Warlords of NUM

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The World of NUM NUM (which rhymes with "doom") is the world of the living¸ where mortals grapple with their fates and await their destinies. It is called NUM after the Numina¸ the gods that oversaw the birth of the world¸ and who eventually will see its end. NUM was the first word spoken by the first god¸ which breathed life into the world; some say that this word reverberates still¸ and when the last echoes of the first word fade¸ the world will fade as well. NUM is a barbaric world¸ and it breeds barbaric people. The lands of Thrace¸ Khitai¸ and Ilwraithe are no exception: force is respected¸ and the weak are enslaved¸ or worse. In Thrace¸ to the west of Khitai¸ is this fact least obscured: the Thracians are brutal¸ coarse¸ and uncivilized¸ even by the standards of NUM. By contrast¸ the Ilwraithe to the east of Khitai have a veneer of culture and sophistication¸ and indeed¸ the Ilwraithe do value such arts as calligraphy¸ music¸ and ceremonial dance¸ but at the core of Ilwraithe society is a strict heirarchy wherein those with power extract absolute obedience from those with less. Between these two extremes lie the lands of Khitai. In Khitai¸ the weak are still subjected to the depredations of the strong¸ but for the most part the people of Khitai are more civilized than the Thracians and less oppressed than the Ilwraithe. Khitai is separated into four parts: Scythia¸ Symeria¸ Kazaran¸ and Cinnabar. The inhabitants of the Cinnabar Sultanate are arguably the least barbaric of these. Cinnabar has fertile soil (by the standards of NUM¸ anyway) and easy access to the sea¸ making Cinnabar the most prosperous kingdom in Khitai. The precious metal arn is as rare in Cinnabar as in the rest of NUM¸ but the Cinnabari knowledge of metallurgy is more advanced than most¸ and the bronze scimitars of Cinnabar are effective and valued weapons. Cinnabar was conquered by the Ilwraithe some score years ago¸ along with the rest of Khitai. Fortunately for the Khitaj¸ the Ilwraithe were content to leave behind only a few representives of their Empire¸ and the bulk of their vast army returned home to the East. The Satraps¸ as the Ilwraithe overlords are called¸ seldom meddle in the affairs of the Sultanate¸ content to lounge in the palaces of the rulers over whom they keep watch¸ and count the tribute sent through them back to Kangxi¸ Seventh Golden Emperor of the Dynasty of Tsang¸ ruler of the Ilwraithe Imperium.