Hombaxian

Hombaxian are a felinid ethnic group of nomadic origin. Originally, they inhabited the great steppe or savanna to the south, but increasingly brutal and frequent warfare resulted in the Fricharii elves driving them north, where their ancestors eventually settled down on the Hombaxian coast, a fertile strip of land alongside the coast of Zor Sea, where they have built great civilizations and became renown seafarers - the Hombaxian’s trade goods were recorded amongst the record of the first Prasian Empire. They are accomplished and highly civilized.

General Information

• Primary Faith: Safaism
• Language: Hombaxian
• Locations: Hombaxia
• Minority: Siui, Dezabia
• Races: Felinid
• Inheritance Law: Gender Equal Primogeniture.
• Slavery: Hombaxian accept slavery of all kinds in their society, there’s an extensive slave trade, often led by ambitious Hombaxian traders who bring slaves and captives from the drier interior of the south. Most of the slaves are often destined for re-export, with Hombaxian rulers warned against the ruins of keeping too many slaves.
• Name Generation: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/phoenician-names.php - Try to avoid one that is too famous. Hannibal, for example.

Cultural Traits

• O Shiny: Hombaxian like conspicuous display of wealth.
• Seafarer: Hombaxian are renown sailors and shipbuilders known for their mastery of complex shipbuilding techniques and the durability of their ships. They’ve been found all over the world trading in the most unexpected places, and have a large diaspora as a result.
• Wanderlust: Hombaxian are adventurous and encourage many of their own to seek the fortune outside - there’s a kind of romanticization of this very idea.
• Networking: Hombaxian merchants have built a large, informal money-transfer and intelligence network that one could sometimes rely on for a price.
• Favor for Favor: Favor and Honor are very important - even if one is the nominal enemy, and it is through this implicit trust and trading of favor that is never to be broken that the famous Hombaxian informal network works.
• Hard Bargain: There’s a significant bargaining culture amongst the Hombaxian and it is common to bargain on the spot in the market or with merchants, even more than usual.
• Poet & Literate: Hombaxian have a flourishing poetry, literature and philosophy scene, with great diversity of thoughts encouraged by the many competing and rich cities of Hombaxia.

Cuisine

Hombaxian cuisine features rice and wheat as the staple, with barley and oats grown mostly as animal feed. Breads are influenced by foreign - northerner tradition, and both flatbread and leavened pastry bread are extremely popular, with sugar often added. Rice is cooked plainly and served with meals, but sometimes garnished with garlic and salt. Olive oil is the primary source of oil in the Hombaxian diet, with lard being a distant second. Potatoes are grown widely and liked.

In terms of seasoning, Hombaxian uses a very wide variety of spices - cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, coriander, saffron (imported from Siui) etc. Vegetables include tomatoes, cabbage, eggplants and olives. Sugarcane is grown very widely and natively and is commonly eaten as a snack and sugar is used as a seasoning.

Hombaxian cuisine features a wide variety of meat and pea-based dishes. Meat is commonly roasted or grilled, while peas are often cooked in stew. Meat is often lamb, poultry or pork. are often mixed with flour and pan fried to create snacks - with deep fried food like falafel being relatively rare as oil is expensive - mostly done for the ultra rich. On the coast, seafood is made widely with salted seafood often exported inland or upriver.

The most common drinks are beer. Mint and herbal tea are often prepared as a way to relax and served ritually. Coffee is popular and coffee house culture has spread from the east. Catnip-infused drinks are common in Hombaxian culture.

Hombaxian cuisine are based on Moroccan cuisine.

Warfare & Tactics

Hombaxian warfare is based on the widespread use of medium-heavy infantry armed with sword, spear and shield, supplemented by a combined arms force of cavalry and camelry. Hombaxian have a preference for infantry charge tactics, often aiming to overwhelm opponents through quick charges that envelop their flanks.

Armor tends to be linen in nature - but metallic armor and maille are heavily used, alongside lamellar armor. Cuirasses are also used widely, but almain rivet has not developed due to the decentralized circumstances of the region - with most of those being imported and highly valued instead.

Compared to Siui, camelry is used much more widely amongst the Hombaxian, with the Hombaxian valuing high and run warfare. Camelry are often equipped with javelins and crossbows - since the Hombaxian does not have a very strong horse archery tradition. However, considerable expenses are spent to maintain an elite group of horse or camel archers.