Desert Elves

So, there is an empire ruled by a strict bureaucracy and nobles. We know there is a huge probability that the Great King doesn’t exist, but these dudes live with the fear of the monarch. The Kingdom is divided in provinces ruled by princes and princess: old aristocrat families sometimes allied and sometimes in contrast between them. Their political mischievous activities elect a Prime Minister that rules the bureaucracy. The mood is the Japanese Sengoku period. In fact, this faction is a mixture between Ottomans and medieval Japan. The princes are like Daimyo and now I need to design better the “samurai caste”. The other faction, the Sands Lords are the “Shinobi” heretic faction, they fight the Great King (they firmly believe in his existence, like their kins) and the imperial structure, maybe after a religious schism. The Sands Lords are united by a league of different sects with a common enemy (the Great King). They rule oasis and desert region, also, on paper, they are in difficulty against a huge empire, but they can use their knowledge of the desert and the recent civil war for the election (run for the supremacy) of the Grand Vizir to gain new “temporary” allies. They are masters of witchcraft and caravans.

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The Hayurei (1)(ghosts) and Karan’ei (3)(shadows) are ninja-Tuareg, elite soldiers in a faction composed by elite warriors specialized in different areas. The Ghosts and Shadows fight only when they need with a tactic of “hit and run” in a classic guerrilla. They are spies, trackers and assassins. The Hayurei are the most common members of the tribes specialized in light cavalry and archery. The Karan’ei are members of a religious sect, they are not exactly assassins but spies (they can be used for assassinations), they can easily communicate between far oasis and tribes with their musical instruments using their knowledge of desert winds.

The Akuytan (fiends) are deadly cultists that drink drugs and potions to reach the feral mood of their deities. They live in packs lead by “witches” that prepare their potions, obviously the berserker way can lead in a total mental instability that can reduces the fiend in a “Nightmare”, the Akukabus (4). The Akukabus is an irreversible mutation (and the only way for a fiend to live longer), only the most powerful witches can control them. The common potions allow frenzy, pain insensibility, and a boost of stamina; other ones lead to mutations for strengthen vigour, agility and strength. The mental illness is sure. Some oases are haunted by an out-of-control infestation of fiends, and only the braves or the mads enter in these places. In fact, some Princedoms’ domains are totally lost when they were destroyed by Akuytans’ assaults. The feral mutants were left by their masters in the ruined assaulted villages, devouring their inhabitants. So, there are places with rich palaces and huge richness infested by cannibal mutants that attract adventurers in search of fortune.

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The Jashever (9) is the common militia raised by the princes when they need quick conscripts. All communities have to recruit these militia. Some jashever can be taken by princes and nobles as squires. This method allows a social mobility for the lesser classes of the society. These squires can obtain lands for their services, returning in their villages as small landowners. Only the nobles can pass their properties in heritage, but money can buy the privilege.

The Kyuemeroei (8) are recruited from hunters due the fact they can use bows, sometimes they are equipped by the princes with their symbols and colours. In some provinces and oasis, the Kyuemeroei are a permanent force, so these units can become elite troops with a fixed salary.

The Baltasakari (5) are recruited from woodcutters in the northern regions. These troops are equipped with heavy armour paid by the princes. After the military campaign they give back the equipment to their princes, sometimes in some circumstances they obtain it as gift, often when they are loyal veterans.

The Yenitohei (6) are a permanent force recruited by the richer princes which they demand loyalty and professionality. Initially, they were Kyuemeroei framed in a context of “new militia” trained also in fencing and military formation to confront the northern enemies of the Kingdom. The most loyal and promising soldiers can have the honour (and the responsibility) to became Jokoruma (7), the finest choice of the princes. They are the personal bodyguards; they are the bravest and the most paid.