Arrowack

History

Arrowack is a settlement on the edge of the middle desert that deals in all sorts of magical goods. It sells rugs, gems and strange spices of all different varieties. The story of this settlement is very unusual. It is the only settlement of it's kind near the desert. The land is so deprived of water that in order to survive towns and villages had to mine far down into the sand to find subterranean rivers. The people who inhabit the region were an ethnic minority fleeing persecution in the west who wound up in the desert. They adapted their lifestyle to the harsh heat and built a new city in the sand. In the early days the population of Arrowack was minuscule. It only just managed to scrape by. But after the Eastern empires expanded their mercantile influence the city grew to encompass several thousand and thanks to it's geographically beneficial location it soon became a prosperous and burgeoning city. At first Cradish fueled its economy but it quickly diversified and began dealing in spices and silks. Soon it became a pit stop for merchants who wished to cross the desert and anyone wishing to cross from east to west would likely have to use their services.

Political relations

Politically the city is well connected and has ties to most sovereign states in the area. It has a central diplomatic council that frequently visits other nations. It's main ally can be found in the east. The Eastern Merchant republic empire guarantees the freedom of Arrowack and has even offered military aid to the city state. Arrowack has never been invaded due to it's isolated position at the edge of the desert. Arrowack does have a somewhat soured diplomatic relationship with its Western neighbor. Because the city is composed entirely of Rajabi refugees persecuted in the west and other ethnic minorities or political dissidents who fled from the absolute monarchy in the West the relationship is fraught. The Western emperor claims Arrowack to be an illegal settlement and refuses to recognize it meanwhile in Arrowack the Western empire is viewed as an oppressive authoritarian construct that they were lucky to escape from. There is occasional tension between both nations and occasionally trade embargoes are launched but usually conflict does not come to blows. Arrowack is also the only city state to have ties to the people of the southern jungle.

Type

City