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« on: May 28, 2020, 01:13:47 am »
The Kingdom of the Qalasian Fennecs is an independent city-state in the southwest deserts of Egypt; their nearest neighbor is Nubia and Kush to the south-east, Egypt to the north and north-east, and the Saharan deserts of ancient Libya to the west. The climate is arid, temperatures range from 1°C in January to 46°C in June. There are three distinct seasons, Akhet from June to September (summer), Peret from October to February (spring), and Shemu from March to May (autumn).
Their capital is the city of Kun Qalasi, the "city of the sun". The vast majority of the population is composed of fennecs, with little variation from the standard shades of beige, but exotic fur types do exist. Due to increased trade and access, other species can be seen more frequently. Racial discrimination is less common than gender inequality. Theirs is a patriarchal society where males are favored, with a few rare exceptions where females have important roles and independence as well.
The foremost export of Kun Qalasi are slaves, a trade supported by their cultural tendency to breed into overpopulation and by intense demand from other societies. That is followed by articles of gold, given its abundance in their lands, and spices and rare items that make their way to their trading hubs from exotic locations. Vegetable crops include figs, grapes, and dates. Bugs are farmed for food, foremost among those being the scarab/beetle and grasshoppers such as the desert locust.
Qalasian fennecs are capable of wielding magic, but rarely possess the mana necessary for it, so they must use external sources. Due to their relative proximity to the Ancestral Ramanuan Bunkers, they have acquired a great deal of knowledge in rare magic, most notably their ability to conjure portals capable of reaching destinations beyond most known methods of travel.
They are ruled by a king, supposedly a direct son of their sun-god, a local variation of the Egyptian sun-god Ra. The king is easily recognizable because his eyes glow a golden color. Succession doesn't happen through family lineages, the next fennec with glowing golden eyes might be born to anyone! In the event of the current king's death without a successor, the vizier assumes stewardship of the kingdom until the rightful successor becomes available.
The fennecs for the most part worship direct or regional variations of ancient Egyptian gods, most prominent being the sun-god Ra, the Great Ennead (Ra in all of his variations, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys), Horus, Hathor, Anubis, Sekhmet, and various minor deities. Their worship however is centered around their king, and while there may be personal chapels or shrines to the other gods and certain festivities are observed, no great temples or religious functions are officially sanctioned. They are tolerant of other religious practices so long as they do not interfere with the temporal trappings of their lives.