Geography

At the southern edges of Aleron and Melanos, the climate grows much hotter. Samara is the southernmost nation on the continent, a blunt triangle of land pointing south to where the Sea of Glass and the Sea of Hope meet.
Samara's climate is very hot and predominantly dry. Off its northern coasts on both sides, east and west, there are patches of jungle and rain forest where the slightly cooler climate and the moisture of the ocean allow plant life to take hold; but, for the most part, northern Samara is a long band of savanna, giving way to the fertile plains of Aleron to the north. The major city in the savanna area is Sabra, which lies a few days' ride from the borders of both Aleron and Melanos, and is a center of both learning and trade.
Farther south, the savanna ends, fading into flat, baked-hard earth and, a little farther south yet, immense dunes of golden sand. This is the Ronin Desert, covering most of Samara, perhaps the single most dangerous stretch of land in the known world, surpassing even the Roof of the World. Many inexperienced travelers have perished in the Ronin--dead of dehydration and sun-sickness, having lost their way and been unable to find an oasis in time, slain by the fierce Ronin tribesmen or by the pseudo-mythical sand drakes, or overcome by a sandstorm, breath driven from their lungs by the howling wind while the swirling sand stripped the flesh from their bones.
Near the center of the Ronin is a small chain of fairly large oases, shaped vaguely like a crescent. Anyone traveling through the Ronin stops here, and so the two cities built around the oases--Lapis and Haradah--are among the largest in Samara.
The Ronin takes up almost all of the rest of Samara, save a thin strip of grassland and coastline that runs along the edge of the country.

Despite its harsh climate, Samara is home to three distinct cultures: its own Samaran people, the wild, territorial Ronin tribesmen and the stubbornly independent Felana.

Because of the bright, hot sun that shines on their land, the Samaran people have dark complexions; dusky skin, black hair, and black or dark brown eyes. Their faces tend to be a little aquiline, sometimes harsh and hawklike. In build they vary, depending on lifestyle, but they tend to be a little shorter than the peoples of the north.
Samaran clothing tends to involve layers of light, loose cloth, robes mostly, sometimes in bright colors and sometimes in more muted shades of sandy brown, tan, cream, and white. Turbans or some manner of hood are common, as they shield the head and face from the hot rays of the sun.

Out of all the cultures on the continent, the Samaran is the most restricted. Women have very little freedom outside of the home; they are considered the property of their fathers and brothers until their marriages are arranged, when they become the property of their husbands. Women cannot hold positions of power or own land, and they must go veiled in public or anywhere that they might encounter a man who is not their husband or immediate family--if a woman meets such a man without wearing her veil, her husband is considered justified in killing her for her infidelity, usually after he slays the offending man.
Similarly, the laws of Samara tend to be harsh, but undeniably effective. The penalty for theft is to have one's hand cut off; the penalty for murder or treason is death; and the penalty for rape is castration.
However, women can study magic, and many women in the highest classes disobey the strictures of their culture, their money and power protecting them from retribution by scandalized men.
Despite the somewhat barbaric reputation given it by the harshness of its laws and the lack of freedom had by women, Samara is a rather scholarly nation. Most Samaran cities of any size have at least one library, and Samaran scholars have developed mathematics and astronomy to a much higher level than any other culture.
The Samaran worship a number of gods. The highest of these is Solon, god of fire and the sun and of knowledge, who the Samarans believe holds sway over all life. Solon's consort is Kala, goddess of time, who Samaran legends claim will one day rise up against Solon and overcome him, thus ending the earth. Kala is also the goddess of maidenhood and virginity, and young girls sacrifice to her before they are married.
Other gods of Samara include Ranon, god of earth and blood, who created man and the animals and is petitioned for luck in hunting and herding; Kadar, god of the wind, of horses and falcons, and of messengers; Nuris, goddess of water and rain and darkness; Oran, god of music, laughter, dance, and celebration; and Adah, goddess of women, marriage, childbirth, the hearth and the home, and obedience.
Samaran architecture consists mostly of baked bricks and plaster, with some stone; there is not much wood in the country, so there are very few wooden buildings. Buildings are constructed to be cool and airy, and are decorated with glazed tiles, cloth drapery, and metalwork.

Samara is the major source of cotton, both the plant and the cloth; it is the primary crop of the country. Growing cotton and herding are the two major professions in Samara, particularly for the lower classes; the livestock is mostly cattle and horses. All of these are frequently sold in the north; the best Samaran horses are swift and sleek and intelligent, with very high endurance, though, like the ponies of the Dakoi, they tend to be too small for war.
Slavery is another of Samara's chief trades, though it is frowned upon by the people of the north. Northerners traveling in Samara are usually advised to be on their guard, since northern slaves are popular in Samara.
There is a fair amount of gold, silver, copper, and jewels in Samara, and these are mined and sold both in the country and in the north, along with Samaran pottery in graceful designs, painted with bright patterns and glazed to produce a glassy sheen. This same manner of glazing is used on the tiles which decorate many Samaran buildings.

Copyright © 1999 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.