Separated from Cho-Lin by the Raging Jungles in the south, Bazram is a sprawling land with disorganized cities and a multitude of varieties of worship that dazzles the senses and boggles the mind. The land of Bazram is part of a major sea trade route to the Autumn Lands in the north, and its capital city of Singh Rash (named after its founding king) is the traditional preparation point for any eastward ocean voyage to Hydra or the Summer Country. The country has also been the subject of at least six known invasions from various nations, though each time Bazram has been invaded, the invaders have either been absorbed into the highly adaptive local culture and faded from view, or else departed in disgust after discovering that those who do not adapt to local custom are unable to get local help.
Major Races: Humans; Halfling; Beastfolk. Most of the human and halfling population have dark, copper-toned skin and thick black hair, though the tone of skin tends to vary somewhat to lighter shades the closer to the north one lives. This statement on appearance is only a general one, however, since Bazram sees so much trade and exchange with other nations, and its native population freely accepts most other races and enthicities without many qualms.
Government: Princely caste system, with the warrior and priestly castes on the top with roughly equal power, from whom are chosen the princes that divide up the nation among themselves, and the king that the princes elect for a lifetime after the death of the prior king. These two castes are followed by the scholarly caste (which includes many wizards), with the merchant caste right under that, and then followed by a succession of various occupations. Sorcerous users of arcane magic are considered outcastes (pariahs), as are those who handle the dead (undertakers, butchers, etcetera), beggars, and criminals. Pariahs are considered only a step above animals on the scale of existence, and while it is still a crime to casually kill a pariah, almost any justification for this act will be accepted, seldom necessitating a court trial. One’s occupation is determined by one’s birth caste, which is considered to be the dictate of one’s karma and the gods, and there is little chance for upward social mobility, though downward social mobility is quite easy, requiring only a few broken laws or shattered taboos. The major exception to this is a possible rise to the merchant caste, either through hard work or dumb luck, that leads to the acquisition of enough money to gain this job, though such a one is always looked down upon. While these caste-defying upstarts are looked down upon by everyone, halting any further social mobility, and sometimes even undoing what little upward climbing has been made, their children, surprisingly enough, do not have this stigma at all, and some are even able to rise into the ranks of the priests and warriors through exceptional talent and devotion. The other method for advancement beyond the caste of one’s parents is through an act of the gods or the whims of fate, which clearly mark an individual as something special, which usually is enough to bring even the lowest of pariah infants to the attention and subsequent care of the priestly or warrior castes.
Nation Alignment: Neutral
Major Cities
Singh Rash: Capital and home; largest trade center in the nation; major port city.
Nok Zum: Holy city; built on the edge of the jungle; center of art and literature; major spice and tropical luxury gathering center.
Shimin: Largest city on Therafim, massive community based around the fertile farm country between the Twin Rivers.
