The Sun Kingdom (any feedback or opinions appreciated)

[Jabrosky]

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.

 

[Jabrosky]

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

 

[Jabrosky]

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.

 

[FatCat]

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

 

[ThinkerX]

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?

 

[FatCat]

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?

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

 

[Jabrosky]

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?

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.

 

[Jabrosky]

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.

 

[Jabrosky]

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)

 

[Jabrosky]

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.

 

[Jabrosky]

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.

 

[Endymion]

The moon guy is great looking.