Eber old

Eber Empire

Eber once constituted all of the eastern continent of Baracsa and the western half of Armalia – save the far north and south of Baracsa. They had frontiers battling the Vastions in Umberia, the Dunians in the Dividing Basin and Amber Plains, the Mintars and Oolu around the Sea of Lions, and the Aosade and Hade tribes around the Diamond Hills. But at its peak, it was known as the Xilou Empire and was thought to have half the population of the world. The Xilou Empire came from the Evexan Kingdom, whose kings descended from the Esereu people of the Ebere Desert. And after its fall, which was caused by the Karithians emerging from Yrtkuam and destroying the Xilou capital, the Xilou Empire became the Xilein Empire, which eventually became the Eber Empire known today.

Land

The Eber primarily live around the Ebere Desert. The more verdant northwestern corner of this area is called Upper Ebere, where the Reunou live. The Dead Coast runs alongside the desert's western shore, so named because of how hostile the environment is; endless sands and harsh salty winds prevent any major civilising of the area. The southern end of the region is marked by the Hmou Plains, and their eastern border mostly constitutes the Dead Mountains. Beyond these dwell the Karithians.

The capital of these people has traditionally been Xar Kzala, an ancient city situated on the Sea of Lyte. It is a city of grandeur and colour, with buildings as red as blood and such strong spices in its markets that foreigners often faint or throw up upon passing through. But the capital was moved to Oqara when the Xilou Empire was near its peak. Oqara is where the Karithians attacked, so the locals didn’t actually lose their traditional capital. Today the capital of Oqara stands as a half-ruined remnant of the overbearing pride of the old emperors of Xilou. Other major cities include Erqix, in the very northwestern corner of the land, and Gzisan, an old city which sits on the largest river in Upper Ebere.

People

Eber people have golden hair and blue eyes, and complexion to be expected of desert-dwellers. They are also called rugmen, which is a term mocking the rug-like shawls of their mystics. Some feign to call them shitskins, but this is a term mostly originating from the Benevis Kingdoms, and makes fun of their darker skin. Despite being seen as brutal conquerors of the eastern world, the Eber people brought books and literature into the known world, and also invented parchment, structured militaries, plate armour and iron weapons, and pikes. They also invented the idea of a kingdom and then the concept of an empire, a grand state where multiple monarchs are overseen by a single emperor.

In modern times, the Eber Empire is much smaller than it used to be. They inhabit most of the Ebere Desert, though there are many smaller groups of people and tribes around including, but not limited to, the Reunou of Upper Ebere, the Xinmou, the Envou tribes, the Ileimou, the Hmou, and the various people of the Hanjare and Raonare regions in central and south Baracsa. Despite the relatively smaller size of the empire compared to its peak, there are remnants of this distinct culture in many places around the world, from high mystics in the Hills of the Horn, to great red pyramids in the Qarar Desert; from the hilltop ruins in the Yvatlands, to the lordland of Simbea in the Vastin Kingdom.

Slavery and servants

Slavery and servitude are common in Eber. Eber believes that those living without the luxuries of civilisation deserve to be enslaved, and that being a slave is in one's blood - only many generations of loyal servitude can see a slave becoming a respectable servant in Eber society. Slaves are often taken from the darker-skinned relatives to the south - the Hanjare and Raonare people - and taken into Eber lands.

Male slaves are often used for labour, clearing topsoil to make land arable, or as soldiers, or servants if they proved to show promise. Female slaves are traded further out and often become concubines or house-slaves. Most well-off households have at least a few male slaves. Only the wealthy can afford greater numbers of male slaves, or indeed any female slaves. Any offspring of a slave is considered to be a slave, and masters can be a male and female.

Non-gender

Eber do not socially distinguish between genders very much compared with other civilisations of Riiga. Males and females share the same opportunities in professions and careers, styles of clothing and makeup, social spaces, and parental roles. The primary differences between genders manifest in women being seen as more sacred, due to their role in raising children and managing the household, while men are still mostly used as expendable soldiers in war.

Gambling

Eber love to gamble, but they view it as a demonstrative exercise of fortune bestowed by the heavens. Mystics often use "chance" to determine who is more fortunate or blessed, or who is guilty or innocent. As such, gambling rarely involves exchanges of currency and is instead used as a way of proving oneself. Gambling activities often involve dice, coins, or cards.

Trades and Goods

Eber produce many goods that are considered rare or valuable by neighbouring civilisations.

Elephants

Traditionally, Eber have used elephants for labour and transport, but they are also trained for warfare. They are seen as highly formidable and are equipped with armour on the flanks and sharp iron points on the tusks. They are trained to throw enemy soldiers onto their backs for their riders or pin enemies down to impale them with their tusks. Some parts of Eber have raised elephants which are much larger than those found in the wild.

Salt Fields

Salt is an extremely valuable mineral used as a preservative and as a vital part to any diet. It is obtained from salt mines as rock salt, or from salt flats as sea salt. Often, salt can be traded directly for slaves and other goods, and is also sometimes used as a currency in the form of salt slabs. The ancient ancestors of the Eber used to salt the lands of their enemies, which is allegedly one reason why Ebere today is so arid in parts.

Cotton Fields

Eber have been growing and spinning cotton. It is their most common textile and is used primarily for clothing. Eber cotton is seen as some of the highest quality cotton in the world, and can be combined with linen to make velvet. Given that it's cheaper than silk and more intricate than wool, patterns and colours are very common in Eber. Slaves work the fields and spin the cotton.

Glassware

Eber are masters of producing fine glassware. Their techniques for fusing glass with raw materials is a trade secret protected by those who work for the palace. Glass workers outside this circle therefore usually work with glass ingots obtained from the higher glass workers. Some Eber glass is said to be so pure that it makes liquids seem to float upon air, and so clear that glass mirrors are a valuable Eber trade. Other forms of glass utilise a brilliant array of colours such as cobalt blue, gold, red, lemon yellow, yellow-green, orange, burgundy, indigo, and blue-green.

Dyers

Many Eber towns and cities boast extensive dyers. Common substances used to "fix" colour into textiles include vinegar, tannin, ammonia, and potash. The favoured shades of dyes in Eber include madder red from the roots of rubia plants, red-orange from safflower flowers, bright red carmine from cochineal scale insects, purple from tyrian snails, bright yellow from weld plants, yellow from chamomile plants, yellow-brown from barberry roots and bark, saffron from saffron flowers, brown from walnut leaves or nut husks, black from acorns or gallnuts, indigo blue from indigo shrubs, and woad blue from tinctoria leaves.

Menageries

Wealthy Eber often have small menageries, where exotic animals are kept on display for viewing pleasure. They are usually situated in large private gardens of manors or palaces. As such, possessing exotic animals is a strong indicator to power in Eber due to the difficulty in acquiring and maintaining such beasts.

Cannibalism

There are strong rumours that cannibalism is a common practice among the elites within Eber culture. Such rumours say that cannibalism is the best way for the upper-class to demonstrate superiority over their slaves.

Religion

Eber mysticism is a pervasive and prevalent belief system. They believe the heavens hold all the answers to life’s problems. This involves a group of gods who offer differing ways to interpret the phenomena of the sky. Worship involves organised prayer and chanting in temples at particular times of day and is seen as an ingrained part of Eber culture. High mystics claim to hold solutions to everything, from healing diseases to prophecies about future events to casting strange spells. Some believe the mystics of old made deals with the Karithians and attained some of the widely-feared jaratk magic. Mysticism also governs most of how the people act; it dictates their laws and helps decide those who gain power.

Hierarchy

Merchants

Mercenary bandits

Trade forts

Cannibalism

Republic Empire