[rtyffg]

Considering what you have said , it creating a nation from scratch seems more efficient then driving Machaka into a likeness of any real nation.
Some throughts about the present state of Machaka - maybe it can be made more logical by shifting it to one of its present themes.
Now about a possible direction of that shift - won't spider/sorceror as leaders/enslavers/masterminds theme fit? Considering a spider theme not just by spiders themselves, but by tendention to use poison/murder/weakening as a means of gaining power. That way special spells, which enhance their warriors, but mr negating wounding them might fit. Their light spiders are then just tools for war, as well as their riders. While black spiders become sacred themselves then (and its rider is only sacred because he rides sacred creature). The tactics of luring enemy into a trap seems quite fitting then, for which those wards are.
- Their basic human troops don't seem useful currently, and this would serve as a background for that.
- If Machaka would be looked upon as a nation with someway enslaved population that poses a logical description to their low morale and skills (slaves are not good warriors after all) - even some weakening/cheapening would fit them then?
- All of their population seems to have forest survival. Which makes rainfores/jungle zone to fit as their home so any of the plain/desert portion lore seems unfit then, so that Abasi hero's story seems strange then (where did he find a lion if he is a jungle dweller)?
- Their heavy human troops (hoplites) seem unfitting for a theme of jungle people (because of their iron armor in a rainy climate) - they need to be changed into a leather(or spiderweb)-armored variant then?
- They have 2 of 3 priestly as spies or law enforcers and a 3-rd order as a propaganders, which seem to fit well.
- Their spider warriors/bane spiders - again their heavy armor seems strange, othervise, stealthtroops/assasins seem fitting to the theme (maybe changing their dagger to paralysing poison would fit for spidery ways).