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Sand, Sin, and Slavery [Setting and Characters]

Kovu of Avernus

Scourge of Mankind
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Sand, Sin, and Slavery

Sand, Sin, and Slavery is an erotic fantasy story I'm looking to write here, it's set in my personal roleplay setting and is largely based on a series of D&D eRP I have considered running but haven't had time, energy or capability to run in a way that I'm comfortable with. As such I've decided to use some of these ideas as a form of release and writing up the story here on the forum. First things first however and that is:​

Content Warning:
These stories will include the following themes and content; Slavery, Bigotry, Rape, Interspecies Sex, Explicit Sex, Violence, and Trauma.​

In this page I'll be outlining, the Setting, the Characters, as well as Plot elements should I feel the need to update them as I write.​
 
Saurinia: The Northern Jewel of Turia
Saurinia, a desert land the stretches from the White River in the South to the Sea of Asten, its sands hide millennia of history. Once the home to many warring nations and factions the vast kingdom was tamed by the first Maharaja Purujan, who sages and archivists contend was born a slave in the now capital city of Chattavaan. Purujan wrestled the Juthran from the Cat Tribes of the Sinhilog, beat back the idol worshippers and nomads into the Deadlands, and took the Elven Ardui people into his own family, marrying their warrior queen Dayashni and brought the whole of the land under his authority. For over six hundred years the descendants of Purujan and Dayashni have held sway over the fate of Saurinia, not always as its premiers but always as leaders.​
Saurinia is officially ruled by a Maharaja who is chosen by election by the twenty Emir who are expected to govern the regions of Saurinia, though the position of Maharaja has historically been given to the most capable and amicable member of Purujan's legacy. Periods of strife and uncertainty have seen the separate Emirates vie for the post, though such reigns have often lasted for short stretches of time as the Purujan dynasty is often quick to reassert its legitimacy through force if challenged or usurped by wits. The current Raj is The Enlightened and Magnanimous Sovereign of Saurinia, the Juthran, and Al'Hajara Maharaja Shezzar, Heir of Purujan I and Speaker of the Tetradic Hymn. Shezzar is the only son of the late Raj and has come to the end of his first year of reign, where he now faces the political intrigue of hungry Emirs and a rising rebellion stemming from the Deadlands in the West from a band of brigands and mystics known only as 'The Reapers.'​
Magic was once a staple of Saurinian society, until the rise of Purujan. The first of the Raja was said to have been enslaved by the Mages of Chattavaan, who had established a growing empire in the North of Saurinia until their fall. Upon Purujan's ascent, all those who had by their nature or choice attained the touch of Arcana were to be executed, exiled or enslaved. Since then the practice of magical study or the possessing of magical talents is as grave a crime as murder and is often met with the same fate, save for in the Port city of Talm, where the Emiress Tsentiel has through many favors attained the permission to allow mages, scholars, and the like into the city, for a price of course.​
There are four major cities of Saurinia.​
Chattavaan (Purujakram) - The political capital of Saurinia, situated upon two twinned plateaus that jutt from the desert below, bridges, wenches, and slave powered elevators fall from the sides of the plateaus and the city stretches out atop, inbetween, and below the cliffs. Here the Raj's palace resides, though the rulers are often travelling through the land and finding abode in their many manses, only returning to the capital for the planning of war, and the birth of heirs.​
Talm - The largest city in the land and the economic hub of the vast network of Saurini slave ships that venture into the Hevalian Divide, raiding Khauscan villages and bringing the 'Sea Elves' and their like to Talm to be branded and sold. Talm is ruled officially by Emiress Tsentiel though it has throughout its history been truly run by the merchant kings who run the numerous guilds, businesses, and illegal ventures that stretch throughout the kingdom. In Talm one can practice magic with a permit, hire assassins in hidden lodgings, and provided the coin indulge in every vice and pleasure.​
Samarthak (The Canal City) - Built as a vast bridge between the Islands of Namir and Myra and connecting to the rest of Saurinia, this city is comprised of hundreds of small and large canals and bridges. Here many of the criminals and miscreants who refuse to pay the fees and dues owed to the merchants have established themselves as the underlying powers. Adventurers and rat catchers alike tend to get their start in Samarthak should they hope to avoid being used as a plaything by the wealthy and prefer the nobler world of criminals and cut throats. All the while Emir Najal tries to keep his city from falling to insurgents, or under the thumb of the Raj.​
Bandaraakh (Ashen Port) - Lastly, the Southern city of Bandaraakh, which lays upon the White river and acts as the bulwark against Southern aggressors, and the offenses of the Orcs and Greenskins which reside in the Great Marshes and Mushroom forests of Hxzylag. Bandaraakh is commonly called the Ashen Port in honor of its many fires and burnings which have seen the city rebuilt twelve times over the last four hundred years. Emir and Admiral of the Raj's Navy Akhsur holds this city and is unwilling to retreat, even if the city must burn again. Refugees from the South, like the Firefolk find their home here, even if it often comes at a dire price.​
Outside of Saurinia's vast Tassari Desert also lie two territories of little true power for the Maharaja​
The Savannah and Grasslands of Juthran - Here the Sinhilog roam in their tribes and packs, holding onto their dying ways. While they are nominally citizens of Saurinia their pelts are frequent trophies for cruel hunters and powerful merchants, and their people are frequently taken captive to fight in the pits, to serve as pleasures and slaves, or to be dined upon by those with the darkest of hearts. Sinhil Tribes as such remain cautious, and often hostile to any trespassers, though Saurini settlements have begun to push the Catfolk to the edge of the Hylos Mountains.​
The Deadlands - It is said that centuries ago the Tassari Desert was a rich verdant grassland, and forests once stood in the far west. These legends speak of a great cataclysm brought upon by the Gods, who drank the water from the land and buried all who had lived in the west of Saurinia. Nowhere is this dry lifeless story more apparent than the Deadlands, an expanse of stone and hot krags where none can live easily. Here nomads and criminals compete for the chance to slay the dangerous beasts of the land and for short momentary relief from the beating heat and the shifting earth that whispers of creatures far more alien and evil than the Dragons of old.​
Lastly the people of Saurinia worship "The Divine Tetrad" a collection of Four deities who they believe to have shaped the world and who constantly war between one another for dominance.​
Baretesh (Baern) - The prime deity of Saurinia, Baretesh abhors magic and rules the laws, regulations, and truths of the universe. Saurini picture Baretesh as a woman while other Turian civilizations view Baretesh as a man. Baretesh is said to have harbored three living champions, Bruna who is worshipped by Knights, swordsman, and warriors, Aelrich a Southern champion who preached judgement and death upon the impure. and Oshir, the lightbringer whose words of kindly guidance were cut short by mages and sorcerers.​
Rosha - The revered deity of death and time. Rosha weaves the tapestry of fate through their flowing hair of silken white. Rosha is not openly worshiped as many believe calling praise upon death welcomes it onto the land. It is only when one has passed that Rosha is given their due, a handful of stones placed upon a grave, and a word of acceptance from whispered prayers. There are no known or recognized Archons of Rosha in Saurinia, and they are only represented by endless void.​
Tanarat (Tanea) - A being of nature, love, and the beauty of the world. It is said Tanarat that Tanarat crafted all the beings of the world, and most especially birthed the Ardui from their heart as the Ardui are of a union with Tanarat and Rosha, the embodiment of earthly beauty and the tapestry of fate. Tanarat is depicted across all of Saurinia as a woman, and while worshipped in Saurinia Tanarat is done so in solemnity. Most Saurini believe that Tanarat brought the wrath that created the Tassari desert and the Deadlands to punish the world for its injustices. There is only a single Chosen of Tanarat acknowledged in Saurinia, Cadarya the Fertile.​
Sujan (Suhl) - The dark opposite of Rosha, Sujan is the living chaos of magic, fortunes, and deceit. Seen as a destroyer on every piece of Turia save in the Frigid southern lands of Wylos. Sujan is a necessary being to worship though it is done only in hopes that the the misfortune and catastrophes that Sujan brings shall be avoided. Mages and Arcanists worship Sujan in secret, hoping that just as Sujan delivered them to their demise, their luck shall reverse and the oppressors will crumble under the deities many calamities. Some speak of a Prophet of Sujan, an elderly woman deep in the Tasari, but all hope she is only a madwoman.​
 
Peoples of Saurinia
Tasari Elves - The Tasari are the most numerous of the Saurini peoples, standing lean and strong these dark skinned elves have resided within the Tasari desert since before even the rise of the Northern Humans. Like most Elves of the world the Tasari lost their long lives millennia ago and now are confined to a lifespan decades longer than that of Humans. However, Tasari are gifted with a natural youth that seems to have evaded disappeared from many Elven peoples of the earth. Most Tasari are at this point partially mixed with Saurini Humans and those who have resisted such mixing are often viewed as an old guard whose legitimacy and authority is coming to a close. Apart from their beautiful browned skin the Tasari are often gifted with eyes of purple, blues, and deep greens, and hair of obsidian black.
Saurini Humans - While Saurinia gets its name from the Northern Saurini Humans they are not the largest race upon the land. Landing on the shores of Saurinia some one thousand years ago the Saurini Humans are believed to have been from a collection of Islands deep within the Divide. The Saurini brought with them naval prowess and magic that they used to conquer swaths of the continent. Only remaining in the North however it wasn't until the end of the Mage kings and the rise of Purujan that the Human settlements began to reach further South into the Tasari and beyond. Saurini Humans were quite taken with the Tasari and today most Tasari and Saurini see each other as apart of a single nation.​
Khauscans - A collection of Sea elves, Tritons, and Water Genasi the term Khauscan refers to their homes in the Khauscan Archipelago where these exotities are often kidnapped from and sold into slavery around the world. Most often however they are brought to Saurinia where they are used for servitude and pleasure. However there have been growing numbers of escaped and freed Khauscans who have founded small settlements along the White river or the Sea of Asten, hoping to make their way home. Occasionally one can run across a Khauscan who has come to Saurinia of their own free will and who carries a Writ of Autonomy to prove it. Either way the Saurini view most Khauscans as savages to be controlled, or exotic treats to be tasted.​
Ardui - These gorgeous rune marked elves are said to have been the birthed children of the deities Rosha and Tanarat, and as such their history is as wrapped in religion. Standing shorter than the average Tasari or Human the Ardui are decorated with beautiful glowing runes which creep upon their skin with each new year of life. Telling their history and the fate which their progeniture has written for them. Most Ardui live in conclaves within the major cities where they are worshiped and tended to. Should an Ardui be seen amongst the street they are treated with deference. However, the Ardui have a culture of humility and calmness, and as the years go by more and more Ardui venture from their conclaves to live lives that the priests and sages would abhor. As the Purujan line is mixed with Ardui blood it has become more common to see Half-Elves, and even Humans with Ardui markings, while this is true it is often seen by the pious as an affront to fate, and a dangerous attempt to change destiny.​
Sinhilog - Tribal cat folk who have resided within the Juthran Savannah since creation, this assortment of 'Tabaxi' as they are called by outsiders are made up of numerous clans and families who share few traits save their history, religion, and their feline forms. Conquered by Purujan centuries ago the Sinhilog have dwindled and those who remain in the Savannah do so constantly on the run from the hunters and slavers. Those who have managed to make a life in Saurinia proper often do so through violence and ferocity, as Saurini fear the power of the Sinhil peoples.​
Ganaara - Often called "Firefolk" these burning Genasi are refugees who reside within the walls of the Ashen port, and among their ranks are gifted artisans. Once they resided within the Hylos mountains where they lived amongst the Dwarves. When the Orcs of Hxyzgl made their advance it was the great city of stone and flames which they wrought to the ground. Those who survived fled, and as the Humans of the Southern kingdoms turned them away the Ganaara went North only to find that the Saurini held little love for them either. It wasn't until the last burning of the Ashen port that the Southern half of the city was gifted to the Ganaara, on one condition. The Ganaara would rebuild the city to withstand the Orcish fires or they would perish with it in the next assault. And so the Ganaara have worked for eighty years to uphold their agreement, each success met with new demands.​
 
Characters
Esraf 'Tel' Afuk - Saurini Assassin and Mercenary - 37
Paja "The White Terror" Vasrani - Sinhil Pugilist and Monk - Age Unknown
Mizrach - Tiefling of Unknown Origin, Scholar and Traveller - Age Unknown
Lanai "Saheloun" Ano'ki - Khauscan Swordswoman - 20
Saanvi "The Desert Rose" - Half-Tasari Bard and Courtesan - 39
Asiaq "Bahati" Vynsdottir - Wylosi Paladin - 29
 
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Esraf "Tel" Afuk

Esraf.png
Occupation: Mercenary and Former Assassin
Background: Born to the wandering Tribes of the Deadlands Esraf is a Nomad by nature, reclusive and quiet he only speaks when he has something to say. Aside from knick-knacks and treasures he has stolen from his marks he carries with him a gorgeous ruby ring which he calls "Safti." He came to the party through little drama, noting their strength and wishing to make himself of use. Hard to understand and always doubtful of his loyalties most who know Esraf treat him with a beguiled, informed kindness; knowing that like the wind, his allegiances are fluid.

Goals and motives unclear
 
Paja "The White Terror" Vasrani
Paja.png
Occupation: Monk and Former Pit fighter

Background: Native to the Juthran Savanah in the far south of Saurinia Paja was enslaved as boy and forced to fight in the arenas and pits of the Emirs of Saurinia. Beaten bloody each day by the instructors and masters of the fighting schools, Paja learned to hold onto life by embracing the point just before death. For some untold reason he was released from his captivity and now wanders through the lands looking for work and a way to use his hands. Paja is cordial to those he meets but lacks the social graces to do more than defer to those of higher station. A wounded pride lies in Paja's words and an ashamed ferocity in the way he fights.
Goals: Redeem himself in the eyes of the Ancestors
 
Mizrach

Mizrach.png
Occupation: Traveller and Scholar

Background: Mizrach arrived one day within the same town as the party, his kindness and seductive gaze drew many to him, he speaks with an unfamiliar accent and holds features uncommon amongst others of his ancestry. The numerous languages he knows and the numerous dusty tomes and artifacts he hoards within his bag give Mizrach an air of exoticism, though his disarmingly warm gaze forces most to surrender their curiosity.
 
Lanai "Saheloun" Ano'ki

Lanai.png Occupation: Mercenary and Outcast
Background: The Khauscan Archipelago is a beautiful paradise, beset upon by pirates, murderers, and the beasts of the deep. Lanai was raised to hold them all back, until the earthen touch afflicted her. Sometimes called the Pohaku this parasite began to grow across Lanai's body and as was necessary she was pushed from her home. Alone and afflicted with a painful future Lanai was easy pickings for the slavers of Saurinia, stolen from the islands and likely bound for the pleasure houses of Talm she was saved by a heavy storm. Crashing upon the shores of Saurinia Lanai was taken in by a priest to the Divine Tetrad, there she was given ointment and rest, and while unable to cure her they slowed the spread of the cursed disease. Among the locals she gained the nickname "Saheloun" to recall the shore she washed upon. When she was recovered, Lanai made her way from the village to find the money to repay them for their kindness, and the means to one day rid her body of its parasitic guest.
Goals: Find the Captain or Merchants who had enslaved her, and find a cure for the Pohaku.
 
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Saanvi "The Desert Rose"

Saanvi.png
Occupation: Songstress and Courtesan
Background: Once an up and coming dancer and songstress in the city of Talm, Saanvi was sought after by many a hungry merchant. Though, as often does in the business Saanvi was undercut and cast aside by the matriarch of the dance company. Fearing what could happen should she reside in Talm as competition Saanvi fled from the city and as luck would be found an instructor absorbed by her form. This mysterious instructor showed her the true power in graceful movement and song, and with the veil pulled from her eyes Saanvi now wishes for more than just to be a respected entertainer, but to be something more. She returns to Talm now with the protection of a companion and the power of forbidden knowledge.
Goals: Achieve the greatest heights of creation, and secure power and stability for herself.
 
Asiaq "Bahati" Vynsdottir
Asiaq.png Occupation: Paladin on Pilgrimage
Background: A foreigner from the frigid land of Wylos, Asiaq is called by many Saurini "Bahati" meaning pale one. Her steely gaze, cold demeanor, and forlorn aura put most off from approaching her. Asiaq does not speak unless spoken to though she can often be heard at night singing what sounds like an old Wylosi lullaby. When unarmored one can see long thick scars across her shoulders, and the myriad of scars that align her face speak of a woman who has lived a life of hardship.

Goals: Redeem herself in the eyes of the Gods
 
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