Suzer

Suzer was one of the first colonies founded by Nostrum. In ancient days, when the coast was green and habitable, Nostrumites were sent there at the behest of king and country. To find the mythical Thrones, the seats of power that the Hours once inhabited, and from which it is said they ruled the world.

They never found the Thrones, and the desert never stopped expanding. Still, Suzer is the last remnant of those Nostrum colonies, and the two countries share a close relationship even though Nostrum formally abandoned the colony long ago.

Demographics

Suzer is the name of the city-state, and the city-state's demographics are markedly distinct from the desert clans'. In the city, it is incredibly cosmopolitan and features every manner and kind of person, including Valleymen. The city has the largest population of elves in the world, if one does not count their native homeland.

Among the desert clans, they are mostly human. However, some clans have adopted the magic of grafting in order to acclimate their bodies to the extreme conditions they live in, and so host lizardlike beastmen among them. There is also the occasional elven sage who lives among them.

Institutions

Suzer is a meritocratic and egalitarian society. They believe that all people, regardless of lineage or creed, should be equal under the laws and customs of the land. It is a point of pride to them that they are not ruled by kings or emperors, but by the law.

In practice, it doesn't always work out that way. Someone with more resources available is always better able to manipulate the laws of the land to their own ends. And Suzer is always wary of outside influence, even as they won't outright bar entire groups of people from entering the city, they do restrict land ownership and involvement in politics to native born Suzerians.

The Duke of the Sands

Ceremonial ruler and head of state, the Duke of the Sands is a hereditary role. They are nominally the commander of Suzer's armies, the admiral of their navy, and enforcer of the Houses' laws.

The duke and any representatives thereof are not permitted to involve themselves in politics beyond their given role, unless privileged to speak by invitation of both Houses. The duke or any representative thereof may be stripped of their role by a simple majority in either House.

After Nostrum abandoned the colony after they were conquered by the Empyreans, the people lost faith with the duke. After a long period of internal strife, eventually the people won but were forced to compromise with the Duke.

The Silent Council

As the Duke has many duties to the state but cannot involve himself in politics, his council is made up of those who are by extension also not allowed a voice in politics. These councillors perform many essential duties to the state, though the most controversial one is the Duke's role as protector of the city from threats within. There have been many spymasters of the Duke who have abused their privileged position, and yet many who have also discovered threats and coups which would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

The Tithe

The desert clans have enjoyed a privileged and unique place in Suzerian society since the very beginning of their nation. There have always been those to brave the desert, searching for the Thrones. While this is an ancient way of life, it is in a way artifically enforced.

Those who are born into the clans are expected to stay in their clan. For three seasons out of the year, clansmen are not permitted into the city walls without special permission. In the summer however, when it is too hot for even the clans to venture into the deep desert, they are permitted inside and the Duke of the Sands pays out the yearly tithe to every single clan leader. This tithe is ten percent of all incomes the city generated for the year, split among all the clans.

In exchange for the tithe, the clans are expected to uphold ancient customs on their end as well. Any Suzerian who wishes to learn the ways of the sands or the knowledge of their people may leave behind the city and join them for as long as they wish. And the clan they join is technically not permitted to refuse them. If the city is under siege or attack, the clans must come to their aid. There are other ancient customs as well, but those are the big three.

This has helped the city endure and rebuild in spite of calamities. Thrice the city has been burned to the ground, and thrice the native Suzerians fled into the desert among the clans. Each time returning when the danger has passed, and rebuilding it from the ashes.

The Houses of High and Low

The people of Suzer, minus the desert clans, vote in great assemblies every autumn for who is going to represent them in the Houses of High and Low.

The Duke enforces the laws; the House of High makes the laws; the House of Low judges the laws.

The House of High

Anyone who owns land in the city or has completed twelve years of education is eligible to join the House of High.

The House of Low

Those who own land in the city or whose wealth exceeds a certain threshold are not permitted to join the House of Low. The members of this house are always wary of infiltration by the elite of society. A law cannot be passed without the consent of the House of Low, and only members of the House of Low may sit in judgement of criminals.

There is one member of the House of Low for every six families in Suzer. That means there are hundreds upon hundreds of members. Sometimes their votes can take days to pass.

The Desert Clans

Technically, Suzer considers anyone born in the desert a clansman. These clansmen are occasionally vital to the city, but most of the time they are considered a strange and foreign people, disrespected by the city-born Suzerians.

Their primary contribution to the city is twofold: they protect it from the horrors of the desert, and they bring back a magical substance only found in the desert into the city. This substance goes by many names: Argentum, Mercury, Coruscatum, Silvering Sand. This substance is so valuable to the people of Suzer that a clansman who presents it to the city is permitted access to the city forever without ever paying for any of their indulgences therein.

Of the horrors of the desert, there are many. It is said that in the deeper desert, clans who rarely make visits to Suzer fight with demons and are in constant conflict with time itself, as like in the north with the elves, the desert has a strange effect on the flow of time. The most famous and least disputed however are the Greatshells. Gigantic crabs which have some interaction with the Silvering Sands, causing them to grow to gigantic proportions over time. They begin as no larger than a grain of sand, but can grow to the size of a castle. Some claim they grow even larger than that, and in the deep desert one hears wild tales of entire clans riding on these Greatshells.

Swords

There is a style of sword thought to be unique to the desert clans of Suzer, sometimes called a Suzerian longsword or a long-hilted sword. It is a sword with a slightly curving blade, a minimalist hilt, and a hilt that makes up between one third and one half of the blade's total length. Historians know that the style of sword originates from Nostrum, but while it fell out of fashion there with time it remained popular with the desert clans for the sheer armor-piercing force that such swords could inflict.

Poisons

One of the most important tasks of any shaman among the desert clans is the breeding and management of their clan's snakes. The strange monsters of the desert have to be dealt with somehow, and while some clans rely primarily on brute force or evasion, other clans use poison. Poison that is so potent it can kill the greatshells of the desert, nevermind the effect it has on a person.

Provinces

There are only two real provinces: Suzer the city, and the desert. Though any clansman would not see it as simply as that. The coastal sands are different form the deep desert, as the soft dunes are different from the hardpan. But because of how inhospitable the desert is, there is only the one major settlement, Suzer.

Traits

These are the traits someone from Suzer would likely have.

Name	Description
Saltlander	Saltlanders are adapted to life in the deserts around Suzer. Saltlanders increase their effective Cleverness by half again for all checks related to navigating and surviving in deserts. Their effective Prowess also increases by one when fighting an adversary more armored than they are.
Metropolitan	This character is adapted to the strictures of city life. When in a densely urbanized environment, their effective Cleverness increases by one. When outside of such environs, their effective Cleverness is reduced by one.
Mithridatic	It is not unheard of for both Suzerians and desert clansmen to try to inoculate themselves against common poisons through regular exposure. For most poisons, they must be inflicted with two doses instead of one for the poison to have any effect.