coastal areas.
Tensions with Thaxninham, the Olcea Trade League, and Chigulfia are omnipresent, especially when Selesymemarian ships wish to travel inland or the other powers wish to trade along the Kaharan east coast. In most times, ships are able to ply these trade lanes just fine, but diplomatic incidents have created temporary prohibitions on trade between Selesymemar and these other polities.
Another feature of Selesymemarian foreign affairs are the client polities which are not ruled by Selesymemar directly, but bound to Selesymemar through economic ties which favor Selesymemar to the point of using Selesymemarian coinage rather than their own.
Religion
Religion in Selesymemar is a complicated matter, particularly to outsiders. At the highest levels of government, there are occasional rituals to appease spirit beasts but little in the way of a rigid priesthood. Selesymemar itself does not ban temples, shrines, and other forms of religious practice, but outside of appeasing spirit beasts the potentates of Selesymemar see little need to involve themselves in the affairs of the gods. For commoners there are a wide array of folk practices, regularly scoffed at by nobility as mere superstition.
Relationship with the gods
Nobility
At the level of the potentate, beyond appeasing spirit beasts there is little interest in a relationship with the gods. This is not atheism, but rather a belief the gods have rather limited interests in the world Selesymemar inhabits. It could be said the rulers of Selesymemar keep the gods at a distance; there is respect for their power but little interest in a close relationship. The nobility largely follow suit in this regard.
Selesymemarian nobility and diplomats who travel have little difficulty participating in foreign rituals if needed. They know the gods and spirit beasts exist and are willing to participate when needed as a local social expectation or to grow a diplomatic relationship.
Commoners
Selesymemarian commoners participate in a wide range of local folk practices, from worshiping household and community gods to participating in smaller scale rituals for a wide range of daily needs such as a good harvest or fertility. Nobility treats these practices with some degree of scorn but they are tolerated. Commoners seem to accept the potentate's limited participation as his rituals work to appease the spirit beasts.
While commoner religious practice is often looked down upon by the nobility, commoners are generally free to engage in religious activity as they see fit.
Economy
Selesymemar has a vibrant market based economy where a wide variety of goods and services may be traded for those who have the resources to do so.
Money
While most commoners, when they have the occasional need to use money, will use coins, for particularly large transactions there has been some use of paper money from private banks in use by some nobility and merchants trading in great amounts of goods. This paper money is not legal tender, but it has established itself enough the notes of reputable banks are gaining wide acceptance among the nobility and wealthy merchants.
Currently all paper money is backed by precious metals by banks providing the notes.
Banking
Selesymemarian banking is rather advanced by the standards of Kahara. There are no major prohibitions on changing interest on loans. The primary use of this currently is to enable merchants to take on greater risk in transporting goods and mercenary companies attempting to establish themselves. This has led to greater wealth for urban dwellers at the expense of peasantry and commoners when they have the need to use money.
Culture
Urban Population
The urban population of Selesymemar is growing, especially as the need for labor in cities increases. This has led to a relatively fast speed for social mobility among commoners compared to the rest of Kahara, with particularly wealthy commoners sometimes being offered the ability to marry in to noble families as well as some opportunities to attain landless noble titles with donations made to the right organizations, people, and places. These opportunities to attain a noble title are more plentiful if the commoner actually does perform a great service for Selesymemar. On the other side of this, however, is social mobility downward is also faster as the highly competitive Selesymemarian urban culture is such that one may fall behind if a patron finds a better suited client or one makes a bad business deal secured with debt.
Cultural Taboos
While Selesymemarian culture is rather tolerant of risk taking in business ventures in the pursuit of wealth, wagering money on games of chance is culturally taboo and generally banned.
