Pan Dore

The Pan Dore were a human ethnic group native to the southeastern regions of the Euser Continent in the ancient World of Mana. Physically, they were generally known for dark hair and swarthy complexions, with some tribes darker than others. The notable exception to this were the Sorceresses who came to rule them, who for the most part had hair colors in varying shades of red and gold. The original and largest of the tribes were the Calima (the Sorceress Queens were drawn from their ranks without exception), the Delz, the Nimsef, the Angar, and the Phir.

History

The Pan Dore were initially a war-like, nomadic collection of tribes led by chiefs named naibs that migrated, following their herds according to the cresting of the rivers; however, once techniques of cultivation were discovered, the rich and fertile soil yielded tremendous harvests, and the Pan Dore settled down to largely become farmers. Land disputes became common as the tribes increased, and bloody internal fighting between tribes was the norm for hundreds of years. That is, until the rise of the Sorceresses. During a particularly bitter war between the rival Delz and Calima tribes, the daughter of the Calimate Naib, a spirited young woman named Lalasa, rode off on her father's horse into battle, unheard of for a woman in those days, but was caught in a flash flood and was believed to have died. However, a year and a day later, Lalasa returned, her hair golden as that of the Goddess Chrystalis, and wielding incredible powers even beyond those of the Elementalist priests. After levelling an entire Delz village in the wake of her father's death, the stunned tribe laid down arms to surrender. Sorceress Lalasa wed the son of the Delz naib, Dilan, and was proclaimed Supreme Naib of the Pan Dore by both tribes. The Nimsefi Naib swore his allegiance to her, but the Angar and Phir--particularly conservative, and tribes where the worship of Chrystalis was not as entrenched as the Elementalism of the nomadic era, declared war upon the "Apostate witch". A brutal civil war broke out, but in the end, the Angar and Phir were no match for the Sorceress-led forces of the Calima, Delz, and Nimsefi, and eventually capitulated, acknowledging the authority of Lalasa. The Kingdom of Pan Dora was established, with Lalasa as its Queen, and Calimanjir as its capital.

Queen Ashera Lalasa, great granddaughter of Lalasa I, sent emissaries to Krace and was highly impressed with the men of learning there. She got the idea to send her daughter, Princess Farzana, to Krace for tutoring. It was perhaps this decision that would change the Pan Dore forever. When Farzana returned, she brought back a brilliant mind seeped in Kracian philosophy, art, and concepts of warfare. She established trade with the Kracian city-states, wealth flowed into the kingdom and with it began a Golden Age of peace and prosperity. Art and culture flourished, and the kingdom became the most sophisticated on the Euser Continent.

Farzana's first act as queen was to divide the kingdom into provinces known as Satrapies, along tribal lines, and the naibs became known as Satraps, kings who were largely autonomous, but collected tribute and ruled on behalf of the Queen. This helped to ease tensions between the tribes, and peace reigned for a time, though resentments toward the magocracy simmered beneath the surface, particularly in Angara and Phir Haaset, cities of the Angar and Phir respectively. In the time of Kupopolis Legends, tensions are stirring again, particularly since Farzana only has one daughter, Princess Ayiana Lalasa, Crown Princess and heir to her Sorceress powers.

Society

Owing to the basically matriarchal form of government, Pan Doran women were arguably among the most well off in the ancient world. Pan Doran women had the right to divorce their husbands, own property and conduct business in the same manner of men. Because theirs was a matrilineal society, paternity was far less important to Pan Dorans than in most ancient societies; however, strict gender roles did come into play in some respects. The magic arts, seen as mysterious and inexorably intertwined with religion, were seen as the province of women--who alone could be Sorceresses-- whereas the occult sciences were generally seen as the province of men, who lacking the essentially sacral nature of woman, were nonetheless gifted with logic and intellect of their own. Thus alchemy, astrology, etc. were largely studied by men. Both men and women were expected to serve in the military. Men were not downtrodden by any means, however, despite the higher standing of women in Pan Doran society. They were powerful in their own right, dominating military life, the arts and sciences.

The Pan Dorans spoke Doric, and until the time of Queen Ashera Lalasa, chiefly used a complex system of hieroglyphics for their written language. However, once contact was made with Krace, a simplified cuneiform replaced the old hieroglyphs among the educated classes and scribes.

Religion

In their nomadic days, the Pan Dore were among the first proponents of Elementalism. After they settled in the southeastern portion of the continent and became more agrarian, particular devotion was shown to Gnome and Undine. It was during the last great war between the Delz and Calima tribes that the first cult of Chrystalis was established in the Web, by Lalasa I, first Sorceress Queen of Pan Dora. According to legend, Lalasa had an epiphany of the Goddess while she was near death in the wilderness, and Chrystalis blessed the young princess with a measure of Her own mana, in the form of tears shed by a great phoenix over the girl. Lalasa gained tremendous magical power as a result, and spent a year and a day trained by the great Goddess herself. Queen Lalasa herself was considered a sort of deified saint after she died, and shrines to her in Chrystalan temples were quite common, even into the modern era, and the Phoenix was a common motif in Pan Doran art.

Chrystalis worship took hold and spread among the Pan Dore like wildfire after Lalasa's ascension to the newly formed Pan Doran throne. The Great Goddess was adored as the Mother of the Pan Doran people, the source of their peace and prosperity, and was usually worshipped alongside her consort, the great warrior god Tahran, who was known to the Pan Dore as Roshan. He was considered the Patron of Soldiers, and was often invoked by Pan Doran warriors riding into battle, who often carried white hawk feathers for good luck (Tahran was almost always depicted in Pan Doran legend as having a white hawk companion). The Mystery of Tahran's death and resurrection was an important aspect of the Chrystalan faith, and once a year, during the Feast of Lamentations, Pan Doran women universally garbed themselves in black mourning garments and sang lamentations for the fallen Tahran, ceasing all work and leisure activities alike. Another important festival was held yearly on the Spring Equinox, in which the Sorceress Queen, as High Priestess of Chrystalis, chose a High Priest (representing Tahran) to couple with in what was termed the Great Rite, to ensure a bountiful harvest for the coming year.

While Elementalism was still often practiced side by side with the Chrystalan faith (the two meshed quite well considering Chrystalis was worshipped as the Goddess of Mana; to most Pan Dorans, she was simply the Big Boss Lady of the Elementalist spirits), in the hinterlands Chrystalis worship was not as deeply entrenched, and conservative elements among the tribes resented the newer faith.

The priesthood of Chrystalis was restricted to women, though men could and did serve as priests of Tahran. Of note among the priesthood were the Shizaad. They were an order of eunuchs devoted to the Goddess Chrystalis, pledged in devotion to her, and were an odd exception to the usual gender rules. They were seen as a "third" gender, neither male nor female, and thus held a special place in the priesthood and Pan Doran society as a whole. They were court entertainers, soothsayers, and often served as matchmakers in the community. When a child was born, it was thought to be of the utmost importance to have that child blessed by a Shiza; if at all possible they were present at the birth itself.

Pan Doran satrapies of note:

• Calimanjir: The capital city of the Kingdom of Pan Dora, located on the coast, and the ancestral home of the Calima tribe. Once merely a small fishing village, it grew into the economic, political and cultural heart of the kingdom largely due to the extraordinary efforts of Queen Farzana.

• Delziir: Located along the banks of the Hesperad River in the valley of Gaia's Navel, Delziir is the home of the Delz tribe and was the second largest city of Pan Dora. Delziir was known for its fine metal jewelry, and enjoyed centuries of peaceful relations with the dwarves of the Ulsmodin Empire beneath them.

• Nimsefeh: In the heart of Pan Dora, the home of the Nimsef tribe. A pastoral farming town whose outlying homesteads served as the breadbasket for Pan Dora and for their Euserian neighbors.

• Angara: Located in the rugged outlands in the far north of Pan Dora, home of the Angar tribe. Considered the hinterlands of the kingdom, barely more than a village in the smallest of the satrepies.

• Phir Haaset: The sole settlement of any size on the island of Tezra, east of Calimanjir, and home of the Phir tribe. The Phir were largely herders.