Ephron
The fortress-city of Ephron, on the coast of the Sea of Baal, marks the border of Ifthaaz with Baalthaaz. From Ephron, the border officially runs northeast along the northern edge of the Nerodim Hills and into the Scythirian Mountains to where it meets the upper part of the Fara River. Although the border was hotly disputed in the past, it has been in approximately its current location for centuries.
Ephron is located in a good farming area; rural hamlets beholden to the city raise plentiful food and the patriarch also encourages rooftop gardening by the fortress’s inhabitants. The city does not have a port, despite being on the coast; clan leaders have long felt that would introduce an unnecessary vulnerability. Instead, two or three villages nearby have larger dock areas than the average fishing community, and any sea travel or trade is conducted through these.
The Noascai clan has held the border with Baalthaaz for more than 800 years. The clan’s fortress has grown to a walled city, and the warriors of the clan are effectively the northern border army of Ifthaaz. They patrol throughout the Nerodim Hills to watch for encroachment or for smuggling attempts by foreigners. Any smuggling that is permitted in the area is done by fellow Ifthazites. The southern portion of Baalthaaz is not heavily populated, however, so to be really profitable smugglers must travel to one of the Five Cities, or through Baalthaaz altogether and into the Antioch City States beyond. Some smugglers manage to make their way to Shamash Kush to trade with the dwarves there, which can be lucrative indeed.
Patriarch Zohar was a captain in the border patrol until a decade ago, but resigned to pursue his intense interest in strategy. He is an acknowledged expert in the wars of northern and eastern Libynos over the past few hundred years (including the ultimately failing strategies of the western religious crusades) and has collected and preserved any material he could find on the Hyperborean military in the eastern continent. A man of but medium height, with a salt-and-pepper mustache and beard, he nevertheless has a commanding presence that helps him control his sometimes-fractious people.
Settlement
Ephron, Fortress-City of Clan Noascai
Type
City
Owning Organization
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