Vindrus (VIN-druss) is a country with extremes of climate, ranging from the tropical rain forests of the south, to the bitter cold of the high mountain peaks. But most of the uncultivated land is jungle. The monsoon pours rain on the land from Month 5 to Month 11. The people are called Vindri (VIN-dree). The coast is on the Sea of Death.

It is divided into separate provinces; each controlled by a petty king called a Rajah. There is a ruling dynasty, the Mofhul (MOH-f-hull) Clan, but it has been a long time since one of them has had enough authority to control the proud and independent Rajahs.

The recommended use of taxes is to divide them into twelve parts. Two go to the treasury to import food in a bad year, one supports the Rajah, one pays the agents who collect news and report to the Rajah, one is used on public works, and one supports state officials. The other six support the armed forces.

There are five main castes:

The lowest caste is literally untouchable, since to touch one is to be soiled, and requires lengthy purification rituals. If the untouchable initiated the contact, they can be executed. The major part of the population is composed of peasants in the Sudra caste. Whatever caste a person is born into, is the one they will die in. Marriage between castes is almost unheard of, since the higher caste member would go down a caste, unless they were extremely powerful.

There are visible racial differences between the castes: the lower the caste, the darker the person. This is because the caste system was designed to prevent the light-haired invaders from the north integrating with the dark-haired tribesmen who owned the land before they arrived. Vindrus is the most successfully segregated society in Varna.

Foreign slaves are outside the caste system. They are made use of, but not really considered human. This does not mean that they are cruelly treated, just given the same dispassionate care that a valuable animal receives. Like an animal, if they prove untrustworthy they are dispatched.

Foreign visitors are likewise regarded tolerantly, as long as they obey the local customs.

The rich keep elephants and hunting tigers as pets. Everyone keeps snakes: they eat the vermin usually hunted by cats.

The position of women varies from subservient to property, depending on the province. However, within her home, the highest-ranking woman is supreme. Not even her husband would cross her will. Houses are large, with several generations living together and working the same fields.

The Rajah’s guards enforce the law. The Rajah gives judgement, and lower castes bring disputes to him to settle. But when a Rajah is annoyed, justice tends to be summary and fatal. Many of the bandits who plague the mountainous areas are people who fled from such justice.

Brahmins think that one of their duties to prevent change. Tradition is highly regarded, and change is regarded with suspicion.

There is a saying, "In Toam they ignore the Gods, but we take in the Gods of all the world." There are hundreds of cults interlinked in complex ways that foreigners never understand.

The principal religion is Shiok, and the major deity is Vashnek. He is worshipped in the Temple of Gold at Rajist, which only Brahmins may enter. But every home has a shrine, and it is at these hearth-shrines that the majority of worship takes place.

Most cults teach that after death each soul is assessed by its Gods, to find out what is has learned in its life. If it learned well, it is reborn to a higher caste, except that after sufficient lives as a Brahmin, the soul goes on to other spheres, for instance Elvenhome or Wyrmtime. If it learned little, it returns as a lower caste, or even an animal.

Paree may not touch weapons, or wear armor. Brahmins and women do not use weapons. Veesya can use the tools of their trade as weapons. They are permitted to carry a dagger in town, and frequently do so. Rajput use sickle swords or bronze scimitars, and wear scale amour, with bronze helmets and round shields.

The normal army consists of elite elephant riders, leashed tigers, archers, and Sudra levies. The archers harass the enemy, the elephants break enemy infantry formations, and tigers are released to attack cavalry, which drives the horse mad. The Sudras and archers pick off the fleeing remnants.

There are constant border skirmishes with Hurral. The Vindri usually win, provided they do not go out onto the steppes.

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