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Cheingo

The only true city in the vast expanse of land known as the Sakamohr Plain, Cheingo is both an administrative centre, where Sakamohr clans can come to resolve their differences, and a religious holy site, where clan leaders can come for guidance. It is possibly the world's oldest city, as parts of it pre-date the foundation of the The Empire of Belyos, and it has seen its fortunes rise and fall over the centuries. In particular, it has been sacked by the Empire three times, each time rebuilding afterwards.   As a port, and perhaps the only major port on the south coast, those Sakamohr who prefer sailing to riding, have their ships built and repaired at Cheingo, and is where they come to offload their cargo, be it legitimate goods from along the coast, or slaves and stolen cargo from unguarded Imperial settlements far to the north. Whilst Sakamohr ship-building may lag behind that of the Empire, their vessels are ideally suited to the far more exposed and dangerous coastal waters of the Eastern Ocean.  

Demographics

Whilst the vast majority of the population are Sakamohr, there are a sizeable number of Imperial slaves, and even a handful of Dwellers, brought back from daring expeditions past the entrance to the Inner Sea and to the north.  

Government

The various leaders of the Sakamohr clans who visit the city would argue that authority in the city is theirs alone, and many small skirmishes have broken out between clans seeking to gain dominance over another. The clans tend to have a dim view of those who have settled permanently in Cheingo, despite using their services on a regular basis, and see their power and authority has superseding whatever local authority the city's occupants may have created themselves. The exception to this is the collection of old and retired clan leaders known as the Iron Synod.   The Iron Synod holds court in Cheingo's only stone building of any size, the Kharsh, and is where clan leaders come to resolve grievances against another that cannot be solved simply by fighting it out, either because of a disparity between clan size, an impractical distance between clan lands, differences between land based clans and those who sail ships, or simply that two clan leaders wish to resolve a difference without violence. Even the most belligerent of clan leaders acknowledge and respect the Iron Synod, as it represents a clan leader's potential future once deemed too old to fight that doesn't involve their death at the hands of an underling.  

Defences

At various points in its history, the city has had walls around it, and their remains can still be seen in various locations. The actual position of the walls varied over time, as the city expanded and contracted, but it was the sacking of the city by the Empire that rendered the rebuilding of the walls pointless. Unable to prevent the well-equipped and siege-proficient Imperial Army from taking the city each time they arrived, the Cheingoians decided that in the best way to survive Imperial attacks was to leave the city empty, and return to rebuild it later. By allowing the walls to fall into disrepair, and using the stone for other buildings, it was hoped that the Imperials would be less inclined to decimate the city.   Not all of Cheingo's residents feel this way, and despite the lack of walls, invading Imperial troops have always had to be wary of traps and ambushes, as the closely built buildings and narrow streets of the city make it a dangerous place to be.  

Infrastructure

The nomadic lifestyle that most of the clans have adopted across the Sakamohr plains does not lend itself to certain industries, so they tend to concentrate in the few settlements that the Sakamohr have. As the largest settlement in Sakamohr by a wide margin, the scale of industry is also larger. Most of the large-scale metal working takes place in the city, with many clans trading ores obtained from mines in the north and west, and buying weapons and equipment in return.    Shipbuilding is another important industry, with other clans bringing timber up from the forests in the south, usually by ship, but occasionally using the cattle and horse herds to drag lumber.  
 
Southern Sakamohr with location of Cheingo
Founding Date
Prehistory
Type
City
Population
~9,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Cheingoians
Location under
Owning Organization

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Cover image: A View of Salerno and Vesuvius by Unknown

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