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| In the following pages our inquisitive readers will be able to find a description of the history of Albion, the rich culture of the realm, and the leadership of the peoples of Albion. Through these texts you may learn more about these peoples and their ways. | Araby is a hot, and arid land, where water is precious and
only a few areas are truly fertile, these areas lie mainly along the great rivers. It is
only in these river valleys where you will find large concentrations of people, and the
cities of Araby. Much of the land is desert or scrub land, having few trees and
necessitating careful irigation to produce crops. Oasis are far apart and few. The Empire of Araby is a huge and decadent Empire made up of many Caliphates, each under the rule of the Sultan of all Araby. Araby is dominated by humans sharing a common culture and language, Arabic. Like the Old World, there are numerous remnants of other declining races who still survive in remote areas. As much of Araby is desert, remote areas are fairly common. The World's Edge Mountains are here, as everywhere, full of Goblin strongholds and underground dwellings. Arabians are great breeders of horses, and they have some of the finest cavalry in the world. They also breed sheep, goats, and camels. They make fine tapestries, rugs, and fabrics, which they trade along with spices to the rest of the world. You can find Arabic merchants in most of the southern ports of the Old World and they venture as far north as the Empire and even Kislev. The fierce nomad tribes of the Arabian desert are constantly warring with each other and raiding the settlements along the coast. It is from these fierce tribesmen are where the Caliphs and the Sultan get their light cavalry, and it is feared in many lands. Many of the Arabic Caliphates are little more than pirate kingdoms, making constant raids upon the shipping of the merchant nations of the Old World and causing death and destruction wherever they sail. There have been many attempts made to stamp out these pirate nations but so far the attempts have failed. The peoples of the Old World fought a great crusade against Araby in centuries past and animosity and conflict still abounds between them. |
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