Geography
Second largest continent on the planet and second most dangerous area, New Zeal offers a landscape all its own. Known to many as the Land of the Unsetting Sun, it is mainly covered by vast and open desert. Truly the land where only the strongest survive, it always has one of the Sun’s light, if not both, beating down on it.
Surrounded by silt seas, getting to New Zeal is difficult. The constantly shifting sands and almost infinite desert offer an insight deep into the past. Many venture here in attempts to learn more about time forgotten, never to return.
Two large mountain ranges tear across the New Zeal deserts—the Zeō Mountains. Both rocky and treacherous masses mirror each other. Few but the Wanderers dare crossing them. Most just deal with the extra days of peril to go around them. It’s said that from the peak of one range you can clearly view the other, despite the almost 750 miles that separate them.
New Zeal boasts an average temperature of over 38°C. The seasons are summer, followed by hot summer, then summer again. It’s not rare for the temps to reach almost 55°C.
Natives recognize three different deserts covering the lands. Each has a distinct feature to set it apart: the color of sand. East of the center is white sand, to the west are the red sands, and at the bottom of the planet are the fabled black sands of New Zeal.
History
New Zeal has been a nation for as long as history can remember. Cities have risen and fallen around oases over the years, and ruins around dry wells are common. For as long as anyone can remember New Zeal has lived under a monarch, normally one of the best of the gladiator fighters that made his way into freedom, who watches over numerous city-states.
The People of New Zeal
The people of New Zeal grow up in a world that resembles nothing else on Xadune. Harsh and untamed, the land has forged the people into much harder and often more realistic images of their Northern and cushier cousins. Water is an incredibly precious resource to the people of New Zeal. They simply do not waste water. It is a pillar of their very being.
Despite these horrible conditions, life still moves forward on New Zeal. Rarely do visitors ever choose to call this place home. Whole cities develop around oasis that in some cases can get as large as hundreds of acres. Buildings are normally formed from a sand/clay composition or from stone from either of the Zeō mountain ranges. The Capital city of New Zeal sits almost at the bottom of the world, which also holds the richest oasis on the continent. There one can find remnants of civilizations long past.
Due to the nature of the heat of New Zeal, the natives have difficulty traveling elsewhere. Any temperate climate makes them uncomfortable. Moreover, they have difficulties in forests, as there are no forests in their homeland.
Inlanders– The People who reside in the heart of New Zeal. Inlanders tend to be very superstitious. Most people believe in the power of envy, magic (mental, arcane, and divine), genies, etc. to affect them and inflict harm upon them. It is not uncommon to hear someone saying that they are ill or that their kids are ill because they have been envied or affected by the evil eye. It is less common to find people saying that they have been suffering from magic, but it exists. The advice, heedings, and words of prophets and the like are always hung on as if they are solid fact. Additionally, these people are often respected for their talents and abilities. Inlanders are normally to most open to outsiders, but they still have a harsh attitude towards them that no one will miss.
Outlanders– The settlements founded away from the heart of New Zeal still follow the same rule but normally have a much less crowded life. These people have less serfs normally and more time for the more magical arts. Often settlements pop up near newly found dig sites. Depending on the finds, the small settlement might turn into a larger populous or dwindle into a small collection of a hand full of families struggling to survive. Sometimes the only things separating these people from the Wanderers are their homes. Due to the nature of their survival, these people tend to be uneducated in the formal sense.
Outlanders by nature are very much aloof. They do not work well with those they are not close to, and generally have no wish to. They are also extremely suspicious of anyone new to a situation or place. No one can really be trusted. This is something that is driven into their mind from birth and is not something that will go away easily.
The Fashion of New Zeal
Due to the unique climate and the isolation of New Zeal, the fashion is drastically different than that of the rest of the world.
Men and Women alike wear wide, puffed trousers called salvar. These are made of a wide, thin material gathered tightly at the ankle. Men and women both wear long, fitted tunics, often in bright colors and trimmed with contrasting ribbon.
Women traditionally cover their heads in a head scarf. Men also may cover their heads, but women are loathe to be seen without a head covering.
Military
New Zeal has never really had to worry about foreign invasion, but they do hold a fearful military.
Technology
Truly a world in its own. Like Revrent and Kanada, New Zeal is a close runner for technology, though a few steps behind some might say. But a native would say that was not a problem. New Zeal has one of the few airships from what is thought to be time lost. This flagship is incomparable to almost any other airship in the sky and is the corner stone of their arsenal and research. The rest of their sky fleet is comprised of both magical and normal airships
Laws
Some might view New Zeal as a much stricter world than the more “civilized” places of Xadune. There is no age limitation for punishment and often the law is dealt out swiftly and upon proven guilt (and sometimes guilt is not needed to be proven). It goes without saying that outsiders are almost never given second chances and are often targets to be made examples of. Death is a penalty that is dealt out more common than any other. Most all crimes are considered high crimes, but often it really just depends on who caught you that makes the difference.