Rahadoum

The nation of Rahadoum in northwestern Garund is unusual in that it is the only nation known to have forbidden the practice of any and all religions within its borders.2 Its founding principle can be summed up by a single phrase: "let no mortal be beholden to a god".

Geography

Rahadoum is an arid desert nation on the north-western corner of Garund. The Path of Salt leads eastwards from the Cheliax-controlled area south of the Arch of Aroden to the port city of Manaket. To the south of the country, the Napsune Mountains form the border with the Sodden Lands and also stretch northwards into the country's interior. East of the Napsune Mountains, the Barrier Wall marks the border with the Mwangi Expanse.

Islands

Along the western coast there are a number of islands, the largest of which are Phahalen Island, the Jagged Reach, and (largest of all) Nuat. In the Inner Sea, Bika-Rano Isle lies east of Manaket.

Rivers

In the east, the Uta River rises in the Napsune Mountains and flows northeast to the border with Thuvia, before heading northwest into the Inner Sea. One of the country's longest rivers, the Winding Way flows westwards from the Napsune Mountains, past the mysterious area of marsh and forest known as the Eternal Oasis. It merges with the Jodin River, and flows past Azir, the nation's capital city, into the Arcadian Ocean.

Eternal Oasis

Arguably Rahadoum's strangest geographical feature is the Eternal Oasis, a seemingly impossible lush jungle and wetland located west of the Winding Way in the middle of the desert. In this unique place, thousands of freshwater springs gush forth, forming crystal-clear ponds and intricate marshlands that nurture lush, towering trees that would seem more at home in the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse. What is even stranger is that these trees consume the available water so efficiently that the boundary between desert and forest remains razor-sharp, with no seepage into the sandy expanses beyond. Whether this stark division is a result of magic or simply a natural wonder remains an unanswered enigma.

Jistkan ruins

Rahadoum is home to a number of either fabled or well-known ruins from the Jistka Imperium. These include Lost Yemal in the southern Napsune Mountains; the Tomb of Emperors in the eastern desert; and the abandoned Hanging City of Teskra.

Government

The Laws of Mortality.

The Kingdom of Man, as Rahadoum is sometimes called, is ruled by a Council of Elders comprised of representatives from every major settlement and nomadic group. The Keeper of the First Law is elected from within the council and serves as its overseer for a five-year term. The current Keeper is Malduoni, a widely popular man serving in his unprecedented fourth term in office.

Capital

The seat of government is located in Azir, the nation's largest city. The rulers and citizens of Rahadoum continue to follow the Laws of Mortality, written by Kalim Onaku in 555 AR, which strictly prohibit the practice of any form of religion within the borders of the land. The government's primary military and peacekeeping force, especially with respect to the quelling of religious cults, speech, and paraphernalia, is the Pure Legion.7

Governing philosophy

The Council of Elders is primarily concerned with the future of their country, having little interest in digging around in its past. They leave such pursuits to the wizards of Manaket's Occularium.

Military

Rahadoum possesses a powerful navy to protect its merchant fleets from pirates, particularly those from the Shackles to the south, but also from attacks by Chelaxian privateers. A large naval base is located near the capital of Azir and the town of Botosani on the agricultural island of Nuat.

The Rainwall

Within the mud-brick fortress of Haldun on Rahadoum's southern border, vigilant soldiers oversee the Rainwall, a comprehensive system of guards and mystical enchantments meticulously devised to safeguard against the sinister predators of the Sodden Lands, preventing their insidious incursion to the north.

Foreign relations

Relations are poor with neighbouring Thuvia, due to that country's large number of worshippers of the Sun god. Relations with Osirion might be expected to be strained for the same reason, but in fact both nations see the benefits of being good neighbours to one another, and pragmatism has won out over religious differences.

To the south, Rahadoum has little interest in the wilds of the Mwangi Expanse, while its shipping suffers at the hands of Shackles pirates.

The country's other neighbours—the hurricane-blasted Sodden Lands, devil-dominated Cheliax, and the religious assassins of Mediogalti Island—are seen as a vindication of Rahadoum's decision to ban religion.

Economy

The country's fine cloth, exotic produce, and gemstones are sought-after by foreign merchants, who generally do not allow any religious scruples to get in the way of profits. Other exports include salt, dates, tropical fruit (from the Eternal Oasis), base metals, tools, and herbal remedies, but is a major importer of other foods.

Rahadoum is also a major exporter of ingenious machines and produces incomparable engineers as its citizens have been forced to rely on their intellect and imaginations to solve problems instead of solving them with divine magic.

Trade issues with Cheliax

Rahadoum's trade is hindered by Cheliax's control of the Hespereth Strait, the connection in sea travel between the Inner Sea and the Arcadian Ocean. Cheliax heavily taxes any trade ships passing through the strait while secretly funding a number of privateer fleets that attack non-Chelaxian shipping in the area. In response, Rahadoum conscripted its native merchant vessels into a massive merchant marine fleet. This tactic has been so successful that merchants of other nations wishing to transport goods westwards through the Arch of Aroden have taken to using armed Rahadoumi ships to do so. Typically, they hand over their cargo in Manaket, then travel across country to Azir to reclaim it once it has passed through the Arch.

Merchant shipping in the south has suffered heavily from attacks by the pirates of the Shackles. The Eye of Abendego seriously hampers efforts by the navy to chase down pirate vessels, and the navy are offering a large reward for pilots able to provide accurate charts or help navigate around the hurricane.

Inhabitants

Most inhabitants of Rahadoum are human, with the most common ethnicities being Garundi and Mauxi. A significant number of faultspawn cambions live in Rahadoum, and owing to their asura heritage share the atheist nation's disdain for deities.

The nomadic Shemtej catfolk roam amongst the most remote and dangerous reaches of Rahadoum's deserts in free-wheeling caravan trains. Believed by many in the region to be the divinely-blessed children of the cat-headed protector goddess Bastet, they are also believed to ward against many of the deserts' most dangerous and evil spirits.

Rahadoum is also the westernmost nation of the Sand Brethren lizardfolk, a diverse group of cultures that ranges from western Casmaron and is united by the nocturnal traders of the Zephyr Kin.