# The Sun Kingdom (any feedback or opinions appreciated)



## Jabrosky (Sep 6, 2012)

I've had this culture concept bubbling in my head for a while, but hadn't really refined it until now:







_A Daughter of the Sun, the theocratic matriarch of the Sun Kingdom_

*The Sun Kingdom*

Few cultures appreciate the Sun's importance to life on the planet as the Sun People. To them the Sun is more than the center of their universe; She is Divinity Herself. In the Sun People's view, the Sun is the Mother of all existence, an omnipotent and omniscient goddess whose benevolence never falters. Indeed, the Sun loves her mortal children so much that she lacks the heart to punish them directly, instead leaving matters of divine discipline to her eldest son the Moon. Those faithful to the Sun merge with her into a state of eternal bliss after their bodily deaths while the Moon swallows wicked souls into his icy interior.

The Sun Kingdom's hereditary monarch, invariably a woman, calls herself Daughter of the Sun, for she claims the Sun as her ultimate ancestress. The Daughter functions as a spiritual, political, and even military leader all at once, which requires that she undergo a rigorous education and martial arts training during her youth. Among the Daughter's most important responsibilities is summoning the rains every year to water her subjects' fields (the Sun People believe that the Sun drives the hydrological cycle). At least in theory she rules her people with as much compassion as humanly possible and upholds justice for all people, rich and poor alike. Although the Daughter of the Sun may choose any man she fancies as her consort and children's caregiver, in practice most Daughters' husbands have come from the nobility, priesthood, or administrative bureaucracy.

The Sun Kingdom typically pursues a peaceful foreign policy, keeping warfare to a minimum, but the Sun People generally view foreigners outside their influence as uncouth barbarians. They pity albinos and people from lighter-skinned populations for their susceptibility to sunburn. As a product of their ethnocentrism, the Sun People see international trade as a necessary evil and prefer self-sufficiency whenever possible. Although the Kingdom is famous for its monumental architecture and advanced medicine, it persecutes any scientific research that challenges established dogma or assimilates "barbarian" influences.


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## Jabrosky (Sep 6, 2012)

Here's a hand-drawn map for the Sun Kingdom


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## Jabrosky (Sep 6, 2012)

The Moon People who live  north of the Sun Kingdom have never joined together into a singular  nation-state of their own, instead dividing themselves into a multitude  of autonomous city-states scattered across the desert. What all these  polities share in common is a monotheistic worship of the Moon, whom  they conceive as a male father deity. The Moon religion is not at all a  simple patriarchal reversal of the Sun religion, however; for one,  although Moon Priests are invariably men, none would dare even consider  themselves related by descent to the Moon Himself. Furthermore, although  the Moon is not technically evil, neither is He unconditionally  compassionate; He is in truth a capricious entity who may turn on his  disciples if they anger him. This gives the Moon People a much dour view  of life and the world than their Sun-venerating counterparts to the  south. Nonetheless, since trade with lands beyond the desert is critical  to the Moon People's survival, they are more receptive to foreign  influences and perhaps less xenophobic than the Sun People.


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## FatCat (Sep 7, 2012)

Sounds like a damn cool concept to me. I like the drawings to, can't wait to see what you got on showcase!


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## ThinkerX (Sep 7, 2012)

Ok...

I like the map.

Glaringly obvious question (to me anyhow)

Why do the Moon People continue to dwell in a desert with the tempting fields of the Sun Kingdom just a short distance away?


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## FatCat (Sep 7, 2012)

ThinkerX said:


> Ok...
> 
> I like the map.
> 
> ...



I'd imagine it's because the Sun people won't let them...


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## Jabrosky (Sep 7, 2012)

ThinkerX said:


> Ok...
> 
> I like the map.
> 
> ...


The map doesn't show it well (because it only shows the desert's southernmost extent; the whole thing is at least as vast as the Sahara in our world), but most of the Moon People actually live in villages alongside scattered oases. That's actually a major reason why they've historically had a hard time unifying. Furthermore, the Moon People's crops are best adapted to a Mediterranean or subtropical arid climate and can't survive in the Sun Kingdom's tropical savanna climate. And then of course the Sun People don't appreciate raiders encroaching on their territory.

The Moon People aren't the only people outside the Sun Kingdom though. You also have an assortment of nomadic (pastoral?) tribes roaming the high savannas who are ethnically related to the Sun People but periodically raid them. Additionally in the jungles far to the south there live mahogany-skinned "Australoid" people whose civilization mixes South Indian, New Guinean, and Melanesian cultural influences; I'm guessing their religion venerates the Earth itself.


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## Jabrosky (Sep 7, 2012)

More country concepts:

_The Earth Kingdoms_ - The mahogany-brown Earth People live in a  rainforest-swathed basin far south of the Sun Kingdom. Although they  have advanced stone architecture which roughly resembles that of Earth's  southern India,  they too remain divided into city-states. War  frequently breaks out between the city-states,  with the goal being the  capture of enemies to sacrifice to the carnivorous Earth Goddess.  Although not a daily staple of the Earth People's diet,  cannibalism  traditionally accompanies sacrificial rituals so that the captives'  bodies don't go to waste. Despite the chronic internecine warfare She  inspires,  the Earth Goddess is generally conceived as a compassionate  if sternly disciplinarian being who nurtures Her faithful. Like the Sun  Kingdom,  the Earth Kingdoms have traditionally female rulers in line  with the Earth's allegedly feminine nature,  although these do not  necessarily claim divine descent.

No illustrations for these people, I'm afraid, but this should give you an idea of the Earth People's physical appearance and costume._

The Water People_ - These white people hail from a  subarctic continent of conifer forests and tundra to the far north.  Hunting,  fishing,  and periodically raiding or trading with more  southerly areas form the mainstays of their economy,  as their  homeland's climate is too cold for any crops. Their common Water God  controls water in all its forms,  be it ice,  snow,  rivers,  or the  ocean. Although He is usually a caring deity,  the Water God does  possess a short temper and so may punish hubris with storms,   whirlpools,  or sea monsters. Although stereotyped by more southerly  nations as dim-witted and volatile barbarians,  the Water People are  probably the world's finest shipbuilders and navigators,  and they have  established numerous colonies far from their native continent.


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## Jabrosky (Sep 7, 2012)

Someone on another message board said that my culture names sounded too _The Last Airbender_-ish, so here's some more ethnically flavored alternatives:

_The Sun Kingdom_ –> Ta'Jua (derived from ancient Egyptian "Ta" for land and the Swahili word "Jua" for sun) _

The Moon People_ –> Qamarim (from "Qamar",  the Arabic word for moon) 

_The Earth People_ –> Bumikoro (derived from Tamil "bumi" for earth and the Papuan group known as the Korowai) 

_The Water People_ –> Uiscifolk (combines Irish "uisce" for water and Old Norse "folk" for people)


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## Jabrosky (Sep 8, 2012)

Some concepts for major megafauna (large animal) families for the world:

*Tuskers
*These lumbering, tusked herbivores may resemble  hybrids between elephants and lizards, but their true evolutionary  kinship rests with early synapsids ("mammal-like reptiles") such as  Earth's Placerias. They are always the largest animals in their  respective ecosystems, with the largest species (the savanna-dwelling  Bush Tusker) reaching over five meters in height at the shoulders and  weighing over thirty metric tons. Tuskers may use their namesake tusks  to uproot foliage, defend themselves, or fight over mates. Females  always travel in matriarchal herds while adult males either live alone  or in smaller bachelor herds. Tusker species living in hot climates have  leathery hides whereas those living in cooler regions have hairy coats  for insulation against wintry cold.

*Daggerfangs
*These  carnivores may look like reptilian answers to saber-toothed cats, but  the daggerfangs actually trace their ancestry to synapsids like the  tuskers. Like their distant cousins, they may have leathery or hairy  hides depending on the climate. In temperate to subarctic regions, the  daggerfangs are the apex predators, but in the tropics they occupy a  subordinate position in the food chain to tyrant birds. Daggerfangs may  either live solitary lives or hunt in prides depending on species.
*
Herd Lizards
*These  warm-blooded tropical reptiles vary a lot in size and appearance, but  all share common features such as horns, vertical limb postures, and  herbivorous diets; they are lizard versions of African bovids (antelopes  and buffaloes). Most are nimbly built except for one massive and  ill-tempered buffalo-like species known as the skull-basher. They are  the most popular game species for human hunters.
*
Pack Birds
*Among  the world's most intelligent non-primate animals, these gregarious  flightless birds live in tropical regions and occupy a niche similar to  wolves, spotted hyenas, and Velociraptors in that they cooperatively  hunt animals larger than themselves. Herd lizards are their most common  prey although large primates and even juvenile tuskers are also fair  game. Pack birds typically have a matriarchal social structure with  females exceeding males in size and aggressiveness. After the tyrant  birds, they are the most feared of all predators.
*
Tyrant Birds
*Distant  relatives of the pack birds, these multiton flightless birds are the  apex predators of the tropical savannas and jungles. They may use their  serrated, bone-shattering beaks on any animals unfortunate enough to  cross their paths, but they especially like to hunt tuskers and larger  herd lizards. Usually solitary and ferociously territorial as adults,  tyrant birds may even eat each other if the opportunity arises. The Sun  and Earth Peoples call them Queens of Beasts for very good reason.


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## Jabrosky (Sep 8, 2012)

_Ornithotyrannus rex_, a fictional species of predatory bird from  my fantasy world. If you want a sense of this guy's size, a tall man  could barely reach his knees.

Although not the largest of the  tyrant birds, Ornithotyrannus boasts the most powerful jaws of any  terrestrial carnivore in the world and thus may count as the most  lethal. This apex predator of the tropical rainforests weighs over seven  metric tons but can outrun most humans in short bursts. It boasts keen  vision with depth perception and an even stronger sense of smell that  allows it to locate prey in the jungle's musty depths. Although  Ornithotyrannus prefers to attack tuskers and large herd lizards, it has  enough courage to invade villages for human victims if need be.


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## Endymion (Sep 8, 2012)

The moon guy is great looking.


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