Kush

Kush is a rocky, dry land of desert scrub on the northeastern coast of Gondwana, with mountains in the south and west. Streams from the western range feed a tributary of the River Styx, and a dam there supplies the capital, Okartum, with water. Irrigation has done little, so Kush stays poor, with a small population and little food beyond figs, dates and similar crops.

Kushites are kin to the Qaddani and to the Turanian tribes over the Red Sea. The sexes dress much the same, in long flowing headdresses, loose tunics, breeches and sandals, and neighbors tend to see them as semi-barbarians. The Candace, a hereditary queen, is succeeded by her eldest daughter or a niece; a king may reign only until a female heir appears. She nominally heads the army and the state cult of Ahura, but a council of generals really runs the small, efficient army, deferring to her only in crises. Soldiers are mostly men, and women serve in separate guard platoons that escort leaders and foreign guests.

The land is rich in copper, tin, sapphires and other stones, with some silver and gold. Its tin is never exported, not even to Sheba; it goes into bronze, and the very rich flaunt pure tin utensils. Food imports keep famine away, so the alliance with Sheba is vital: Kushite squads guard Sheban traders on long voyages, and Kush is sworn to defend Sheba, especially the island of Raamah. Kush is cordial with Joktan, watches Qaddan warily from fortified border posts, skirmishes with Nubians who covet its tin, and fears Massawa most of all. Outlawed demon-worshippers of Ahriman still make trouble in secret.