Uraq
From Praemal
A desert nation occupying the north coast of the continent to the south of the Southern Sea.
The cities of Uraq are almost entirely coastal, as inland is the aptly named Great Desert. Foremost among them are Rashadar -- referred to by many as Rashadar the Great -- and Mazin -- often called Mazin the Wicked.
Beyond the desert lies the Distant South behind the Scorched Peaks.
The border village of Kelmarane is located in the far southwest of Uraq, over two hundred miles from the coast.
History
Hundreds of years before the Lion-Guarded Throne rose to power, the Golden Caliphate of Uraq held sway over most of the known world. By controlling the Southern Sea, this economic and seafaring power claimed most of the commerce in all the surrounding lands. But the empires of Uraq have always risen and fallen, and the Golden Caliphate was the last time Uraq was to rise. Even today, Uraqi culture and innovations influence nearly every culture in the known world, including in the fields of astronomy, advanced mathematics and medicine, much of which originated in Uraq.
Today, Uraq is nominally part of the Tarsisian Empire, but it has been almost 100 years since Tarsis had any direct control over its neighbor to the south.
Culture
There is a strong cultural divide between so-called "city Uraqis" and the nomads of the Great Desert, including the worship of different gods and other customs. In Rashadar, there is a tendency to view the nomads as inherently more pure, and more "Uraqi," although it's not a view shared by the ruling elite, who view most of the nomads as bandits at worst and beggars at best.
Nomadic cultural influences show up in even the most urbanized Uraqi households, including strong traditions concerning hospitality and charity, an unapologetically severe handling of crime and (to residents of the empire) a very backwards view on the role of women.
When one is on good terms with an Uraqi, there is no better friend in the world. When on bad terms, though, there is no worse enemy.
Religion
Today, Hannan, Lord of the Sun, is theoretically the god of all Uraqis, who live by his grace and whose light destroys impurity and exposes sinners. In practice, Hannan is mostly worshiped in Rashadar and the surrounding communities.
Among most merchants, lip service and outright worship is given to Abadar, a hold over from when the Golden Caliphate ruled much of the world.
The nomads of the Great Desert have always worshiped Rajek the Wanderer, who leads them to clean water and oases full of date trees and watches over their widely scattered flocks of dwarf goats.
And in Mazin, the worship of Set and Tiamat has never quite fallen away, even as the city's newest ruling class, including the Sultan of Mazin, have turned to an imported god, the Burning Prince.
Finally, the soldiers of Uraq have worshiped Mithra from ancient times, and even at the height of the Golden Caliphate, received special dispensation to worship their martial god in their own ways.
Also see Languages for information on the Uraqi language.
