Zahrain

Zahrain

Zahrain

A desert world with only a few city-state hubs shielded by 'domes' which protect the inhabitants from the outside ill-winds and harsh ecosystem. Each city-state heading directly to it's neighbor takes about five days worth of travel via approved caravan. The city-states within Zahrain each have their own merits but the highlight of this planet (and what has brought great wealthy and prosperity) has been a special ore known as Prima Materia which was found to be dotting the landscape in several places, and thanks to its terminally dynamic nature, the ore was instantly known as valuable. Hoarded by the merchants and scientists of New Medina, the Prima Materia was studied and eventually a byproduct of its strange nature was determined and used as one of the most stable and safe sources of perpetual energy available.

Beyond Zahrain's Cities

One of Zahrain's flaws, however, is permanent: The entire world is prone to enormous, ravaging sandstorms and unusual electromagnetic activity, creating blackouts across entire areas of the planet and absolutely destroying other portions of it with the violent changes in wind and the erosion of constructs and the terrain. Due to this, some areas of the planet have been entirely neglected in corporate or large-scale settlement, and it is left up to the imagination what strange and unusual things occur in these bleak areas of the planet. Rumors of cults, scientific pursuits, and even small business surveying has occurred in these destroyed lands, but the Zahrainian governments decline any involvement in these places of ill omen.

Locations within Zahrain

• Rococo: The capital of Zahrain and the central of all trade between Kemet, Bahal, and Khali. Many traverse to this location for variety of reasons due to it's flourish of culture and also it being a religious hotspot. Millions of Avestani-Zionist pilgrims flood the city during the fall equinox month. During this time it is near impossible to get into the city via normal methods, often caravan tickets would be backlogged.

• Kemet: The city-state best known for it's progress in sciences and technology. Due to the original intentions of finding a suitable byproduct of Prima Materia, Zahrainian Alchemy, now many years later is a widespread practice throughout the land. The best Alchemists are sent to the Kemet University or to the Royal Citadel to fine tune their skills.

• Bahal: Once originally named the 'Holy Land', due to it's vast richness in precious minerals.. now well known for being a conglomerate powerhouse. The richest of the rich live in a secluded Oasis-like city, Shiraz, while many others are a part of the structured military to protect not only their state but the whole of Zahrain. The area is littered with many military outposts along with the most fearsome being the rogue fundamentalist force, The Baseej. Bahal is noted for having two domes, one that surrounds Bahal as a whole and provides a balanced ecosystem and then an inner dome that only surrounds the city Shiraz.

• Khali: The homeland of spices and silks. Textiles from all over Zahrain cannot compare to the decorative perfection that Khalite wares have to offer. Khali is known for it's incredible diversity, many Khalites range from the fairest skin to the darkest shades which typically signifies which family branch the Khalites are from. The fairer skinned individuals often being from the richer/noble houses located in the city of Lis and the darker the skin, the more it's seen as being close to the Sthaghi, a group of Khalites who live in mostly rural areas and the city of Brankot.

Spiritualism of Zahrain

• Avestani
• Sthaghi Cult

Elemental Deities

• Ishtar
• Baal
• Makara
• Amun

Dark Deities

• Set
• No-faced god

People of Zahrain

House of Spirale

Royal House Crest.

Probably not the Naruto one.

Spirale Members & Subjects

Princess Miyabi	Handmaiden Biximay	Astromech Droid R2-DQ

House of Al Ebra

House of Al Ebra Crest.

It's a Secret to Everyone.

Al Ebra Members & Subjects

Scholar Darius Al Ebra	Shir-Kha Leader Kurosh	Shir-Kha Specialist Ali Asra'la

House of Al-Rahami

Al-Rahami Crest.

It's a secret to everybody. Again. Offshoot of House Al-Raha.

Members of House Al-Rahami

Lord Xerxes Al-Rahami	Lord Zaki Al-Rahami	Vizier Juzen Holth

House of Dooper

House of Dooper Crest.

Judges and Security Agents. That is what Opians think of when they hear of House Dooper. A House with much love from the populace, much scorn from the criminals, and quite a few enemies among the other Houses, except House Pala. Planetary Defense and a strong Justice System are the backbone of independent systems, after all. From long ago, House Dooper's history has been linked with everything about the Opia Legal System. The charts of law and rights were drafted under House Dooper's insistence. The legality of the Royal line has been assured by House Dooper. And almost any law enforcement establishment on Opia, from the largest cities to the most off-world trading ship has usually included at least one member of House Dooper or their Branch Families.
Due to this, House Dooper's responsibilities mean they're often called on to both help investigate crimes, and to cover legal matters fairly. Their point of pride is their ability to mete out true Justice, and have earned their reputation as staunch defenders of law and order, meaning they have more often than not sided with commoners being oppressed by some of the less scrupulous Houses. They do this not to strike at potential rivals, but to ensure a fair and equitable system of laws to everyone on Opia, despite the reality granting many privileges to those with power and fortunes. Over time, the Houses Dooper and Heinrich have developed a rivalry, which has turned bloody more than once. House Heinrich's manipulation and bullying of those with less power than them has caused so-called 'slights' from House Dooper over these, and while arguably, House Heinrich has come out on top, House Dooper has still provably prevented them from abusing the system enough that they consider their Spice trade vastly inferior to what it should be.
However, House Dooper takes pride in its reputation as honorable, law-abiding, fair, and most of all, just. Many of its youngest generations spend time in the justice system, either as defense attorneys, or as special agents, and all are trained to be as good at law as they are at investigation, insuring their vision of True Justice is met, without the interference of corrupt or cowed local law enforcement.

Dooper Members & Subjects

Justicar Head of House Dooper Duke Vin Dooper	Special Agent Heir of House Dooper Cale Dooper	House of Dooper Consul Dondadom Becval	House of Dooper Doctor Vicgraw Battait	House of Dooper Bodyguard Connor Utah

House of Dooper Entertainer Halney Garleck

House of Heinrich

House of Heinrich Crest.

The self-titled Sultans of Spice, the members of House Heinrich are and have been some of the most potent Spice merchants, gatherers and controllers in Opia's history, or so they would have you believe. The members of the House of Heinrich started as one of many families whose lands were plentiful with Spice, but between them and their neighbors and competitors, there was a fair market for the selling of Spice. Varying quality shifted with the sands, after all. For quite some time, there was a balance.
But the Barons at the time did not care much for this balance. Baron Vin-Ken Heinrich decided he needed more opulence, and more Spice. He began an aggressive, multi-generational campaign to destroy or otherwise annex his competition. At first through cajoling and legitimate business practices. Offering better technology and equipment in exchange for a better cut; sending extra workers for a share of the profit since they could farm more together; and other such things.
But before long, friendly cooperation for additional profits made the House of Heinrich even richer, and that's when they played dirty. Vin-Ken married his sons, nephews and daughters into other Spice Miners' families, and adding their fortune to the House's own, he arranged for them to then forcefully buy out their other competitors. It wasn't always easy, but living long past his time on various life support machines, and what he claimed were the healing powers of the Heinrich Spice, Vin-Ken made sure to get the biggest cut of the Spice Trade under his control, before he died.
His family followed his lead. Baron after Baron continued this aggressive expansion, always via political marriages or blackmail, hiding any foul play. Eventually, assassinations started happening, and only through the interference of the Royal Family did this not turn into a full blown Spice War. By the time the monarchy got involved, the House of Heinrich had their own private army. A tense 'ceasefire' was signed, a treaty between the families of Spice merchants, and the aggressive expansions stopped. For a time, anyways. The House of Heinrich has never abandoned their goals; they just became a lot more subtle about it.
Marrying into traders, shippers, buying out contracts, and even causing mishaps to other Spice Merchants, the House of Heinrich controls the biggest portion of the Spice trade on Opia. Almost 20%. This is, of course, not enough for the seemingly naturally ambitious Heinrich Barons, but growing from 3% to six times that amount has given them unnatural wealth and ruthless ambition. The goal of House Heinrich is to have so much financial power that their political weight will be far, far larger than any other House, and stands as the only House that grew from 'commoners' of Spice Trade.

Heinrich Members & Subjects

Sultan of Spice Head of House Heinrich Baron Leto Heinrich	Heir of the Spice Yaz Heinrich	Ram Heinrich	Dun Heinrich	An Heinrich

Consul of Heinrich House of Heinrich Bishop Cobrac	Master of Assassins House of Heinrich Wiljav Stratat

Heinrich Reclamation Army

Heinrich Private Army Officer	Heinrich Private Army Demolitions	Heinrich Private Army Heavy	Heinrich Private Army Soldier	Heinrich Private Army Scout

House of Nowo

House of Nowo Crest.

The so-called Lords of Light, the House of Nowo has long been associated with bleeding edge technology. Small investments in technological and scholarly pursuit have led the House of Nowo into the Space age and beyond. Currently a major shareholder in most droid manufacturing, design and distribution industries, Nowo Technologies & Robotics is one of the foremost manufacturer of utility, service and combat droids in the Galactic Republic. Due to this, the heads of House Nowo hold quite a bit of sway with Trade concerns, and private and planetary companies. Think of them as influential lobbyists in more than a few systems.
Historically, the lords of House Nowo have been at the forefront of developing technology to assist with quality of life in Opia. Due to this, they are well respected and well known to almost every native, and anyone with any business sense in Opia knows that they'll have to deal with them at some point. While generally helpful and well-meaning in regards to Opia's well-being, the Lords of House Nowo have always supported the isolationist policies of Opia, being some of the main backers of the expensive passport, and always vying for just a bit more public support, in a way that makes it seem like they want more political power and a louder voice in Opian politics.
This perception is absolutely correct. The current Lord of Light, Ino-Chi Nowo, has been very active in all spheres of Opian interest, as well as in the Galactic Republic. He has always made arrangements to marry into House Trepes, through their direct heir, Reina, which would easily double his influence in Opia. Technology and Power under the control of a true 'Power Couple'.

Nowo Members & Subjects

Lord of Light Head of House Nowo Ino-Chi Nowo	Bodyguard House of Nowo Glem Akam	Researcher Nowo Employee Gar Legrand

House of Pala

House of Pala Crest.

A House whose history is filled with military actions and service. A member of House Pala has always been at the head of the military, or close to it. They follow a proud military tradition, proof that even the Noble Houses of Opia serve the people. They take military discipline and honor very seriously, as they are normally among the most loyal to Opia, or so the rumors and stories about them go.
As expected of such, their members find employment and power in the military industrial complex. Their daughters marry high ranking officers, or become weapons and military hardware manufacturers. Their sons join the military, often granted a high rank, always fresh out of Officer School. The Elite Starfighter pilots of the Opian Military are named after House Pala. The Paladins. As such, all male members of House Pala are referred to as 'The Paladins', until they don't make it as a starfighter pilot. However so far, it's only happened twice in their history.
The Branches of House Pala tend to become intelligence agents or otherwise spies, doing the necessary but less honorable aspects of war, and keeping a tight leash on Opia's security. They are no less respected among the House than their 'ace pilot' cousins, but they tend not to be able to benefit in the advantages of a prestigious House in the general population. After all, well known spies are terrible at their jobs.

Pala Members & Subjects

Military Minister Head of House Pala Zat-Rik Pala	Paladin Shin Asuran	Phantom Sara Asuran

House of Trepes

House of Trepes Crest.

They Got The Power!

Trepes Members & Subjects

Power Princess Heiress of House Trepes Reina Trepes

Military Caste

Shir-Kha Crest.

Opia's elite, special forces army.

The Shir-Kha

Shir-Kha Leader Kurosh	Shir-Kha Specialist Ali Asra'la

Scholar Caste

Academy of Obertus Crest.

Researchers of the Force.

Kemet Scholars

Admiral Aquila Reshta	Scholar Darius Al Ebra	Doctor Sebas Social	Asura	Kira

House Symbols

• 
  House of Spirale, the Royal Family.
• 
  House of Al Ebra, the Alchemists.
• 
  House of Dooper, the Justice Caste.
• 
  House of Heinrich, the Sultans of Spice.
• 
  House of Pala, the Warrior Caste.
• 
  House of Nowo, the Lords of Light.
• 
  House of Trepes, the Power Brokers.
• 
  House of Al Rahami.
• 
  Shir-Kha Order, the Elite Military.
• 
  Academy of Obertus, the Scholars of the Force.

Opia Military

Shir-Kha Leader Kurosh Al Ebra	Shir-Kha Specialist Ali Asra'la	Paladin Heir of House Pala Shin Asuran	Phantom Sara Asuran

Desert Terrors

Crown Prince Kojar	Mimi	Pink Soldiers

Trivia

What do you mean you recognize some of these chars? No way.