Kalaar
Kalaar is a major city on an island serving as a chokepoint separating the northern and southern regions of The Gilded Sea, allowing it to exert control over all trade flowing through the area. While originally founded by House Yulani, it is now governed by the city's merchant lords. It is home to ~40.000 people around 60% of which are Hominids, the rest being a mix of other Strains, as Kalaar is known to be a place where people of all Strains and Faiths* are welcome.
Ever since then Kalaar has in effect been a plutocracy, with the most successful and wealthy merchants, bankers and business owners of the city sharing power amongst themselves. Most of these individuals value their privacy and are therefore not known to the public, though there are some council members that are regularly seen in public. Shamash for example, an influential merchant lord of The Hominid Strain frequently makes public declarations and requests, promising great wealth to those that heed and fulfill them.
With the death of Anatep the Terrible in 247 pSF, the entire city let out a cry of relief. The displaced people could return to their homes, reunite with family, though many chose to stay. The people targeted by Anatep’s tyranny tended to be scholars and merchants, such it was that Kalaar, a small settlement on a formerly entirely uninhabited island now likely had the highest concentration of great minds in all of Upper Zagesi during that time.
In the following decades Kalaar quickly grew. Taking advantage of the greater autonomy granted to them by Malikh Haki the Great, countless merchants, scholars and inventors flocked to the city, which was unlike most others in Upper Zagesi completely untouched by The Reign of Terror. It also turned out that the island's position right in the middle between the north and south of The Gilded Sea made it an ideal trading post, only furthering its meteoric rise to power.
When Ayatuur Arkazi ascended to the throne of The Ashuurian State in the year of 219 pSF, he attempted to reign in the great cities of the state, something that the people of Kalaar were not all too interested in. They had seen what could happen if an absolute ruler was freely handed power, so when the opportunity presented itself to further weaken the office of the Malikh, they took it.
The ruler of Kalaar, a merchant by the name of Zacharias, formed The Triarchy together with the rulers of the cities of Drustanaar and Korsani. They shattered the Malikhs armies, and forced him to abdicate, but not before further dissolving the power invested in his office.
What would follow was The Fractured Dominion (218-86 pSF), though Kalaar, unlike most other cities of The Ashuurian State did not engage in the squabbles over territory that were so common at the time. The city instead focused on strengthening its trade network and became THE trade center of the entire region, wielding both immense economic and naval power. The city did however have its fair share of trouble with Korsani, who could have thought that merchant vessels would be the ideal targets for piracy?
Kalaar rose to be the dominant economic center in the region, a status it has arguably maintained to this day, though it was not without its own fair share of problems.
With the illustrious Tanzimat Yulanis rise to power in the year of 86 pSF, Kalaar was once again getting ready defend itself against “The overreaching Hands of a greedy tyrant” as many contemporary sources from the city put it, though as it turned out he had different plans for the city.
Tanzimat riled the city's leaders up against each other, while promising those that would follow him favorable trading rights in the state he would create. Motivated by both a greed for coin and power, the leadership fell apart just long enough for the Malikh to lead a coordinated and decisive assault against the city. Mindful not to cause too much harm to the city, he forced the merchant lords of Kalaar to surrender and installed the descendants of Kashir Yulani as the city's rulers, which had lost much of their influence during The Fractured Dominion.
They would mostly allow business in the city to go by as it always did, it was after all the free commerce approach of the merchant lords which had led Kalaar to it’s monumental positions. House Yulani would introduce some new taxes and laws, which while very popular with the common people, greatly angered those with actual power in the city. It was not until after The War of The Twin Princes though, that the merchant lords would get their revenge. In the war itself, Kalaar sided with prince Aziz Yulani, though the city itself saw very little fighting.
While Kalaar at first joined with Drustanaar and Ashuur to form the new state of Arasinda, it seceded in the year of 9 pSF, when the merchant lords of the city finally put a plan in into action, which would result in the death of every member of House Yulani in the city. The relations with House Yulani and the greater state of Arasinda have been icy ever since, not that they could do anything about it though.
Ever since then, the merchant lords have seized all power in the city, undermining many of the legislative systems and structures of Kalaar.
While Kalaar is still the dominant trading power in the region, the rising number of pirates, bandits and lack of people to do business with has affected the city state. As such, the merchants of Kalaar have started looking outwards more and more, looking for business partners in far-off lands.
In the year of 32 SF, an influential Merchant lord from Kalaar by the name of Shamash calls mighty warriors, healers, mages, scholars and all other individuals of great talent to his side, making promises of great wealth, glory and power.
If one was to describe the culture of Kalaar in one word, it would likely be “entrepreneurial”. A common belief in Kalaar is that, difficult as it may be, everyone is the master of their own destiny, that if they only work hard enough, even the most wretched sod can rise to wealth, power and greatness. A lie of course.
Nowhere in Upper Zagesi is the difference between the haves and have nots as apparent as in Kalaar. Nowhere else in Upper Zagesi are laws and institutions set up so effectively to limit social mobility, to keep the peasants in their place.
And while on rare occasions someone might be able to break this cycle, they only serve to justify the system. It “proves” after all, that one only must apply themselves enough to become successful and leave the squalor of their former life behind.
No matter if it’s something as simple as theft or as severe as murder, if one has the coin, they are in effect above the law. The one exception to this is of course tax evasion.
Territory:
The territory of Kalaar is rather small compared to the other major cities of Upper Zagesi, only comprising the island of the same name it has been built upon. The City however is densely populated, covering most of the island.Government:
Originally operating under governmental structures modeled after those of Drustanaar, the power structures in Kalaar steadily shifted towards the wealthy inhabitants of the city. While this devolution was a gradual process, it came to an abrupt end in the year of 9 pSF, when the Merchant Council of the city conspired to assassinate all members of House Yulani, the until then ruling family of the city.Ever since then Kalaar has in effect been a plutocracy, with the most successful and wealthy merchants, bankers and business owners of the city sharing power amongst themselves. Most of these individuals value their privacy and are therefore not known to the public, though there are some council members that are regularly seen in public. Shamash for example, an influential merchant lord of The Hominid Strain frequently makes public declarations and requests, promising great wealth to those that heed and fulfill them.
History:
The History of Kalaar is heavily tied to that of The Ashuurian State. In an effort not to repeat everything this section will only focus on the events that pertain to the city of Kalaar itself. For more details, see the history section of The Ashuurian State.The Age of Strife: (302 pSF to 32 SF)
Kalaar was founded in the year of 267 pSF during the height of The Reign of Terror. Its founder, Kashir Yulani, a distant relative of Malikh Anatep, founded the city originally to allow those persecuted by Anatep to flee to a place outside his jurisdiction. He had gained the Malikhs trust and worked his way into Anateps inner circle over the years, diverting the Malikh’s attention away from his newly founded settlement. Historians would later claim that this sort of behavior was very uncharacteristic for the otherwise controlling and cruel ruler.With the death of Anatep the Terrible in 247 pSF, the entire city let out a cry of relief. The displaced people could return to their homes, reunite with family, though many chose to stay. The people targeted by Anatep’s tyranny tended to be scholars and merchants, such it was that Kalaar, a small settlement on a formerly entirely uninhabited island now likely had the highest concentration of great minds in all of Upper Zagesi during that time.
In the following decades Kalaar quickly grew. Taking advantage of the greater autonomy granted to them by Malikh Haki the Great, countless merchants, scholars and inventors flocked to the city, which was unlike most others in Upper Zagesi completely untouched by The Reign of Terror. It also turned out that the island's position right in the middle between the north and south of The Gilded Sea made it an ideal trading post, only furthering its meteoric rise to power.
When Ayatuur Arkazi ascended to the throne of The Ashuurian State in the year of 219 pSF, he attempted to reign in the great cities of the state, something that the people of Kalaar were not all too interested in. They had seen what could happen if an absolute ruler was freely handed power, so when the opportunity presented itself to further weaken the office of the Malikh, they took it.
The ruler of Kalaar, a merchant by the name of Zacharias, formed The Triarchy together with the rulers of the cities of Drustanaar and Korsani. They shattered the Malikhs armies, and forced him to abdicate, but not before further dissolving the power invested in his office.
What would follow was The Fractured Dominion (218-86 pSF), though Kalaar, unlike most other cities of The Ashuurian State did not engage in the squabbles over territory that were so common at the time. The city instead focused on strengthening its trade network and became THE trade center of the entire region, wielding both immense economic and naval power. The city did however have its fair share of trouble with Korsani, who could have thought that merchant vessels would be the ideal targets for piracy?
Kalaar rose to be the dominant economic center in the region, a status it has arguably maintained to this day, though it was not without its own fair share of problems.
With the illustrious Tanzimat Yulanis rise to power in the year of 86 pSF, Kalaar was once again getting ready defend itself against “The overreaching Hands of a greedy tyrant” as many contemporary sources from the city put it, though as it turned out he had different plans for the city.
Tanzimat riled the city's leaders up against each other, while promising those that would follow him favorable trading rights in the state he would create. Motivated by both a greed for coin and power, the leadership fell apart just long enough for the Malikh to lead a coordinated and decisive assault against the city. Mindful not to cause too much harm to the city, he forced the merchant lords of Kalaar to surrender and installed the descendants of Kashir Yulani as the city's rulers, which had lost much of their influence during The Fractured Dominion.
They would mostly allow business in the city to go by as it always did, it was after all the free commerce approach of the merchant lords which had led Kalaar to it’s monumental positions. House Yulani would introduce some new taxes and laws, which while very popular with the common people, greatly angered those with actual power in the city. It was not until after The War of The Twin Princes though, that the merchant lords would get their revenge. In the war itself, Kalaar sided with prince Aziz Yulani, though the city itself saw very little fighting.
While Kalaar at first joined with Drustanaar and Ashuur to form the new state of Arasinda, it seceded in the year of 9 pSF, when the merchant lords of the city finally put a plan in into action, which would result in the death of every member of House Yulani in the city. The relations with House Yulani and the greater state of Arasinda have been icy ever since, not that they could do anything about it though.
Ever since then, the merchant lords have seized all power in the city, undermining many of the legislative systems and structures of Kalaar.
While Kalaar is still the dominant trading power in the region, the rising number of pirates, bandits and lack of people to do business with has affected the city state. As such, the merchants of Kalaar have started looking outwards more and more, looking for business partners in far-off lands.
In the year of 32 SF, an influential Merchant lord from Kalaar by the name of Shamash calls mighty warriors, healers, mages, scholars and all other individuals of great talent to his side, making promises of great wealth, glory and power.
Culture & Society:
Kalaars beginnings as a place founded by people fleeing from persecution has certainly left its mark upon its people and society as a whole. They do not care for strain or class, as all that come to Kalaar should be given a fair shot. People are allowed to practice their faith freely, with the exception of The Ruumush Amat. Many people in the city liken it to worshiping the hominids age old enslavers, something that the populace of Kalaar does not take kindly to.If one was to describe the culture of Kalaar in one word, it would likely be “entrepreneurial”. A common belief in Kalaar is that, difficult as it may be, everyone is the master of their own destiny, that if they only work hard enough, even the most wretched sod can rise to wealth, power and greatness. A lie of course.
Nowhere in Upper Zagesi is the difference between the haves and have nots as apparent as in Kalaar. Nowhere else in Upper Zagesi are laws and institutions set up so effectively to limit social mobility, to keep the peasants in their place.
And while on rare occasions someone might be able to break this cycle, they only serve to justify the system. It “proves” after all, that one only must apply themselves enough to become successful and leave the squalor of their former life behind.
Laws & Institutions:
While Kalaar's code of law on paper lines up in most parts with that of The Ashuurian State, reality tells a different story, as most laws in the city carry the stipulation that one can simply buy their way out of their punishment.No matter if it’s something as simple as theft or as severe as murder, if one has the coin, they are in effect above the law. The one exception to this is of course tax evasion.
Kalaar
Geography:
Region: Northern Middle East - Upper ZagesiSociety:
Population: ~40.000Strains: Hominids ~60%, Wildkin ~20%, Zoltai ~15%, Other ~5%
Religion: The Ur-Ashaar
Politics:
Government: plutocracyRuler: /
Influence: moderate
Commerce:
Currency:50 copper grains = 1 silver glimmer
25 silver glimmers = 1 gold sovereign
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