Khaiem

The Khaiem are a nation of people. Their society is based on trade domination enable by the andat and the poets that control them. The ruling class are called the Utkhaiem and consists of many families of nobility. Those families send extra sons to the poets school to become poets. The sons that stay with their families engage in battles and assassinations to kill each other until only one son survives at which point the surviving son will inherit the house.

Cities

There are six cities: Saraykeht, Machi, Nantani, Udun, Yalakeht, and Chaburi-Tan. Saraykeht was a center for the cotton trade. Machi focused on mining and stone working. The other four are not specified. The cities in the north are called the winter cities and the cities in the south are called the summer cities. Each city has an andat that helps with the trade that city specializes in.

Governance

Each city is ruled by a Khai whom the people call 'Most High'. The cities of the Khaiem used to be united as an empire under an Emperor but there was a massive war where the land was devastated and the rulers of each city took control. Khai used to mean 'faithful servant'. Each city is ruled independently of the others and each Khai has absolute authority within only his city. There is frequent communication and roadworks between the cities but the only interaction most of the utkhaiem of each city have with each other is for marriage. When the cities fell to the Galts, Otah Machi was raised as emperor of the Khaiem and the empire returned.

Nobility

The nobility are called the utkhaiem and are wealthy and influential families in each city. There are several in each of varying power and wealth and some have branches in multiple cities. The Radaani are prominent in Machi.

Poets

The poets are what enable the khaiem to enjoy the wealth and safety that they do. There is usually only one poet in each city, with some having an apprentice poet that will take over the current andat's binding. They are treated with great respect. The poets and the Dai-kvo are sworn not to be involved in politics however if they do ever express an opinion it is usually heeded. There are constantly more poets being trained and research being done on how to bind new andats either to replace lost ones or to rebind old ones.

Economy

Trading houses seem to be a huge influence in the cities of the Khaiem and are often owned by families of the utkhaiem, the biggest one often having more money than the Khai. Otah required the support of House Radaani before putting forth his claim since if House Radaani backed him many of the other houses would follow its lead.

Teahouses and bathhouses feature prominently as places for relaxation and socialization. Bathhouses are mixed sex and there are public as well as private tubs people can reserve. They can be served small plates of food, cups of tea, or alcohol on little lacquered trays that float in the water. Teahouses serve food and drinks and are open late.

Language

The Khaiem use a complicated system of hand gestures to convey emotions and nuances of language to their words. Everything they say is accompanied by gestures that can convey sincerity, sarcasm, rank, and much more. It is often noted that it seems overly floral and complicated for foreigners and foreigners trying to learn the language often have great difficulty grasping the finer nuances, though they can usually learn the more broad, obvious gestures.

Geography

The Khaiem's neighbors are the Galts, across the sea, and the Westlands in the north. They trade with both and are safe from attack because of the andat.