El-Azahdron

El-Azahdron is the capital city of the Rumiyyad Autarchy. It is currently ruled by Autarch Murad II Rumiyyad.

Description

Constructed against a large salt lake on the northern edge of the Yaldun mountain range, El-Azahdron is a huge city housing over 200,000 residents. The city is surrounded by massive walls that curve outwards, designed to protect against both the harsh winds that blow in from the Mushtarak Desert as well as the ever-present threat of alim-hari corpsewalkers. The nearby mountains are rich in deposits of gold, much of which finds its way into the lake by courtesy of several streams coming from within the mountains.

Palace District

The city is constructed in a semi-circle, with the innermost part of the city housing a massive palace complex that is in itself larger than many mid-sized towns. The Palace District is protected by massive marble walls known as the Marble Veil, and is home to the many members of the royal House of Rumiyyad and each of their dozens of servants and attendants. Many of these attendants have small estates and servants of their own. At the very heart of the palace complex is the massive marble-domed Palace of the Oracle which houses the Autarch and his immediate family.

• Palace of the Oracle: A massive palace constructed of marble and gold which is the home of the Rumiyyad royal family
• Hall of Address: A smaller palace from which the Autarch holds court weekly to hear the appeals of the common people.
• Glittering Moat: A moat that surrounds the palace complex, fed by the golden streams from the nearby mountains.

Circle of the Holy

Surrounding the Palace District is a ring of eight temples each dedicated to one of the Unrepentant Gods, collectively referred to as the Circle of the Holy. Each temple is built against the Marble Veil, housing a massive set of doors that allow entrance into the Palace District. Upon the ascension of a new Autarch, whichever temple he is a devotee of opens its gates and the rest are bricked shut.

• Marble Veil: A tall wall that separates the Palace District from the rest of the city.

Outer Circle

The outer section of the city is a tangle of markets and housing. Due to the incredible bounty of gold and salt from the nearby Lake of Gold, the standard of living is incredibly high within the city; indeed, in many areas of the world the phrase "richer than a Rumiyyad beggar" is used to describe one with a large amount of money.

• Pauper's Tract: One of the few low-income areas of the city. Once a relatively upscale middle-class neighborhood, it was rapidly abandoned after the construction of a strange tower known as the Arid Spire. Today it is avoided by most due to the general distrust of arcane magic among the populace, leading to an influx of the city's poorest and most desperate..
• The Arid Spire: A massive tower nearly 300 feet tall built and inhabited by Serik Thadan, a powerful Eloqui wizard. The tower is enchanted with powerful abjuration wards; the moment one approaches it they will find themselves trapped in an illusory desert. Multiple individuals have stood in front of the tower for days attempting to escape the illusion.
• Sifting Docks: A small pier that extends into the Lake of Gold, from which commoners are permitted to sift for gold.

History

According to legend the city was founded roughly around 1450 IR when a Jan'ai girl was granted a vision of a golden lake by the god Pashet. This girl, known to history as the Oracle, led a small group of followers into the Undying Sands in search of this golden lake, upon which they were to build a city. As the legend goes, one by one her followers lost faith in the search, eventually taking a vote whether to turn back. When the vote was held only one man, a certain Kadhar Rumiyyad, spoke in support of the Oracle. It is said that as he cast the sole dissenting vote, a stream of liquid gold began to flow from the nearby mountainside, eventually filling the small valley and creating the Golden Lake. The historicity of the legend is a matter of debate, but it is known that Kadhar Rumiyyad was the first recorded ruler of the city as well as the founder of the Rumiyyad Autarchy.
For much of the city's early history it was regarded as a myth by much of the outside world; the stories of a city of gold in the middle of a cursed desert seemed salacious and far-fetched. It was only after the establishment of the Obviation that the Curse of Undying was pushed further into the desert, allowing more settlements to develop further inland of Ar-Jan'ai and leading to the discovery of the city.

Notable People

• Murad II Rumiyyad: Ruler of the Rumiyyad Autarchy
• Kyrian Rumiyyad: Heir apparent to the Rumiyyad Autarchy; well-known as a weak and ineffectual leader
• Rashida Rumiyyad: Eldest child of Murad and princess of the Autarchy
• Beiram Torabi: High priest of Pashet
• Sasheer el-Taab: High priest of Solkath
• Serik Thadan: A powerful Eloqui mage who inhabits the Arid Spire
• Bartleby: Serik's personal homunculus servant

Factions

• Amber Watch: Armed forces and townsguard of the Rumiyyad Autarchy

Trivia

• Kepar is a type of street food made of several chunks of fruit (traditionally a yellow spiky fruit called bebak) that are battered, fried, and served on a stick.

Full Name:
El-Azahdron
Also Known As:
The City of the Oracle
Leader:
Hereditary monarch
Current Leader:
Murad II Rumiyyad
Population:
200,000
Affiliation:
Rumiyyad Autarchy
Continent:
Ar-Jan'ai
Region:
Mushtarak Desert
Districts:

• Circle of the Holy
• Palace District
• Pauper's Tract

Points of Interest:

• Palace of the Oracle
• Halls of Enlightenment
• The Arid Spire