Sind (Territories of)
Location: West of the Atruaghin Territories and Darokin, southwest of Glantri. OW
Area: 200,000 sq. mi. (518,000 sq. km.), including Azadgal: 10,000 sq. mi. (25,900 sq. km.), Baratkand: 32,500 sq. mi. (84,175 sq. km.), Gunjab: 17,000 sq. mi. (44,030 sq. km.), Jalawar: 13,500 sq. mi. (34,965 sq. km.), Jhengal: 32,000 sq. mi. (82,880 sq. km.), Kadesh: 20,500 sq. mi. (53,095 sq. km.), Nagpuri: 13,000 sq. mi. (33,670 sq. km.), Peshmir: 12,000 sq. mi. (31,800 sq. km.), Putnabad: 11,000 sq. mi. (28,490 sq. km.), Shajarkand: 25,000 sq. mi. (64,750 sq. km.), Sindrastan: 13,000 sq. mi. (33,670 sq. km.).
Population: 560,300, including Azadgal: 46,100, Baratkand: 41,000, Gunjab: 12,800, Jalawar: 65,500, Jhengal: 41,000, Kadesh: 30,600, Nagpuri: 61,500, Peshmir: 35,900, Putnabad: 76,900, Shajarkand: 67,000, Sindrastan: 82,000.
Languages: Sindhi, some Thyatian (Darokinian dialect).
Coinage: Sindhi Standard: guru (25 gp), rupee (5 gp), bhani (gp), khundar (sp), piaster (cp).
Taxes: Each mumlyket imposes and collects its own taxes.
Government Type: Feudal monarchy. Nobles (called rajahs and maharajahs) owe fealty to the rajadhiraja (king). Due to recent events the rajadhiraja can no longer be considered ruler of all the territories of Sind; several of the territories are now independent nations.
Industries: Agriculture, trade (salt, silk, cotton, rice, and especially tea).
Important Figures: Chandra ul Nervi (Rajadhiraja of Sind), Drisana Madhar (Rani of Jalawar), Kabir Rudraksha (Maharajah of Kadesh), Hara Rudraksha (Maharajah of Peshmir), Ramanan Venkat (Rajah of Shajarkand).
Flora and Fauna: Monsters that are found in the regions of Sind include animal herds, giant ants, bandits (in the desert), basilisks, camels, cockatrices, djinn, red dragons, efreet, elephants, ghouls, gnolls, giant lizards, lupins, manscorpions, mummies, giant scorpions, shadows, sphinxes, and trolls.
Further Reading: Champions of Mystara boxed set, Dragon #169 (Voyage of the Princess Ark part 16), previous almanacs.
Last Year's Events: See below.
Description by Enzo Giovanni.
The lands of Sind have long been considered exotic by the nations to the east, and it is true that the culture is unique and different from what those nations are used to. In recent years, what with the Great War and the invasion of the desert nomads, Sind has become much less of a mystery, I understand, but before that time I had already travelled throughout the territories. Now that the Master of Hule is no longer in open control of the area, I have returned, with my brother John, to see what the current situation is like.
The Land
While the lands of Sind are typically seen as hostile desert lands, akin to the nation of Ylaruam, the territories are much more varied and encompass very varied terrain. Parts of the Sind region are indeed deserts of sand, but in other places there are mountains, fertile fields, swamplands or lake shores. The region of Sind is vast, much larger than the average inhabitant of the eastern nations would imagine.
Sind consists of a number of mumlykets, kingdoms onto themselves. While in the past they were all united under the rajadhiraja, recent developments have turned several into independent states. Now, what used to be the center of the region, Sindrastan, has been weakened as the northern mumlykets of Gunjab, Kadesh and Peshmir have declared their independence. Kadesh, in the northwest, is now an open ally of the Master of Hule, his remaining foothold in the region, and others are whispered to secretly deal with him for promises of power. There is now open war between Kadesh and Peshmir, with none daring to interfere, for fear that an all-out war would break out in the region, a war that would be devastating to all still trying to restore the lands after the Hulean occupation.
The People
Sind is a region of extremes. Extreme wealth and extreme poverty exist side by side. The people are thrust into specific social classes, or castes, at birth. The "highest" of these are very rich and accorded much respect, whereas the "lower" are terribly poor and looked down upon by the other castes.
Being a foreigner in Sind can be troublesome. My own skin colour labelled me as belonging to one of the lower castes, as light skin tone is typically associated with the urdu-varnas, a people of Sind considered inferior by most. John, on the other hand, was treated differently, his darker, reddish skin earning him automatic respect. John found this terribly amusing, as he is often considered my servant in other lands; here it seemed the other way around. Naturally we are equal as brothers.
The people of Sind expect foreigners to learn their customs and language and to emulate and conform to their society. Here, I was at an advantage. Where I pick up language and customs easily, John doesn't speak and had a harder time adopting the customs. Still, by the time we had finished our tour of the region, we had perfected our roles and knew how to act, when we entered a new area. I will admit it gave me a different perspective to act the servant to a dumb master. I now have a greater understanding of what John must endure on most of our travels.
History
After the Master of the desert nomads swept through the region and finally gave up its occupation, the mumlykets have struggled to return to the lives they used to lead. Life for the wealthy castes has changed little, their wealth still affording them what they need and more. Among the lower castes though, life has become even harder. Feeding the large army of the Master has bled the land and, if you belong to a low caste, you now have even less than you used to have before the occupation.
One would think that such a state of affairs would lead to rebellion, but most of the people of the region seem to think that they deserve the life they have, that things cannot be changed, or that hardship is to be endured in order to obtain a better standing in the next life. Needless to say, many of the poor people find their way into that next life quicker than they ever have before.
Don't Miss
John asked me to convey his feelings about the Jadu oasis in the Mumlyket of Baratkand, with its multitude of exotic flowers in every conceivable colour, saying simply that "it touched his heart." Coming from such a stoic soul, that is high praise indeed. As such, should I pick a single place to point out to you, it would have to be that.
Do Miss
With the Mumlyket of
Kadesh in alliance with Hule, travel in that area is not as safe as it could
be. It seems that the members of the
large warrior caste of that land feel some need of proving their worth to
others, and, while they are caught up in the war with neighbouring Peshmir, you
risk being challenged to combat or outright attacked by bitter men. We had to leave the mumlyket early,
when John was forced to kill a few men who would not stand down.