Altara
Todays national topic is Altara. Altara is facing the Sea of Storms on the mid-south tip of Randland, and wedged in between Illian and Amadicia. Pulling out the map (http://www.blacktower.net/map.htm) we note that Altara appears to be a large nations. Its borders also seem to touch Ghealdan and Murandy to the east and west, and Andor to the north. But, very little of the land is actually controlled.
The capital city of Altara is Ebou Dar, (map: pg 314 ACoS) which lies on the River Eldar, at the tip furthest south in Altara. There resides Queen Tylin Quintara, the unsteady queen. Due to her strong efforts, she has control over Ebou Dar, and the land around it for about one hundred miles, but hardly anything more. The people of Altara tend to identify themselves as belonging to a particular town, or as being subjects of a lord or lady, rather than identifying as being a subject of the Queen or a citizen of Altara. An unsteady land, but its people, especially the women, are unusually fierce and bold.
As I mentioned, the capital city of Ebou Dar lies on the River Eldar. On one side lie palaces, including the Tarasin Palace, the queen’s home, and the homes and shops of the upper and middle classes. The other side of the river is the Rahad, home to the lower classes. The Ebou Dari ferocity is most apparent in the Rahad, where duels are a normal part of life. Strangers have been known to be killed for a wrong glance or for wearing fine clothes, duels can be fought over words, and even women might fight each other with knives. The city is laced with canals and roads with all types of bridges. Barges and boats are poled through the canals (much like our own Venice *wink*). The buildings are pale marble or painted plastered brick. A large, thick wall surrounds the upper-class city, broken by a series of gates with tall pointed archways. Paved squares a found throughout the city containing fountains, and large statues. Most Altarans are recognizable for their dark hair, dark eyes, and olive complexion. and those from Ebou Dar are recognized by their very distinctive clothing.
Women wear their hair shoulder-length or shorter. Their dresses are often pale in colour with snug bodices and full skirts over bright petticoats. Commoners gather the skirt above one knee to reveal the brightly coloured petticoats beneath, while noblewomen wear it raised in the front. The necklines of commoners are cut very narrow and deep, while for nobles the bodice has a round or oval cutout, allowing those with marriage knives to show them off, and those without to show they are available.
Ebou Dari men wear square-cut beards and long mustaches. They wear long, elaborate vests, often in bright colours. They are worn alone, or over pale shirts with wide sleeves. Sometimes the wealthy will add a decorative silk coat slung about the shoulders, much too small to actually wear. This “cape” is held with a chain of silver or gold strung between the narrow lapels.
Both men and women wear curved daggers through their belts or sashes, and they wear many rings. Most women wear large hoop earrings, and some men do too.Perhaps the most important custom in Ebou Dar is the marriage knife. For homework, I would like you to do some research on this item. Please tell me the significance, how it is worn, the gems set in it, etc.
Most info can again be found at these sites:
WoT Concordance - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/2451/wotc.txt
Illustrated WoT Worldbook - http://www.fantasyalternative.org/wot/world/worldbook.htmlSaying:
Lean back on your knife and let your tonngue go free. (Take your ease and speak your mind. The only way to insult someone who says that is to lie.)
Andor Cairhien
Ghealdan and Amadicia
The Aiel
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