Raiders roam the sands and looks for weak people to capture and sell in the Gem of the Sands city. Caravans will be seen traveling around to the small cities around the oasis to the Gem of the Sands City. The Gem being the largest city with huge trade areas and the rulers of the area living in a palace inside.
The people are hardy darker skinned folks that wear flowing light colored clothing. Folks faces are generally covered and modest dress. Men rule this area with women being subservient to men. Women are expected to respect men. Acting out of this would mean taken to a Reeducation center in town. Inside women face harsh conditions till they are back in line.
Many of the men have foot fetishes and find the sight of feet pleasing. The better the looking feet the more attention one might get. But if they are too pleasing someone might kidnap the person with the nice feet to keep them!
The Tahari Desert is a vast, arid region —comparable to Earth’s Sahara. It lies southeast of the city of Tor and borders the Voltai Mountains. It is inhabited by desert tribes such as the Aretai, Kavar, and Tashid.
Climate: Extremely hot and dry. Water is scarce and highly valued.
Terrain: Sand dunes, rocky outcrops, oases, and wadis (dry riverbeds).
Settlements: Oasis towns like Kaitai, Bazi, and Kepthir serve as centers of trade and life.
The inhabitants—often called Tahari nomads or Tahari tribesmen—are proud, independent, and resourceful. Their culture draws inspiration from Middle Eastern and North African desert peoples.
Key characteristics:
They value honor, hospitality, and survival skills.
They often wear robes, burnooses, and veils to protect against sand and sun.
they use a Caste structure for social hierarchy
Sometimes people refer to a Gorean Tahari as a drink, not just the desert.
In that context, it’s a spiced beverage, served both hot and cold, depending on interpretation in Gorean roleplay or lifestyle communities.
Typically described as:
A sweet, citrusy, and spicy drink, similar to punch or spiced tea.
Ingredients (as imagined in Earth-based recreations): lemon or lime juice, sugar, spices like cinnamon or cloves, and sometimes alcohol.
Served during Gorean feasts or ceremonial meals—especially in roleplay or reenactment settings.
Tahari represents:
Survival against hardship
Honor through endurance
Freedom of the nomadic spirit
Simplicity and purity, uncorrupted by the politics of the northern cities
Slavery is very popular here, they often send out raiders to patrol the territory. people found with bare feet, and being barefoot is generally not respected, people will notice this and point it out that it is slave like. This could lead to being taken to a reeducation center.
Slaves often wear bells on there ankles and it rings as folks walk. If a free person wears ankle bells they will be looked as as a slave.
All slaves in this area have papers of ownership that shows their value and current owner.
All women are given travel documents that state their estimated enslavement value.
Slaves are valued based on skills and level. Every level is worth 10gp, each skill is worth 5 gp. Nobile blood lines are worth 10,000gp
Bandits do roam the area, mostly catching those alone, or weak to enslave and cell in the cities in the Grand Desert
Daily life in the Ottoman Empire varied widely depending on social class, religion, region, and time period, but there were some common cultural patterns that defined everyday living for most people across the empire’s six centuries.
Here’s what daily life looked like for different groups and contexts:
Cities like Istanbul, Cairo, Damascus, Sarajevo, and Izmir were bustling centers of trade, religion, and culture.
Bazaars (markets): Central to daily life. Merchants sold spices, textiles, jewelry, ceramics, and food. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul was one of the world’s largest markets.
Coffeehouses (kahvehane): Social hubs where men gathered to drink coffee, discuss politics, play games like backgammon, listen to storytellers, or watch shadow plays.
Hammams (public baths): Important for hygiene, relaxation, and socialization — both men and women frequented them, though at different times.
Mosques and religious complexes: These were community centers — not just for prayer, but for education, charity, and meetings.
The family was the core social unit, and households were typically extended families.
Patriarchal, but women held authority within the home and sometimes managed finances.
Arranged marriages were common, though love and companionship were valued ideals in Ottoman poetry and letters.
Wealthier families lived in large courtyard houses with separate quarters for men and women (selamlık and harem).
In rural areas, homes were simpler — often stone or mud-brick with a single large room.
Women’s roles depended heavily on class and location:
Elite women could own property, endow charities, and influence politics (especially in the 16th–17th centuries — “The Sultanate of Women”).
Urban women might work as midwives, textile workers, or traders.
Rural women helped with agriculture and household production.
The veil (ferace and yashmak) and modest clothing were common among Muslim women in public, though styles varied by region and period.
Most Ottomans lived in villages and worked in agriculture.
Farmers (Muslim and non-Muslim alike) paid taxes to the empire and often to local landlords under the timar system.
Village life revolved around the mosque (or church/synagogue), the communal well, and seasonal work (planting, harvest, herding).
Rural communities were tight-knit, and traditions, songs, and oral storytelling were central to social life.
Food reflected the empire’s diversity and abundance.
Bread (especially flatbreads and pide) was a staple.
Rice, bulgur, lentils, and vegetables were everyday foods.
Meat (mostly lamb or chicken) was eaten by the wealthy or on special occasions.
Coffee, introduced in the 16th century, became a cultural obsession.
Meals were often eaten from low trays, with people sitting on cushions. Hands or spoons were used, not forks.
Clothing reflected social rank, religion, and region.
Men: Long robes (kaftans), turbans, sashes, and slippers.
Women: Layered dresses, long coats (ferace), veils in public, colorful fabrics at home.
The Sultan and court officials wore richly embroidered garments made of silk, brocade, and fur.
Life included many celebrations and public events:
Religious holidays like Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha were major occasions with feasts and gift-giving.
Weddings, circumcisions, and military parades were grand spectacles in cities.
Shadow plays (Karagöz and Hacivat), music, storytelling, and folk dances provided entertainment.
Sufi whirling dervish ceremonies were both spiritual and cultural experiences.
Boys were often taught to read the Qur’an in mektebs (primary schools), and advanced students attended madrasas (higher religious schools).
Christians and Jews had their own religious schools under the millet system.
Religion shaped moral and social norms — daily prayers, charity, and respect for elders were central values.
Daily life in the Ottoman Empire balanced tradition and diversity. Whether in the imperial capital or a remote Anatolian village, Ottomans shared a strong sense of community, religion, and hospitality — yet their daily routines were colored by the empire’s incredible ethnic, linguistic, and regional variety.
Would you like me to describe a day in the life of a typical Ottoman person — for example, a merchant, farmer, or woman in Istanbul — to make it more vivid?