Shining Realm of Phynta

Phynta, formally the Shining Realm of Phynta, is a desert kingdom ruled by the so-called Ninth Divinity, a religious aspect unique to Phyntan culture. A sprawling land, they are allies of the Byden Dominion, and are known across the world as wealthy land, if not kind. Despite their alliance with the hated Dominion, many still seek trade with the Shining Realm in hopes of capturing some small piece of the wealth it has to offer.

Description
A desert kingdom that thrives around the mother Yari River cutting through its middle, Phynta is home to the great king, Rihar Te-kamen, the absolute monarch of his country who wields complete control of the land and its resources. The king is the supreme military commander and the head of the government, though he relies on the bureaucracy of his officials to manage his affairs.

His second in commands are the vizier, who coordinates the treasury, survest, archives and the legal system. At a regional level, the country is divided into forty-two regions, called nomes, each governed by a nomarch, who accounts to the vizier for his jurisdiction. Temples form the backbone of the economy. Not only are they houses of worship, but are also responsible for collecting and storing the nation's wealth in a system of granaries and treasuries administered by overseers, who redistributed grain and goods.

Phyntan society is highly stratified and social status is expressly displayed. Farmers make up the bulk of the population, but agricultural produce is owned directly by the state, temple, or noble family that owns the land. Farmers are also subject to a labor tax and are required to work on irrigation or construction projects in a corvée system. Artists and craftsmen are of higher status than farmers, but are are also under state control, working in the shops attached to temples and paid directly from the state treasury.

Scribes, born nobles and officials form the upper class in Phynta, the so-called "white kilt class" in reference to the bleached linen garments that serve as a mark of their rank. The upper class prominently displays their social status in art and literature. Below the nobility are the priests, physicians, and engineers with specialized training in their field. And finally, below all that, is the widespread slave culture, with slavery being prominent and sometimes a lucrative business investment.

Religion
Like most of Ithia, Phynta prescribes to the belief in the prime gods in addition of the Divinities. Worship of Immortals and open scorn for the Ninth Divinity is grounds for immediate execution, but they tolerate the beliefs of other nations beyond that.

Temples form the spine of society and while the largest and most luxurious of temples are built to the Ninth Divinity and the other gods, Phyntan society builds temples to concepts as well. Temples exist for occupations, wealth, love, fortune, fertility. Each is overseen by what Phyntans believe to be an aspect of a Divinity that commands that element in their portfolio. For example, it is not uncommon for expecting mothers to visit a temple of fertility, where an icon of Iyanith will stand in that aspect, her belly full and swollen, or for young nobles to seek a temple of wealth, praying before a statue of Noir, gold robed and bearing scale and coin in his hands.

Unique to Phynta is the concept of the Ninth Divinity, the idea that their ruler is the mortal incarnation of the ninth child of Ailerion and Raneiss. Among other names, he is also known as the Sunlit King, Lord of the Shining Deserts and the Rising Star and Moon of Phynta. Succession is handed solemnly at the passing of one incarnation of the Ninth Divinity, such that the first born son or, should he have none, his selected male heir, stands vigil at the tomb of the dead king on the night of his entombment to the morn after. Whereupon it is said that Lynneth embraces the body of her fallen younger brother and guides his soul to the vessel of his heir.

Unlike all other residents of Phynta, where surnames are inherited for men and based on marriage for women, incarnations of the Ninth Divinity take the forename of their forefather as their surname upon accession, such that he can trace his name back to the first of incarnations, Harad Te-yahre.

The current reigning ruler, Rihar Te-kamen, is the twenty-seventh incarnation of the Ninth Divinity. He is expected to be succeeded by his son and heir, Kaleth Te-kamen.

Vocabulary
Phynt, the language of Phynta, has given over some unique vocabulary to the land.
 * Akmen, noun. Royal seer
 * Batum, noun. Military
 * Chokai, noun. Royal slave merchant
 * Nome, noun. An administrative division of Phynta
 * Te, preposition. Of
 * Torsi, noun. High-ranking noble
 * Yurnam, noun. Farmer