"Why would we assemble a fleet to hunt the pirates? It is those very same pirates that keep our competitors away from the southern trade routes. Do you wish to give up our supremacy in the Sun Soaked Sea to save a few ships of spice here and there? Think of the bigger picture, or leave this body to the work of your betters!"

-Member of the Council of Five-Hundred, Elegon Inebris

 

Eastern Yogan Culture

In the Shadow of the Empire

 

There was once a noble Sovereign, who brought under their banner the disparate and chaotic Kith of the West. From the shores of the Red Bay, all the way to the Glittering Sea, they united what was at the time the largest human realm in history. Today, most simply refer to it as the Great Jungle Kingdom, named after where it lay, deep in the heart of the Great Western Jungle. However, its true name was Yongara, which in the Yogi language meant Sacred Wood. This nation and people rose, not on its own, but through the benefaction of one of the Dwarvish Underkingdoms, to the north, Broagdoor. The Yogan people harvested fields of lumber, sugar, coffee, and fruits, and sent them up the mountain. In return, the Dwarves sent troves of platinum, which made the kingdom rich and its people prosperous. In these dark days, the Yogans built some of the earliest human settlements outside of Yuyake, and founded massive temples built to honor their God, Metekalon. The Yogans were also not just humans, but also gnomes and kobolds in many great numbers. The gnomes came in droves, seemingly out of nowhere. The kobolds abandoned their master dragon's armies and settled in the shade of the jungle. This mighty kingdom marked one of the first of its kind, and the first successful partnership between Dwarves and other Kith. And yet, all would not last forever. A family of Black Dragons, led by the Dragon Ulenloth of the Falling Sky, set their eyes upon Broagdoor. They besieged and sacked multiple Broagan strongholds, and after several key battles, moved upon Broagdoor itself, besieging the city. After a few years of besieging to no avail, with two of her sons killed during the failed assault, Ulenloth took the survivors and led a scathing and brutal raid against all of Yongara. They melted whole settlements with their breath, and made a mockery of the temples to Metekalon. In a final bid at destruction, the dragon set loose suicidal Wyvern servants to destroy the Great Volcano, which exploded, sending fire and destruction across the whole jungle. Eventually Ulenloth was defeated by a coalition of Yogans and Dwarves, but the damage had been done: the jungle's biomes turned to ash, and where once there was paradise, became a vast desert, known today as the Bleached Desert. The people of this land split into two groups: with their authorities scattered to the winds, most of the kobolds went west. Most of the gnomes went east. This eastern group, completely separated from their western counterparts, fortified towns and villages up and down the coast, turning to fishing to feed themselves, and sitting on the coastal waters, began to trade with adventurous merchants who came upon their bewildered shores. The greatest of these was Tansahore, in their tongue meaning the Emerald Jewel. As the desert became harsher and harsher, trade and communication with their brethren in the West became nearly impossible. All of the goods and trade from Kelior became backed up, and the value of these goods increased astronomically. The goods that reached the coast arrived in Tansahore, and the Yogans that lived there became wealthy from trade. In order to organize trade and use their combined might to control the seas, the merchants of Tansahore formed the Council of Five-Hundred; the 500 richest and most powerful merchants in the city would rule the city as an empowered aristocracy, and would come to dominate trade across the seas. These events sealed Tansahore's central position in the world, and these councilors ensured that Tansahore's power and influence only increased as time went on. Eventually, the desert settlements of the Eastern Yogans became dominated by the Arissian Empire, and Albisium (the province of the desert) became one of the richest provinces in the empire. After over 1,000 years of Arissian rule, the Eastern Yogan culture is almost extinct. The average citizen in Tansahore considers themselves Arissian, not Yogan. Only some of the oldest merchant families and many of the rural citizens of the desert still consider themselves Yogan. In another 1000 years, perhaps the culture will be extinguished entirely.

          Eastern Yogans, unlike their counterparts in the west, have mostly forgotten the lights and glory of the old Yongara Kingdom. None of them still honor the god Metekalon. The only remnant of their ancient selves is perhaps the way they refer to the Arissian Emperor: As the King of Kings. And yet, the culture is distinct from Arissian culture. Eastern Yogan culture formed from the conditions of their past, and the opportunities that came to them on the coastal waters. Eastern Yogans are notably mercantile; unlike in many cultures, the practice of trade is viewed to be a virtuous pursuit, and the fortune that someone can amass is a sign of how successful one was in their life. As such, the poor and destitute are viewed not only as wretched by Eastern Yogans, they are also viewed as abject failures. Eastern Yogans have also been famed for their cunning ways. This often is overexaggerated, but it is true that Eastern Yogans tend to prefer an indirect solution to a problem. Eastern Yogans also tend to rub against more feudalistic cultures, wherein obedience to a strict and unmoving social ladder is assumed. In Tansahore, a poor man could be wealthy in a year, and a wealthy man could be poor in a year, and there is very little sense of a static class among Eastern Yogans. Because of the wealth generated in their cities, the Eastern Yogans have a taste for luxury, something they have in common with their rulers to some extent, however unlike the Arissians, Eastern Yogans have never been accused of sloth. The workers and merchants of Tansahore often wake at the crack of dawn, and keep working until the sun sets. Because of this, laziness to an Eastern Yogan is intolerable. Eastern Yogans are also travelers, and skilled sailors. Therefore, particularly in years past, but still today, members of the culture can be found in every port in the world. One fact that has been commented upon by many visitors to Tansahore has been the casual bloodlust of the inhabitants. The massive arena that the Arissians built in Tansahore when they first captured the city has become an obsession, and so Eastern Yogans of all nature can be found discussing, watching, gambling on, or even participating directly in the games and fights of the Arena. While the Arissians love watching chariot races, the Eastern Yogans desire violent sport above all other forms of entertainment.

          The Eastern Yogan people are most highly concentrated in the imperial province of Albisium, which includes all of the cities south of Eldios along the coast until it meets the Storm Mountains. However, Eastern Yogan merchants have been known to make their homes at ports across Adra, particularly the ones that couldn't keep up in the extremely competitive markets of Tansahore. The races of Eastern Yogan culture are most predominately Gnomish and Human, the Kobolds of the culture having migrated further east long ago. The most popular god among the Eastern Yogans is Alas, though many follow Borondor and the Old Ones, as well as some honoring Saint Atiwa. Eastern Yogans tend to be cunning, egalitarian, and diligent. They also tend to be stingy, blood-thirsty, and decadent. Yogi is still spoken to this day among the culture, surviving largely due to its usage on some official councilor charters and documents. However, most members of the culture use Gnomish as their day-to-day language, and it is the language of the merchants and bankers of Tansahore. Most members of the culture learn High Arissian if they wish to be sociable and successful.

 

If you choose the Eastern Yogan Culture, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Intelligence score or a +1 to your Charisma score~

~A -1 to your Strength score~

~As a known language, either Yogi, High Arissian Common, or Gnomish~

~A Sub-Discipline in every knowledge skill on checks relating to Eastern Yogan Culture~

 

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