The City-State of Tyr

Tyr. Tyr is death, a city steeped in blood. Thousands died building the city, thousands more died defending it. Thousands disappear each year when the Dragon comes. Even more have died in the arena, blood-frenzied fans cheering them on to their deaths. Legions of displaced spirits inhabit UnderTyr and walk the abandoned underground streets... waiting! I have seen them! I know! The future of Tyr is the same as its history...Death

— Dote Mal Payne, Defiler Necromanccer to King Kalak

Tyr is ruled over by the ruthless King Kalak. Unlike some of the other sorcerer-kings he makes no effort to hide his role as supreme tyrant of the city. For his thousand years of rule he's run the city with an iron fist and the surest way to find oneself in the slave pits has been to go against his will. Lately however Kalak's attention seems to have waned. His sole focus for the past few decades has been on constructing a giant ziggurat directly across the arena from his palace. He claims that its presence will somehow protect the city from the Dragon and for a time the nobles and various power structures in the city went along with the plans. As time's progressed however Kalak has slowly removed slaves from many of the city's important infrastructure to work on the ziggurat instead, even going so far as to shut down the most important of all Tyr's industries ... the iron mines.
It's no wonder that there are constant whispers of rebellion in the shadows and what merchants are able to are fleeing the city in droves. At this point it seems violence is inevitable.

Trade & Transport

In Tyr, one maltreated but better-equipped slave accomplishes twice what his well-fed counterparts do in cities like Urik and Balic. The only reason for this is that his tools are better...

— The Wanderer's Journal

The iron mine to the southwest of the city represents the region's only known source of the metal. Having exclusive access to the rare and valuable metal provides a significant economic boon to Tyr. Not only does the sale of raw iron to the other city-states prove lucrative, but more than in any other city the slaves and various city employees have access to metal tools. Iron plowshares work the desolate land far better than any stone substitute could do, iron sheathed wagon wheels break far less, and metal weapons pierce flesh more readily.
Or, at least that was the case before Kalak shut down the iron mine in order to speed the construction of his ziggurat. Now the templars have all but exhausted the city's iron reserve and many of those in power grow desperate.
In addition to its iron resources Try has skilled craftsmen that produce a small variety of useful trade goods. The vast alluvial sands common to the valley can be made into ceramics and glass, the local cactus and cotton plantations produce fiber, and the city's outlying plantations harvest vast quantities of silk from cave moths.

Trade Houses

Historically all the major trade houses maintained a presence in Try, though only House Vordon calls the city its home. These days most houses have reduced their presence in Try to the barest minimum and House Vordon, having survived the fall of ancient Kalidnay, is on the precipice of teetering into obscurity.
Similarly hard hit by Kalak's folly is the smaller, local House Ianto. At one point it seemed that the wealth generated by the iron mine was going to propel them into the realms of the major houses but now they've largely retreated to their fortress south of Tyr and are attempting to diversify into the more stable markets of silk and fabrics.

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Alternative Names

Tyr

Demonym

Tyrian

Government System

Despotism

Economic System

Mixed economy

Major Exports

Iron, silk, textiles, glass, ceramics

Major Imports

Fruit, wood, rice

Controlled Territories

• The Arena of Tyr
• The Golden City
• The Great Ziggurat

Neighboring Nations

• The Water Hunter Tribe