Atlas Elyden #45 - The Sovereignty of Cyhlagharr

Here's the latest map on the Atlas Elyden, the oghur Sovereignty of Cyhlagharr  

You can find an updated key to the map here.

This is the low-res version available to everyone.  Become a Patron at the Acolyte tier for access to my back catalogue of High-res, PSD and textless maps.

This is available to use as per the CC licence on the image itself

You'll note that there is no PDF for Encyclopaedia entries as the Encyclopaedia Elyden is now available to all patrons to view - the post is stickied on my Patreon, and patrons at any tier (even as little as $1 month) have access to it. The PDF is a living document and will be updated monthly as I add content to it. You can find it here.

_______________________________________________________________________

Founded in 932 RM, following centuries of squabbling between successive warlords that inherited the Cyhlagharri peninsula from the failed Fourth Age state of Falldrg, Cyhlagharr is a nation of oghur slavers and pirates. It is seen by most outsiders as a place of brutes, where barbarism and tyranny prevail and the height of culture is pit fighting and belching. The truth, though not far off, is far more nuanced.

The oghurs of Cyhlagharr create art (with military portraiture and battle-landscapes highly regarded). Their women are regarded with dignity and treated with more respect than many foreign so-called civilised nations. A common saying in Cyhlagharr is that only great women can give birth to great men, which sums up rather succinctly much of oghur culture in Cyhlagharr. The Cyhlagharri do enjoy brawling and watching others, including slaves and prisoners, fight to the death. This likely stems from their turbulent history, where life in their harsh homeland was difficult and required both physically and mentally powerful leaders to unite such strong-willed individuals together. They enjoy life, taking pleasure in drinking, eating, loving, and fighting, and work very hard to manage their harsh homeland, which is well-known for its Atramental wastelands, and vast regions of dry plains and badlands in the rain shadow of the great Nghalleal mountains to its south.

It has been ruled by King Acamas II since 3968 RM, following the assassination of his father by Parthisan spies. Their attempts to destabilise the region were ultimately unsuccessful, in no small part due to the political ecumen of Acamas II who rose in his place. He reformed trade and taxation laws, and as a result, Cyhlagharri slaves have found their way across the Inner Sea and beyond in great numbers. He has relaxed military forces across the Cyhlagharri borders, particularly in the south-west, near Erebeth, though close to 300-miles of border with the nation remain contested. Trade with foreign nations has increased, though it remains insular and many of its interior cities are still a mystery to outsiders.

Under his rule, Cyhlagharr is seen to be prospering by political analysts - something that has the rulers of many surrounding nations worried.

One major stereotype amongst outsiders concerning the Cyhlagharri is their superstition and distrust of the Atramenta and many other mystical beliefs. Though a generalisation, this is true if viewed from a cultural standpoint. To understand this, one must understand the roots of oghurs in Elyden.

Oghurs are brutish individuals, standing just shy of 8-feet tall and commonly weighing 800-pounds of fat and muscle. But that was not always the case, and it is thought that all oghurs are descended from giganri - taller, more slender beings of a brooding nature and a propensity for introspection - created through one of two different, if similar, sources: either through genetic manipulation of their giganri ancestors by ancient shapers, or through natural natural mutations resulting from the growing Atramental corruption of their ancient homelands.

Those who were artificially-created were mutated and inbred to enhance certain traits, changing their temperament for the worse, as side-effects of the tampering. They were created to be slaves and warriors, and were abused by their creators and their descendants. They became heavy-set brutes, lacking the nuances and self-doubt that characterise their giganri ancestors. To this day many individual oghurs suffer from infertility, birth defects and a distrust of the Atramenta and those who recklessly manipulate it.

Slavery has always been a large part of the Inner Sea, and Cyhlagharri culture is no different. Its harbours are home to large slaver fleets that ply the waters of the Inner Sea, looking for small coastal settlements to raid and merchant vessels to loot. Captured slaves are sold in large markets that are the focal point of many Cyhlagharri cities. Foreign slave merchants are a common sight in these markets and pay handsomely for prime specimens. Though slavery is a social norm in Cyhlagharr, oghurs themselves are never seen as slaves there, with the exception of cyclocephalic individuals, which are regarded as little more than beasts of burden and are a relatively common sight there, working fields and hauling carts and liters. The nation of Trakia is known to maintain large numbers of oghur slaves, which Cyhlagharr views with great disgust. The hypocrisy of their views are seemingly lost on them.

The people of Cyhlagharr, like most oghurs, revere an ancient deity known as Ishata. She is a guardian-figure representing fertility and warfare, both of which are traits that oghurs consider important. The Cyhlagharri are aware that their race was artificially-created and have a great respect for the gift of fertility, knowing that so many individuals are born without the ability to reproduce. Oghurs, particularly those in Cyhlagharr, are known for the many genetic defects, including cyclocephaly and hydrocephaly, amongst others, leaving them sterile and weak. Such individuals are often killed when the traits of their illnesses become apparent, but a few can thrive - hydrocephaly in oghurs brings with it an increased potential for Atramental mastery. Those whose symptoms are not too debilitating can rise to positions of power, and become known as Disciples - amongst the few who are freely allowed to practice shaping, in the name of the King, and as a reward defects borne by the Atramenta.
________________________________________________________

This is available to use as per the CC licence on the image itself.