The Wick-Weam goes by two names. When speaking to outsiders, or as outsiders speak to each other, The Wick-Weam is the name, but to natives, they call it Shaliz. The origin of the name Wick-Weam comes from Old Shahzzian, the proto-language of Shaliz, and is an onomatopoeia of the waxing and waning (The Vikka and Veema, becoming The Wick-Weam) sand dunes that undulate across the sandy ocean. Shaliz is the native word to describe the landscape in its entirety.
Though sand dominates, it is only a fraction of the culture. The cities, each an oasis unlike the next, boast colour and vibrancy that goes beyond the brown sand. In the capital city of Qom Shama, the Shalizian Lord’s tower is a beacon painted in blue, green and red and all the homes are just as colourful. Colour in Shaliz is a symbol of power and status, for the acquisition of such brilliant dyes is afforded to very few.
Despite the lavish lifestyle of many, just as many live impoverished lives. The law of prosperity in the Wick-Weam is one that has given the nation great boons but forsaken a grand number of its citizens. The desert demands resourcefulness but little room is given to those who are resourceless. Injuries, illness or simply days of rest can be a detriment to the lives of Shalizians. In recent years the nations of Zagavor and Ororoon have stationed embassies and aid to assist the nation to better improving its issues of poverty, though often the efforts are met with hesitation.
Colour and Power
Undyed clothing is as common as the grains of sand in Shaliz, the mark of the poor. A small dash of colour can be a great show of money, but often those who are covered are just as destitute. The colour blue denotes knowledge, with scholars and libraries sporting them. Red is the mark of commerce, wagons and traders may have a small stripe, owing to the little money they have to spare.
Strangely, the most colourful places tend to be those of entertainment. Circuses, theatres and so on often pilfer discarded cloth by those so swamped with riches that throwing away a fully dyed curtain is nothing. They are most often picked up by actors or performers looking to embolden their performances. This also causes the performative arts to be the most dangerous, and subject to raids and robberies.
It then stands that the most dangerous men and women of Shaliz, across all its borders, are those who perform, for theirs is no act.
Life on the Sand
Many citizens of the Wick-Weam are diasporic, claiming no city as home, but rather than very sea of sand itself. Depending on who you encounter, they are either Wickers, or Weamers, but ultimately the same thing.
Many of them have left their homes to escape poverty, some are former guards of high prestige fed up with the frustrations of guarding the rich, and many are simply lost.
To Shalizians in the cities and towns, many are folk heroes. They wander into town, take the work given to them and when the day is done, they leave. Becoming a Wicker/Weamer is a dream lauded by children more often than should be, for the life is hard and wrought with stress.
Only those with the iron will brave the searing sun and push through the endless expanse, those who can think 8 days ahead of their steps will survive.
The King's Cup 
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