Shar Vahl
The great city of the Vah'Shir tribe of Kerrans arrived on Luclin by accident, after being ripped from the surface of Norrath by a terrible spell cast during the great Erudite civil war. Under the leadership of their wise king Vah Kerrath, the cat-folk not only survived on the bleak and inhospitable moon, but prospered, rebuilding their great city and transforming it into a vision of sophistication and beauty. The arrival of the mighty city created a great, steep-walled crater that today serves as the boundary and defensive perimeter of the city, and the open space in the center has been transformed into the Vah'Shir's home.
The acrylia-veined marble used for much of the city's construction provides a degree of light and gives the city a pleasant, dusky glow. The cat-people, descended from nocturnal predators, have adapted well, and their society continues to expand.
Upon arriving on Luclin, King Vah realized that his people needed to be organized in order to survive, so he divided them into guilds based upon the tasks that they performed and took the masters of the various guilds as his council of advisors. Today, under the rulership of Vah's direct descendant Raja, this division of labor continues, and each Vah'Shir takes enormous pride in his or her title and duties. Honor is paramount to the cat-people, and their loyalty, once won, is all but unbreakable.
A Vah'Shir's guild title is a good guide to his role in society. Each Vah'Shir guild includes both military and civilian functions, each of which are related in some fashion. The Taruun are scouts, rogues, and cooks; the Dar Khura are shamans, but also brewers, herbalists, and the like; the Khati Sha are beastlords, clothiers, and shoemakers; the Jharin are the society's bards, craftsfolk, and artists; and the Khala Dun are the warriors, armorers, and blacksmiths. Young Vah'Shir are tested to see which guild they are best suited to, but are not required to join any of these organizations, and some few remain unaffiliated, preferring to live outside the city's various guilds.
The Vah'Shir's greatest catastrophe since their arrival on Luclin took place when the grimlings overran the Acrylia Mines, cutting the cat-folk off from what had become a vital resource. Since that day, the people of Shar Vahl have engaged in a bitter conflict with the grimlings, and their leaders now plan a grand campaign to drive the foul creatures from their territory once and for all.
Today, the flow of acrylia — sometimes mined surreptitiously, or else stolen in raids against the grimlings — is considerably lower than it once was, but it continues to enter the city in fits and starts. Shar Vahl maintains friendly relations with Shadow Haven, trading grain and other produce for foodstuffs they cannot grow here (the otherwise carnivorous cat-folk have developed quite a fondness for the mushrooms of the deep caverns) and other essentials. King Raja has sent an emissary to the Loyalists of Katta Castellum, hoping to establish permanent diplomatic relations, an act that has enraged the Inquisitors of Seru. Fortunately for Raja and his people, Seru and his people can do little to prevent this from happening, as the Inquisitors' resources are stretched to the limit by their conflict with the Loyalists and other foes across (and beneath) the surface of Luclin.
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