Meluhha

Meluhha is a land of sharp contrasts. The Kaila Mountains and the harsh Industan Desert in the north hold only small bands of hardy nomads, and the steaming southern coastal jungles only wild beasts and a few isolated hunter-gatherers. Large settlements are found only in the Akhan River valley in the center, home of the famous capital Mohenjo-Daro. Trade has made the other river towns grow: Amri near the coast is a stopover for ships bound upriver, Channu-Daro offers festivals, bazaars and night life, Harad handles much of the trade with Molodo, and fortified Rangpur in the north houses most of the army.

The northern nomads look much like the people of Molodo, but most Meluhhans are average height or shorter, deep brown with dark eyes and black hair. The poor majority wear loincloths or cheap cotton saris; the rich, mostly city folk, wear bright silk, velvet and fine cotton robes, turbans and capes, with gold, silver, perfumes and scented oils.

The sultan and royal family rule from their palace in Mohenjo-Daro over a rigid caste system of priests, warriors, merchants, farmers and laborers, and the lowly dasa. Nobody can rise above the caste of birth, though merchants in the capital win some respect and occasional government posts; otherwise the royal family's kin and friends hold office, and many dasa must beg or steal to live. Except among the dasa, women may not appear in public without a veil over most of the face. All its religions rest on mysticism, and odd cults and secret orders are found everywhere.