As I've been reconstructing Lingusia in the "time altered era" of the Age of Strife I've been working on updating all of the Middle Kingdoms and their neighbors. Here's a short treatment on Galvonar in the era of 2086-2096 AW, a region often overlooked in my campaigns....
Galvonar
Current Ruler: Sarakani Asaran III
(Caliph), the Twelve Sheiks (nomads of Sur, Harad and Arahad)
Cultural Groups: Galvonar is divided
into four regions: Coastal Galvonar (Albadia), Arahad, Sur, and Harad. The
regions of Arahad, Sur and Harad are each a culturally distinct region of the
overall nomadic tribal groups, and each has between 3 and 6 distinct tribes in
each region, and dozens of smaller tribes. Coastal Galvonar is called Albadia,
the name for the “civilized men” of Galvonar.
Social Groups: Galvonar has a strict caste system with
limited advancement. In the civilized regions of Albadia there are slave
castes, mamalukes (warrior slaves), and freedmen with no property. Once a man
gains property, which is possible if a merchant prince grants ownership or he
gains enough wealth, then he may become a landed gentry, merchant noble,
merchant prince, or perhaps even a high order title such as grand vizier or
Caliph. Among the nomad groups there is far less structure, with most men
defined by the horses they own and the size of their families. Polygamy is
rampant among the nomads but less so in Albadia. Women are never allowed to own
property in Galvonar, and have many religious restrictions on what they may
wear, speak or even learn (see deities below).
History: Galvonar is a stretch of
territory identified by several cultural groups that are bound by a number of
commonalities. The western Galvonarians, the Albadia, are coastal merchants,
fishermen and culturally civilized men who propser from the lush coastlands
that are a strip of fertile land bordered by a vast desert. The nomadic
Galvonari to the east dominate a vast, treacherous stretch of desertland that
encompasses much of the southern subcontinent, and borders both the Albadia to
the west, Persedonia to the east and the Galonians to the south.
Historically
Galvonar traces its root identity back to around 500 AW when the early Saurian
Metal Dynasty was identified by antiquarians in the region as the first
appearance of a distinct language and culture that is recognized as Galvonarian
today. It was not until 1700 AW that
Galvonar was first united by the warlord Asaran I, a personality of such
strength that he is still revered as a culture hero by nomad and Albadian
alike. By 1850 AW the Galvonarians had disintegrated into the mixture of sheiks
and the caliphate that is recognized today, and remained so ever since.
The current Calif
of Albadia nominally claims rulership over all of Galvonar, but in truth his
power over the nomad sheiks is limited to a measure of influence through trade
and gifts. The nomad Sheiks claim no structure of rulership outside of their
own tribes, and frequently war with one another. The Sheiks, if anything,
maintain better relations with the Takonorian and Cimer to the north than they
do with their civilized cousins in Albadia, or themselves.
Galvonarian
religion is rife with contradiction. The foundation of Galvonarian belief seems
to stem from a period buried in history, during which the tribes of the region
were once independent and practices a form of animism comparable to what goes
on in Jhakn today. They were conquered and turned into citizens of the empire
of Old Galonia, but after the collapse of that empire the nomads were given
over to a period of religious liberation for a time, and eventually Eastonian
merchants from the north brought the pantheistic beliefs of the Middle Kingdoms
to the region. The result is an interesting contrast of pantheistic and
animistic beliefs tempered by the memory of the older faith of Galonia.
Religious Beliefs: Today, Galonian
cults are dominated by the following deities:
Dhuka (Naril): the god of mankind, the
rule of law and the Empire of Hyrkania was adopted in recent centuries by the
Galvonarians of Albadia. His aspect of fire and the sun is the most prominent
representation in this region, as his status as a “god of kings” is seen as a
northern aspect only (such status is reserved locally for Marduk). His fire
temples in Albadia and Sur have spread rapidly in the last two centuries, and
have replaced the memory of the lost temples of Ailyenarion, the old lord of
fire from Old Galonia.
Kamar (Selene): The goddess of the
moon, wife to Dhuka, is also worshipped in Galvonar, and was introduced about
two centuries ago around the same time Naril was adopted as Dhuka. She is seen
as the courtly patron of women, child bearing, motherhood and education. This
is in sharp contrast with the traditional feminine goddess of Udena. Most
Albadian merchants have adopted the worship of Kamar, and women in Albadia
under clans who follow her have allowed women to learn other languages and
broaden their education as a result. The traditional tenets of Udena that
require great modesty among women are still prominent even among worshippers of
Kamar, however.
Galon: the old supreme god of Galonia,
after which the old empire itself is named, is still regarded with feverish
intensity as the supreme deity in the nomadic region of Arahad. Galon is
sometimes recognized by some Albadia clans, but is mostly eschewed in place of
the belief of Marduk and Naril.
Marduk: the ancient warrior king is
believed by most Galvonarians to have been the first ruler of Galvonar in the
prehistoric era before the Saurian Metal Dynasty, and that the first sheiks
like to claim Marduk as an ancestor. Marduk is said in Galvonarian myth to have
slain the first dragon kings, Tiamat and Bahamut, and to have protected the
land in an era predating even Old Galonia. He is considered today to be a
strong god of warriors and kings and has several prominent temples in Albadia,
as well as a massive ziggurat in his honor built by the Asaran I in the city of
Kiddaros.
Set: Set is worshipped as a cult of
deceivers in the desert, propagated by the haikyndyr serpent men in the region.
Amongst men, Set is publically considered a profane deity and his worship is
actively suppressed. Privately some men seek out his hidden cults, seeing set
as a god that grants great power over other men.
Udena: Udena is the goddess of women,
and may be an old import from Old Galonian belief that has survived to this
day, despite the near total destruction of that Pantheon in the War of the
Gods. Udena is a goddess of fertility and magic, and has female-dominated cults
throughout Galvonar. She is a deity defined as a trinity, with a strong aspect
of both virgin, whore and crone in her imagery. Each aspect is given its own
unique element, but are considered parts of the same goddess: the Udena’Caliska
(virgin), Udena’Haddara (whore) and Udena’Materaska (crone). The dramatic
restrictions on women in Galvonarian society are at least partially due to the
beliefs of the cults of Udena, which place intense restrictions on female
behavior. This includes requiring that all women cover themselves head to toe
in public with specially recognized garb, and that they not be exposed to
“foreign influences,” such that they are
not allowed to learn foreign languages or even seek out an education equivalent
to men (though knowledge reserved for women only is allowed, including
herbalism and various forms of oracular divination). Only priestesses of the
Udena’Haddara are allowed to dress down, in sacret sacred temples dedicated to
the sacred prostitution of that aspect of the goddess.
Nyctaris: the goddess of the night is
revered, especially among the nomadic groups, and is considered the goddess of
travelers in the night. She is most prominent in Harad, Sur and Arahad but
looked upon as quaint in Albadia.
Nephythis: The benevolent goddess of
the dead, keeper of tombs and the wealth within, is considered the modern
caretaker of both the Valley of the Gods where the old pantheon of Old Galonia
is said to rest, as well as the protector of the necropolis where old pharaohs
and modern leaders alike are all buried. She has taken on a unique level of worship
among the merchants of Albadia and the traders of Harad, who see her as the
protector of wealth both among the living and the dead.
Ailyenarion: the god of fire and old
civic lord of Galonia is believed to be dead, but is also believed to remain as
a spiritual guardian of the Valley of the Gods in the brokenlands of Galvonar.
He is sometimes given offerings at his fire temples, which are mostly abandoned
but still standing throughout the region, in the belief that his spirit still
offers blessings. Aside from Ailyenarion, abandoned temples to other dead gods
of Old Galonia such as Bashtet, Metatros and Bashtron can also be found in the
region of the Valley of the Gods. There may be a handful of scholars and
priests that still remember and even revere these dead gods of old.
Tragonomos: this ancient demon god was
one of the seven soul-bound servitors of Eskandar, and his cults are found in
secret throughout Galvonar, but most commonly in Sur. The belief in Tragonomos
stems from the offer of power and the elements of masculine inheritance that
the demon god seems to promise. His covens are often found working behind the
scenes to undermine the caliphate and create a new reign of power seeking to
make Tragonomos the sole god of the land.
Haro: the god of murder in the pantheon
of the Middle-Kingdoms found a foothold in worship in Galvonar, believed to
have grown popular in the century leading up to the rule of Asaran I. The Fire
Knives, assassin-cultists of this god, are said to have a strong presence in
the secret cults of Albadia and Sur.
The Dark Pharaoh: The memory of the
Dark Pharaoh from Old Galonia, who rose up in 1950 AW to lead the last Great
War of Chaos against Hyrkania in the north had a profound impact on the nomads
of that time. The Galvonarians were attacked and enslaved by the Dark Pharaoh’s
cults, and until their freedom in the twelve years of that war the Galvonarians
learned a great hatred for the Galonians who took to the worship of their Dark
Pharaoh. When the Dark Pharaoh was revealed to be the reincarnation of Xauraun
Vestillios, the Champion of Chaos, and was subsequently banished or destroyed
by Warenis, the Champion of Order, certain nomads had succumbed to the dark madness
inherent in being exposed to the Champion of Chaos and even in liberty
continued to worship his embodiment of chaos. These cults are few and far
between, but often quite dangerous when they gain a cult leader who is able to
gain a spark of chaos magic to fuel their hatred.
This is the only scan of the only map I ever did, this part on Western Galvonar. I really really really need to find time to update it....
