Nekheb
Overview
The great city-state of Nekheb on the southeastern banks of the Turquoise Serpent is the oldest still-standing city in Ithara, and its leader, the Merchant King Maatkare XI, is the latest in a royal line stretching since antiquity; Maatkare VIII is said to be one of the first Merchant Kings of Ithara. The architecture of the sprawling city still reflects Old Itharan sensibilities, built in a rigid columnar and trabeated style as opposed to the fluid arcuated style of most modern Itharan architecture. Wares from the ocean and river tend to pass through Nekheb, but its most important feature is its massive library of information on ancient Ithara. The sprawling halls of Nekheb hold nearly all the current knowledge on ancient Ithara, from detailed research documents and carefully-preserved scripts to sculptures and ruin fragments. There is no better place to learn about Ithara’s past, and Maatkare ensures that this knowledge is not given out freely.
Maatkare herself rarely makes public appearances, and when she does, she is always hidden behind a serene golden mask inlaid with lapis gems. Only those in the highest echelons of her court (or the other Merchant Kings) can meet with her personally and alone, and she has no immediate family or even a consort; not unusual for a Merchant King, but certainly strange for one of Old Itharan royal blood. Strange, too, that any information on the Maatkare line in the library of Nekheb is completely restricted to the public.
