Qa'Adaq

Known in Albion as Aes

Qa'Adaq, once better known as Aes or Aespolis, is the former capital of the Church of Illumination. Within the city resides the Grand Basilica of Luminor, the main cathedral of the church and target of many pilgrims by its followers.
Though the city is no longer under Albionic control, its current Merchant Prince rulers do allow masses of pilgrims to visit and pray at the Basilica. Everyone understands this gesture of goodwill, though it is no secret that the Merchant Princes use this deal as leverage as well.
Qa'Adaq is also unique among the Four Zinnabar cities for its council of Merchant Princes who elect a "King" each year to represent them as one. This election is never diplomatic, and is one of the reasons why it is a common myth that the best assassins hail from Qa'Adaq.
Like everywhere along the coast of Zinnabar, Glimmer is widely enjoyed throughout the city. It is also Qa'Adaq where the effects of Glimmer were seen first-hand. After years of anarchy within the city, its current Merchant Prince overlords moved in and restored control in their respective districts. Only the Basilica remains under outsider control.

Demographics

Much like its past, the population of Qa'Adaq is a hybrid mix between Imperial and Southern influences. Despite, or because of, this mix, the people of Qa'Adaq do not quarrel among themselves due to their ancestry. 
Instead, the people of Qa'Adaq have intermingled both cultures and created something unique of themselves, and now their loyalties lie with their wealth first, families and districts second, and Qa'Adaq third. Cultural heritage is low on the Bronzian pecking order.

Government

The government of Qa'Adaq is both simple and complex: The word of the seven Merchant Princes is law in their own districts, together they decide the fate of Qa'Adaq. But in practice things are more chaotic: The seven Merchant Princes rarely get along, and instead form short term alliances between themselves. Only through bribery and blackmail do any of them stand a chance to be elected as king for a year. 
The Merchant Princes themselves each control a district in Qa'Adaq, ruling with an iron fist from their grand villas. While their word is law within their own district, the port remains a neutral zone. These borders are not set in stone however, and scuffles between two different Prince's militias are an everyday occurrence.

History

Qa'Adaq's history is long, but the most important events are its founding and eventual fall. Qa'Adaq was founded as Aespolis during the days of the Empire, the first imperial settlement on Zinnabar. It acted as a trade hub and as a port that could avoid the steep taxes of the other Southerner ports on the coasts. It also had the good fortune of being built near rich bronze ore veins, and mining continues until this day.
After the Comet fell, Aes fell into disrepair. A supply hub that had no one to supply had no purpose, and many Imperials left the city in search for their lost families. Many Southerners moved in to fill the gaps, and eventually came to be officially known as Qa'Adaq after the merchant princes took over control from the last imperial governor.

Type
City-State
Also known as
Aes, Aespolis, the City of Bronze

Military
Staunch
Commerce
Prosperous
Industry
Sluggish
Agriculture
Sparse
Education
Intellectual
Culture
Cultivated