Maelstrom Campaign - Major Nations: Rukh

The Rukhi are an avian people whose plumage is almost as bright and colourful as their clothes. They are a flamboyant people who love to recount fables and legends from their history, or of their own doing where possible. The Rukhi are not dishonest as is sometimes thought, it is merely that an exciting story is more valuable than an accurate one. True love and high adventure make the best stories, but cunning merchants, witty poets and great swordsmen are common themes.

Most of the land considered to be Rukh is a vast inhospitable desert. Navigating the trackless sands is very difficult and finding sources of food and water even more so. Along the banks of rivers, by the coast and near oases, the barren sand gives way to tall palm trees and the ground is green and full of life. Modern Rukh is really a series of caliphates, vast sprawling cities built on the rivers or the coast and in some cases even on the banks of the larger oases. Some Rukhi still cling to their old lifestyle, travelling the sandy deserts from one oasis to the next, pitching their colourful silk tents each night, but most have abandoned their nomadic existence in favour of the wealth and beauty of the cities.

Agdabar is the seat of the current satrap, Mushtaq na Hib, the splendid seventy first ruler of the Rukhi nation. The line of the satrap is not hereditary, when the satrap dies the caliphs meet to choose his or her successor. In theory the caliphs can pick anyone and Rukhi fables are replete with stories of valiant orphans plucked from obscurity and poverty to become satrap for their wisdom and courage. Although the Rukhi are infamous as adventurers and traders, the caliphs have few military aspirations and usually pick one of their number who promises low taxes and peaceful relations with their neighbours.

First Meeting
The great winds, that make entering the inlet port of Agdabar impossible at any time except for the hours of dawn and dusk, are caused by the great heat that the deserts soak up during the day and release at night, according to the guides. The fact that it is at these times of day that the city looks most deserving of its title of the 'Bright Jewel of the Desert' is a happy coincidence. We recommend hiring a guide in advance through our local trade house. The fellows that swarm upon those visitors looking a little lost as they disembark upon the dockside are extremely talented at making a living.

It is an old Rukhi tradition to present their finest story of their greatest accomplishment when introducing themselves to someone important for the first time. The Rukhi judge each other not so much by the content of these tall boasts but by the grandeur, panache and eloquence with which they are delivered. Physical aggression is contemptuously regarded as lacking in dignity. Perhaps due to the oppressive heat of the region, it is relatively rare for warriors to be heavily armoured. Instead, they favour more flowing and acrobatic styles of combat; slashing weapons with curved blades are the norm.

Fashion
Folk from Rukh have a more relaxed dress code than many other people. The male avians prefer a loose fitting waistcoat, baggy pantaloons, and clogs or sandals. The only reason for a shirt is if you can acquire one which is more magnificent than your own chest plumage. Long flowing robes are also popular, if they are brightly coloured, or illuminated with gold or silver embroidery. Women adopt a similar style, but sometimes wear a dress or skirt rather than pantaloons and never wear clogs. Turbans and head dresses are common but veils are an eternal Ruhki favourite. Women wear them diaphanous, men less so, but in either case they are felt to convey mystery and allure to the wearer. On overland journeys, it is common to wear encompassing desert robes for protection against the sand and the bitterly cold nights.

Religion
Every religion is common in Rukh, but the people have a particular love for the Weaver. They have little time for monastic or proselytising priests however; they believe that those who are genuinely devout in the service of the Gods should prove their faith by example. Respect in Rukhi society is acquired through accomplishment or at least the tales of such.

Most caliphs wish their lands to enjoy the favour of the Gods, so every God has at least one temple in all but the smallest of cities. Temples of the Merchant and the Teacher are often favoured by the caliphs, but the Weaver is the most popular faith amongst the common people. If the Church of the Weaver has a single leader, it is undoubtedly Almandra the Veiled Warrior, a near legendary figure who lives in Makhand, the largest port in Rukh. According to common belief, Almandra was the first seafarer to return from the New World and many claim this is but the smallest of Almandra's astonishing accomplishments.

Trade
In all the Known World there is no better place to buy jewellery. Rukhi craftsmen are acknowledged as the finest gem cutters and it is claimed that the satrap once sent a dozen perfectly gilded lilies to his favourite concubine. When the massive Kandax diamond was discovered in the deep mines of Maya, it was escorted by a pair of warships across the world so that it could be cut by the satrap's own jewellers. The Rukhi adore jewellery and no other people in the world can match their skill with precious metals and gem stones.

Jewellery is not the only thing to buy and sell in Rukh. Spices and intoxicants are popular here and perfumes and scents sell well. Kamakuran silk can fetch its weight in gold leaf, and fine cloth and cured meats are always in demand by the desert tribes. These are best sold to local traders and let them deal with the difficult task of bartering with the tribes and transporting the goods across the harsh sands.

Hospitality and entertainment are a vital part of trade and life in general in Rukh. Poetry, plays and fine stories can be sold for more than the price of a meal, if you can get an audience at a rich merchants public feast. Be warned though, that the streets are filled with wordsmiths who dream of presenting their work to a caliph.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.