At a Glance
It looks like every building in the city is built of stone. Stone walls surround it, squat stone homes line the paved streets, and brick walls ensconce palatial homes of the nobles. Short walls of stone separate open areas such as markets and graveyards, and taller barricades divide Shyta-Thybaj into gated sections.
Temples
Most good faiths have temples in tolerant Shyta-Thybaj. While none of these can claim a majority of the people (most of whom migrate from temple to temple with the seasons), the Temple of the Patient Arrow deserves notice because it houses the faith’s Huntmaster. Huntmaster Syjem is not very popular with the other clerics, many of whom are senior to him. Since he won the annual competition that determines such things, however, none can deny that he has, according to the rules of the priesthood, earned the title.
Mages & Sages
Ashthen is an apathetic Wizard, but he is noteworthy because he is one of the Dothoki, or government officials that answer to the Shajody Dakary II. Ashthen’s advice is sound, and he knows the city well enough to make a fair leader. Unfortunately, his laziness prevents him from ever becoming more than an advisor.
Underworld
The thieves in the city have no dominant guild, but they do form groups to protect themselves. These groups spend more time fighting each other over territory than stealing, so none of them poses a great threat to the city.
Dejy originally settled the area, but
Fhokki
immigrants form a significant part of the heritage of the present
inhabitants. A large number of humanoids of all kinds live in the city,
excluding only a significant number of elves.
An appointed Dothoki rules the city, and this
position carries more importance than nearly any other in the government
of
Thybaj because a good Dothoki stands a chance of becoming
the next Shajody and ruling the country. Dothoki Bajyr currently
rules the city and plans to make himself memorable in the eyes of
Dakary by generating huge quantities of gold from trade and taxes.
The army has an effective mix of
Human and humanoid
troops. The commander is Telerai, an Elf who fought Kolokar and later
witnessed the peace treaty with
Kalamar. Telerai manages to keep the
troops working together well and his efforts go a long way toward
defeating the work of the
House of Scorn. For this reason, Telerai
carries a small golden holy symbol of the
Peacemaker (two hands
clasped in friendship), a personal gift from the High Peace Maker.
Ironically, the small army includes no elves.
While the main marketplace of
Thybaj lies north in
Dakyno, Shyta-Thybaj sees considerable trade as well. The area
produces a variety of staples, including wool, leather, beef, copper,
and iron. Choice trade goods include silver and gemstones, but the
Dwarves and gnomes of the
Vrykarr Mountains ask steep prices for
these goods and the people of Thybaj have to compete with the folk of
Skarrna and the
Reanaaria Bay region, so the silver and gems are rare.
At one point during its diverse history, Shyta-Thybaj was the site of a granite quarry, so a wide round crater occupies
a prominent position in the middle of the city. Now a 4 foot tall
wooden fence surrounds the hazard so that people and animals do not
inadvertently fall in, but the precaution does not prevent the
dumping of murder victims into the pit. Fortunately, these occasions
are rare. Monsters are known to live in the pit, especially otyughs and
giant snakes.
