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Some Locales:
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ArabyArab culture has a long and rich history in our world. I wanted to capture some of this flavor for my Cheopian campaign. The complex history of the Arab people was changed profoundly by the rise of Islam. As our setting is back in ancient times, I will try to limit myself to pre-Islamic concepts and material.Fact: The Arabs are an ancient Semitic people of the Middle East. They were proud in their belief that they were descended from the Prophet Noah's son Shem. Their social structure which evolved in the harsh environment of the Arabian Peninsula was based on the tribal unit. Arabic tribes that survived include those clans of pure lineage, and those peoples who have gradually become naturalized within the Arabic family. Another clear division was by lifestyle. The settled Arabs were called the hathar, while those who roamed were called the bedouin. The core tribe of the pure Arab is the Qahtan, whose land of origin is found within Yemen today. In ancient times, the al Qahtani established a number of successive civilized states, including Maeen, Sheba and Himyar in this area. The second group of Arabs who have survived from the pre-Islamic era are those which are referred to as naturalized, being from the peoples which mixed and intermarried with the Qahtan. These Arabs claim to be descended from Ishmael (son of Abraham) who had settled in the holy city of Mecca. They are also sometimes called the Adnani or the Nizari. These northern Arabs included prominent tribes such as the Madar, the Rabeea, the Iyad and the Anmar. One noteworthy tribe which descended in this lineage was the Quraish into which the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) would be born. Fiction: In Cheopia, the peoples of Araby are represented mainly by two groups: the Bedouin tribes of the Duheesah Desert (a sort of combination of the Sahara and the great Arabian desert); and the more settled Himyarites. The land of Himyar is loosely based on the three interesting kingdoms that arose in southern arabia in antiquity. The core differences from historic Yemen are:
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The Hathar of HimyarFact:The history of the Yemen stretches back over 3,000 years. From about 1000 BC this region of the Southern Arabian Peninsula was ruled by three successive kingdoms: Minean, Sabaean and Himyarite. These three kingdoms all depended for their wealth on the spice trade. Aromatics such as myrrh and frankincense were greatly prized in many cultures of the ancient world.
Fiction: The overall rulers of this land are the Sabaens, a race of 3' humanoids (gnomes) who are responsible for most of the culture's advances. The Sabaen pharaohs are extremely tolerant and welcoming, however, of other races, and peoples. All tribes are represented in the governing of the land of Himyar including the Maeens (orcs), al Qahtani (humans), and groups of mixed lineage as well as the Sabaen tribes themselves. All Himyarites have a special reverence for Bes, god of luck, and believe the Sabaen pharaoh to be descended from him. The current pharaoh is Yazdegerd. His Queen, Bilquis, is said to be the daughter of a jinn. 
The great Dam of Ma'rib is the keystone to Himyar's civilization. It was built
by the Sabaens long ago when the people of this land were just small warbands
of hunter/gatherers. This famous dam pools the waters of the Hejaz Mountains,
providing the basis of an advanced irrigation system to make the land fertile
and bountiful. The resulting kingdom of Saba (Sheba) prospered and grew through
peaceful (mostly) expansion to include all of the tribes of the Himyari plains.
The solid agricultural base of both Saba and its neighbours is inextricably
linked to the development of various aspects of stone technology and the ability
to construct the large sluices and reservoirs needed to control periodic floods
and to divert water to irrigation systems for the large valleys opening out into
the desert. 
Because of his experience settling disputes between the tribes, the Sabaen
pharaoh is usually a skilled diplomat. For this reason as well as the Sabaen
reputation for fairness, he is often called upon to arbitrate conflicts that
arise among the pharonic kingdoms of Cheopia. He has the title of
mukarrib, meaning "the covenant maker", which denotes the unifying and
holding together of numerous peoples.Tribal System The tribe is the primary social and political unit of the Himyarites. A Himyarite's first duty is to his tribe. Tribal quarrelling has helped to maintain the skills of warfare in the Himyarites so that despite a mostly peaceful existence, they do not fall easy prey to outside conquerors. Himyarites tend to favor practical knowledge and science of the natural world. In addition to things like wilderness lore, healing, and animal handling; they are also fascinated with astronomy, the weather, and genealogy. |
Hathar AND Bedouin ValuesThe Need for RevengeMany of the ancient tribes were adamant about the unquestionable law of revenge. In their view, a disgrace must be avenged, no matter what the consequences. For example, the tribes believed that if the murder of a kinsman went unavenged, a bird named al Hama would come out of the victim's skull and hover over his grave shrieking "Satisfy my thirst!" This would be the victim's demand to avenge his death and to quench his terrible thirst with the blood of the murderer. A People of Eloquence The early tribes did not commonly express their artistry with architecture and statuary. Instead they gloried in the intricacies of language. The tribes loved eloquent speech and the expression of their folk wisdom in clever proverbs. Story-telling and recitations of poetry were standard features of the social gatherings of both hathar and bedouin. Character of Respect For a tribesman to hold his head high among his fellows, he had to display the qualities of courage, generosity, integrity and pride.
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Miscellany
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whereas cowardliness and fear of the enemy was a disgrace.