People of the Land
Strange Inhabitants
The world of Sultana, with its sprawling lands and daunting ancient history, is filled with peoples of wide and strange varieties.
Man, Abounding
Spread across the empire, man has been divided by time, distance, and the will of creation into different varieties.
- Midlanders: Bearing dark hair and iconic red flesh, Midlanders originate in the Sultanate's heart, near the center of the supercontinent. An urbanized, cosmopolitan people who make up much of the Capital City's nobility and merchants.
- Westlanders: Known by their subtle, almost pearly green hides and black hair, the Westlanders were the last to challenge the Sultan's power. Though as loyal as any other, they still bear the label of "Beloved Enemy". Keeping with tradition, many dye their hair a very deep, dark blue.
- Highlanders: Cever, brash, and fond of the firelock, their glaucous blue skins clash wildly with their daring red garments, what little they wear of them. Highlanders are merchants and craftsman by trade, and rarely come down the high eastern mountains.
- Lowlanders: Owing to their ancestral home at the marshy foot of the eastern mountains, male and female Lowlander alike bear the name "Bogman". Their platinum hair, glassy eyes, and greyish flesh are rarely seen beneath their heavy leather garb.
- Southerners: The southlander yeoman planters lead measured, steady lives, tilling the land and wiping the sweat from their orange-caste brows. They are leisurely in disposition, and make up some of the continental sea's finest sailors. Along the southern coastline, life is slow, and Southlanders have learned patience in spades.
Other Inhabitants
Seelid
Seelid are one of the many non-human species inhabiting the empire, incorporated centuries ago.
The Seelid display a mixture of avian and reptilian features, such as patterned quills and plumage, and scaly flesh. The Seelid express drastic sexual dimorphism, with males being considerably smaller, weaker, and vibrantly-colored. Females are much more drab, but are far larger and stronger.
Within Seelid society, females wield the vast majority of social and political power, with males competing for mating rights. At the peak of Seelid society are older, experienced females responsible for overseeing the rearing of broods and the state of the wider brood-nest, the Mother Matrons. Female seelid stand between four and four and a half cubits high, with the males standing at three and a half cubits.
The seelid Brood-nests lie to the empire's distant northeast. When contact with the Sultanate was first made, as the Brood-nests were incorporated into the Sultan's domain, the Seelid opted to send males to the Capital in order to establish trade and relations. In an unforseen turn, Male seelid took advantage of the opportunity and lack of oversight to secure influence and power in the capital, where today they enjoy a privileged position. Female seelid warriors seeking opportunity in the Capital are often surprised and dismayed to see males uncowed by the power of the Mother Matrons. Without the inherent advantage in political power enjoyed in their homeland, female Seelid in and around the capital are often left competing for the attention of now-affluent males.