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The Uthman Lands are the name given to the western half of the continent beyond the "Savage Lands". Despite being considered mysterious by the kingdoms of the "Known World", the Uthman Lands are highly populated, civilized, and peers to the Keller Lands. Contact is limited to trade between Gemric and the Uthman, usually conducted through the Savage Lands.
This half of the continent is separated from the other half by the "Toka Filayen" or "Plains of Soot and Ash", a dry volcanic upland inhabited by large numbers of humanoids and dangerous creatures. Long considered impassable by land or by air, it has divided the continent in half since humans first appeared. The continent is dominated by the large interior mountain range running east to west. The northern region is wet due to frequent predictable rainy seasons and good for agriculture. the areas south of the mountains are cooler, but a polar sea keeps the region well watered and abundant with deciduous forests. Most of the mountains are inhabited by xenophobic Dwarven kingdoms that jealously guard their territories and trade with humans only under restrictive terms.
Like many parts of the world, there are a great many human ethnic groups. Those of the Uthman Lands closely resemble the inhabitants of modern Africa in all their varieties. There are four primary ethnic groups in the Uthman Lands, each dominating the language and culture of part of the Uthman Lands. These include the Tsibirin of the western islands, the Matasinje of the coastal wetlands, the Ugwundi of the northern regions, and the Kenkhisa of the southern polar sea. Because they are so widely travelled, Tsibirin is used as a trade language through most of the Uthman lands.
1) Kingdom of Nebakasi - One of two major ethnic Ugwundi states, Nebakasi is a fairly typical large monarchy. Located at the edge of the tropics, Nebakasi receives extremely heavy rainfall and has rich soil. The land itself is densely forested, and most of the population is centered on the coasts and several heavily farmed lowlands. The hilly interior remains wild and unexploited, populated by various humanoids and creatures which plague the civilized lowlands. Most of the country is divided into nearly autonomous feudal domains ruled by local nobility. The monarch is simply the most powerful of the nobles, and rules with a light touch and the consent of the landed aristocracy.
2) The Okesemiri Empire - The heart of Ugwundi culture, the Okesemiri Empire is considered one of the "Three Great Kingdoms" dominating some part of the Uthman Lands. It has a larger, more urbanized population than neighboring Nebakasicentered on the primary river and its tributaries. The empire is strongly centralized under the ruling dynasty, and the capital city of Isi Obodo is comparable to most of the major cities of the Keller Lands. Blessed with a large population, rich farmland, and a strong military, the Okesemiri Empire would be poised to dominate the Uthman Lands if it did not face constant threats from the barbarians of the eastern plains and jungles, or from Iyabanda in the south. Constant raids by humanoid tribes and the expense of maintaining expensive frontier defenses keep Imperial attentions diverted from expansion and domination.
3) Kingdom of Kumawa - Largest of the "Three River Kingdoms", Kumawa is large enough to avoid being conquered by the Okesemiri armies to the east. the kingdom has an agriculturally centered economy, centered around a single river system with extensive small tributaries. The vast majority of the population of ethnic Matasinje lives along or actually on the rivers, which are used in lieu of roads throughout most of the kingdom. The southern highlands eventually give way to the Dwarven kingdoms of the central ranges. Kumawa is not especially wealthy or advanced. It is self sufficient, and the challenged of the environment mean that most governance occurs on the local level. There are few large landowning nobles, and most land grants are given directly by the relatively powerful monarchy.
4) Kingdom of Chapakati - One of the "Three River Kingdoms", Chapakati is somewhat drier than its neighbors, though still covered in semi-tropical forests and grasslands. Inhabited mainly by the Matasinje, Chapakati is more urbanized than Kumawa or Kumadzulo, and is the cultural center of the Matasinje people. In recent years, the monarchs of Chapakati have undertaken an effort to break the trading monopoly held by the Uthman League, resulting in frequent small naval wars. Chapakati makes extensive use of mercenaries in the fights, including the occasional Gemiri and Montoc who make it this far south. As such, it is nearly as welcoming to foreigners as the Uthman League. Chapakati maintains unusually good relations with the dwarves, and their military shows it in the high percentage of Dwarven constructs and war-golems fielded by Chapakati's army.
5) Kingdom of Kumadzulo - Least advanced of the "Three River Kingdoms", the throne of Kumadzulo is currently occupied by a puppet of the Uthman League. The bulk of the population is Matasinje, while the ruling nobility are all either Tsibirin or their clients. Like the other "River Kingdoms", Kumadzulo's economy is agricultural. The deposed ethnic-Matasinje dynasty has fled into the interior highlands, where it is now caught between the new rulers and the increasing hostile Dwarves of the mountains. This souring relationship between humans and Dwarves is even affecting neighboring Chapakati, which relies on Dwarven assistance.
6) The Uthman League - A long term alliance of ethnic-Tsibirin city states, the Uthman League is the wealthiest and most advanced state in the region. It is the namesake that the region is called in the "Known World" to the north. The Uthman League is ruled by an elected prince and an assembly of the heads of the city states and the merchant houses that dominate them. A fleet of trading vessels, warships, and even magical airships sail all through the southern hemisphere and occasionally beyond. They bring goods and wealth to the League from all corners of the globe. The Uthman League is also the most cosmopolitan state in the Uthman lands, with a code of ethics much like their rivals and partners in gemric. The Uthman league ruthlessly maintains a monopoly on all international trade, enforcing it with both economic and military tools. They have made arrangements with their Gemiri counterparts to meet in the Savage Lands to conduct trade, but they actively prevent Keller trading vessels from reaching the Uthman Lands. 7) Kingdom of Babbangida - Another of the "Three Great Kingdoms", Babbangida is the heart of the Tsibirin people. It is largely a temperate climate, well watered by frequent rains, with a large population. Wedged between the Uthman League and Bantsoro Wuri, the kingdom has become rather insular and defensive over the centuries. It is neither wealthy nor advanced, though it has a large population well able to defend it from external incursions. The ruling dynasty maintains firm control over most aspects of governance and the economy, but the very size of the island guarantees that local rulers have some autonomy.
8) The Thanatocracy of Bantsoro Wuri - One of the strangest places on Aestas, Bantsoro Wuri is a series of paradoxes. The human population is ethnically Tsibirin, but a certain percentage is actually undead. By law and custom, all rulers must be magic users of some sort. by custom, when a ruler reaches the end of their natural lives, they are put through a series of trials by the actual powers in society, the Circle of Corpse Lords. This is a council of liches, all powerful necromancers, who use their powers to ensure the health of the state. Successful candidates become liches and join the Circle, while those found wanting are slain. Most citizens who die are reanimated as carefully prepared mummies, zombies, or skeletons. These animated dead are venerated and celebrated by their living descendants, serving as laborers and soldiers in the Thanatocracy's armies. Despite this seemingly terrifying culture, the Thanatocracy is actually a relatively peaceful place. The undead take the place of slaves and soldiers, leaving the living free to farm in peace. Predatory undead such as vampires, ghouls, and so forth are hunted to extermination with a vigor matched only by paladins. Living subjects of the Thanatocracy have a very relaxed attitude about death and the dead; though they have few rights while living, they are assured of a place in the afterlife.9) Kingdom of Emazantsi - Westernmost of the three ethnic-Kenkihsa states on the southern polar frontier of the Uthman Lands, Emazantsi is a sparsely populated land of small fortified towns each ruled by a quasi-independent noble. These nobles all pay homage to a monarch who rules only by force of personality or force of arms. It is a lawless, chaotic land where prowess in battle is valued more highly than other traits. Emazantsi is beset by constant incursions of beasts from the polar region, but the locals accept it all as simply a part of life. Despite the risks, the inhabitants of Emazantsi consider themselves to be the freest people in the Uthman Lands - every adult bears arms, and all take part in the countless small raids and wars. Strangely, the kingdom maintains cordial relations with the Dwarves, serving them as laborers and soldiers to augment the forces of various Dwarven lords.
10) Grand Duchy of Phakathi - The Grand Duchy of Phakathi is a relatively conventional sort of place, with Kenkhisa inhabitants. The ruler styles himself a Grand Duke, having recently gained independence from the neighboring Iyabanda Empire through treaty and war. The Ducal economy is centered on mining and fishing, neither of which is especially lucrative. The Grand Duchy is supported by the Dwarves of the interior range, is it provides the with a buffer between their homelands and the Iyabanda Empire. Phathaki has a cool but temperate climate, a moderate population, and a relatively stable government. It currently faces no existential crises, and is a common destination for migration from less stable regions of the Uthman Lands.
11) The Iyabanda Empire - One of the "Three Great Kingdoms" and heartland of the Kenkhisa, the Iyabanda Empire is centered around the long river and the polar sea coast. It is the largest state in the Uthman Lands, though it has a smaller population than the size alone would indicate. The majority of its inhabitants are Kenkhisa humans, though the north has a restive Matasinje minority. Iyabanda is heavily urbanized, with large grasslands and good soil in parts, though it also has a small desert region in the northeast. Iyabanda fields the premiere cavalry of the Uthman Lands, which is uses constantly to subdue barbarian raids from the polar steppes and the interior deserts. In centuries past, a previous empire was able to subdue enough of the steppes to attempt an invasion of Khuiten Kurai in the Taohuan Realms. Instead, it actually brought Zovkanism to the Uthman Lands, and two centuries ago the Iyabanda Empire formally adopted this Taohuan faith as its own. Iyabandan Zovkanism is a bit different from how it is practiced to the east, as it incorporates both existing Kenkhisa deities and an Imperial cult.
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