Okalo

Okalo, bounded by the Okwilu of Pemba to the north, Marhashi to the south, the Atlantean Ocean to the west and Awalawa to the east, is a land in flux. Once Hesperian, it shared in the revolts that freed its neighbors and slid back into a simple, primitive way of life. Coastal savannah and volcanic highlands let it recover faster than jungle-bound Pemba: its people moved quickly from hunting to herding, then to permanent villages on the best pastures, early farming and specialized crafts.

Rediscovered diamond deposits in the interior encouraged settlement and trade. Diamonds go to Tharshesh and elsewhere for metal weapons and tools, some of which are passed to the Okwilu for ivory and as a bribe to keep them in their jungles; their raids for cattle, crops and slaves have mostly stopped, though peace is uneasy. Okalans are of average height, lean and agile, with walnut-brown skin and jet-black hair, lion-claw jewelry, colorful wrap-around robes and sometimes body paint.

The realm is a loose league of villages joined for trade and defense, each led by a shaman who is generally a priest of Og, patron of this male-dominated people. The hereditary shaman-chief of Kaguata is King, advised by a High Council of retired village rulers, who hand power to a successor after a set term. Kaguata, the coastal capital, is the center of foreign trade and crafts and home to the only standing army, which guards the city and council, rides aboard trading ships, keeps peace between villages and sometimes raids Okwilu or Awalawan bandits. Okalans treat the citadel on Mount Tama as legend, but it is real: the Tamara, descendants of its Amazon garrison, still hold it and mean one day to restore Amazon rule over Okalo.