Kha'r

The capitol city of the United Tribes of Mare'n is Kha'r, located near the top of the peninsula. It is closest to the port to the Northwest of Poro't, or to Snaven in Delryn.

Demographics

While the tribes of Mare'n live in small tribal groups and far-flung across their territory, Kha'r is one of their few cities and the biggest. The inhabitants are mainly Human and Vasati Tribespeople, with a smattering of visitors and permanent non-Tribal residents thrown into the mix.

Government

The city of Kha'r is the seat of government for the Tribespeople, so it is already the place where the First Council of Mare'n is located and where the Tribemeet happens every five years at minimum. Major decisions about the city are left to this ruling body, as the city itself is seen as "belonging" to all of the Tribes of Mare'n. Minor day-to-day decisions are overseen by the city council, which is elected by the permanent residents of the city.

Defences

The main defence of the city is the strong outer wall and the single city gate. This wall is nearly three stories tall and stretches all around the city, with 16 guard towers strategically placed all along its circumference. The main entrance is gated, and the gate can be closed and barred to prevent entry and exit from the city.

Industry & Trade

The main purpose for a Tribesperson to visit Kha'r, unless they have been sent in an official capacity to represent their tribe on the First Council, for Tribesmeet, or in judicial proceedings, is trade or study. This is the place that the tribes can best meet to trade amongst themselves - all sorts of trade, whether that be information, goods, services, or even people.

Infrastructure

Kha'r is a nearly perfectly round, walled city. Because the needs of the city seem to have been somewhat underestimated by the builders of the wall, but the locals are unwilling to expand outwards into their plains homelands, the earthen-clay buildings are packed densely into the city, stacked on top of each other frequently, arranged around narrow deep alleyways. Intentional green space has been left in some areas by a people who, in general, hate to be enclosed so tightly. The two most notable pieces of infrastructure in the city are the Great Library and the Amphitheater.

Districts

Kha'r is fairly open to visitors; there are certainly restricted buildings and places where the locals are less welcoming, but most can move fairly freely.
Trade District - this is where visitors will be most at home. Near the center of the city and easily accessible from the gate, in this district you will find the city's famed Open Market, many places to eat and find lodging, and more permanent shops. Just behind the Trade District proper is the Amphitheater and the ring of buildings that surrounds it, which is mainly more shops and businesses, though these seem more likely to cater to the Tribespeople instead of curious visitors.
The Formal District - the area of the city known as the Formal District contains official government halls and offices, as well as housing for those who are representing their tribes, and some other assorted more formal businesses such as practitioners of law and judges. It is also where Elders are housed in the city.
The Gate District - the smallest district and closest to the city's single gate, the gate district is the formal headquarters for the City Guard and houses most of the city's guardspeople and the Tribe's military officials. There are some lodgings here and small services aimed at the gaurdspeople.

Tourism

There are two main types of tourists who visit Kha'r.

The first, are scholars or travelers interested in learning more about Mare'n and its people. If they manage to make it through Derda'ri, the city on the border of Mare'n and the Kingdom of Delryn without getting turned back, many will come next to Kha'r looking for a guide or to seek entry to the Great Library. It is generally not acceptable for non-tribespeople to leave Kha'r and venture further into Mare'n without a Tribal guide; not all tibes are friendly to strangers, but travelers with a guide will usually be at least tolerated.
The second group are traders, who come to Kha'r to stock up on goods they can take elsewhere to sell. While each of the Tribal islands also has a port city, and there is Jirahablah on the Southwest shore, traders who want any bang for their buck usually have to make the trek to Kha'r.

Architecture

Buildings in Kha'r are usually constructed of stone or earthen clay, both abundant in the plains and hills of Mare'n. Wood is rare, because it's expensive, but some buildings are built of wood shipping in from Delryn. The majority of buildings are build of the dark earthen clay, which is then painted with a light blue wash to help keep them cool. They have simple shapes due to this construction material, but often have ornate doors and windows to compensate. It is common to see brightly painted murals, doors, trim, roofs, and tilework on buildings.

Kha'r

pronounced care

---

Type

City

Location under

Westra

Included Locations

• Great Library

Owning Organization

United Tribes of Mare'n

Related Plots

• Murder in Kha'r

Header Photo by Ryutaro Tsukata on Pexels

The Amphitheater in Kha'r