Carmania: Land of Gods and Roses

[CaptainPenguin]

Carmania:
Land of Gods and Roses[/u]

They took the Golden Man, and bound him according to the prescribed methods of Shamas, and set him kneeling before the lake.
Then, Shamas took up the great curved sword of sacrafices, and raised it high above his head, to cleave in the back the Golden Man.
Shamas said:
"Oh great God Amalias, who is venerated on high and on low, I will give you this sacrafice, as you have commanded."
But then Amalias came to them on the shores of the lake, and in the form of a great white ram, with golden horns, and upon his head, a crown of fire, and that is the shape of Feroheras, Amalias the Thunderer.
Amalias said in a voice like thunder:
"I am Amalias, your God, who upon the Earth bore thee, and in great wisdom led thee away from the Dying Land, escaping the Sea of Death. I say to thee- do not slay the Golden Man, for thou hast proven to me, Shamas, son of Tamas, that thou art faithful in me, and that thou shalt not falter in doing my deeds. For this, I name you Shamas Carmasamal, Shamas the Rose Lord, and you shall be lord over all the lands where the roses grow."
And behold, for there upon the shores of the lake grew great fields of roses, twining amongst the forest and the grass, and overgoing the marsh.
And Shamas went forth among the roses with his people, and there was rejoicing, and feasting for many days, and they proclaimed that Shamas Carmasamal was their lord.
-'The Exaltation of Shamas', from the Second Discussion of Amalias

Called the Rose People, the Sons of Shamas, and, when they aren't listening, the Goat Worshippers, the Carmanians are the pious people of Carmania, the misty and marshy land that borders the Sea of Esh-Eir. Pious to an extreme, they are devoted to their god, Amalias, and his many facets, and view the entire world through a lens of faith. Their entire society is based upon their religion.
The Rose People are descended of Shamas, the mighty Lord of Roses, blessed of Amalias, and they venerate his memory as near a minor god.
Carmanians are known to be extremely pious and industrious. Many are very charitable and good-hearted. But their piety also blinds their eyes to many things that others see clearly, and they take a dim view of worshippers of other gods.

[CaptainPenguin]

Phenotypes of the Carmanians

West-Carmanians
West-Carmanians make up a narrow majority of the Carmanian population. A slight majority of Carmanians can be said to have this phenotype. Some say they have a resemblance to the Taproot Diggers who live in the wild places of their lands.
West-Carmanians are shorter than Mysians, but are overall middling in stature; their men are 5'5"-5'11" (165-180 cm), while women are 5'2"-5'8" (157-173 cm). Their builds are less slender than Mysians (though similar to the northerly Red Mysians), for their men have a tendency to be stout and strong, while their women are voluptuous or plump. West-Carmanians are noticeably wide and thickset.
They have the same medium-tan skin tone and tendency towards bronzing as their Mysian neighbors to the west (though they would not appreciate the comparison).
They have dolicocephalic heads with Roman noses, strong jaws, and high foreheads. Their hair is usually wavy and light-brown or auburn in color. They have brown eyes.

East-Carmanians
East-Carmanians are those populations who, in the past, interbred with Ahndatic pirates and other aboriginal races who dwelt on the shores of the Sea of Esh-Eir.
East-Carmanians tend to be less thickset and taller, having an athletic, muscular appearance rather than the wide look of their western cousins.
East-Carmanians tend to have more pronounced, pouting lips, and their hair tends to be very curly.

South-Carmanians
South-Carmanians are closer in appearance to their Agera ancestors, though they have interbred with southern folk, having strains of Izadan and Parsic folk.
South-Carmanians tend to be much shorter (women especially) and duskier in skin tone (OOC: think Italian), with dark-brown or black hair, due to an infusion of Izadan bloodlines. They have almond-shaped eyes rather than the round eyes of their cousins.

Taproot Diggers
Taproot Diggers are a strange, inward folk who dwell in the wild forests and fields of Carmania. It is unclear if they are autochthonous to the land or if they are descended of the Agera (though by now Agera folk are basically indigenous), but what is clear is that they are a very mysterious and strange people.
Taproot Diggers are short and often bandy-legged. Men stand about 4'10"-5'3" (147-160 cms) and women 4'7"-5' (139-152 cms), with thick, heavy-limbed builds, and a strong appearance similar to that of other Carmanians.
Taproot Diggers have a dusky brown skin-tone which would be more characteristic on a race which goes more into the sun.
They have mesocephalic heads with straight noses, high cheekbones and a heavy brow. They have pronounced lips which are also seen in East-Carmanians. Taproot Diggers have straight, heavy hair that is very shiny, though it is commonly dulled with the soil of their subterranean homes. They have hazel, green, or yellowish-green eyes.