<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_gray.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Our 4 lvl patrons and boosters, The Fire Worshipers, were voting for this theme.
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Old name: Domain of Khat (retained among the locals, despite the fact that El-Balyama is an empire)
Capital: Ayerkahn
Form of government: absolute monarchy
Emperor: Amphidamant
Currency: pentam
Religion: nomakhim
Official language and writing system: vildomeahd (common Shang-La language), vild (common Shang-La writing); kenagkh (language), kenaghayet (writing)
Residents: Elbalyamian, Elbalyamians/khatu
Territorial administrative unit: nome
The bunn butterfly is one of the sacred insects in El-Balyama. Their huge caterpillars are held in high esteem by the priests, since they are intelligent, friendly, and are always ready to protect their smaller masters with the help of sturdy horns protruding from their heads.
The bunn is considered a symbol of fertility, so the larger and thicker it is, the more magnificent the harvests will be. The bunn feeds on cobra lotuses (oureus), imbuing its flesh and horns with deadly poison.
This forms an image of El-Balyama as a vast, abundant, and hospitable country with a formidable army and a generous portion of venom for a secret weapon.
<aside> <img src="/icons/language_pink.svg" alt="/icons/language_pink.svg" width="40px" /> (kenagkh. - the article “El” denotes divinity, sun, and family (as something general); kenagkh. - “Bhelmeket” - a term meaning “fertility” or “flood”; it came to vildomeahd as a derivative “Baliam” - kingdom/domain of the sun)
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Across Shang-La, it’s known as El-Balyama, although its true name is Khat (“nation”), with Elbalyamians correspondingly referred to as khatu.
Historians claim it was from El-Balyama that Shang-La began. From there came the Mortal Arts, such as alchemy, apothecary art, and melalia, which eventually spread to other countries; it is also the origin of spoken and written language kenagkh and kenaghayet, which gave life to vildomeahd and vild later on. They say all the Tsourai clans once lived in this very place.
The empire draws the singlits’ attention to this day, for the oasis in the middle of hot sands still enshrines many secrets and phenomena.
El-Balyama has fascinating architecture, reaching not only to the sky but also underground. Pointed glass and metal skyscrapers, Pkhen Shapour (“Towers of Ambition”), gleam in the light high above: in and around them are universities, lecture halls, courts, fashion houses, hotels, restaurants - and, of course, the palace of the emperor, or the ruling nomarch. Underground is Khar Ketor (“Wells of Luxury”), where fruits, vegetables, and flowers are usually cultivated, while at the lowest levels, they raise fish or store cocoons, pupae, and larvae of insects crucial for the Elbalyamians. Ethnic, residential, and commercial districts are most often built at higher levels.
Elbalyaman architects literally tamed the sun, shadow, and wind, so there is not a single area in the city that would melt from the heat, as well as no overly dark and humid spaces. The Wells have enough sunlight, merciful shadows lay in the Towers, and the air circulating through the ventilation is fresh and clean.
El-Balyama is called “the land of a thousand nomes.” Nome is an administrative unit of the country, borrowing its name from the bird-like tsourai. Members of this clan are completely hidden from the eyes of ordinary mortals with only priests allowed to meet and communicate with them. Remaining locked in the temple, Nomes, however, protect their subjects from sandstorms, drought, and crop failure - for their Craft is life itself.
But the culture of Elbalyamians themselves revolves around death and death worship. The first thing one sees upon arrival in any nome is Tkha Dasir, the necropolis. You must first greet the dead before joining the living, otherwise the dead will send diseases and curses upon you. Of course, for the foreigners, it is but a legend, but for the people of El-Balyama, it is a confirmed reality.
But no one doubts the existence of the Black Pilgrim, the Nome King — he is death itself, a personification of the desert’s lethality, a symbol of fatality, and the patron of the dead. Pilgrim appears in the form of a huge dog, wrapped in a black shroud, and openly watches the travelers from afar. A dismal stair-step pyramid was erected in Ayerkahn in his name — under it lies the holy abode of the Pilgrim, accessible solely to him and his apprentices.
At the same time, they say remote nomes are not among the Tsourai King’s favorite places - he much prefers the bustling streets of the capital, where he spends time in his human form. He enjoys having fun in the company of mortals, is not averse to good food and drink, and visits theaters and gaming houses - but always remains incognito. The Black Pilgrim's favorite drink is beer, hence there is at least one wheat field in every nome. According to mortals, the Pilgrim himself is a true brewmaster. Thus, if a peira is ready to argue about the quality of malt and the best taste of beer for hours on end, Elbalyamians are sure to keep a close eye on them in attempts to identify their patron.
El-Balyama is ruled by the emperor, while the well-being and prosperity of the nomes are monitored by the nomarchs. The bakari are responsible for the security and enforcement of public order. Originally mercenaries from the Bakari people, they are known for their skills in taming venomous insects, taught to follow the trail of the enemy. Later on, the ethnonym became the name of the Elbalyamian police as a whole.
Insects play a significant role in the life of Elbalyamians. The larvae dig underground passages for the Wells of Luxury or tombs, identify places suitable for life, or are consumed as food and drink. Adult insects find the best fruits, protect their owners from danger, or, as mentioned above, are trained to catch wrongdoers. Their pollen, chitin, antennae, cobwebs, and much more are used in pharmacy, alchemy, and apparel manufacturing.