The Men of Gold

Geography
The Men of Gold inhabit the northernmost portion of the Gargarean Jungle: the immense Infinite Imperial colony of Suvarnabhumi. Once heavily forested, centuries of deforestation and agriculture have transformed much of it into a massive wet plain. A tropical region, this area is subject to monsoon winds; rather than the three season system most of Adrastea uses, they divide the year between wet and dry. The landscape consists of mountains, river valleys, and floodplains, and is rich in precious materials such as gold, silver, turquoise, and lapis lazuli.

Suvarnabhumi is, in terms of wildlife, one of the most diverse areas in Adrastea, although it is still a far cry from the lushness of the primordial forests to the south. The most “settled” region of the Gargarean Jungle, much of the land is cultivated; rice, coffee, sugarcane, bamboo, bananas, and yams are only a few of the crops farmed there. The wilds that still exist are made up of mangroves, conifers, and dense vines.

Suvarnabhumi’s selection of fauna is vast and varied. The forests are home to giant ground sloths, jackals, terror birds,and sabercats. Large reptile life is not as common there as in the regions south, but still more plentiful than anywhere else in the world: kongamato, bush reavers, amphipteres, and all manner of crocodilian are native. In the more cultivated areas of Suvarnabhumi, water buffalo, cattle, and gaur are common, but the lack of good grazing land means that these creatures are valued more for labor than for meat. The Men of Gold instead raise and consume more fish, poultry (turkey, quail, and chicken), and pork.

Society, Culture, and Economy
With its cultivated lands and thriving urban centers, the colony of Suvarnabhumi boasts the highest population of Wood Elves in the world. These Wood Elves are colloquially known as the Men of Gold, named so for the riches and prosperity of their land. Centuries of contact with both High Elves and Humans means that they tend to be slightly taller and fairer skinned than their brethren to the south, but the differences between Wood Elf ethnicities are minor compared to the other peoples of Adrastea. Suvarnabhumi is also host to the largest population of High Elves outside of Shangri La as well as thriving Human enclaves.

The settlements of Suvarnabhumi are static, and divided between cities and villages. The cities, usually founded around sea ports or mines, are some of the largest in Adrastea, rivalled in size and population only by the most prosperous of Human nations. The villages are usually rural in nature; surrounded by great fields of sugarcane, coffee, and rice. The magical and financial might of the Infinite Empire makes cultivation of the land quite easy; a section of dense jungle can be cleared and settled in a matter of days with geomancy.

Like its Infinite Imperial overlords, Suvarnabhmui’s hierarchy is age-based, but the difference in lifespan between the High Elves and their subjects slants society in the former’s favor. As such, the upper class is primarily composed of High Elves, who are disproportionately represented in the mercantile, governmental, and intellectual spheres. The Men of Gold themselves are second-class citizens, although with the right connections and deeds, they can rise to enjoy the same rights as their Imperial lords.

Of all the Wood Elves, the Men of Gold are the most closely connected to the Celestial faith, practicing it in much the same way that the occupying High Elves and Humans do. It is one of the few places outside of the Eastern Continent with an Inquisitorial presence, and the only place where the Infinite Empire and the Ecclesiarchy are known to cooperate. Still, Suvarnabhumi’s proximity to the lands of Stone give it its fair share of pagan cults and secret sects, which often coincide with the insurgency movements there.

At the crossroads of countless different cultures, Suvarnabhumi’s art reflects its diverse heritage. The organic and naturalistic designs of the Infinite Empire can be found married to the precise masonry of the Men of Stone. Compared to High Elf art, which favors floral designs, the Men of Gold incorporate more animalistic imagery: serpents, tigers, and the great lizards of the bush feature prominently.

Like the Infinite Empire, Suvarnabhumi’s architecture is mostly magically grown and shaped rather than constructed. Arcane wood is the most commonly used building material; many of the houses are built on stilts as a defense against flash flooding, which is common in the region.

The Men of Gold have a variety of sports and pastimes. They play two styles of Kokenball: High Elf and Human. They also have a native sport—Sepak Takraw—that consists of keeping a ball airborne using only ones’ feet. The variety of rivers and lakes in Suvarnabhumi make fishing and boat racing popular sports indeed.

Martial arts-wise, the Men of Gold fall under the umbrella of The Eightfold Path, the kickboxing style of the Wood Elves. The sects they practice place less emphasis on grappling and body conditioning than their southward brethren; unarmed combat is more dancelike and acrobatic, perhaps due to High Elven influence.

With the benefit of being one of the most fertile regions of the world, the cuisine of Suvarnabhumi is distinctively diverse in influence, combining the freshness and minimalist nature of High Elven cooking with the heavy spices and strong flavors of the Wood Elf populations south. Rice, fermented fish, cane sugar, chilis, lemongrass, galic, and soy sauce are employed heavily. Because of the variety of different peoples living in Suvarnabhumi, the dishes are uniquely modular, capable of being modified on the fly to the tastes of the consumer. Popular “base meals” include street noodles, rice plates, porridges, and noodle soups, and their accompaniments depend on the palate of the person ordering: High Elves typically prefer fresh herbs and poultry, Humans beef, pork, and tomatoes, and the Men of Gold themselves seafood and fermented vegetables, although mixing between the tastes is common and encouraged.

The Infinite Empire’s most prosperous territory, Suvarnabhumi is a center for international trade and commerce. Its export economy is astounding; its ports ship out tons of spices, coffee, silver, silk, gold, and lumber everyday. A fruitful land, its imports are the few items that cannot be sourced locally: harder metals such as iron and steel, Dwarven contraptions, and coal.

Government and Military
Suvarnabhumi is split into several different provinces, each ruled by a colonial governor appointed by the Infinite Imperial Council. While governorship is usually reserved for High Elves, both Wood Elves and Humans have, on occasion, occupied the title.

A governor’s power is almost unlimited in their province; they answer only to the Council that appointed them. Local government varies from region to region; in some, the town magistrate is elected, in others, it is a hereditary title. So long as they pay their tithe to the governor, and the governor pays said tithe to the Council, they are free to do as they wish. The Men of Gold’s military is merely a branch of the Infinite Empire’s. While they have no navy (relying instead on Shangri La’s fleets to patrol the sea), the armies of Suvarnabhumi are legion, rivaled in scale only by the Great Horde’s forces. The officer corps are Imperial Spellswords, either imported from Shangri-La itself or vetted from the state-sponsored sorcery academies in Suvarnabhumi. Versed in strategy, martial arts, and magic, they eschew metal arms and armor in favor of agility, enchantments, and organic weaponry. Sabers, whips, staffs, and bows are their chosen weapons. These Spellswords act either in strike teams of elite operatives or in command of mundane troops.

Human mercenaries, paid with silver or land, make up a significant portion of Suvarnabhumi’s troops. Unlike their High Elf superiors, they eagerly make use of steel and gunpowder; wearing plate and wielding pikes, muskets, and cannons. Tough and powerful, albeit slow and unreliable in a jungle environment, these troops are typically reserved for garrison duty or larger battles.

The third and largest pillar of Suvarnabhumi’s military is made up of its native inhabitants: the Men of Gold themselves. Recruited with the promise of generous pensions, these “auxiliaries” ironically comprise the majority of the army. They are typically lightly armored, often bare-chested even, and wield spears, swords, and shields. The crossbow is their favored ranged weapon, as it can snipe, unlike a bow, and it does not misfire in the jungle humidity, unlike a firearm. Skilled beastmasters, these colonial troops are also in charge of directing the army’s animals, which include warhounds, horses, and mammoths. Because of their familiarity with the local terrain, language, and tactics, the Men of Gold are often employed at the forefront of the frontier wars.

Such is the bitterness of the conflict that, in recent years, the Infinite Empire has even turned to assistance from its other ancestral enemy: the Dwarves. Although such negotiations are conducted through Human representatives, several strongholds have started to sell arms and armor to the Suvarnabhumi front: “wonder weapons” that could well change the tide of the war. One of these is the drannon: a fearsome gun that spews galley flame, which will rapidly burn both foliage and flesh alike. This weapon is either carried by particularly strong soldiers or mounted on the steamboats and airships that the Dwarves also provide.

For millennia, this army has existed for a single purpose: the conquest and subjugation of the Gargarean Jungle. Operations vary between pitched battles with Stone kingdoms, search-and-destroy missions against tribes of Bone, and counterinsurgency in their own land, Suvarnabhumi.

History
Suvarnabhumi has been (aside from one short period of Stone Man domination) an Infinite Imperial colony since before recorded history. Its fertile soil and mineral riches make it the most prosperous of the Empire’s holdings; indeed, in importance it ranks only after the island of Shangri-La itself.

Suvarnabhumi was at its largest and most prosperous during the Age of Empire. With an entire ocean between it and the Dwarven Kaiserreich, it was largely unscathed by the Elder War, which ravaged much of the rest of the world. The greatest threats to this time period were the Stone Man kingdoms; High Elf sorcerers and their Gold auxiliaries would clash regularly with the great war beasts and pagan priests of the south.

The Age of Indigence saw the High Elves retreat from every territory but Suvarnabhumi; indeed, even in those dark times, the colony was too valuable to abandon. Still, with the Empire weakened, it shrunk in this time, fending off Stone invasions, raids by Men of Bone, and even an Orc incursion from the west. In 1553 SC, Stone Man king Suvaryaman III formed a coalition of Stone Man kingdoms and Bone tribes and subsequently pushed the High Elves from Suvarnabhumi. During this brief period of independence, the land was ruled by Suvaryaman, then his bickering sons, but the Infinite Empire returned the next century and retook the colony.

Recently, the Human mercenaries there have turned to aid from old Dwarven allies in subjugating the subcontinent, importing drannons, steamboats, and even airships. Although the Infinite Empire is loath to accept help from its other ancestral enemy, the results are hard to argue with; these new war machines have seen Suvarnabhumi at its largest extent in 800 years.