Cor Anara

Cor Anara is the southern country of Vitaria, a vast desert ruled by powerful mages that wage an ever-present war with each other. Here, mages are treated as royalty, and to the most powerful, as equals to the Gods, Themselves. Stories are often told of Cor Anara's major cities, their endless creativity and pursuit of magical research, fused with their unshakable grip on their citizens. Tension is always high in these cities, and one is never truly safe, forced to adhere to the rigid rules of the mages in power. The common citizens often question what it is like to live in the lavish palaces and research facilities occupied by the privileged few, but in reality, the mages that live there are fighting to attain the ever-present, ever-changing political thrones.

The Birthplace of Magic
During the time when the Gods walked the earth, it was in Cor Anara that the Goddess of Magic, Vea, discovered magic for the first time by tapping into the vast plane of the Weave. This place where She did so became a holy ground, and a great statue of Vea was consecrated there, eventually becoming the capital of Abd Al-Uzzah. Vea's statue is over two miles high, symbolic of Her importance in Cor Anaran culture.

Cor Anara is home to many locations dedicated to magical research, with Abd Al-Uzzah alone home to over eighty four of such places. Here in these facilities, mages dedicate their lives to researching and practicing new spells, trying to find answers hidden in the Weave, and pioneering developments in the elusive fields of teleportation, planar travel, future sight, and more. Mages believe that the practice and exploration of magic is paramount to developing oneself and one's craft, and there is no such thing as fully understanding magic's mysterious ways, since there is always something to learn. To them, the knowledge of magic advances mages and Cor Anara as a whole, and there is nothing more noble a goal.

Eldyrian research is also highly practiced in Cor Anaran cities. To Cor Anarans, the Eldyrians are considered the true leaders of magic, and research of their ways and the Ancient Eldyrian Spells is widely encouraged. To them, mastering the ancient magic is key to understanding the true powers of mages everywhere.

Culture
Life in Cor Anara is hard for the majority of her people. The country's dangerous deserts makes life outside of the cities nigh impossible, and shelter within their great walls are more than welcome for most. However, whether outside or inside living is preferable, according to many citizens, is up for debate. Many Cor Anarans that don't possess magical talents are often treated as second-class citizens, and they live in excess poverty or as slaves. Most work as servants to the mages, perform manual labor, take care of horses bred for war, and manufacture glassware to be sold in the neighboring countries. Cor Anaran citizens' hands are often warn and calloused, and their skin, wrinkled, from years of living in the harsh desert. Many see it as a normal way of life, however, since they view their tasks necessary to help the mages, freeing them of having to perform menial tasks so they can engage in magical activities, themselves. By doing so, they believe they are ultimately glorifying Vea, since they themselves lack magical talent. Many Cor Anarans resort to thievery, or sell their services as sellswords, hitmen, or bodyguards as means to survive. Uprisings against the mages in power have been fairly common in the past, with various groups rebelling and striking out, but all have ended in destruction.

Not all Cor Anaran cities follow this lifestyle, however. Il Qavira, among others, is famous for being a city that welcomes escaped slaves and those that want to live freely. These cities are generally peaceful, with a focus on trade and their own magical research, albeit not to the extreme of the iron-fisted cities.

Most mages belong to a House, which can originate from their family, status, or notable discoveries of their chosen field of practice. Occupants of these Houses often live in grand palaces. Each House has notable facial tattoos that their members adorn themselves with. These tattoos are a great source of pride among their bearers, and it is frowned upon to cover them at any time. Mages that do not belong to a House are still treated with great respect by those that lack magical talents, however.

Life of the privileged mages is easy and luxurious. Palaces are often decorated with rich tapestries, the finest silks, and are staffed by no less than a hundred servants that are trained to make the finest cuisine and delicacies. Palace grounds possess lavish gardens, replete with fountains, marble columns and roads, and elegantly carved statues of Vea. Here, every need is satisfied, and the mages enjoy the pampering they receive.

Artwork is practiced by many Cor Anarans, both rich and poor, and common subjects of artwork are the Glass Palace, Vea Herself, and depictions of magic. Cor Anarans bond over artistic expression, and most everything, from the way a meal is cooked, an item is enchanted, or a mural is painted, is thought to be a form of artistic expression, heightening one's sense of self and understanding.

Military
Cor Anara's militaries are greatly feared, and for good reason. Their military training schools are as prestigious as they are difficult, and the few that graduate often hold great positions of power in the major cities. It is said that the schools torture and condition their students during their training, which is thought to increase hardiness, the ability to keep secrets, and enhance the students' cruelty and ruthlessness in battle.

Cor Anaran military forces prefer their recruits to focus on the elements of fire (to burn), ice (to impale), and earth (to crush), and their military mages are renowned for their deadly prowess on the battlefield, defended by thousands of soldiers at their command. Military mages are always addressed as Magus, and are akin to commanders of most armies. They are always acknowledged by their titles, and are treated with respect. These mages are often looked at with awe, since by evidence of their uniform and rank, they have been through much to get where they are, and only very few have the strength and endurance to pass the trials they face with their lives intact.

Economy and Relations
Cor Anara earns a great deal of income through trading enchanted arms, armour, and magical artifacts, both man-made and Eldyrian. Their research notes into the fields of magic are often shared throughout the world, albeit at a great cost.

Parchroot, a reagent only occuring in Cor Anaran deserts, is exported as well, and often at a great cost, since it is so rare. Although it is used in only a few potions and salves known to man, Parchroot is extremely necessary for casting many of the powerful Ancient Eldyrian Spells.

Cor Anara has an uneasy alliance with Eth'leen and Guinevere. Eth'leen supplies Cor Anara with reagents for their magical research and wild animals for their Houses. Guinevere supplies them with metal from Hinode and a wide variety of other goods, including horses, for their military.

Because Cor Anara's and Hinode's ways of life are so different, the countries have been eternally at war with each other for centuries. The border between their countries is often referred to as the Scorched Plains, and the land is littered with decayed corpses, endless craters and crevices left by magical explosions, and the absence of wildlife.

Practice of Slavery
Cor Anara is the only country in the world that hasn't outlawed slavery, yet most of its leaders do not practice it, out of fear, public backlash, or taboo. Many influential Cor Anaran mages are infamous for their practice of it, however, and a few are even noted to keep other mages as slaves, too, symbolic of their incredible power. Because mages are seen as authority figures, taking offense to their keeping of slaves would be challenging them, and grounds for death of the commonfolk bold enough to challenge their lifestyle.

For many, life in slavery is thought to be preferable to that on the streets, since their masters are believed to take care of them far better than they could, themselves. Many masters are indeed kind to their slaves, evoking feelings of loyalty and protection, while others are cruel, ruling their slaves thoughtlessly or using them in their arcane experiments and research.

Unexplained Phenomenon
Many citizens of Cor Anara have a reddish tint to their skin, from being exposed to the harsh winds, sunlight, and sandstorms common to their country. Sands in the southwestern parts of the country are a reddish colour, although the cause of this remains a mystery. As one travels further southwest, the sands get increasingly more red, and some rumours speak of entire fields where the sand is as red as blood.

Every few decades, a great storm sweeps across Cor Anara, before vanishing as quickly as it appears. Subject to much research and hypotheses, this rain lasts for weeks at a time, never relenting until it finally does so. This particular time confines many people to the cities, sheltered under protective wards cast by the mages. Some say this rain is planned by the mages themselves, a plot to gather the citizens into one spot, in order to be abducted for experiments, while others say that there are benevolent weather mages that summon the rain, which is an attempt to stave off the cause of the red sand and bring a sense of solace to their fiery world. Lastly, some believe the rain is sent by Vea, Herself, as tears that She cries in sorrow for the suffering of so many of Her people.

Notable Cities

 * Abd Al-Uzzah - Known as the Birthplace of Magic, Abd Al-Uzzah is both the capital of Cor Anara, as well as one of the largest ciities in the world. Ruled by the Cor Anaran High Council in the Glass Palace, positions change often due to the infighting between the city's most prestigious mages. Debates are often made as to whether the Council has any power at all, or if its members are merely puppets for even more influential mages working from behind the scenes. Abd Al-Uzzah has at least one magical college dedicated to each of the elements, six Weave research laboratories, over ten Eldyrian research facilities, and an entire museum dedicated to locating and housing Vea's belongings when She walked Vitaria.
 * Al-Munna - Dotting the Parched Sea to the south, Al-Munna is Cor Anara's main source of clean water and native fish. A group of Tidecallers purify the water before sending it to the rest of the country for consumption. Al-Munna is famous for its large museum, with its creatures brought in from all over Vitaria.
 * Al-Qalla - Housing vast military centers where mages are trained in the art of warfare, Al-Qalla is fairly mysterious. Only its staff and students are allowed inside, and only the students have been seen to leave, often decades later. Oaths, both mundane and magical, must be recited before one enters Al-Qalla, and each has an effect on one's soul that may last until death.
 * Al-Qureshi - Called the City of Enchantment, Al-Qureshi is occupied by hundreds of Arcanist enchanters. Goods are brought in from all over Vitaria, and given new life by the best masters of their craft. Swords are enchanted to swing harder, shields are made to protect against the elements, and spyglasses can see over thousands of miles. Al-Qureshi is famous for its staffmakers, and it is here that staff crystals are consecrated via special processes known almost exclusively to their creators.
 * Desjaii - More of a large group of communities than an actual city, Desjaii is very close to Cor Anara's border with Guinevere. Desjaii is home to many farming communities that send goods to the entirety of Cor Anara. Often worshippers of Trestae, the people of Desjaii enjoy an easygoing and rural life.
 * Il Qavira - The City of Freedom, Il Qavira is famous for being a home for escapees and those that want to start a new life in their homeland. Il Qavira is home to a multitude of citizens hailing from all over Vitaria, and even those from Hinode. Il Qavira's walls are patrolled frequently, since they are often subject to attacks of the neighboring cities wishing to reclaim their property. Escaped slaves are sometimes known to go missing suddenly in the night, giving gravitas to the strength of their previous owners able to find them, even from the shadows.

Notable Cor Anaran Houses

 * An Rai - Formed by Hanif An Rai when he discovered the spell Emberstorm and unleashed it upon an invading Hinodean army in 421 AEP. House An Rai is exclusively comprised of Elementalists.
 * Arij - A House of Cor Anaran bards founded by Zohaib Rayan, a worshipper of Trestae. This House truly views each other as a family and its members are always practicing or performing when they are seen in public.
 * Ghassan - Founded by Tabor Ghassan around 12 AEP, when he discovered how to bend water to his will, becoming the first Tidecaller. This House is thought to be older than House Ta-Nehisi. Tabor disappeared mysteriously one night, leaving his House for his descendants.
 * Icsaeath - A House formed in eastern Cor Anara, House Icsaeath specializes in the occult arts. Its founder is unknown, and it is said they could bring even the most stoic of men to their knees with merely a thought.
 * Northmere - A Guineverian mage that settled in Cor Anara, Marek Northmere was instrumental in pioneering the first steps of Alchemic magic. His rivals blackmailed him in an elaborate conspiracy, and he fought against them in a great battle. Because of this, he was publicly exiled, and his future generations have since become farmers. Marek's mage descendants have been working for years to regain their House's favour, although this has been an incredibly difficult task.
 * Ta-Nehisi - One of the oldest of the Cor Anaran Houses. Adia Ta-Nehisi founded her House when she discovered the means to cast the Spell of Sealing, and was the first human to do so successfully.
 * Umar - A house recently found by Researcher Laiba Umar, the members of House Umar have foregone traditional magical research in order to dedicate themselves entirely to uncovering Eldyrian ruins and secrets.