Kef Sirran

The vast deserts that dominate the lowlands of central Zerith are loosely related through common language and culture. The Bedewe call their land Kef Sirran, and recognize a common set of laws and treaties under that banner that unites them against ashnabe (foreigners). Between the western edge of the desert and the Starkspit Mountains, there is a no-man’s land of hard scrub prairie that the Desert Nomads do not recognize as their land, although most cartographers from other cultures include it in Kef Sirran. The northern border of the desert is formed by al Khadar, a thousand-foot-high cliff that runs from the Iron Mountains in the west to the Rustung Mountains in the east. A valley through the Iron Mountains links the upper and lower parts of central Zerith, but al Khadar is not easily by-passed anywhere else. The River Kapac of the Steppes becomes the Aszarack River below the spectacular Mesa Falls, some leagues west of the Rustung Mountains.

Clans are headed by Emirs, each of who rules communities of between 100 and 500 people. There are no permanent cities in Kef Sirran, but some of the oases are populated continuously according to agreed upon schedules. The few permanent structures maintained by Bedewe can be found at some of these important oases. The clan currently occupying one of these is granted a level of authority in judging disputes between other clans. Most clans operate as merchant houses, taking advantage of the (mostly) safe land routes across the desert. However, there are rogue clans that live as bandits, raiding caravans or even operating pirate ships in the southern waters.