The Torbud Empire

Summary
The Torbud Empire is a political unit that has occupied the Emeezim Region since the rise of human civilization. Dromeans and Rachnyx are uncommon in the Empire. Most of the Empire's culture originates from Ritsu, the city-state centered in Kilkir that gave rise to it.

Military
Torbudite Society organizes the military similarly to its government. Few people are allowed into any rank above Hesdo who don't have pyromantic ability. Since about the middle period of the First Empire, armies have traditionally been organized into three levels: the Koldo, the Seski, and the Hentu. In small skirmishes (in which less than a full Hentu is involved,) traditional military strategy requires the use of shield wall formations, but large-scale battles use fireshovers to create a roaring wall of flame in front of the army, then "shove" it forward towards the enemy as the infantry quickly advance, providing cover for the pyromancers as the crossbowmen pelt the enemy army with bolts. Unless the enemy has a magical answer to this strategy, it is usually successful, so peoples who fight the Torbudites often (most notably the Sessets) resort to surprise attacks or flanking manuevers rather than fighting Torbudite armies mano-a-mano.
 * Koldo: a squad of 10 spearmen, led by a Hesdo.
 * Seski: a unit consisting of 10 Koldo, 25 crossbowmen, and 5 fireshovers, totalling up to 130 soldiers, and led by an Itxu
 * Hentu: the lowest self-sufficient level of military structure. 1,500 soldiers including 10 Seski, 150 cavalry and 50 engineers. They have two distinct leaders: The Gazta is the political leader, who's technically in charge, and the Merke, the military leader, directs tactics.

When two armies fight in this manner, it becomes a test of wills. Both sides are trying to prevent the collapse of the firewall in on their army, but they also need to conserve their magical reserves. The fireshovers that can use their lumuole magic most efficiently to stall out the enemy are usually victorious. Hetzura are often placed at the army's sides and rear to guard the army against flanking manuevers from enemy cavalry.

Termidines are usually equipped with side knives or ceremonial swords (zetzo,) but they rarely use them. Infantry are always equipped with spears and large shields, and archers use crossbows. Ordinary swords and axes aren't considered to be "proper" weapons, so the soldiers who line the sides of the formation are mercenaries, typically Cenni or Dromean.

In 546 BCE, the development of repeating crossbows increased the rate of fire of crossbowmen to exceptional levels.

The Empire has traditionally kept a group of Dromean mercenaries known as the Ogui from about 1,700 BCE onward. These mercenaries are highly esteemed and have their own style of martial arts. They serve as a sort of special ops for the empire.

Racial Identity
Torbudites don't identify primarily by their "human" race. To them, nationality and "species" race are far more important. In other words, you'll find numerous Emzimite or Taiviev ethnic groups throughout the region, but they primarily identify as "Torbudites." As such, the Taiviev races (which are historically less dominant) aren't considered inferior or anything.

Torbudites do, however, believe that ethnicities outside the empire are predisposed to certain traits. Sessets, for example, are seen as naturally more violent and warlike, though not in an inferior way. The prevailing philosophy is that if Termid made them that way, who are they to judge?

Most pastoralist groups that Torbudites interact with are peaceful groups of Dromeans, and as such, Dromeans are seen as possessing a sort of "higher wisdom." Most people think of them as straddling the line between humanity and nature, capable of great feats of savagery, but using their great wisdom and knowledge to avoid war.

Rachnyx are seen as monsters. Philosophers don't deny their sentience, and therefore their capacity for moral thought and action, but they do condemn them as beasts hungering to take control of the surface world and use humans as a food source. If a Rachnyx is spotted living within the empire, it is almost inevitable that some noble will attempt to hunt it down and kill it. Rachnyx merchants aren't unheard of, however.

Termidines, of course, are seen as being predisposed to wisdom and virtue, and so they're considered natural rulers. Other bloodlines are also considered worthy, however.

Religion
Torbudite religion is basically monotheistic. During the early years of the development of agriculture, there was a full pantheon of gods, but Termid, god of fire, gradually grew in importance until the rest were viewed more like spirits. Torbudites claim Termid's domain extends beyond fire to include practically every aspect of society, and aim to please him. The Garden of Auleset in the capitol has a flame that priests claim has been burning since the beginning of time, and worshippers, even peasant families, always keep a holy candle burning that was "descended" from this flame. Villages tend to be founded near lumuole hotspots, and no known hotspot exists in the Emeezim region that does not have a village built around it.

Cuisine
The most basic unit of a Torbudite meal is a flatbread item, which could be the flatbread itself, a sandwich, or a wrap. Various dipping sauces will be provided, ranging from fruity to spicy to starchy. The Ritsu language has words for almost 150 bases and 200 sauces, and most of the upper crust of society is familiar with each and every one of them.

Art
In Torbud culture, there persists the idea that it's impossible to depict objects through art as they actually are. Thus, its art centers around abstract geometric lines and circles. These beautiful designs are usually painted on walls or floors, or engraved in stelas or weapons.

Architecture
In the Emeezim region, wildfires are common, so nonflammable architecture is pretty important. Ordinary houses are built several feet into the ground out of animal skins stretched over a wooden frame, than plastered with a layer of hardened clay, plaster, or cement (depending on which era you're talking about) a few centimeters thick.

As social stratification began, the Torbudites imported designs from elsewhere to build urban structures, mansions, and palaces, drawing particularly from _(Somewhere)_.

As for monumental architecture, Torbudites often build temples around lumuole hotspots. Temples consist of two large, shallow, concentric pits in the ground layered with clay that has been dried using pyromancy. the hotspot, usually about 3 meters wide, occupies a shrine in the center that rises to the level of the higher pit, and is viewed as a spiritual "fire" in and of itself. Engraved and painted stelas line the higher circle of the temple.

Music
Music is mostly percussive with a few stringed and woodwind instruments. Skin drums and metal plates set the beat, and then the twanging and drooping tones of the stringed Sorzitu and Milzitu instruments provide the tune, underscored with flutes.

Literature
Some of the more notable pieces literature produced by humans in the Emeezim Region:

The Ballad of Ortzi is considered one of the greatest pieces of Torbudite literature ever created. It concerns the journey of a non-Termidine nobleman (Ortzi) in the early First Torbud Empire to the northern isles to find his long-lost son. As he arrives at the island where he supposedly is, his crew mutinies and deserts him on the island. Eventually, Ortzi finds his son in a chance reunion, and the two must work together to return home, contending with various magical elements on the way. At the end of the journey, Ortzi encounters his old crew, gone pirate, and defeats them through his strength and wits. He and his son try to sail back, but a storm destroys the ship, and Ortzi washes up alone on the shore of the Sesset steppes, presuming his son to be dead. He is found by a tribe of Sesset warriors to whom he tells his story, and the men are impressed by his courage and decide to escort him back. As he returns to his manor, he finds his son has been preserved by Termid's will, culminating in a joyous reunion.

The Travels of Iza Bressi is a compilation of stories and local folklore supposedly recounted by a single traveler who journeyed through the Cenni highlands to the eastern coast of the continent. The whole book is largely fictional and was obviously created by a person who had little experience but lots of access to bad records of the places he mentioned. Nevertheless, his book was accepted as fact throughout most of the First Empire's history, and many believed the accounts of things such as civilizations of massive Rachnyx that bred humans like pigs.

Sports
The principle sport among Emzimites is Udsken. It has 15 players on each team on a diamond-shaped field about 10 meters wide, and the object of the game is for each team to get the ball down past the opponent's end. Only one hand is allowed to touch the ball, and it can't be hugged close to the body. Violence is not allowed.

Among pyromancers, there's Hetxin. This sport is played along a long, wooden board, and the game is played out like tug of war, but with fire.