Ayula

Ayula is a city state and tributary to The Yuyan Dominion in the south of Rumah, where The Yuyan River divides the lush grasslands of the region from The Daga-Kurum Desert to the south. Besides that, Ayula is also part of the continent-spanning Yurekai trading network. The Yurekai are a vast group of nomadic merchants, traders and craftsmen that inhabit and travel through The Daga-Kurum Desert.
Nowadays, Ayula is known to most people as a Gate of sorts, through which people of other realms and cultures can get a glimpse into The Yuyan Dominion. As a tributary and favored trading partner of Yuyan, it is no surprise that more than half of all trade between it and the east of Kashura crosses through Ayula’s gate at some point, especially since the collapse of trade in The Shattered Sea.

Territory:

Ayula is located in southern Rumah between the springs of The Sung River and The Yuyan River. Its territories extend almost 80 miles north-west between The Yuyan River and The Sung River, a few dozen miles into The Kasiri Hinterlands, and a few miles south of the banks of The Yuyan River. The city of Ayula itself houses almost 55.000 people, making it both The Yurekai city with the largest territories and jurisdiction over the largest population.

Government:

The rulership of Ayula has changed many times over the centuries since its founding, as is custom per the traditions of The Yurekai. The candidates up for election are usually selected by The Yurekai elders. This appears to be the custom in all Yurekai cities, but the election process, who gets to have a say and where, or rather if there even is a meeting spot is unknown to outsiders.
The current ruler of Ayula is a Simian Wildkin by the name of Chaka.

History:

By the history of the region, Ayula is a relatively young city, having been founded only around 165 pSF to take advantage of the newly solidified trade relations between Tanasi and The Yuyan Dominion. The Founder of the city, a Wildkin Yurekai by the name of Ayugamah, first built a fortress to protect her lands and people from desert raiders, but her following soon grew as the people of the lower Yuyan Plains flocked to her protection. Ayula grew from a single wooden fort to a city with thousands of people in just a matter of years, and is to this day The Yurekai city with the largest population and the most land under its jurisdiction.
To maintain its territorial integrity, Ayula became a tributary to The Yuyan Dominion, and has served as the gate to and from Soukoku and The Daga-Kurum Desert since.
The current Ruler of Ayula, Chaka, has been in charge for the past 21 years.

Culture & Society:

To most observers, The cities of The Yurekai tend to assimilate into the culture of the lands surrounding them. Things are no different for Ayula. The religious practices here are a mix of The Idanasha, Yuma and The Yurekai religious traditions, which themselves are already a jumbled mess including parts of The Ur-Ashaar, The Guiding Light and The Yazatavi. Meanwhile the practiced traditions of the people here mostly align with those of The Yuyan Dominion and Tanasi.
That is how it appears at least, the reality though is that Yurekai are never the majority in any cities they build, as most of the populace comes from… well, the local populace. Knowing that, the fact that these people tend to assimilate somewhat to a minority in the lands that they themselves inhabited long before them certainly paints a different picture.
How exactly this manifests of course varies from city to city, the thing that can be said about Ayula itself though is:

Extended Families:

While families in the region don’t tend to be particularly small and usually follow vast clan structures, The Yurekai have a different understanding of family. They don’t distinguish between fathers and uncles, mothers and aunts, siblings and cousins. To them they’re the same, which is reflected by the fact that the Yurekani language doesn’t even have different words to distinguish the two. They are kin, and you are obligated to help them if they require it. That goes both ways though, no matter how distant the actual blood relations may be, if you are picking a fight with a Yurekai, be aware that you may be taking on far more than you bargained for.
These practices of extended families have found their way into the population of Ayula, further reinforcing the influence of the clans in this region.

Halls of Wisdom:

Ayula is home to a vast community of scholars and philosophers, the reasons for which are many: The longstanding prosperity and relative safety of the city for one, together with the pluralist religious traditions of the region. The comparatively more relaxed censorship laws for another, which allow even the most extreme opinions and ideas to be discussed openly (so long as things remain at the level of discussion).

Laws & Institutions:

The Laws around Kashura generally don’t vary all that much from one another, murder and theft is pretty much illegal everywhere for instance, this section will therefore focus only on the noteworthy:

Normal? Courts:

Ayula is The Yurekai city with the most extensive court and legal systems… which means they are just about on par with most “regular” cities. Ayula beats the trend of lax law enforcement in Yurekai cities by being forced to incorporate the bare minimum of what The Yuyan Dominion deems acceptable “or else”, truly inspiring.
Noteworthy is that the law overwhelmingly protects the property of merchants and landholders… but when has that ever been different?

Slavery:

Slavery is perfectly legal in Ayula, following the slave grading system introduced in Koltai. Slavery however isn’t much of a business in Ayula, as both its neighbors have either banned the practice or treat slaves more as low wage workers than property.

Ayula

Geography:

Region: Central Kashura - Rumah

Society:

Population: ~55.000 people
Strains: Wildkin ~60%, Hominids ~30%, Other ~10%
Religion: Yuma, The Idanasha, The Ur-Ashaar

Politics:

Government: Yurekai Government
Ruler: Chaka
Influence: moderate

Commerce:

Currency:
50 Tong (Copper) = 1 Yin (Silver)
25 Yin = 1 Yuan (Gold)