Igell, officially The Sovereign Queendom of Igell, is a matriarchal kingdom located on the coast of the western continent of Oras, looking east towards the Sapphire Ocean. The nation is bordered by Ky'Pla to the north and Freeport to the east. Igell's capital and largest urban center is Qamar-Madina, an enormous metropolis that encompasses most of the nation's territory. Igell is an elective monarchy: the queen is voted by the people at the previous queen's death or at her request, and chosen among a list that undergoes sequential voting to slim it down to two candidates.
Igell has the world's second largest economy, closely tied to Freeport, and a high development index. Civil rights are, however, lacking in certain areas, and only recently did the queendom begin reforms to recognize the rights of men, not without some opposition due to the ancient matriarchal culture prevalent in Igell. Igell has a pacifist, friendly foreign policy, based on cooperation with other nations especially in the face of the Campir threat. It also maintains a military treaty with Norelva, Freeport, New Fromen and Ky'Pla known at the Sapphire Ocean Peace Treaty.
Igell
Motto: "Moon guide us through the sands."
Govt Type: Elective Monarchy
Language: Igellian, Norelvan Common
Capital: Qamar-Madina
Population: ~190 million
Leader: Queen Rasha al-Kahn Dijen
Igellians are tall, and typically have darker skin due to their nation's location near the equator. Qamar-Madina is itself a desert city, constantly experiencing sandstorms and only receiving relief from the heat at night. Dressed in loose, light clothing, Igellians don't shy away from partial nudity and have very little shame about their bodies, and public baths or pools are most often nudist. The use of temporary tattoos is common, as is the application of piercings and other bodily decorations, including the famous Igellian Goldeye, which involves the surgical application of a thin layer of goldleaf over a person's eyes. This still allows them to see, but provides a striking solid golden color to their eyes.
Qamar-Madina is a wide, enormous city made up of low, short homes, the majority of which have one if not more basements and underground areas. These are primarily kept as bedrooms to make use of the colder temperatures underground. Neighborhoods and tightly packed and always covered by the sun with huge cuts of colorful fabric hung between the two sides of a street. Barter and trading are common for locals. A large number of Igellians adhere to a particular lifestyle, that of permanent nightlife: sleeping during the day and working or living from sunset to sunrise. These paler and usually more religious groups worship the moon goddess.
Igell existed long before the arrival of settlers and colonists from other nations, and was a highly religious if not superstitious society based around fishing, farming what could be farmed in the desert, and a divine respect for the relief offered by night. Pushed into the desert by warlords and other tribes to the south, the ancient Igellians were forced to do their best to survive in strict conditions and lethal heat. At an unknown time, colonists from the ocean, "men with pale skin, sharp swords and ill intent" as described by historical records, attempted to subjugate the previously rather pacifist Igellians. Facing a destructive force that was beginning to set down camps and tents, the natives used the cover of night over several weeks to assassinate and terrorize the colonizers.
The matriarchal nature of Igell and its high regard for femininity comes from this period of time. The colonizers, having killed the majority of the men who fought valiantly to protect the village, were recorded as being prudish and snobby in the presence of native women. Forcing them to cover themselves and repressing their personality by removing their piercings and covering their tattoos had the opposite effect once the settlers had been defeated. The surviving members of the almost extinct civilization slowly recovered and, out of spite, built their new nation as a symbol of the femininity and personal freedom the colonists has attempted to destroy. Of course, this had the downside of instilling a deeply engrained hatred of the male sex, an issue being combatted recently and recognized by Queen Rasha.