Akhmun

Akhmun is the oldest non-Elder civilization in the Known World. Far to the south of the Aurelian Empire, on the other side of the Scorched Expanse, it inhabits the most south-easterly point of the continent of Vedar.

Akhmun is a largely monoracial Dwarven civilization, with the vast majority of citizens being Dwarves. While merchants and traders from other races and civilisations tend to be welcome, depending on the city, Akhmun is quite insular and secretive, and it is very rare for a non-Dwarf to become a citizen

Akhmun is currently ruled by King Harkhuf of the Nebetka Dynasty, from his palace in the tomb city of Nekhen. In the common tongue, the city is known as the Necropolis.

Religious Beliefs
Religion influences every aspect of Akhmun culture. Each of the main cities of Akhmun tends to be built around a great temple, dedicated to a particular god or goddess. These cities also tend to have many other, smaller temples to other gods, especially those of the Great Pantheon, however that city's patron god is always the prime focus with the greatest temple.

Like most of the civilizations of Vedar, the people of Akhmun revere The Great Pantheon, however there are also many other lesser gods and even ones that only exist in Akhmun but these are nowhere near as widely worshipped as the Great Pantheon.

In Akhmun, as in most places, each of the Great Gods have their own, local names: It can be seen that, unlike other civilisations, Akhmun worships more than 7 Great Gods, with 10 forming the Great Pantheon. Ra, Thoth, Sekhmet, Isis, Horus, Anubis and Baal replace the names that the Elves taught to the people of the Aurelian Empire. The remaining three are Osiris, Set and Sobek, having no apparent parallels in the other nations of the Known World.
 * Ra, the Sun God
 * Osiris, the Eldest
 * Set, the Traitorous
 * Thoth, the Protector
 * Sekhmet, Goddess of Judgement
 * Isis, the Mother
 * Horus, Lord of Justice
 * Anubis, Lord of the Underworld and ferryer of souls
 * Sobek, God of Vengeance
 * Baal, the Storm God

Festivals
One of the most important festivals, followed across Akhmun, revolves around the betrayal and murder of Osiris by Set, and the foretold vengeance of Sobek. Many of the cities have their own variations upon this story, but the central themes remain. This festival is held after the Autumn harvest, at the start of winter.

Architecture
The architecture of Akhmun is quite unique amongst the nations of Vedar. Temples are constructed in the form of great pyramids fashioned from black marble, with gold trimming.

Architecture is viewed as very important, however the nobles tend to be insular in fashion and as a result the architectural styles have not greatly changed over the past centuries nor inherited much from outside cultures. There is a clear preference for 'pure' stone and metal in design.

Art
Many of the nobles of Akhmun consider themselves superior in style and taste to the kingdoms of other races that they deal with. Much of the art produced in the Kingdom depicts ancient legends and myths, or philosophies they have produced. Painting solely for show is not widely favoured, being seen as covering up the true beauty underneath.

Music
Music is seen as a way to revere the gods, however music or instruments that are viewed as overly ‘flashy’ (which is most of the music and instruments that other nations such as the Aurelian Empire produce) is not favoured. Simplicity is key - purity is viewed as being of prime importance.

Cuisine
The staple diet in Akhmun consists of bread and beer, supplemented with vegetables such as onions and garlic, and fruit such as dates and figs.

Wine and meat are enjoyed by all on festival and feast days while the upper classes indulge on a more regular basis. Fish, meat, and fowl are eaten salted or dried, and are often cooked in stews or roasted on a grill.

Burial Customs
Much importance is placed on proper spaces for both the living and the dead. Kings have great burial chambers with many of their favourite objects and ornaments from life buried alongside them. Poorer citizens, however, or those unable to have true burial chambers, instead ‘bury’ their loved ones in the ocean. It is unclear where this tradition comes from, but it is clearly very old, and has gone on for far longer than any living memory.

Relationships with other Civilisations
Historically, the people of Akhmun have little love for the Elves. As the only civilisation old enough to have directly experienced Elder raids and aggression, in much of the ancient Akhmun legends the Elves directly take the part of villains, marauders and killers.

The people of Akhmun are generally viewed by other Dwarves, especially the Deep Downers, as ‘untrue’ or ‘impure’ for happily living in well developed cities above ground. This is despite the fact that Akhmun predates all other existing Dwarf nations (although this fact is doubted outside of Akhmun itself).

Akhmun has good trade relations with many of the major nations, mostly by sea due to the impassability of the desert. It is not uncommon to see Akhmun merchants in the trading hubs and ports of the Aurelian Empire, especially Coroa, through which much of the trade moves. Akhmun merchants can be found in Xandaq, Mek'ele and even as far as Novigrad.