| |
| Koswebe | |
|---|---|
| Capital | Duroka |
| Area | approximately 350,000 square miles |
| Government | Kingdom, numerous clans |
| Population | 1,127,000 |
Koswebe is a large semiarid steppe on the eastern Veldt. While technically claimed by Turlona as part of the colony of Mameli, Koswebe remains unexplored.
Culture[]
The natives of Koswebe are known as the Kishoba, and their settlements are typically walled towns resting on the edges of the escarpments that run across the plain. The adelphic succession system (brother succeeds brother) used by the Kishoba leads to frequent civil wars, which is why most settlements are well defended. Underneath the king are a number of chiefs who have sub-chiefs and headmen under them.
The Kishoba organize themselves into clans. People of the same clan use a common set of totems. Totems are usually animals, although some clans use body parts (such as the Leg Clan and the Heart Clan). People of the same totem are the descendants of one common ancestor (the founder of that totem) and thus are not allowed to marry or have an intimate relationship. This identification by totem has very important ramifications at traditional ceremonies such as the burial ceremony. A person with a different totem cannot initiate burial of the deceased. A person of the same totem, even when coming from a different tribe, can initiate burial of the deceased. If a person initiates the burial of a person of a different totem, he runs the risk of being asked to pay a fine to the family of the deceased. Such fines traditionally are paid with cattle or goats. Similarly, Kishoba chiefs are required to be able to recite the history of their totem group right from the initial founder before they can be sworn in as chiefs.
Geography[]
The region is marked by a series of parallel escarpments running east to west across the gently rolling plains. The highest parts of Koswebe are along its northern edge, where a line of cliffs drops off sharply into the deserts of Taribeland. Each of the escarpments that run across the region drops off to the north, but as a whole the land tilts gently southward, and the region's rivers flow southward as well.
Flora and Fauna[]
Koswebe is a land of well-grassed plains dotted by dense clusters of trees and tall shrubs. The grasses found here are generally tall and turn yellow or brown in winter, which is the dry season. Large mammal species including white rhino, black rhino, giraffe, wildebeest, kudu, impala and a variety of further antelope species and other game can be found here in large numbers. The southern half of Koswebe, known as the Niswane Waste, is a large swath of barren rock with only the occasional small watering hole.
Settlements in Koswebe[]
- Duroka
- Karnokadi
- Keswat
- Surinda