Post by Beolakh on Nov 4, 2007 15:57:09 GMT -5
Quamnis: Land of Rains
People from Quamnis are "Qualtls," singular "Qualtl."
Climate: Quamnis is a tropical/temperate zone characterized by heavy daily rainfall and warm to muggy temperatures. This kind of weather is conducive to thick foliage and densely packed trees in the rainforests, which are home to untold multitudes of animals and plants.
Terrain: The heart of Quamnis is the Yoatl Basin. The Axitce, Axitome, and Axiteiyi Rivers flow into its center, forming Atla Lake, which drains eastward through the gargantuan Hualquiztia River into the sea. The basin is shielded by the Tepentl Mountains to the east, north, and west, which grants the region plentiful rain with few violent storms.
Lake Atla is home to the City of Atla, built by the tehuanti from 3111 to 3327 d.s. It floats on a series of artificial islands in the colossal lake's center, connected to the shore by a series of gated causeways. The "Atli," or people and military forces of Atla, are the dominant tribe of Quamnis.
The Tepentl Mountains, which run along Quamnis' western coast and wrap around the Yoatl Basin, are characterized by hard, jagged, solid-looking peaks. Most are of volcanic origins and are rich in hard, igneous rock and various precious volcanic stones. The mountains around the midpoint of the coastal segment of the range are the highest--nearly all pass above treeline. The tops of these mountains are virtually always wrapped in stormclouds and continuous crackles of lightning; such conditions make exploration difficult. No one has ever made it to the peak of the central mountain, Manahuatlapan--nor has anyone ever been able to see its summit, due to the thick thunderheads that envelope it during all seasons. The tehuanti believe the mountain is the home of Teotquiyatlu, the rain god.
While the terrain within the bend of the Tepentl is lush and blanketed with rainforest, the narrow strips outside the mountains--to the west and north--are marshy and windswept, home to countless tributaries grown over with grasses and reeds and filled with crocodiles and amphibians. Few sentients--save the odd tehuanti exile--inhabit these parts.
People: The native Qualtl tehuanti have remained in a tribally-based society for millenia. While for a time the Talambrians had become excited over reports of golden cities hidden in the Qualtl rainforests, they lacked the naval strength to launch any major expeditions, and the Aethereans and Thromese lacked the motivation to pursue a costly conquest through the jungles. Therefore, Qualtl culture has remained virtually untouched throughout the centuries.
However, it would be misinformed to dub Quamnis a "primitive" nation. Elven explorers in the mid 4200's d.s. were astounded by the technological know-how the tehuanti possessed in constructing the buoyant city of Atla, a feat whose equal was not found anywhere in Aetherae. The Atli are governed by a complex social system, which they extend over the satellite tribes in their domain (which stretches throught the Yoatl and down much of the southern peninsula), and their culture is richly developed.
The native religion of the Qualtls is based around a series of elemental deities, chief of whom is the rain god Teotquiyatlu. The Qualtl calendar is based around this pantheon and includes a number of seasonal festivals commemorating various deities and their contributions to the cycle of nature.
Government: The various tehuanti tribes of the isle are headed by tlatoa or chiefs. Various tribes appoint tlatoa in various ways, though hereditary reign is rare. The High Tlatoa of Atla is considered by the Aetherans to be the sovereign ruler of Quamnis as a whole, as he wields significant power over the other tribes as well as his own.
Economy: Prior to contact with the elves, the tehuanti were unaware of civilizations beyond their shores and engaged in no intercontinental trade. (Some Thromese archaeologists believe a series of west-coast Sradan cave drawings from the late third millenium d.s. depict tehuanti-like figures, suggesting some tehuanti may have crossed the ocean to Srada in the late 2000's; however, most scholars remain skeptical of the theory.) Even now, most international trade is conducted by Aetheran and Thromese entrepreneurs working out of the various human colonies on the Yoatl coast while the tehuanti themselves continue to trade only with their own kind. While the Qualtl do possess some stores of gold, the rumors that circulated Talambar for a time were grossly exaggerated; the principal commodoties of the region are tehuanti slaves, animal skins, exotic fruits, medicinal plants, jade, and obsidian.
((Note: the Qualtl language is based on Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs). If you're looking for some Qualtl-sounding words and names, there's a handy lexicon here.))
People from Quamnis are "Qualtls," singular "Qualtl."
Climate: Quamnis is a tropical/temperate zone characterized by heavy daily rainfall and warm to muggy temperatures. This kind of weather is conducive to thick foliage and densely packed trees in the rainforests, which are home to untold multitudes of animals and plants.
Terrain: The heart of Quamnis is the Yoatl Basin. The Axitce, Axitome, and Axiteiyi Rivers flow into its center, forming Atla Lake, which drains eastward through the gargantuan Hualquiztia River into the sea. The basin is shielded by the Tepentl Mountains to the east, north, and west, which grants the region plentiful rain with few violent storms.
Lake Atla is home to the City of Atla, built by the tehuanti from 3111 to 3327 d.s. It floats on a series of artificial islands in the colossal lake's center, connected to the shore by a series of gated causeways. The "Atli," or people and military forces of Atla, are the dominant tribe of Quamnis.
The Tepentl Mountains, which run along Quamnis' western coast and wrap around the Yoatl Basin, are characterized by hard, jagged, solid-looking peaks. Most are of volcanic origins and are rich in hard, igneous rock and various precious volcanic stones. The mountains around the midpoint of the coastal segment of the range are the highest--nearly all pass above treeline. The tops of these mountains are virtually always wrapped in stormclouds and continuous crackles of lightning; such conditions make exploration difficult. No one has ever made it to the peak of the central mountain, Manahuatlapan--nor has anyone ever been able to see its summit, due to the thick thunderheads that envelope it during all seasons. The tehuanti believe the mountain is the home of Teotquiyatlu, the rain god.
While the terrain within the bend of the Tepentl is lush and blanketed with rainforest, the narrow strips outside the mountains--to the west and north--are marshy and windswept, home to countless tributaries grown over with grasses and reeds and filled with crocodiles and amphibians. Few sentients--save the odd tehuanti exile--inhabit these parts.
People: The native Qualtl tehuanti have remained in a tribally-based society for millenia. While for a time the Talambrians had become excited over reports of golden cities hidden in the Qualtl rainforests, they lacked the naval strength to launch any major expeditions, and the Aethereans and Thromese lacked the motivation to pursue a costly conquest through the jungles. Therefore, Qualtl culture has remained virtually untouched throughout the centuries.
However, it would be misinformed to dub Quamnis a "primitive" nation. Elven explorers in the mid 4200's d.s. were astounded by the technological know-how the tehuanti possessed in constructing the buoyant city of Atla, a feat whose equal was not found anywhere in Aetherae. The Atli are governed by a complex social system, which they extend over the satellite tribes in their domain (which stretches throught the Yoatl and down much of the southern peninsula), and their culture is richly developed.
The native religion of the Qualtls is based around a series of elemental deities, chief of whom is the rain god Teotquiyatlu. The Qualtl calendar is based around this pantheon and includes a number of seasonal festivals commemorating various deities and their contributions to the cycle of nature.
Government: The various tehuanti tribes of the isle are headed by tlatoa or chiefs. Various tribes appoint tlatoa in various ways, though hereditary reign is rare. The High Tlatoa of Atla is considered by the Aetherans to be the sovereign ruler of Quamnis as a whole, as he wields significant power over the other tribes as well as his own.
Economy: Prior to contact with the elves, the tehuanti were unaware of civilizations beyond their shores and engaged in no intercontinental trade. (Some Thromese archaeologists believe a series of west-coast Sradan cave drawings from the late third millenium d.s. depict tehuanti-like figures, suggesting some tehuanti may have crossed the ocean to Srada in the late 2000's; however, most scholars remain skeptical of the theory.) Even now, most international trade is conducted by Aetheran and Thromese entrepreneurs working out of the various human colonies on the Yoatl coast while the tehuanti themselves continue to trade only with their own kind. While the Qualtl do possess some stores of gold, the rumors that circulated Talambar for a time were grossly exaggerated; the principal commodoties of the region are tehuanti slaves, animal skins, exotic fruits, medicinal plants, jade, and obsidian.
((Note: the Qualtl language is based on Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs). If you're looking for some Qualtl-sounding words and names, there's a handy lexicon here.))