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RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES
Lots of snake-stuff - snake handling, etc. Day of the Serpent - a
naked group-grope in the temple in company with a lot of
nonvenomous snakes. Pet snakes are household gods. Etc., etc.
POPULATION
About 2 million Nyissans. 250,000 in Sthiss Tor.
THE ANGARAK KINGDOMS
NOTE
Because their history is so completely interwoven, it would be largely
impractical and repetitious to deal with each of the Angarak Kingdoms
separately. Indeed, while there are slight cultural differences between
Nadraks, Thulls and Murgos, they are hardly more than those
differences one might distinguish between the inhabitants of Tol Rane, Tol
Honeth and Tol Vordue in Tolnedra. Further, because of the unity of
their policy it is perhaps useful to consider these kingdoms as little
more than administrative districts of one single national entity
GEOGRAPHY
The Angarak Kingdoms, consisting of Car og Nadrak, Mishrak ac
Thull and Cthol Murgos, lie along the eastern edge of the continent.
The most notable features of the kingdoms are the vast stretches of
inhospitable mountains, barren steppes and dreary wastelands.
While their lands are rich in mineral wealth, the Angaraks have
never fully exploited those riches.
Car Og Nadrak
The northern-most of the kingdoms is covered with vast forests in its
central and north central portions and with the inevitable and
towering mountains to the west and north. To the east and south,
moor-lands stretch to the shores of the Eastern Sea. Two major
rivers, the Cordu and the Drak on Du flow generally southeasterly
joining at Yar Turak in the central moors to form the Greater River
Cordu which empties into the sea at the site of the twin cities of Yar
Marak and Thull Zelik, the eastern termini of the North Caravan
Route. The only other population center of
any significance in
kil a, l-jaulctr,, ib line fortified
city of Yar Gorak on the northwest border with Drasnia. It is
generally believed that to the northeast lies the land bridge to the endless
reaches of Mallorea, although the Nadraks refuse to confirm this.
The evidence of this bridge and the possibility of another caravan
route across it, while largely presumptive, is borne out by the fact
that vessels observed in the ports at Yar Marak and in Thull Zelik in
Mishrak ac Thull are coastal scows incapable (or so observers from
Cherek have informed us) of sustained ocean voyages. Our friends
from Cherek further advise us that the Angaraks are woefully poor
seamen and would be unable to sustain any significant transoceanic
commerce. Thus, since Mallorean trade articles - silks, spices and
jewelry for the most part - appear regularly in the inventories of
Nadrak merchants, it must be assumed that there exists some
dependable route to the east.