Tamirlar Xilaq is a region on the dark-counterroundwards coast of Luxiterra inhabited by a group of Xilaq known as the Xilaq Tam (which translates roughly to the "Water People"), and governed from the port city of Uyde. The area is hot, wet and fertile, with the coastline providing much land for agriculture, especially in the form of paddy fields for rice and taro. Inland, there is a thick jungle, from which the Xilaq Tam harvest a number of tropical woods, medicines, and other more unusual products.
Scarcely two centuries ago, the Xilaq Tam would have much resembled the Xilaq Jumsaq, perhaps with a little more agriculture, and perhaps with a slightly more legalistic society reminiscent of the Xilaq Jis found on the islands that would later become the Jisvic Hierarchy. They consisted of a number of settled tribes, arranged into independent towns largely around the coast, practicing their own agriculture and laws. Yet times changed, and the nearby governors in the Magnapuri Empire in Jisvacacea and Dostipur, and the successor states that arose after its collapse looked hungrily at Xilaq Tam land. So a conglomerate of chieftains from the various tribes came together, electing to meet at the town of Uyde.
Uyde was a coastal town, considered holy in the local version of the Solistic faith (usually classified as Vitreul Solisticism) as it was a great source of glass, which is thought to be sacred to the Sun God. Here the Chieftains arranged pacts of mutual defence, trade, and embassy, observed and ratified by the local clergy and the Waygazers, a mage order that was based nearby. Uyde was to become the official meeting point between their tribes. Over time, the town grew into a city with a bustling port, with many ships coming in and out carrying a variety of wares; and the tribes began to mingle, acting more as citizens of a single state rather than disparate tribes. In 1073YM, an attempted invasion by opportunists in Dostipur solidified the arrangements, and it was proclaimed that the Xilaq Tam would be a single people, ruled by five pentarchs, consisting of the following:
- The Pentarch of Gold, chosen by the nobility (originating from the families of the various tribal chieftains)
- The Pentarch of Glass, chosen by the clergy of the Sun God
- The Pentarch of Quicksilver, chosen by the mages of the Waygazers
- The Pentarch of Wood, chosen by the captains of the navy
- The Pentarch of Stone, chosen by the freemen of Uyde, almost invariably a merchant
From thenceforth, they would be known as the Tamirlar Xilaq, translating loosely to United Xilaq Tam, or United Water People. The invasion force was defeated, and a permanent navy was established to defend against further attacks. Since then, there have been a few further skirmishes, but no further invasions, though the Tamirlar Xilaq are watchful for another true invasion.
Uyde continued to grow into a bustling port and centre of governance. The Glass Palace was constructed as the location for the pentarchs to meet, a great building of stained glass, through which the Sun illuminates the council chambers perfectly. More traditional Xilaq often view the Xilaq Tam as having strayed from the Sun's Light, by being influenced with outside cultures, and it is true that Uyde is a large port and trades with both the Magnapuri successor states roundwards, and the Manrats of the Ren Shu Empire and its tributaries counterroundwards. However, to a Xilaq Tam, they have seen that it is necessary to adapt to survive, with potential threats closing in on them from all sides. The port exports many of the products of the jungle, as well as Tamirlar glass, famous for its many shades and intricate patterns, and imports military equipment, beasts of burden, and skilled craftsmen and engineers. Tamirlar Xilaq is rapidly catching up in technology to the stagnating Imperial successor states, and seeks to construct a road network to more effectively unify the region. Perhaps in the near future, it will surpass its neighbours, and turn its growing military towards conquest rather than defence...