The Tukham kingdom

Tukham Muruk (The Tukham kingdom)

Government: Unitary city states ruled by a gerontocratic council with head of state as military leader.

Head of state: Warlord Altan of clan Nin

Capital: Caglyyan

Ruling race: Uruk

Riches, beauty and luxury are three things that define the Tukham people. Tukham Muruk is an out-and-out trade nation from the great southern desert. With its roots in nomadic culture, the kingdom has grown out of harsh circumstances and neverending vandering between waterholes to create great glimmering mountain cities.

Geographically the kingdom is just desert and solitary mountains, mesas and buttes that have been carved out by the harsh desert winds. The sparse life that exists tends to be found around water holes and oases or in proximity to the larger mountains, high enough to have snow on top. As the snow melts, it creates seasonal streams of water that runs down into the desert sand where it goes down into the aquifer, where it's led out into the desert to fill the waterholes and oases.

Because of the geography, the kingdom consists of a number of large cities built on and into the solitary mountains and lacks all but one resource, namely trinitum. Because of this, the Tukham kingdom has quickly become a major power in the world. Each mountain city is under the rule of a clan, which in turn is led by the eldest.

Historically the different clans wandered the desert along routes between oases, herding stock and gathering resources, often clashing with other clans. When a source of trinitum was found, one man rose to power, proclaiming himself warlord using the money he got from trading with the outside. Through the promise of riches, young warriors from all clans joined him. Though it was not without resistance from the other clan elders. Facing a war that could not be won, a large gathering of clan elders conveyed with the warlord to come to terms with the change before them. A proposal came that each clan that joined would be granted their own home in exchange that they would volunteer men for military service that would be fully under control of the warlord. It was agreed upon one condition, that the elder of each clan would be granted a place on a council that would take care of all internal politics. A deal was struck and from this the Tukham kingdom was established. With time, the elder council would become the true power of the state, limiting the warlord's influence on political matters. However, the warlord still holds all military power and thus these entities keep each other in check.

Out of this a golden age began as clans started to build settlements around sources of trinitum, which they traded for wares and coin with the nations and people outside the desert. Over night, the once nomadic people became the wealthiest merchants known and the people embraced it, making trade their new pillar of life.

However, there were some clans did not accept the new ways. Be it either for sake of tradition or political disagreement, these clans were exiled from the cities. These clans and those who are part of them are called Kuvmac. Many of the kuvmac returned to the nomadic life of old while some choose to embrace change in their own ways, becoming free traders, smugglers or even pirates. They travel unrestricted, taking anything they feel will bring them new riches.

Each clan, even those of the kuvmac, builds a common palace-like home called "haxane". As the clan expands with member, so does the haxane. The great clans that rule over cities usually build their haxane on the highest point available and expands it downwards, while lower clans (depending on standing in society) build low and expand upwards. The belief is that as the haxane grows higher, so does the status of the clans. This is in contrast to the ruling clan that believe that by expanding downwards, they make the roots of their clan spread and cement their high status. If there ever is a feud between clans, the one that lose in the end will have their haxane destroyed as a sign of their defeat. However, for the clans of higher status, a more symbolic destruction is done by building a wall or pillar in connection to their haxane and with a cermony together with the other clan (or clans), it is razed. This symbolic action saves face for the defeated clan and let them keep their haxane, that has been built on for generations. Only those of really low status or believers of more orthodox tradition have their haxane destroyed.