Keshan
"Keshan was a barbaric kingdom lying in the eastern hinterlands of Kush where the broad grasslands merge with the forests that roll up from the south. The people were a mixed race, a dusky nobility ruling a population that was largely pure negro. The rulers -- princes and high priests -- claimed descent from a white race which, in a mythical age, had ruled a kingdom whose capital city was Alkmeenon." -- Robert E. Howard: "Jewels of Gwahlur"
A barbaric kingdom situated south of Stygia, west of Darfar, and east of Punt, mostly covered with tropical rainforest.
A hot, hilly kingdom, with thick jungles, its central region contained many steep escarpments which made it difficult to traverse. Ocelots, snakes, tigers and other beasts were common in Keshan's jungles, and the mountains swarmed with goats, bears and other wildlife.
It was a barbaric kingdom, with few of the more civilized customs provided by its fallen Shemitish rulers. It was the hereditary enemy of Punt and itself endured slave raids from Stygia and Shem.
The Negroid population was ruled by a mixed race of lighter complexion claiming descent from the "mythical" people of Alkmeenon. The capital city was Keshia, a settlement of thatched huts clustering around the mud wall of the royal palace, which was made of mud, stone, and bamboo.
References: Drums of Tombalku, Jewels of Gwahlur, Conan the Buccaneer.
- Population: 1,400,000
- Capital: Keshia (pop. 59,000)
- Ruler: A king rules based on advice by the nation's high priest
- Major cities: Alkmeenon (pop. none -- a jungle-lost city which is taboo to all Keshians)
- Resources: Wood, herbs, plant poison, game (tigers, bears)
- Imports: Gems, luxury items
- Allies: Zembabwei (trade)
- Enemies: Darfar, Punt, Stygia, Shem (slave raiders)
- Tech level: Savage
- Religion: Gwahlur, Dagon, Derketa