Bukh Fudhranan

The seat of one of the great clans of the Borghani, the de facto independent Clan Fudhran, which has grown as powerful as it has through control of the chief connection between the Borghani civilization and the vast trade network of the Shimmering Sea, Bukh Fudhranan.

— from The Borghani, by AntonolosBetelon

Demographics

The population of Bukh Fudhranan is dominated dramatically by ethnic Borghani, specifically South Lowlands Borghani, who make up as much as seventy percent the city's population. As much as twenty percent of the population are North Lowlands Borghani, and as many as five percent are Highlands Borghani. The remaining five percent are from across places all around the Shimmering Sea, from the surviving peoples of the sundered land of Ngavar, to the various peoples of the Dokhar Diaspora, to even distant Kantirin.

Government

As the seat of Clan Fudhran, the city of Bukh Fudhranan is governed closely and carefully. The city is led by the head of Clan Fudhran, its Vodghar and has unilateral authority on all matters of policy. However, the Vodghar is somewhat restricted by a highly traditional, obstructive structure possessed by the government beneath him.
When a person is accused of violating one of the Vodghar's laws, the case is adjudicated by the Tolun Dharsekhan, an exclusively female, shamanistic priesthood, which is also capable of chargin the Vodghar with violating the strictures of tradition. If found guilty, the violating act will be reversed, if possible, and the Vodghar may be removed from power.
The will of the Vodghar is enforced by the Tor Vodgharan—or, "Sword of the Vodghar"—which is at once a tax collection body, a dedicated law enforcement boy, and a full time military. The To Vodgharan is led directly by the Vodghar in times of war, but by someone else in times of peace is led by an individual appointed by the Tolun Dharksekhan.

Defences

Bukh Fudhranan has two sets of stone walls: one which surround the city proper, and one which surround the Vodghar's palace and the civil administration buildings.

Industry & Trade

Bukh Fudhranan's primary industry is trade. GImported goods originating from across the Shimmering Sea trade network—spices, gold, glass both fine and sturdy, food, exotic animal parts, and so on—funnel through here, and are brought up the river by Borghani merchants. Similarly, the Borghani world's chief products—high quality fabrics of both cheap and expensive varieties, as well as weapons and silver—were funneled outwards to the countries of the Shimmering Sea, almost always by Dokhar merchants. To serve the Borghani textile industry, Bukh Fudhranan imports more unprocessed colony gossamer than anywhere else in the world. Even those relatively few ships which are bound further north along the coast have little choice but to stop here, and so doing pay taxes twice over to the city.
Additionally, Clan Fudhran extracts tribute from lesser clans in the southern Borghani Lowlands, which often enters the city's coffers.

Infrastructure

The Ghoron Lo river, which flows through Bukh Fudhranan, can be crossed at any of four bridges, spaced roughly evenly throughout the city, all of which are tall enough for barges to pass underneath. There is also a large harbor at the mouth of the river, which facilitates trade both with countries across the sea, and with those upriver.

Guilds and Factions

There are no local, formal institutions which influence the politics of Bukh Fudhranan which are not integrated into the city's government, as enshrine by both law and tradition. The various tributaries of Clan Fudhran, especially Clan Ragh down the coast, and Clan Dhorgh upriver, do have some influence as economic partners, but those relationships are dramatically weighted in favor of Clan Fudhran. In the same vein, the other Great Clans—Iorn, Sokhtan, and especially Borgh—have influence on Bukh Fudhran as very important economic partners, and those relationships are far more equitable.
Continuing the pattern, the foreign nations of the Simmering Sea trade network—the Dokhar League, the Celestial Potentate of Kantirin, the The Dominion of Ngavar, and so on—all have some measure of influence, both direct and indirect, as its international trading partners.
Additionally, local crime has thoroughly coalesced under the local temple of the Hand of Shadow, which profits from the subversion of law and order, and bribes various persons to keep operations running smoothly.

Architecture

Most of the buildings in Bukh Fudhranan are in the classical Borghani architectural style, Gorandhi, in which exterior walls, roofs, floors, and structural supports are built from wood, and internal room divisions are made from thick layers of tautly-drawn cloth. The homes and businesses of the wealthy, as one would expect, feature far higher quality cloth, often with intricate designs instead of plain colors, and may feature fabric banners fixed to the exterior walls with similar designs.
There are a handful of exceptions, such as the Vodghar's palace, which have external walls made from stone, but even these feature the cloth walls emblematic of Gorandhi.

Geography

The city of Bukh Fudhranan is located on the shore continent of Munuth, at the mouth of the Khoron Lo River. The surrounding countryside is flat.
At the rough center of the city, on the banks of the Khoron Lo, is the Vodghar's palace. Surrounding the palace are the administrative buildings of the city and the personal apartments of members of the main branch of Clan Fudhranan, all of which is walled off as its own ward. The remainder of the city sprawls outwards, with wealthier, higher-status residences and businesses being located closer to the walls of the inner ward, and the poorer, lower-status residences and businesses being located further away.
The chief deviations from the above pattern are the Crypt and the Harbor. The Crypt is located in the far north of the city, and the harbor at the mouth of the Khoron Lo.

Natural Resources

Bukh Fudhranan is surrounded by sprawling farmland, which feeds the city. Somewhat further west, Bukh Fudhranan's tributaries near a sizable forest allow easy access to lumber. The city's need for water is fed by the Ghoron Lo river, which flows through it.
Easily the city's greatest resource, though an unconventional use of the term, is its location. Bukh Fudhran is on the coast, along what would, regardless of its existence, always be a fairly common trade route between the Dokhar city of Myh Dokh and Alan Stor Ka. Furthermore, Bukh Fudhran is at the mouth of a river which provides easy access to the rest of the Borghani lands further inland. These together make it an ideal trade port.

Type

City

Population

~50,000