Stygian

Overview
Stygia is a decadent, sinister menace, a black land of nameless horror feared by the Hyborian races. Ruled by a dark theocracy devoted to the cult of Set, its small population is notably xenophobic while the people are obsessed with the subjects of death and immortality, constructing dark tombs for their mysterious mummies. The population of about four million people is notably small for a kingdom of its size, for there is little arable land for the people to live on and there is a constant demand for sacrifices by the cults.

The cults utterly dominate Stygian society; the temples own most of the fertile land and the government bureaucracy is filled with priests. As with many religions, this Stygian theocracy is conservative and closed-minded, while minimal contact with the outside world is permitted. Thus, trade is kept to a bare minimum. Stygia trades silk, ivory, skins, onions, papyrus, slaves, and precious stones for grain, cattle, or other agricultural products which their arid lands cannot produce or support.

Laws
Stygian laws are restrictive and brutal. Permits are required for many elements of life, including but not limited to changing one’s place of residence, travelling more than 20 miles from one’s home, or owning weapons and armour. These permits provide a pair of powerful tools for the Stygian government: income and internal security. The selling of permits sends a steady stream of income to the ruling classes. Internal security is provided because permits are often denied and this prevents known dissidents from gathering. There is no legal recourse to those who are denied permits and doing something without the requisite permit invites severe punishments, such as fines, confiscation of goods, and even physical mutilation, such as public whipping, hamstringing, or execution. The bodies of criminals are never mummified. They're left to rot, denying them an eternal afterlife with Father Set. Religious crimes are punished even more severely than secular crimes. Not attending a religious ceremony is cause for a hefty fine. Failure to tithe to the temple gives rise to fines even worse than the tithe would have been, plus the offender still must make the requisite tithe. Ceremonies are required by law and priests always charge for these services. Examples of these required rites are numerous: crops must be blessed; all children must be consecrated to Father Set; even the dead have requisite funerary rites that must be performed and paid for. Failure to meet these requirements may be considered heresy; the punishment for heresy is death, confiscation of all property, and enslavement of the offender’s entire family.

Clothing
Stygians wear little to no clothing. What clothing is worn is thin almost to the point of transparency; the wealthier the Stygian, the more transparent the clothing. Silk is a common material in Stygia, worn even by base labourers. Linen is another material for clothing. Most Stygians remove all the hair on their bodies and wear wigs. Henna is a dye used to redden fingernails and hair. Kohl is a black powder used to rim the eyes, paint eyebrows and darken eyelashes.

Military
Stygia holds some of the most secure borders in the world with a ruthless army that is strictly disciplined. The ruling theocracy, obstinately conservative, forces their warrior castes to wear obsolete armour and use antique weaponry, including war chariots still made the traditional way. Chariot fighting is a noble art and cavalry is base, fit only for foreign mercenaries. While Stygian armies are walking anachronisms even in the Hyborian Age, they are effective. Their men and horses are accustomed to Stygia’s climate and geography. Their armies are also augmented by the sorcerer-priests, who call black plagues out of darkened tombs to help repel invaders. The army is well coordinated while extremely mobile, brave, and formidable. It's considered a major military power. The Stygian army could be called upon to quickly overwhelm invaders in sheer numbers, often negating superior tactics and equipment. Interestingly, despite their strengths, Stygia is very reluctant to send its forces abroad, even to reclaim captured lands.

Religion
Religion in Stygia is synonymous with the worship of Father Set, who reigns supreme over this darksome land. His pantheon, however, includes several ‘hideous, halfbestial gods’ as subordinates. At one time, according to Xaltotun, much of the world was likewise dominated by the Old Serpent. Set, today, is worshipped primarily in Stygia and in places of strong Stygian influence, such as areas of Kush aor Shem and by dark sorcerers everywhere. Set’s symbol is a scaled serpent, coiled, with its tail in the mouth. Set’s is a bloody religion, a survival from the strange pre-human culture that was thrown down by the Stygians in pre-Cataclysm days. At one time, Set walked the earth in the form of a man before creating an ancient and mysterious race who once ruled over Stygia. Now as the god of the Stygians, Set’s cult is outlawed by the Hyborians, who regard Set as the archenemy of Mitra aos fear the gruesome and mysterious rituals of Set’s priests. The specific rituals used to worship Set are a guarded mystery but they are known to be gruesome and sinister, comprised of unspeakable rites and human sacrifices in grisly quantities.

Almost all the priests of Set are sorcerers who terrify their subjects as well as their enemies, for they can and will sacrifice their own followers to gain their corrupt ends. The most powerful of these priests are members of the Black Ring. These priests gather in sacred spots, such as the pyramids that dot the Stygian landscape, to perform their rituals.

Luxur - Stygia's Capital
Luxur, with a population of 18,894 citizens, is the royal capital of Stygia, the site of the Ivory Throne where King Ctesphon IV sits. The king appears to be less xenophobic than much of the rest of the population, occasionally granting permission for foreigners, especially scholars, to study at Kheshatta. Luxur controls much of Stygia’s river traffic and many of the caravan routes out of Shem, making it a strategic commercial center of considerable importance, rivaling Khemi in economic wealth. Situated on the upper Bakhr River, Luxur’s surrounding lands were reasonably fertile and well watered at one time, but the slow dropping of the Bakhr’s waterline has caused some concern. Thoth-Amon maintains a residence here. The dusky goddess Derketo has a strong presence here, a sensual religion of sexual pleasures and orgies.