Aryus
“Despite the indulgent hospitality I have been offered, I cannot say I enjoy the Aryi’s culture. The dzuri who are hosting me seem to have ulterior motives with every gilded smile. On my successful attempt to slip away into the less opulent parts of the island, I observed the way the lower caste is treated. Wealth is everything here, with it comes freedom and pleasure, without it despair and enslavement.” - From the Journal of the Unnamed Traveler
Aryi Fashion
Geography
Dry to the north, wet to the south. Most of Aryus is tropical although the biggest island does have vast sand banks. The many islands under Aryi rule have led to Aryus calling itself an empire.
Politics/Culture
Aryus is ruled by an emperor who dwells in the Emperor’s palace, a huge compound that serves as a “city within a city”. The Emperor is almost never seen in person and usually acts and rules through manipulation of a web of nobles, known as dzuri, fighting to keep their place at the top of the class pyramid. The dzuri claim the castes formed from natural superiority and preach it like a religion although no one, including themselves, believes it. The truth comes down to a massive disparity of resources and the dzuri ability to hold private forces and use them to hold their power. The Aryi emperors have gathered and stored resources for generations into an unstoppable capital easily maintained by smoke and mirror politics.
Politically, Aryus is driven by greed and a constant battle to keep power. Social status is strictly enforced but can also change in a bloody heartbeat. For those without power to fight for their place, it’s a matter of luck and hope. Nepotism, blackmail, and bribery are an Aryi politicians friends.