Dumu, like Fayiz, was more or less dragged into the war against his will. He only joined the Bluebanes because his friends did, though he was spurred into it by both the promise of clanship and the stories of Redbloods abducting dragonkin like him to serve as slaves.
(4/4)

To Chloe, the war is a very distant thing, something far away and frightening going on behind the mountains. The closest it's gotten to her was an assassination attempt on the king, which was still something she only heard about. Of my characters, it has probably impacted her the least.
(3/4)

Fayiz was part of the Redblood Mercenaries long before the war started, fighting local bandits and catching runaway slaves. With the war going on, Fayiz has found himself being thrown against far more dangerous foes, without any real say in the matter.
(2/4)

The first time he cast this spell, he required three other spiritbinders to lend their prowess to make it work, and the strain still left him bedridden for 3 years. The second time killed him. Remembered as a war hero, the day of his death is observed even to this day, 300 years later.
(3/3)

... the dreaded Night King Ukos. Herodes II was a powerful spiritbinder, and he personally created and cast the spell "Banish Into Dark", a mighty spell that he used to banish the capital cities of two of the Cruel Kings deep, deep underground.
(2/3)

In the Violet Sands, one can find castles and temples of quartz and crystal, their spires jutting from the sand. This ancient civilisation has no name, nor even written records. Nobody knew who or what ruled it, nor even what caused its fall.
(5/5)

In the Expanses, you have the temples and tombs of the beastfolk kings, who controlled the Black River region. Invasion, incest and in-fighting was what killed this kingdom - theirs was a slow decline, rather than a dramatic fall.
(4/5)

In the Red Sands, you have the monolithic forts and castles of the muluk'hajar, or mountainfolk, who ruled the deserts with meteoric bronze and runic magics, until they were overthrown by the human slaves they'd built their empire upon.
(3/5)

In the Coastlands, you can find the twisted keeps and tombs of the Cruel Kingdoms, whose kings purportedly worshipped demons and oppressed the common people. Their ruins are often physically warped or corrupted, and universally dangerous.
(2/5)

Nowadays, the Opet is celebrated less extravagantly, with the statues staying in their respective cities and the festivities lasting only 5 days. But it's still an important occasion on the Black River, and likely will remain so while the river still flows.
(5/5)

Once the statues have been "wed", the festival itself goes on for around 10 days, during which the people feast, play and give thanks to the gods. All work is halted, no loans may be given, and all food is provided by the nobles of the city.
(4/5)

...as they were seen to be the spiritual reincarnations of Ansiliras and Chakbet respectively. The festival promoted and reinforced both the union of the sun and moon, and the semi-divine status of the kingdom's monarchs.
(3/5)

...all the way up to the sun god Ansiliras's temple in el-Djehara, where the priests would perform a ritual marriage ceremony between the two gods. Importantly, the current ruling king and queen would be wed to both gods in this ceremony...
(2/5)

Me neither, I just thought they sounded cool.

It's possible they had a meaning that I deduced from Google Translate, but that would have been a long time ago by now, and I wouldn't have written it down at the time.

There's something to be said about the one thing that makes the town unique being unpleasant to taste.

El-Nihaya - sometimes referred to as the "shield against the south", el-Nihaya has endured centuries of attacks. Barbarians, hyenamen, desert warlocks and worse, none have overcome this desert bastion. It was once ruled by the cowfolk kings.
(4/4)

El-Mahadi - the financial centre of the Black River, el-Mahadi is at the nexus of multiple roads and routes, not just the river. Many a wealthy merchant makes their home here, amid the ancient homes of the long-dead jackalfolk kings.
(3/4)

El-Djehara - the religious and political heart of the Black River. The Great Temple of Ansiliras is located here, as well as the Fair Palace, once home to the birdfolk kings. Its proximity to the rest of Karatera makes it the first stop for northern traders.
(2/4)