Qadira

Qadira
Nation
Titre	Gateway to the East
Pays:	{{{land}}}
Alignement	Neutral
Capitale	Katheer
Dirigeant	Satrap Xerbystes II
Gouvernement	Satrapy of the Keleshite Empire
natives	Qadirans
adjective	Qadiran
Languages	Kelish
religions	Irori, Nethys, Pharasma, Rovagug, Sarenrae, elemental lords
regionmap
source	{{{source}}}

Introduction

The westernmost province of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, Qadira (pronounced kah-DEER-ah) is a kingdom with the power of the sprawling Casmaron empire at its back. Qadira is Kelesh's doorway to the Inner Sea region, and is perhaps the single most valuable piece of real estate on Golarion. Rivers of spice and gold flow through its capital of Katheer, and Xerbystes II, the satrap of Qadira, boasts that his kingdom holds the wealth of any other three on the Inner Sea.

As the westernmost satrapy of Kelesh, Qadira provides a potent reminder of the strength of one of Golarion’s most powerful empires. Though Qadirans have long been at odds with neighbors who fear them and mutter jealously over Qadira’s riches and culture, the region is not the death trap her enemies spread rumors about. Yet visitors should remember a few key points during their stay in the so-called Gateway to the East. The tips outlined below are taught to new Pathfinders before undertaking missions to Qadira, but any adventurer would do well to take these lessons to heart.

Listen carefully. Qadirans are a silver-tongued lot, likely to bewitch an unwary listener. If conversation is an art form for Keleshites, then haggling is a spectator sport. As skillful with words as they are with blades, Qadirans can often do even more damage with the former. They speak Taldane as well as you do—probably better—and your Kelish isn’t as good as you think it is, so learn to listen more than you talk.

Family comes first. If you ask a Qadiran how she is, she’ll answer with how her family fares. So when you talk to a Qadiran colleague, remember you’re not just dealing with an individual. She speaks for herself and her interests, but she also represents her family, tribe, and empire. Keep that in mind when negotiating. Similarly, Qadirans show intense curiosity about the families of foreigners. Tell them your mother’s name and give them a tale or two about your most eccentric relative, and they’ll warm right up to you.

Don’t expect straight answers. Keleshites know that information is power, and they like to answer questions with questions. You can sit in a Katheerite bazaar for an hour or more before you hear a single declarative statement. It can unsettle visitors at first, but once you become accustomed to it, you’ll realize that the answer is usually contained in the responding question.

Find a patron as quickly as possible. Qadiran society comprises a dense tapestry of family and business ties, tribal affiliations, and religious allegiances. These relationships rival the hypnotic patterns on their carpets for complexity. Almost everyone requires a patron or patron family. As a foreigner, you’ll need a patron to conduct even the most basic business in Qadira, let alone gain an audience with anyone of importance. Use your Pathfinder Society connections to find one, if nothing else.

Register as a foreigner as soon as you arrive. Foreigners enjoy some basic protections so long as they register immediately upon entering the country. If you fail to do so, don’t expect help from the authorities when you’re robbed. And absolutely never pretend to be a citizen. Citizenship in the Padishah Empire of Kelesh comes with a host of privileges and protections, and Keleshites guard that status fiercely.

Don’t start fights you can’t finish. Every Qadiran serves a mandatory 2 years in the military, and even of those in noncombat roles still get basic weapons training. If you can win a fight—preferably without killing anyone!— you’ll earn back the respect you lost for starting it; if you lose, however, you’ll find yourself a laughingstock.

Don’t start religious battles. Kelesh is enormously tolerant of other religions, but the Sarenite faith is the empire’s official religion, and Keleshites expect everyone walking their streets to respect that. They won’t try to convert you unless you show interest in the faith, but if you hold negative opinions about the Dawnflower, keep them to yourself.

Be a gracious guest. Keleshites see hospitality as a sacred obligation, and those who observe the old ways even keep a special room in their homes for greeting guests and offering them ritual food and drink. Have a gift handy. It doesn’t need to cost much, but try to choose an unusual present your hosts can’t easily obtain. Distinctive crafts from your homeland tend to please, especially if they come with a story.

Don’t approach a noble unless you have an introduction. If you want to talk to a noble, you’ll have to work your way up a chain of patronage. This holds especially true if you want an audience with a member of the imperial family. The house guards can be rough with those who presume upon their master’s time without an introduction.

Speaking Kelish

Kelish developed as a trade language that eliminated the most difficult sounds and baffling grammatical features of Old Keleshite. Nevertheless, given that transcription conventions vary wildly, it can still prove hard for Taldane speakers to learn. The two sounds that pose the most difficulty for nonnative speakers are the “hard” h sound (usually written in Taldane as kh) and the two rolled r sounds (r usually indicates a trill made with the tip of the tongue, while rh—sometimes transcribed as gh—indicates a sound rolled at the back of the tongue).

Common Keleshite Expressions

Foreign visitors to Qadira will find the following common expressions useful in carrying on friendly relations with the locals.

“As rare as a camel in Katheer.” This phrase is often uttered in marketplaces to indicate a worthless item.

“My shade to you tomorrow.” This phrase expresses gratitude for hospitality or some great favor by promising to return the gesture.

“Only fools and Taldans...” This expression of derision exhibits the tensions between Qadira and Taldor.

“The edge of your coin is sharper than your scimitar.” This phrase is often heard when a seller wants the potential buyer to know her offer is insufficient.

“The light of dawn to you.” This phrase is reserved for formal greetings and farewells.

Keleshite Names

Many Keleshites in Qadira use two names—a given name followed by a matronymic—in casual dealings, but their full names are typically longer and more complex. A Keleshite who introduces himself as Yaqib al-Marah is saying he is Yaqib, son of Marah. If he needs further identification, he may add the name of the ancestor (usually a maternal great-great-grandmother) whose descendants makes up his broader family. Keleshites who have a tribal affiliation rarely include it except in formal situations, when they may append the name of their tribe to the end of their full name. A member of a merchant house includes his house name after his tribal marker, and he often adds the name of his city to the end of his full name. For example, Yaqib al-Marah Tiferi Bekhzadi Al- Hiraf, is Yaqib, son of Marah, of the Tiferi tribe, member of the Bekhzadi merchant house, from the city of Al-Hiraf.

Noble names often follow a similar pattern, replacing the house name with a family name. If a noble bears an individual title or is the family head, an honorific may precede the family name.

Particularly devout clerics and similar religious leaders among various faiths will often discard all but their given name, replacing the other designations with the name of their chosen temple. For example, Yaqib al-Lehalyah is Yaqib of the Lehalyah Temple.

Members of the imperial family frequently bear a given name, followed by a form of their mother’s name, a name earned upon reaching adulthood, a name indicating which branch of the imperial family they’re from, and finally the family name al-Parishat.

These naming conventions are Althameri (one of the original ethnicities of Kelesh—see page 26) in origin and have been adopted by many Keleshites, but those who identify strongly with different Keleshite ethnicities often use different naming conventions.

History

Fichier:Qadiran horselord.jpg

A Qadiran horselord.

The lands now known as Qadira were not always under the control of the Padishah Emperor. The original inhabitants were related to both the Keleshites of Casmaron and the Garundi of northern Garund. A nomadic people, they survived by breeding goats, and following seasonal migration patterns between the mountains in the east and the ocean to the west and south. They intermingled with the native genies and other elemental creatures of the land, the aftereffects of which can still be seen today in the high percentage of ifrits, undines, sylphs, and oreads in the population of Qadira.

Near the end of the Age of Destiny (-78 AR), Keleshites first invaded Qadira and raised the emperor's green flag of conquest with the Black Blade of War crossing its field. After two years, the Emperor of Kelesh, Adalan IV formalized the conquest and added the Silver Blade of Kings to the flag. He made Qadira a satrapy of the empire under the rule of Satrap Cerush in -43 AR. Within 100 years, a border camp of Omash was established, the Plains of Paresh were settled, and a tense border was established along the frontier with Taldor. The border was fortified with a 100 stone watchtowers, but the Keleshites bided their time and didn't invade, waiting for a sign of weakness from the Taldans. Skirmishes between the two nations continued for centuries, eventually leading to Qadira seizing the town of Gurat from Taldor.

It would take another 1,500 years before Qadiran satraps significantly expanded its borders. In 1532 AR, Qadiran agents toppled the weak Pharaoh Menedes XXVI and annexed Osirion in Kelesh's name. During this time, Xerbystes I bargained for the still-current system of government; the satrapy was now hereditary with full power within the borders, with a vizier installed to advise on the Padishah Emperor's will for external matters. Direct Qadiran control of Osirion would continue for almost 700 years.

In 1540 AR, a spawn of Rovagug named Volnagur was defeated over the Zho Mountains.

By 2217 AR, the worship of Sarenrae was flourishing in Keleshite Osirion, with the Cult of the Dawnflower pushing for independence from the Padishah Empire. The satrap of Osirion attempted to put down the uprising, but failed to do so, and in 2253 AR Osirion became an independent caliphate with Keleshite rulers.

Wars and uprisings were not the only things to trouble Qadira. Natural disasters have been a problem as well. The most devastating of these was the great earthquake of 2920 AR, which killed tens of thousands.

In the 41st century AR, a succession struggle arose in Kelesh. Forty Qadiran princes left in 4067 AR for Casmaron to support their claims, but the conflict took another 15 years to fully resolve.

To understand Qadira, one must understand its dual identity as a bridge between two very different cultures. Qadira is an Inner Sea nation, fully engaged with the regional politics and history, as well as shaped by its disasters, climate, and social struggles. It also forms a part of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, an ancient and powerful empire—wealthy beyond the imaginings of most Inner Sea nations—with priorities and beliefs that are alien to the average denizen of the Inner Sea region.

Qadira anchors the westernmost end of the Golden Path, the primary Keleshite trade route that spans the massive continent of Casmaron. As such, it is of vital importance to Kelesh. More riches cross Qadira’s borders in a week than most Avistani nations have ever held in their coffers. Yet while Qadiran cities like Katheer appear luxurious by Inner Sea standards, most of that wealth does not remain in Qadira. It is a common saying among disgruntled Qadirans that Qadira makes do with glass while the rest of Kelesh drowns in diamonds.

In the eyes of Kelesh, Qadira remains something of a frontier region, even after millennia of existence. Keleshites see Avistani cultures as primitive and bloodthirsty, but no satrapy is more acutely aware of the danger they pose than Qadira. Stranded at the edge of the empire, sharing a border with avaricious and often hostile Avistani, and separated from its nearest imperial neighbors by a harsh desert that prevents easy travel, Qadira believes that its existence hangs by a thread.

Pre-imperial Qadira

Qadira’s extreme climates kept its population low during much of its post-Earthfall history. Scattered farming communities dotted the coasts, nomadic tribes roamed the deserts and plains, and a few major towns rose and fell. Little evidence remains of these settlements other than the ruins outside Katheer. Keleshite archaeologists suspect that Katheer existed even before Earthfall, and that many settlements had been built on the site, each rising from the ruins of the last, but except for inscriptions suggesting that the city may once have been settled by the Aishmayar culture (see page 26), the identities of its previous occupants remain lost to the mists of history.

Over the course of many centuries during the Age of Destiny, several cultures that would eventually combine to become the Keleshite people occupied the area, as did Garundi and Mwangi settlers. Though trading caravans from central Kelesh traversed the area with some frequency, many centuries passed before Kelesh began to establish any formal trade relationships with the native peoples.

The popular horse races near Katheer regularly attracted Keleshite visitors, and imperial travelers began to call the area surrounding this favored attraction Katheerah, which was standardized as Qadira in –78 ar with the first formal preparations for colonization.

Imperial Conquest

As Taldor began to expand its reach in Avistan, Padishah Emperor Adalan IV recognized the importance of the coastal region south of the Pashman River in maintaining imperial control of the Golden Path. In –78 ar, Keleshites first invaded Qadira, though without the emperor’s direct orders to do so. However, Adalan IV approved the territorial acquisition afterward and fortified it against reclamation by Avistani powers. Given the sparseness of the native population, most of the battles the Imperial Forces fought were with Taldor, not the region’s residents.

Kelesh moved quickly to prepare the colony for full incorporation as a satrapy, and engineers, governors, clerics, and architects followed in the army’s wake. The empire, experienced at assimilating foreign populations, took care to fund local industries, offer communities the same services given to Keleshite settlements, and promote local leaders into its administration. It largely succeeded in portraying itself as a benefactor interested in preserving the autonomy of the existing communities— so long as they paid their taxes—and protecting them from the Taldans (who, the imperial emissaries explained, would exploit and impoverish the Qadirans).

In the year of –43 ar, Kelesh officially welcomed Qadira as the empire’s newest satrapy, installing the first satrap, Cerush, and setting formal borders. The Keleshite administration rapidly expanded southward. Though Keleshite traders had been visiting Garund for centuries prior to claiming Qadira as a satrapy, their new control over the region allowed the construction of several port cities to make trade between the continents safer and easier.

For the first 1,500 years of Qadira’s existence, skirmishes with its enemies in Taldor were a daily reality of life. Qadiran satraps focused on increasing the size of their forces, building the largest division of the Satrapian Guard in Kelesh. Qadira’s desire to prove itself as a significant military power reached its height in the second millennium ar, when conflicts with Taldor intensified until open war seemed inevitable. At the time, Satrap Xerbystes I negotiated with Empress Kharilah III to make his position a hereditary one and to assume complete control over Qadira’s internal affairs. The empress believed that Taldor’s economic policies were unsustainable and ruinous and that its army was overextended. Confident that Taldor would inevitably collapse in on itself and that its vestiges would voluntarily submit to Kelesh stewardship, she had no interest in the expense or bloodshed of an unnecessary war. She eventually agreed to Xerbystes’s requests, but demanded he turn management of Qadira’s foreign affairs over to an imperial vizier. Though it was Xerbystes who signed the eventual peace treaty with Taldor, the treaty was the vizier’s in all but name.

Growth and Expansion

During the Age of Enthronement, Qadira engaged in a frenzy of city building, attempts to expand their territories, and increased fortification of important Keleshite trade routes.

When Keleshite agents first reached Osirion, they found an ancient land ruled by a powerful dynasty, although the land’s ruling pharaoh had fallen to corruption and complacency. Seeing a great opportunity to expand Qadira’s influence, agents of the Padishah Empire worked to inspire slave revolts and further destabilize the already compromised government. This revolution allowed Qadiran forces to seize control of the Garundi nation. During this time, the worship of Sarenrae spread further, and the radical and unusually aggressive Cult of the Dawnflower first rose to prominence.

A massive earthquake in 2920 ar killed tens of thousands of Qadirans, and Satrap Gheber II, a convert to the Cult of the Dawnflower, declared this to be proof of Taldan allegiance to evil gods. He requested permission to go to war with Taldor, but the empress refused, and in secret, she began exerting more political and economic influence over the willful state. Relative peace settled over Qadira for nearly a millennium after the imperial throne took a more direct hand in managing Qadira and compelled the satrapy to focus on its role as a trade center. Prosperity enriched many Qadiran families enough to produce hundreds of new merchant houses and allowed Qadiran emigrant families to join the ruling class of the growing city-state of Absalom. Even amid this economic boom, however, some settlements did not thrive. The city of Al-Bashir mysteriously fell into ruin, pirates conquered the resort city of Sedeq, and the Taldans reclaimed territory along Qadira’s northern border.

In 4067 ar, the succession to the imperial throne turned bloody, and many of the extended imperial family members living in Katheer returned to Kelesh to support their chosen candidates or put themselves forward as potential successors. The struggle only intensified over the next decade. The imperial vizier soon followed the returning Keleshites, and without a direct representative of the imperial throne present, Satrap Gheber III invaded Taldor in 4079 ar with an army of more than 40,000 members of the Satrapian Guard and detachments of the Imperial Forces, who were receiving conflicting orders from the capital. Already overextended in its efforts to maintain its western holdings, Taldor could not hold off the invasion. The nascent nation of Cheliax and several others took advantage of the distraction and broke away from Taldan control, while Qadira almost took Taldor’s capital. Most of the Inner Sea region knows this period as the Even-Tongued Conquest, but in Qadira, it is known as the Ghevran Victories.

It would be another 500 years before Taldor and Qadira achieved peace again, and the conflict increased both Qadira’s confidence as a military power and its conviction that Taldor must fall for Qadira to become a safe and stable nation. The satraps continued to focus on increasing the size of the Satrapian Guard, conscripting slaves into its ranks and fueling a slave trade that operated through the former resort city of Sedeq.

Today, Qadira enjoys wealth nearly unrivaled in the Inner Sea region, and it maintains one of the largest militaries on Avistan. It is finally beginning to salve its diplomatic relations with Osirion. Though the nations of Taldor and Qadira signed a peace treaty in 4603 ar, border skirmishes between the two longtime rivals remain frequent, and both sides secretly prepare for the seemingly inevitable war to come.

Qadira Timeline

Presented below is a timeline of major events that helped to shape the nation of Qadira.

–5293 ar Earthfall.

–4983 ar Ancestors of the Althameri tribespeople flee the Grass Sea to escape retribution for a now-forgotten transgression.

–4583 ar Althameri tribespeople settle in the deserts of modern-day Ayyarad.

–3923 ar The Pit of Gormuz opens in Casmaron, disgorging the first of the Spawn of Rovagug into the world and causing incredible devastation.

–3822 ar General Bitharah al-Hezbat conquers the last of the Aishmayar cities.

–3470 ar Osirion is founded.

–1281 ar Taldor is founded by descendants of Azlant who intermarried with local human tribes and Keleshite traders.

–632 ar The Tarrasque destroys Ninshabur before heading west in a furious rampage that reaches the Garundi nation of Shory.

–614 ar Keleshite forces complete their conquest of the trade routes formerly controlled by the empire of Khattib.

–78 ar Keleshite troops invade the region surrounding Katheer, acting without the permission of Kelesh’s leaders.

–43 ar Padishah Emperor Adalan IV formally establishes the satrapy of Qadira and places it under the rule of the satrap Cerush.

1396 ar Empress Ashtirat II visits Katheer, prompting a flurry of construction that defines the shape of the city even today.

1531 ar Qadiran troops conquer Gurat and skirmish with the Taldans.

1532 ar Qadiran agents defeat Pharaoh Menedes XXVI of Osirion and place Osirion under the control of the Qadiran satrap.

1532 ar Xerbystes I, satrap of Qadira, convinces Empress Kharilah III to make his title a hereditary one. In return, he relinquishes control of Qadira’s foreign affairs to an imperial vizier.

1553 ar Xerbystes I signs a peace treaty with Taldor.

2206 ar The Cult of the Dawnflower begins founding its own churches in Qadira, independent of the mainline church of Sarenrae.

2217 ar The Cult of the Dawnflower’s influence catches the notice of the Qadiran satrap, who banishes its followers to the deserts of Thuvia.

2253 ar The Cult of the Dawnflower drives Osirian Keleshites to overthrow the Osirian satrap, replacing him with a Keleshite noble independent of Qadira.

2768 ar Empress Aleshat VI marries the son of Satrap Aphama I. The Qadiran navy grows.

2920 ar An earthquake kills tens of thousands in northern Qadira. Satrap Gheber II declares this proof of Taldan allegiance with evil gods and requests leave to invade Taldor. The empress refuses.

4067 ar Uncertainty over the succession to the imperial throne causes violent conflict in Qadira. Eager to refocus the unrest on an external enemy, Satrap Gheber III proposes war with Taldor.

4079 ar The war known in Taldor as the Grand Campaign begins. Qadira invades and occupies southern Taldor.

4080 ar Emperor Darial III raises Qadiran taxes to a punitive level in an attempt to halt the invasion of Taldor. Qadiran nobles threaten to secede, and the emperor relents, but dies from a suspicious fall off a balcony the night after he instructs the vizier to communicate his change of mind. Qadiran forces enslave the city of Zimar and burn most settlements in the Zimar scrublands.

4082 ar Taldan Grand Prince Cydonus III, who mired his nation in debt and failed to prevent the Qadiran conquest of southern Taldor, is poisoned by angry nobles in a palace conspiracy. His successor, Beldam I, claims that the poisoning was carried out by Qadiran agents.

4083 ar Qadira finishes conquering southern Taldor, held back only by the natural barrier of the River Porthmos, in a string of military successes known as the Ghevran Victories.

4096 ar Repeated Taldan sieges of the Qadiran city of Koor prompt Qadira to abandon it.

4276 ar Taldan forces destroy Qadira’s Resolute Citadel, an academy for spellcasters.

4328 ar Taldor attempts to invade Qadira. At the urging of Satrap Arsinoah II, Kelesh sends a detachment of 50,000 cavalry to swell Arsinoah’s forces.

4528 ar Grand Prince Stavian I initiates the Great Purge of Sarenites. He declares worship of Sarenrae illegal, propagandizes the Cult of the Dawnflower as treasonous spies, and encourages destruction of Sarenrae’s temples. Many Sarenite clerics are imprisoned or murdered.

4603 ar The Grand Campaign ends. Taldor and Qadira sign a peace treaty.

4609 ar The Osirians throw off Keleshite control and install Khemet I as ruler.

4679 ar Xerbystes II, current satrap of Qadira, is born.

4689 ar Taldor begins using Zimar corsairs to harry Qadiran trading ships.

4692 ar Emperor Kalish XXII takes a Qadiran noble as a consort. She bears a son named Yaril, whom Kalish chooses as his heir, empowering the Qadiran faction in the imperial court.

Qadira et la Mère Intérieure

Au-delà des voisins du Qadira du Taldor et Osirion, les attitudes envers les Keleshites varient considérablement parmi les peuples d'Avistan et du Garund. Les préjugés anti-keleshites sont communs dans les zones rurales et les petites villes; Même les kéélysiens qui ne sont pas ressortissants du Kelesh sont souvent soupçonnés d'être leurs employés, et le pouvoir de l'empire et les pratiques étrangères font d'eux un objet de grande méfiance.

En revanche, les commerçants keleshites sont souvent la seule source de produits convoités. La perspicacité économique des Keleshites a sauvé des individus, des entreprises et même des gouvernements d'Avistan et du Garund de la ruine financière. Ceux qui ont des relations d'affaires avec les Keleshite sont parmi les premiers à apprendre des nouvelles d'autres régions du monde, et ces connexions leur permettent de définir des modes et d'introduire de nouvelles cuisines et de nouvelles douanes auprès de leurs voisins. Le talent des Keleshites pour apprendre les langues et les cultures des autres, combiné avec les perspectives extérieures que beaucoup possèdent en tant que voyageurs et entrepreneurs internationaux, leur permet de comprendre les différents côtés de nombreux conflits et de servir de voix objectives de la raison.

Les Keleshites dans les régions de la Mère Intérieure

Les résumés suivants décrivent les principales nations, cultures et races de la mer intérieure, qui ont des vues distinctives sur Qadira.

Absalom: La sophistication urbaine d'Absalom correspond bien au Kelesh, et la culture et coutumes du Qadiran ont contribué à façonner la Ville au Centre du Monde. Les commerçants Qadiran sont chaleureusement accueillis ici, et les résidents du Keleshite sont habituellement à l'abri des persécutions. Les résidents d'Absalom commencent généralement par une attitude amicale envers les étrangers keleshites.

Andoran: Les Andoriens froncent les sourcils sur la traite des esclaves du Qadira et ils soupçonnent souvent les Keleshites d'envoyer des agents impériaux pour ramollir la nation pour une prise de contrôle. Les Andoriens commencent généralement par une attitude hostile envers les étrangers keleshites.

Brevoy: La position géographique du Brevoy entre Avistan et Casmaron lui donne un aperçu particulier de la culture de Casmaron, y compris la familiarité avec l'empire de Kelesh. Les gens du Brevoy comprennent les distinctions entre les Keleshites ethniques, les Qadirans et les citoyens du Kelesh mieux que la plupart des Avistani. Les résidents de Brevoy commencent habituellement par une attitude amicale envers les étrangers et les citoyens du Kelesh, mais avec une attitude hostile envers les Qadirans.

Cheliax: Étant donné que l'invasion de Taldor par Qadira a détourné les forces de Taldan assez longtemps pour permettre au Cheliax de se séparer, Qadira jouit d'une réputation très positive parmi les Chelaxiens nationalistes. Cependant, sous le règne de la Maison Thrune, ce statut s'est érodé en raison de l'inimitié entre Sarenrae et Asmodeus. Les résidents du Cheliax commencent habituellement par une attitude amicale envers les étrangers Qadiran et les commerçants keleshites, mais l'attitude ne semble pas amicale si le Chelaxian adore Asmodeus et le Keleshite porte des symboles visibles de Sarenrae.

Druma: L'attrait du Druma pour la richesse signifie que les commerçants, les banquiers et les conseillers économiques du Keleshite sont accueillis à bras ouverts. Les résidents de Druma commencent généralement par une attitude utile pour les banquiers et les commerçants keleshites, et amicaux envers d'autres Keleshites.

Elves: La patience et les politiques à long terme de l'Empire Padishah du Kelesh, ainsi que son allégeance à une divinité bienveillante, obtiennent l'approbation de la plupart des elfes. Les elfes commencent habituellement par une attitude amicale envers la plupart des Keleshites, bien que leur attitude envers les Qadirans commence habituellement par indifférente.

Halflings La traite des esclaves de Qadira, en particulier son commerce avec Cheliax d'esclaves halfling, rend la plupart des haflings suspectes envers tous les Keleshites. Les halflings commencent généralement par une attitude hostile envers les Keleshites, et leur attitude envers les Qadirans, qui ne désavouent pas rapidement la traite des esclaves, commence hostile.

"Holomog:" Les tensions au sujet de l'établissement de la colonie keleshite de Tirakawhan ont érodé les relations entre cette nation méridionale du Garund et l'empire Kelesh, mais les deux parties ont consacré beaucoup d'efforts à la réparer et les échanges circulent librement entre eux. Les résidents de Holomog commencent habituellement par une attitude indifférente envers les Keleshites, mais ils peuvent être amicaux ou utiles pour les représentants de maisons marchandes avec lesquelles ils ont des partenariats commerciaux.

Katapesh: Katapesh a des liens économiques solides avec Qadira, et beaucoup de ses habitants sont des Keleshites. Les Katapeshi commencent habituellement par une attitude amicale envers les Keleshites.

Taldor: Les préjugés anti-Keleshite sont les plus forts au Taldor, compte tenu de l'histoire de guerre de la nation avec Qadira. Cependant, les citoyens de descendance au moins partielle du Taldan sont également communs au Qadira, ce qui rend les relations entre des peuples communs les deux nations complexes. Pourtant, il est inhabituel pour un Taldan de commencer avec une attitude autre que hostile ou agressive lorsqu'il interagit avec un Keleshite.

Varisia: Le Qadira entretient une ambassade ornée à Magnimar et bénéficie de relations commerciales chaleureuses avec la ville. Les résidents de Magnimar et de ses exploitations commencent généralement par une attitude amicale envers les Keleshites, mais ailleurs en Varisie, les gens sont généralement indifférents lors du premier rendez-vous.

Regional Trait

A character from Kelesh or Qadira can take the following regional trait.

Keleshite Trader: Your cosmopolitan upbringing has given you familiarity with many cultures. You gain two bonus languages and a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge (local) checks.

War with Taldor

Qadira has been at war with Taldor numerous times throughout its long history. The war drums of Katheer have been silent since the beginning of the Age of Lost Omens, but Qadira has never stopped waging its wars. Gold is its weapon now, spices its shield, and its incredible trading power is its armor. The last great war with Taldor began in 4079 AR when a Qadiran and Keleshite army of 40,000 crossing the southern border of Taldor, in order to take advantage of troubles happening elsewhere in the Taldan empire. This war lasted over five hundred years, not ending until three years before the end of the Age of Enthronement in 4603 AR. This period became known within Qadira as the Ghevran Victories.

Government

Fichier:Mounted Qadiran.jpg

A Qadiran rides a horse.

As governor of a distant province of a vast, sprawling empire, the satrap of Qadira does not have the power he desires, but is still a political force to be reckoned with. Every year, to maintain his position, Satrap Xerbystes II has to send thirteen golden bulls and three hundred concubines to the heart of the empire, but for a man as rich as Xerbystes II this is nothing. His power is curtailed by his vizier, Hebizid Vraj, directly appointed by the Padishah Emperor himself. While Xerbystes II has complete power within the borders of Qadira, as a satrap he has little control over events outside his border; things like piracy, trade, and war are controlled by the Padishah Emperor himself. Unfortunately for Xerbystes, the Padishah Emperor does not want war and therefore the vizier restrains Xerbystes' lust for yet another war with Taldor to the north. Xerbystes II attempts to sate his desire for conquest by charging his special noble advisors, known as the Peerless, with near-impossible tasks and quests.

Foreign relations

Since the peace treaty of 4603 AR, Qadira has maintained a tentative truce with Taldor, although the two nations are highly suspicious of one another. Qadira is on generally good terms with the undead nation of Geb and the city of Katapesh across the Obari Ocean.

Holidays

Qadira has only two major holidays: Kaliashahrim and Batul al-Alim. The first celebrates the Padishah Emperor and Qadira's allegiance to the empire, while the second commemorates the birthday of a popular romantic poet of the same name.

Economy

Qadira's economy relies heavily on foreign trade, both to the interior of Casmaron as well as the Inner Sea region. Its major trade routes include the Golden Path, the overland route to Katheer, the North Tack, a sea trade lane that begins at Sedeq and follows the northern coast of the Inner Sea to Corentyn in Cheliax, and the Obari Crossing, a sea route the connects the Inner Sea to the distant nations of Iblydos, Kelesh, and Vudra via the Obari Ocean.

Geography

Qadira Carte

Qadira is a dry land, and the sand of its many deserts hide its ancient ruins. To the east lies the vast continent of Casmaron and the sprawling Padishah Empire of Kelesh, of which Qadira is but the westernmost satrapy. Qadira lies along the trade route known as the Golden Path, which brings goods overland to and from Casmaron. This trade route is responsible for much of Qadira's wealth. Qadira's coastline along the Inner Sea and Obari Ocean forms its southern and western borders. Only the northern border of Qadira is connected directly with another nation of Avistan. It is this border that has caused them the most grief, as it connects with Qadira's ancient rival, Taldor.

Inhabitants

Qadiran human population is overwhelmingly Keleshite, although significant numbers of expatriate Taldans live there as well. Qadirans value wealth above all else and often seek to make their fortunes abroad. The wealth of Absalom, and more importantly, the trading opportunities proffered by control of the great city, has long drawn the gaze of the satrap's most powerful merchant princes. Many Qadirans are ready to leave their deserts behind for the promise of lustrous Absalom gold. Qadirans value not just wealth, but luxury and the finest things life has to offer. Most Qadirans favour horse racing as the sport of kings, treating champion jockeys as other lands treat war heroes.

Geniekin

Due to its millennia-long contact with the various elemental races, Qadira has the largest concentration of geniekin in all of the Inner Sea region.

Religion

The church of Sarenrae is by far the most popular religion in Qadira, even though two factions of her followers clash behind the political scene. An aggressive sect agitates for further military expansion, primarily in Taldor. Younger and junior members have banded together opposing this path, seeing their goddess as primarily interested in tolerance and redemption, not war and conquest. The government and the public-at-large seem unaware of this schism, which could flare up into open fighting at any moment. Other popular faiths in Qadira include those of Irori, and Rovagug.

White Feather

A new secretive cult has begun arriving in Qadira from the east. Known as the White Feather monks, they preach pacifism. This puts them at odds with the satrap, who has them closely watched. He fears that their ideology might spread to the greater public, which might put his future war plans at risk. The church of Sarenrae sees these monks are possible allies, but is still unsure of their true motives.

References

Paizo published two books on Qadira: Qadira, Gateway to the East and Qadira, Jewel of the East.