The Kingdom of Jek'ra

The kingdom of Jek’Ra is nation in the Azure Federation, a land of desert and sweeping plains it is home to some of the finest horse herds in the Federation. The rough desert to the north and the savanna to the east fade to a rich prairie that extends west across the Veshk river.
There were once significant forests to the west of the country but over the centuries they fell subject to the economic needs of the kingdom. Now the forests lie mostly on the border between Jek’Ra and the Republic of Klawe and are controlled directly by the Crown.
It is bordered by the Edgewilde to its east, the Clawe Republic to the south and the Kingdom of Glernor to the West and the Sultanate of Veshk to the north.
Jek’Ra was originally settled by marauders from the Veshk Desert, having been displaced by clashes with an enemy spoken of only in legend. The effects of their original ancestry speak clear in their architecture however. Their cities and towns tend to be reminiscent of a nomad camp, weaving snakelike streets between walled compounds and domed houses built in such a way to emulate the yurts of their past.
Prior to the forming of the Federation, they warred with the Sultanate of Veshk on a semi-regular basis. Neither side was able to win a conclusive victory though Lramia, the capital, was conquered on numerous occasions.
After the Federation was formed traders moved through their lands and into the Sultanate more frequently, the great Veshk River creating a perfect route from the sea all the way to the capital of the sultanate. For many years this trade added immense wealth to Jek’Ra and was in part what helped create the Golden Chalice that we know today.
Twenty-Five years ago the Sultanate closed its borders, allowing no trade past the outer portions of the empire and the effect was a slowly shrinking purse for the kingdom.
These days Jek’Ra is still prosperous but there are many towns where this prosperity rings false, cracking pavement and walls show where pennies have been pinched or income lost. The slow drain in prosperity has led to an increase in crime throughout the kingdom as the populace shifts under the burdens of increased taxes and harsher punishments.
Government and Culture:
The government of the kingdom stems from a strong and relatively authoritative central government. The King of Jek’Ra holds near total power, stemmed only by the Council of Sharain. This council is made up of the chiefs of the original marauder tribes. While the tribe have little meaning now, they have morphed into powerful noble houses that collectively own most of the country.
Individual settlements are ruled by Sharaf appointed by the King, every town or village has to have a Sharaf and without one they are not legal. All goods from legally recognized settlements are marked with the sigil of that town. Not being legal in this sense means that your goods and services are not recognized and while the king's law can be selectively enforced there, residents have no way to report said crimes. The recalling of a Sharaf is a crippling move by the king, making those living there unable to sell their goods and usually forcing the town to collapse soon after.


A very human centric nation, predations from Orcs and other non-humans from the wild lands have lead to a relatively xenophobic culture. While accepting of humans from other cultures, even if they are usually subtly looked down upon. Other races are outright vilified and while Azure Federation Law binds the kingdom to allow free passage of the citizens of the other federation nations, the people don’t have to like it.
Expect to get strange or outright hostile looks even in major cities of the country, beware of spending time in the outer reaches where non humans find themselves going missing more often than not. With that in mind there ARE non-human citizens though most of those are half-breeds.
With that in mind it is a strange dichotomy that is found on the borders to the Edgewilde where support from the country itself may be far away. Trade with the denizens of the Edgewilde is frequent. This has a habit of flaring up into bad blood and grievances, ones that the central government has no interest to sort out.

Major Cities and Settlements:
The cities of this nation reflect the influences and roots of the people, the early raiding and wars have lent a fortress mentality to many of the towns closer to the borders and even on the interior. A land of savannah and scrub, much of the nation is built on brick, mud and tile.

Lramia The capital city of Jek’Ra and is said to be named after the first kings wife. It is a bustling port town, serving as the gateway to the Sultanate of Veshk and also an easier route into the Kingdom of Glernor than can be found through the Clawe Republic.
The city is separated into several “Camps” or large fortified communities with the cities main throughways winding between them. These are remnants of the first tribes to follow the first king and settle at the mouth of the Veshk River where it spilled out into the Bay of Fangs.
The loss of prosperity has hit this city the least but it still suffers, seeing thieves and orphans growing into packs slowly but surely. A large underground has been forming around them and smuggling is on the rise, smugglers braving the danger of the Edgewilde to create hidden smuggler coves from where they can work.
Raiwind: The only large city near the Edgewilde, it serves as the center of the kingdoms strength whenever it needs to reach out into the wilds to teach a lesson or effect some policy or other.
A fortress rising on a small hill amid a sea of grass, it is surrounded by miles of slums and markets. A relatively lawless place by design, allowing the Sharaf Treilio to choose specifically when to bring the king's law into effect and when to apply more...political...maneuvers.
The city has one of the largest populations of non-human in the country though barely 1% of those have any claim to citizenship.
Bluegate: A bustling city that has seen better days, it hugs the Veshk River at the border between Jek’Ra and the Sultanate of Veshk. A city of baked white stone and bright blue tiles, it can be seen like a shimmering beacon from far out in the desert. Broad bridges arch over the wide river, draw bridges pulling up periodically to allow trade ships to pass to and from the Sultanate.
Like most mirages as you get close, the facade fades and shows a far more cracked surface. Though it is still bustling, the trade that once ran like a flood on the river has slowed to a trickle and the city of Bluegate is feeling the bite more every year.
It is here that the criminal underworld has grown most prevalent in the country, the poor from both countries working together to get their mark one way or another. Smuggling is rampant here though the success rate is incredibly low.
The Sharaf of the city is a young and recently appointed man called Pilas Teroni, he has managed to juggle all of the disparate factions of the city in such a way that what trade there is goes unmolested and unchanged.
Herac:
Herac is a low and sprawling affair. The buildings are mostly of wood and tile rather than stone and clay and the city is designed more for stockyards and trading houses than it is for the humans that live there. The Sharaf of Herac is a woman called Keri’a Lia who has connections to all of the various horse breeders and trading houses. She is a rare case where a Sharaf has been selected from the locale where they lived, being too important a posting to leave in the hands of an outsider.
The horse capital of the azure federation, it is also well known for its stocks in beef and other grazing animals. It is called the Gateway to the West, serving as the trade capital between the country and the Clawe Republic and Glernor. Whenever the Azure Federation was formed it only served to increase the flow of money and goods here.
While the trade drying up with the Sultanate has affected the whole of the country it has affected Herac the least. Standing as the best place to get horseflesh in nearly the whole of the continent and one of the top providers of beef and other livestock, its star is steady if smelling like manure.
Tior: Tior started as a small trading post that slowly grew well outside its means after taking in an influx of refugees from the Clawe rebellion. It now stands as a unique mixture of Clawe and Jek’ra culture and architecture.
It sits in the jungles right on the border of the Clawe Republic and Jek’Ra, serving as the focal point for patrols along that border and working against smugglers from either side. The city has clear the jungle from overtaking it constantly lest it be buried. The city serves mostly as a trade point between the two countries but also holds a large displaced population of nobles and royalist from the previous regime of the Clawe Republic.
This expat population can cause some friction between travelers from Clawe , the older Refugees that were driven out by war and the Royalist. The Sharaf of the city, a man named Jeric’bi’alaraf has never made a move to send them back or pass them further into the country, instead keeping the thorn in the city for unknown reasons.

Titles and Offices:

King: Hereditary ruler of the Kingdom of Jek’ra, the current one is King Shreen’bal A’Ra and is the only ruler in the Azure Federation that traces their line legitimately back to the founding king.
Sharain: Powerful men and women who trace their roots back to the original chiefs that selected the first King to rule them, they hold great power amassed over the centuries. They are the only check on the Kings power as they can set laws counter the kings and even depose him if needed, though that has never been tested.
The Sharain have holdings across the nation though their only hereditary ones are specifically in the capital, most parts of the capital fall under the control of one Sharain or another and is the place where the King holds the least power.
Sharaf:

The wielders of the Kings Power and de facto lords of the domains granted to them by the king. They serve as mayors, magistrates and counsel to the towns, cities and villages that they are set in charge of. They can be benevolent or jackbooted thugs, it wholly depends on the Sharaf and there is no real process by which they are chosen. Depending on the king, they are either chosen wisely with thoughts towards the settlement, the political setting and the needs of the community or they are handed out as prizes to loyal sycophants and all other flavors in between.
Sharaf serve for life or until removed by the king. They can request to retire and are served a royal pension
They are the enforcers of the kings law and are not above it, in theory. In truth, the amount of work and hoops needed to bring a Sharaf to justice for ills done makes them little kings in all but name.
Sharaf CAN be held accountable in three ways.
The King can recall them, censure and or punish them.
The Sharain can demand their removal and replacement and if they so wish can deny the placement of one.
A Tribunal of three other Sharaf, two that are within a league of the Sharaf in questions assigned post and one that is outside of that limit.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom