A Visitor’s Guide to the Dharakmeni Empire E-Book

Jacquelyn Smith

• Herausgeber: WaywardScribe Press
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Assassins, danger, intrigue… The Dharakmeni Empire does not welcome the faint at heart. (Or anyone else, for that matter.)

But fear not, dear reader! The Shining Kingdom’s foremost adventurer, Yarden the Wanderer, knows all the ins (inns?) and outs of the continent’s most reclusive (and reviled) region.

Let Yarden guide you—as only he can—on a journey through the empire’s customs, caste system, and cuisine. Explore esoteric temples dedicated to the endless expressions of the goddess. Meander your way through a myriad of marketplaces. Impress the locals with your nebulous, newfound knowledge!

...Learn just enough to become an adventurer in your own right with this glorious guide, funded by the Temple of the Keeper of Wonder, and recorded by the scribe of the World of Lasniniar series, Jacquelyn Smith.

Please note: Yarden the Wanderer and the Temple of the Keeper of Wonder in no way claim responsibility for any harm or mishap that befalls visitors of the Dharakmeni Empire before or after reading this guide—including, but not limited to death or enslavement.

Leseprobe

A Visitor’s Guide to the Dharakmeni Empire

JACQUELYN SMITH

WAYWARDSCRIBE PRESS

A Visitor’s Guide to the Dharakmeni Empire

Copyright © 2023 Jacquelyn Smith

First published in August, 2020 as part of the Realms of Fantasy collection

Published by WaywardScribe Press

Cover and layout copyright © Jacquelyn Smith

Cover design by Jacquelyn Smith/WaywardScribe Press

Cover art copyright © Tudorpopaart/Dreamstime

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Contents

A Wanderer’s Welcome

So You Want to Visit the Empire

Dharakmeni Society

Temple Taboos and Illegal Enchantments

Fitting In

Places to Visit

Imperial Outskirts

The Imperial City

The Imperial City Temple District

Concluding Contemplations

A Visitor’s Guide to the Clans of the Dharakmeni Empire

About Jacquelyn Smith

A Wanderer’s Welcome

Welcome to the Dharakmeni Empire! (I say these words to you now, because assuredly no one else will utter them to you upon your actual arrival in the empire itself.)

For whatever reason, you have decided to ignore the warnings of the priesthood and crown to venture into the realm of the Shining Kingdom’s most divisive (and enigmatic) neighbor.

As the Keeper of Wonder’s most loyal and internationally renowned devotee, I have traveled from the Malachite Forest to the Ash Mountains, and everywhere in between. Indeed, who better to guide you through the perils and delights of Dharakmeni society?

In all my many journeys, I can honestly say I have never encountered a place quite like the Dharakmeni Empire. You too will soon discover that from its exotic cuisine to its penchant for intrigue and danger, the empire truly is unique.

So You Want to Visit the Empire

Just getting into the Dharakmeni Empire can be a tricky proposition. Unlike other realms on the continent, the Dharakmeni Empire guards its borders fiercely, and has no interest in outside trade or visitors. Even foreign diplomats are usually turned away. (Or perhaps I should say they are especially turned away. The imperial mindset is a paranoid one.) The only rumored exception to this practice regarding diplomats is a recent delegation of elves.

So how to cross the border?

Well, although the imperial border guards are loath to advertise such a thing, experience has shown that speaking a little bit of ‘the international language’ to them can be effective. (A few gold coins should suffice.) Of course, a bit of friendly chatter never hurt either, and can sometimes help to smooth things along. I usually find after a good half-hour of regaling the border guards with tales of my many exploits, they are eager to help me get on my way.

Naturally, it is also important to appear as non-threatening and unlike a spy as possible. The guards will act on any suspicion—no matter how slight—regarding potential threats to the empire. Even those traveling in the robes of one of the goddess’s devotees are not above reproach. The guise of a wide-eyed, innocent traveler, eager for adventure in new lands, is often the best approach.

WANDERER’S WARNING:

Traveling into the empire in the company of children is not recommended. While children are not usually the direct target of imperial intrigue or suspicion, they are often the innocent victims of it. If you somehow fall afoul of one of the noble houses during your visit, it is possible for any children traveling with you to be used as hostages for leverage.

In the empire, this is considered fair play, so long as the affair is conducted in private, without any outside witnesses. If you try to involve the imperial guard in this kind of matter, they will deny all knowledge of it.

Dharakmeni Society

KNOW YOUR ROLE

One of the most important things to understand when making your way in the empire is their rigid adherence to a caste system. Rank determines almost all aspects of life within the empire. Ignoring the constraints of this social system can prove deadly if you are at the bottom of the heap. As a foreigner within the empire, you stand somewhat outside this system, ranking anywhere between a commoner and an upper-class merchant, depending on how you present yourself. But foreign status is no protection against a slighted member of a higher rank.

THE NOBLE CLASS

This stratum of society is made up of the descendants of the original invaders, who came from the east and overpowered the natives. After a few generations of subsequent infighting, only seven of the original invading clans remain: Isketi, Tahlidi, Zhahadi, Livani, Sharihati, Abrieli, and Khalmedi. Each of these clans has carved out a province of its own within the empire.

Nobles are fiercely loyal to their clans, but power within the clan itself is dictated by purity of blood and social standing. (The obsession with blood purity can be easily seen in the distinct physical features that are unique to each clan.) So while a clan always portrays a strong, united front to outsiders, there is still a considerable amount of jockeying for position behind the scenes.

Each clan is ruled by a Clan Sire—a hereditary position held by the eldest man or woman of the clan’s pureblood line. The Clan Sire rules from their province’s stronghold. Their word is law within their domain and among the rest of their clan, superseded by only the emperor himself.

To make matters more complicated, each clan is also divided into houses.A new noble house within the clan is granted by a Clan Sire, along with an accompanying plot of land within the province. Again, this promotion is dependent upon a noble family’s standing within the clan itself, and the whims of the ruling Clan Sire. If a noble house is wiped out, the land and titles are considered fair game to any competing nobles from the same clan.