#AwesomeCharacters

Serara could break *some* rules, but not her oath.

In his own opinion, Zaki doesn't have any honor to uphold and will gladly break rules and oaths alike to get results. (Shh, no one tell him he's breaking the rules to uphold one of his oaths 😉)

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#AwesomeCharacters

Serara wears glass bead earrings, a gift from her distant mother, and also a necklace with 3 religious symbols; a snake, a lotus and a sun.

Xhavann has a nosering and several earrings, as well as bracelets in gold. He wears a triangular gold coin in each ear.

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#AwesomeCharacters

I have two bis in #Ame_NephilimWIP 's main cast; Karma and Cayenne. (If you count the pans, there's two more...)

Karma is a lamia noblewoman and Cayenne is her hired bodyguard. They're both bi. Cayenne is married and is a loyal spouse, but Karma has a fling with Serara.

#AwesomeCharacters

If it's Serara, I feel safe. She's competent, and if she says she has a plan, it's usually a good one.

If it's Zaki, someone's gonna die, or he's gonna do something reckless.

If it's Xhavann, I panic 🤣

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 22

Zhaaz sets up gladiator games on a semi-regular basis. It's quite amicable and not fought to the death. Mostly.

Other pastimes include theatre and concerts, which lamias are big fans of, and games like chess. Shent, an Empire-based strategy game, is widely popular.

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 21

The dominant industry in Zhaaz is by far the medicinal development. The research institute and manufacturer employ about a third of the citizens in some capacity; researchers, scientists, apothecaries, doctors, gatherers and farmers, to name a few.

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 20

Zhaaz exports mainly rice, chocolate and medicine, as well as wood for lumber and flowers for perfume. To a lesser extent, paper and metal and stone from the mountains just outside the city.
They import things like fabrics, meat, grains and fruits they can't grow.

#Ame_NephilimWIP

-> Education is only really available to the wealthy who can pay for tutors. Poorer children learn their parents trades, or is sent to learn elsewhere. The exception are the temples. If you become a priest novice, you get a proper education on par with nobles private tutors.
2/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

-> as caravans and tuannaki taxi are accessible for long distance. And a couple of times a year the flying city Tourmaline swings by and you can travel in style, for free! Well, the inns and shops cost, but the ride is free.
2/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 17

Within the city, you walk or ride a carriage if you have money. Horses are rare in Zhaaz, but they get around very well on the ramps. You can hitch a ride with a merchant's cart for a few blocks.
There are more options for travelers outside of town ->
1/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 16

Zhaaz is one of the largest cities in the Empire with about 3 million people and it has a pretty unique architecture. There are few stairs. Instead there are ramps and spiral walkways everywhere - great for fullblood lamia with snake bodies and carts alike! ->
1/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 14

Sleeveless and short tunics are all the rage at the time #Ame_NephilimWIP take place, as well as dipping necklines. It's like a rebuttal to the more strict fashion that came before the current Empress. Now it's more loose, free and youthful, to reflect the changing times.

#Septopolis 13

Cattail (the plant) is a staple food in Zhaaz. It's versatile, nutritious and grows in the swamp. Nearly every part of the plant is edible; the shoots are eaten raw, the immature flower spikes are boiled and the roots are roasted. Even the pollen is used as flour.

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#AwesomeCharacters

I couldn't find the GIF I wanted, but this'll do.
M from #Ame_NephilimWIP:

#Septopolis 12

Most lamias split their devotion between the new pantheon and the old, worshipping both the Sun and the snake god Naga. Neither deity seem to have anything against that. Sometimes holidays clash, but it's nothing people can't navigate around.

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 10

Several, in fact. In broad strokes:
*There are groups working to abolish slavery, some with more or less friendly methods.
*The Alliance, a group of shapeshifters working to better the conditions for their kind, as they aren't always viewed in positive light.->
1/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 9

Lamias are a passionate people, contrary to their snake-like appearance. They love a good debate. Anything is a topic to be discussed; market prices, research, politics etc. Their senate have a huge amphitheater where they debate topics for days. ->
1/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

#Septopolis 8

Zhaaz is the capital of South Galam and they speak Galamian. It's similar to Shazmian, which is the Empire's official language (think Swedish and Norwegian). Lamias in particular have a lispy dialect and sometimes puts S-sounds after words ("hellos", "farewells" etc)

#Ame_NephilimWIP

-> There are few other races present, but tuannaki fly by on occasion and later on you might find a cambion or two. The city is a tad isolated, far from the coast or big rivers, but on occasion the flying city Tourmaline swing by and bring tourists and trade.
2/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP

-> That is also when I came up with the tradition of the first rulers naming the cities they govern from, often after themselves. A tradition I've already - inadvertedly - established with two previous cities in the Empire.
2/2

#Ame_NephilimWIP