The World of Peranda: Andallians

These men are some of the most resilient of all the races of Endura. Forced to begin civilization in the vast deserts of their homeland, they soon overcame their hardships and formed a burgeoning empire that rivaled even that of the ancient Elven realm Meldanor. In A.C. (Age of Civilization) 1556, the current Khan of the Andallian Empire, Kilanthi II, divided the empire into what he called "City-Realms"; These were tracts of land that were allotted to their respective cities and were allowed to mostly rule themselves.

For many years, Andallia was composed of many entirely independent cities, connected together by trade and mutual profit. There was no Khan, rather there was instead a council of leaders that met annually, where the leadership of each individual city (or in the case of the Three Cities of the Andal, the leader of all three) met to discuss matters at home and abroad. This council was called the Ra'maah, and it was usually held in Nore, the unofficial capital of Andallia.

In A.C. 1724, a rogue Nore general named Badul Rashira led a coup against the Ra'maah, storming the council and forcing them to declare him Khan of Andallia. Ever since that day, the Ra'maah continued to be held, but the Khan would oversee it and only enact those policies which he saw fit to.

Though their domestic life was full of bloodshed, Andallia has also often been at odds with the neighboring feudal Kingdom of Tania, and the land between their realms is a wretched and unclaimed place known as The Waste. Countless wars have taken place between them, but these have slowly petered off into cold silence and disregard.

The Andallians live by a caste system, with the warrior caste rising to positions of power while the farmers and craftsmen remain near the bottom. Acts of bravery and skill in combat are highly valued, and to kill a foe in single combat is the only way to rise from one caste to the next.

They worship a massive pantheon of gods, though the entire number of gods remains unknown. Many Andallian cities have a patron god, and the city usually contains a massive temple dedicated to him or her. For example, the slave city of Rawn worships the god Bar, the god of slaves. Veshtar, the supreme diety, is worshipped primarily in Nore but also has temples in many other towns. He is also known as Neshti, though when worshiped as Neshti he is depicted as a woman. Since they have no organized state religion, there are often small religious conflicts that take place between the cities. These are often solved at the Ra'maah, though some have been known to last for many years.

Note: Andallia is the main location of my upcoming story, and much more will be revealed about their culture over time.