Karakian

Food & Drink

Rock Bread

A hard stone shaped loaf of bread that lasts twice as long as standard loafs. It is typically eaten with StoneDrawn Cider as they dip it into the cider to soften the bread and providing a delicious flavor with every bite. The bread tastes stale when eaten dry, but when moistened, the liquid brings out the flavors hidden within.

 StoneDrawn Cider

StoneDrawn Cider is a very popular cider in the empire of Page. It's a sweet cider made from Page valley apples, crushed with a stone press, and sometimes fermented with blackberries.

Geography

The cities of Page typically are both above and below ground. Massive fortresses of stone and metal tower a top the mountains; showing the pure skill of the Karak. These fortresses also go down deep into the surface of the mountains depending on the size and population of the cities.

The Iron Fields

Under the eight-legged mountains lies the iron fields. Massive caverns are within the mountain where iron and other minerals and oars are mined. The mining technique of the dwarves makes the caverns look like massive fields where the iron is harvested and smelted in the underground forges. The exhaust of the forages is piped up through vents in the ceiling of the iron fields and expel out at the top of the mountain. This gives the mountain tops a constantly cloudy effect, referred to it as the iron mountain. This is also where orbs are minted.

Laws & Regulations

The Karakian live and thrive in mountainous environments and most believe there is no other place to call home. They believe that unless you have an official order to leave the mountains; it is forbidden to leave. To Karakians, leaving the mountains without an official order is abandoning not only the mountain but also the community.

Religion

While there are those who focus on the trades, others focus on the deities. Many Karakian dedicate their lives to being priest or acolytes to the temples of the deities. While most temples are that of Gaia or Element, in order to give them constant thanks for the resources of the mountains. However, there are temples to other deities scattered throughout the empire.

Society

Karakians specialize in manufacturing metals and equipment. They use the resources of the mountains to fuel their trade. Although metal working is the primary trade, the Karakian also has many other areas in which they work. Some Karakian work as masons and help build the massive stone cities the Karakian live in. Those who live outside the mountains can also hire them out to build many structures by official orders.

Tsumeta buys a significant amount of Karakians' metals to craft their steam powered inventions and other technology. Steam power has aided the Karakians in metal crafting.

Economy

Page supplies the world with the largest quantity of high grade metals.

Orb Minting

The Empire of Page is renowned for their unique production of the secondary currency, Orbs. Page is the only empire to mint them as they originally were the only currency available within the mountain borders of the Page Kingdom (pre the Great War). Once trade became more prevalent with the other kingdoms, coins slowly replaced orbs as the main currency.

Minting orbs take special glass blowing skills mixed with transmutation energetics. The government grows the crystals used in minting and guards them heavily. The actual minting process is an imperial secret passed down to each new Orb Minter apprentice. To become an Orb Minter, one must undergo intense training and testing to establish trustworthiness. To become an Orb Minter, you must be born in the Page Empire, pass rigorous exams, and reveal your family's history.

The crystals' energy is revealed by crushing them into a fine powder. By mixing crystal powder in the glass and pushing essence through the orb, the abilities of the crystal can be activated. The final step is branding the Page Seal onto the glass using energetic brands that are also dusted with the orb’s crystal powder. Once an orb is minted, they are thoroughly inspected for the smallest of imperfections. Any found and the orbs are recycled and remade. Orb Minters take extreme pride in their orbs and any imperfection is a personal defeat to their craft.

Mountain Medicine

Living in the mountains, the Karakians don’t have easy access to herbs and other medical traditional medical remedies. They have had to learn to patch themselves up using non-traditional methods, such as packing wounds with clay, sawdust, or similar material. The materials are mixed with a small amount of herbal paste in order to help heal the injury. While often these medical methods cause the wounds to become infected, they have also helped save lives.