Zakhara

Zakhara is the capital city and religious center of Elion. It is also a major global trade hub with a strategic location at the mouth of a river and at the choke point of the coastal seaway between the northern and southern reaches of the continent Kosmor. With unmatched diversity, power, and geopolitical influence, it is one of the central locations on Aerit.

Demographics

23% Jinn; 55% Human (various low-latitude 22% Svartali (various).

Defences

Large military center; fortified installations but not a walled city; garrison and imperial towers;

Industry & Trade

Primary Export: manufactured goods, finery, education, military influence
Primary Import: mineral materials from greater Kher Mar, building materials, and foreign goods.

Infrastructure

The shape of the city by the turn of the 69th century was varied and diverse. The threshold towns, as the “frontier” villages had been dubbed by their inhabitants, were prosperous crossroads of trade from the other cities within the Empire and included nearly every developed amenity. • Lines of public transportation ran frequently from these to the inner parts of the city. • Electricity had not been harnessed in any useful way because the pressure for its uses and services was relieved by the existence of svartali fey technology. • Running water was delivered to the city from several sources, including acqueducts and piping from the rivers into svartali-managed facilities. • Telecommunication between cities existed but required enormous amounts of feystone energy, so was limited and expensive (not to mention controlled by the state). • The city was served by well-designed emergency response facilities, including a diverse fire-response infrastructure involving localized heat sinks that used geothermal exchange to remove energy from fires. • Market districts and trade fora were interspersed throughout the city, including farmers’ markets in nearly every neighborhood. • Centers for the arts and theaters and other projects were established. • Sporting centers were also prevalent in many areas.

Districts

Major districts in the West City:
State: Palace, government housing, manors, and trade for the very wealthy. Temple: religious and judicial center. Arsenal: military center Market: where the bazaar-style markets are, along with forums and public gatherings Waterfront: major shipping center Little Svarhim: a svartali slum Farming: border of the urban and municipal, where most of the farming patrons live adjacent to the extensive farmland around Zakhara.
Major districts in East City:
Waterfront East: shipping center for inland-bound goods. Higher tax and so forth. Blackdocks: where the black market thrives. Civil Heights: valley district with poor sewer infrastructure and mostly human inhabitants. Copious crime. Luminous Fort: military installation at the original border of the city Arena: sporting district, central to local entertainment and not part of the original city plan Engineering: major manufacturing area, much svartali collaboration and mixed class area

Assets

Silver treasury; political center of Elion

Guilds and Factions

Ruling Class: the Illuminated Emperor and the royal family by extension govern the city and the wider Jinn lands of Elion. They have great military power and many members of the family are shrewd politicians, particularly the older ones (ca 2000 years or so). However, few of the ruling class are more than vaguely aware of the lower classes in the city, especially those on the East Bank.
Merchant Class: trade is an incredibly important factor of international life. The largest settlements known to Elion and its people are far flung, so trade takes time and great investment. The merchant class is made up of a broad but static group of jinn, humans, and svartali; the group is also rather exclusive and does not necessarily allow much vertical social movement.
Agricultural: most agriculture in Zakhara is owned by a patron class of Jinn who have moderate to large influence on the governance of the city, less than the Satet or the military.
Artisan: the artisanal people of Zakhara are numerous but servient to the patron and merchant classes. Though many ply their trades within the city and do not send their goods afar, the merchant class has influence over their production and market.
Labor: the city is full of labor that contributes to the success of the other factions.
Black Market: a large influence in the East City, with fingers in the pockets of everyone from military to state to merchant. Interestingly enough, the Black Market interacts with but does not foster an environment for the rebellious factions in the city; they keep their distance because of the consequences for treasonous activities vs simple black market dealings.
Paupers: of the poor in the city, most are human and become part of the rebel or criminal groups. Svartali poor are numerous as well, though with a better support system and solidarity than humans; truly poor jinn are few and far between and usually stand out because of it.

Points of interest

The Satet, center of religion for Elion and jinn across the continent.

Architecture

See Architecture of Aerit

Geography

Zakhara is at the foot of a sprawling network of riverlands on its west bank and a major river delta on its east bank. Agriculture is heavy on the west bank due to fertile volcanic soils and nutrient-rich water; the water of the east bank and its outlying suburbs is too briny and acidic to cultivate crops at scale, making the east bank dependent on the rest of the city for its foodstuffs.
The west bank's terrain features several major hills, between which run several districts of canals cut from the interloping streams. Agricultural mills feature prominently in these districts. The hilltops feature the larger architectural marvels of the city, including the Satet, the Migdol, and the Library. At the promontory over the Goddess Channel sits the palace complex.
Because of its proximity to volcanoes of varying activity, Zakhara experiences occasional earthquakes.
The latitude and surrounding features give Zakhara a general northern Mediterranean climate.

Climate

Zakhara experiences a climate similar to the northern Mediterranean. Agriculture continues year-round, and prevailing winds make coastal trade a breeze.

Founding Date

-124

Type

Capital

Inhabitant Demonym

Zakharan

Location under

Kher Mar

Owning Organization

Elion

Related Tradition (Primary)

• The Lunar Eclipse

Related Traditions

• The Lunar Eclipse

Characters in Location

• Ketra