Karakor

Karakor is the ancestral capital of the Hhrar and one of the largest cities of the known world. Proud, rich, ancient and powerful, Karakor has stood the test of time, surviving even being conquered by the Asturians. Karakor was built around two gigantic pyramids, the so-called Father and the Mother. As the centuries passed, the city expanded, new structures were built on top of older ones. Modern citizens are mostly oblivious to what ruins, collapsed buildings, caves, sewers or hideouts may lie a few dozen meters below their feet. Today, the city serves as one of the two capitals of the Covenant, a massive federation of city states founded centuries ago against the invading Akkanid Empire.

Demographics

Karakor's main inhabitants are the proud Karakian Hhrarish, but there are many Human enclaves scattered around. There were much more in the past, but most were destroyed during the wars preceding the signing of the Covenant between the native Hrarish and the Asturian settlers. There are also tens of thousands of merchants traveling in, out, or through the city each day.

Government

Karakor is governed by a triumvirute of the wealthy elite, the chosen of the masses and the military. It is they who appoint a council for a period of ten years which then rules the city with absolute power.

Defences

Karakor's main defense is it's sheer size and recruitable population. The latter is not in small part due to the hundreds of thousands living in impoverished conditions in the slums. Armies can be raised in quick succession of another. Even if one, two or three fail to defeat the opponent, the fourth or maybe fifth will succeed.
Other than that, the city has many sets of inner walls, but no all-encompassing city walls. It might've had one in the past, but if the city did, it was overgrown by buildings centuries ago.

Industry & Trade

Karakor sits close the bank of a river and therefore has access to it's resources, but more importantly the river serves as transportation. Karakor is a huge industrial and commerce center, trading beasts, fish, jewelry, clothing, silk and innumberable other wares. To better facilitate this, the karakians built another city to the north on the mouth of the river. Since then, Karakor became not just the largest trade hub on the Hammer, but possibly the entire world. Goods flow from one end of the known world through Karakor to the other. There is an endless stream of caravans going in and out of the city, while entire fleets of merchant ships gather around the port city.

Infrastructure

Karakor is a heavily stratified city. There are layers upon layers, each built on top of older ones. The lower reaches of the city - at least those that are accessible and not in ruin - are home the slums, this is where the poorest reside. As one climbs upper, the city becomes more and more open, beautiful and well maintained. The current surface of the city is where common life happens. The middle class, the many traders and priests and scribes and teachers reside here. The tallest buildings and the pyramids themselves are each unique in that they are divided among the most powerful factions: the military, the richest and the represantitves from the masses.
The main way of going around the city are the Royal Highways, a collection of wide, interconnected roads built very high. The Lesser Roads are mainly on the surface if the city but often go underground as new buildings were built over them.

Guilds and Factions

The city is ruled by three factions: The rich merchant class, the vast amy and the nameless masses through their elected representatives. It would be a lie to say the system works perfectly, there are always smear campaigns, gang violence and backdoor corruption going on.

History

The Yerbans are commonly held responsible for erecting amazing buildings all over the known world. The two pyramids of Karakor are also attributed to them. Millennia ago, the nomadic Hhrar found the two structures already abandoned. As they migrated to the north from the increasingly large predators, they eventually started to took shelter near the pyramids, which they named the Mother and the Father. As time passed, the Hhrar succesfully managed to get inside the pyramids. They made their home deeper and deeper inside. From the writings on the walls they discovered agriculture and learned how to write. As more Hhrar came to the fabled pyramids, new villages spurred and became towns and then many cities around the pyramids. But competition between the two equal pyramids soon gave rise to hostilities. The cities were forced to choose one and swear allegiance and provide levies. Wars erupted that burned the land and destroyed much that was built. There was no end to the conflict. Yet one day, the Father pyramid fell. It's riches plundered, it's population killed or sold to slavery. The Mother pyramid united the land under it's foot. As the generations came and went, civilization started to flourish again. It is this time when Karakor was first mentioned and came to mean the two pyramids and their lands as a singular entity instead of the region. The cities inhabitants became known as karakians and they made local tribes and cities bend the knee. The Empire of Karakor quickly rose to power during the Imperial Age and eventually grew to encompass all of the Hammer peninsula.
But it's star could not shine forever. A mysterious people calling themselves the Asturians, having many empires conquered in quick succession turned their eyes towards Karakor. They sailed a thousand ships to the Hammer and defeated Karakor's armies over and over again. But they were not prepared for the harshness of the terrain. They learned lessons quickly and painfully in the jungles and mountains where small Karakian warbands would ambush them or lead them to their deaths. The war lasted for several decades Karakor only fell when mighty beasts, so-called Manifestations were sent against them. Fearing destruction from such terrible power, Karakor surrendered. But the fighting did not end there, the Hhrarish continued to fight the Asturians for almost a century, altough, in increasingly smaller numbers.
During the Asturian Age, Karakor was relegated to a local level and lost most of it's influence. The city would slowly rise again centuries later and start the uprisings that eventually expelled the Asturian Empire from the Hammer. Then, Karakor united the Hhrarish cities and led a campaign against the Asturian settlers on the Hammer which devolved into a brutal cycle of back and forth, with countless examples of genocide. This only ended with the arrival of the Akkanid Empire, which forced the two parties to unite against the common enemy and sign the Covenant.
The Covenant existed since then and despite of ethnic violence inside, has been a dominant power in the region, with Karakor as it's western capital.

Architecture

The Yerban, ancient Karakian and Covenant era buildings are easily distinguishable from eachother.

Geography

Karakor lies a few kilometres off a river. The terrain surrounding the city is flat and featureless.

Maps

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  The Hammer

  A large peninsula home to the largest Hrarish population of the world. 'Tis a centre of trade and commerce. The Covenant, a massive federation of allied Hrar and Human settlements is the sole power found here.

Alternative Name(s)

The Cradle

Type

Metropolis

Population

Around 2 million.

Inhabitant Demonym

Karakian

Location under

The Hammer