Rhaakhor

Rhaakhor

Savannah Region
  Rhaakhor, known in the Khaarak tongue as “the Endless Golden Breath,” is a vast savannah region at the heart of a large, still mostly unmapped continent. It is defined by wide grasslands, seasonal rivers, migrating herds, and a culture shaped by openness, distance, and the constant negotiation between settled and nomadic life.
  Rhaakhor is not a unified state. It is a cultural and ecological region, dominated—though not exclusively—by the Khaarak, a lion-folk people whose societies range from powerful river cities to wandering nomadic prides. While the High King of Kaar claims symbolic authority over the whole savannah, in practice Rhaakhor remains a mosaic of clan territories, sacred sites, trade routes, and contested borders.
  Geographically, Rhaakhor is framed by strong natural boundaries. To the east flows the great river Khaamira (“Mother of Rivers”), the lifeline of settled life and trade. Through the heart of the savannah runs Hjaal-Veera (“Tears of Hjaal”), a sacred but often seasonal river whose floods and droughts shape migration, war, and faith. The jagged Dry Bone Mountains Ssaar-Kor rise along much of the region’s edge, while the southern frontier fades gradually into the desert of Vharuun.
  Climatically, Rhaakhor follows a single long wet season and a harsher dry season. Rains arrive first in the west and north, then move eastward, creating shifting belts of fertility. (Ecosystem of Rhaakhor) This rhythm governs antelope migrations, nomadic routes, agricultural cycles, and the timing of war. Wildfires, drought, and flooding are accepted parts of life rather than disasters to be fully controlled.
  Culturally, Rhaakhor is shaped by clans, not nations. Clan honor, lineage, and memory outweigh abstract law. Religion—especially the Way of Hjaal—permeates daily life, politics, and warfare, yet is interpreted differently by settled and nomadic groups. The region’s recent history is marked by tension between expansionist settled clans and fiercely independent nomads, culminating in the Great Western Migration War some forty years ago.