Va'Sehir
The First Kingdom
Va’Sehir is the world’s oldest human kingdom, located in the Sehiri Desert on the continent of Kharza. Kharo'jhan & Ilzhara are cities whose original construction dates back thousands and thousands of years (though originally Kharo'jhan was not a sea port!). Not all the ancient buildings have survived the ravages of time and war, but there are some still standing that are counted among the oldest structures known to man. These people share a cultural ancestor with the famously sunken empire of Qusura, an ancestor they share with the original people of the Namizan region. They are most well known for the fact that they embrace magic in all its forms (including and especially necromancy) and very little to do with magic is considered taboo here. The city of Ilzhara is the well known home of one of the world’s largest magical universities- the only to truly rival the elvish counterpart in Astrithyr. The culture of Va'Sehir is fairly atheistic compared to the human empires to the east, though worship of Vundath and Izumir is still common. Within their walls this kingdom is a relatively stable, safe place to live and it’s people are educated and fairly well cared for compared to many other nations of similar wealth. That is not to say this society doesn't have its issues- particularly in the areas of ethics and morality. Their highly pragmatist and highly non-sentimental views could be considered harsh or cruel by some.
The Great Walls of Sehir
One thing that unites most cities in the Sehiri desert, no matter their ruler, is the fact that walls are not optional. Both the Sehiri Desert in the south of Kharza and the scrublands of the north are home to barbaric tribes infamous for pillaging and slaughtering the citizens of any town or city given the opportunity. Many former town ruins are to be found swallowed by the sands. Defenses must be strong, and those of Va'Sehir are. The Great Walls of Sehir are the longest in the world- they span the entire territory of Va'Sehir; Not just the cities- the entire region- which includes the majority of the banks of the only rivers flowing through this desert. Though the walls of Va'Sehir cannot rival those of Luxumu in sheer girth and height, they boast magical wards that make the strength of their sandstone meaningless. Protective warding spells were cast during the construction of the walls themselves in ancient times- spells so powerful they can no longer be cast by mortals (as Vundath limited the scope of mortal intellect after the Event). Some fear the day when these magic wards finally lose their potency, as no one living can exactly replicate a spell of that sheer size and power and longevity. Some theorize that a large number of very powerful mages working un unison may be able to do so, but this is just a theory. Either way, for now the cities are safe from the desert’s war-god worshiping, barbaric hordes. Though powerful, these walls do have one weakness- their gates, which are not warded. In the past there have been large barbarian armies that managed to break through the main gates of Va'Sehir, but this has not happened in living memory and most no longer fear this happening. Most assume that the violent outsiders, or ghashima, have become resigned to their inability to breach the Great Walls. That does not mean the Southern Tribes don't still sometimes terrorize merchant caravans traveling between Va'Sehir, Azan, and Luxumu. It's become such an issue that many are seeking new, safer methods of travel. The brightest scholars in Ilzhara are currently looking into a new transport option being researched and tested by gnomes of Geddri- an invention called a Skycraft. These relatively small aerial vehicles are currently too slow, resource-intensive, and dangerous to be used for long journeys but the gnomes are looking for alternative magical means powerful enough to do the job in place of hydrogen, helium, or hot air. Most hope that within the decade this will be a tangible form of long-distance travel for those who can afford it. Visionaries hope to eventually link the cities of Kharo'jhan, Banashi, and The Crescent of Gebbidan by airship and perhaps later Emenna or another Namizan city.Magic & Education
Though Va'Sehir is technically a kingdom, most would say that behind the curtains it far more resembles a mageocracy. The monarch may be the figurehead of this kingdom, but the Council of Twelve just below them makes all the real decisions and they are almost entirely composed of the most powerful arcanists in Va'Sehir. It is understood by most in that level of society that they got these positions largely because they were very dangerous individuals to oppose. In the past most monarchs were also trained as powerful spellcasters but this has become less important over time as more political power was siphoned by the legislative body. It is a commonly held Sehirian belief that society should be lead by the most well educated but in Va'Sehir the most educated also typically means the strongest. One of The Twelve is required to be a historian and one is required to be a mathematician or economist, but other than that most voted in end up being of wizardly bearing. Mageocracies were commonplace prior to the Event, but after that world shattering incident it became rather out of vogue- so much so that in many regions wizards were hunted down en mass and executed. Not in Va'Sehir. Though many areas suffered terribly as a result of the irresponsible spellcasting of the Qusuran and Astrithyrian mage-kings, Va'Sehir felt very little of the aftershocks. A few of it's smaller towns on the outskirts ended up flooded, but no major cities now lie beneath the waves. The sinking of Qusur actually rid them of their largest rival in ancient times, in fact. They had little incentive to rid themselves of their greatest passion and interest, much in the same vein as Astrithyr. They continued to perfect their craft and, like the elves, to this day they are home to the most skilled and powerful spellcasters in the world. They have developed an arcane language and lexicon that differ markedly from the magic taught in places like Astrithyr, Namiza and Kardath- a superior shorthand that is both more difficult to learn and more efficient in drawing power from the weave of magic. It is spellcraft that is not that far removed from the original magic taught by the dragons, as opposed to the magic haphazardly developed and wielded by the elves. This makes spell scrolls and spell books from Va'Sehir significantly more difficult to translate and utilize by those trained in the eastern arcanic dialect. Its not so difficult for the natives as most begin learning to read arcane runes as young children. Education is important in Va'Sehir and something that is taken very seriously. These people have long held themselves up as superior to the raging "ghashima" brutes and barbarians that live beyond their walls. It is why they are deserving of the life-giving waters that flow at their doorsteps. Education is what separates the true Sehiri people from the unwashed masses tragically born on the outside. Even children in the poorest slums of Va'Sehir are taught to read and write, and are taught basic history. The majority of the populace are at least bilingual as Kharza is a land of many languages and Common is not most people's first language (Sehiri is). Many can also speak Dwarvish or Gnomish and Barati (language of the Baru'dar) and those that pursue magical learning most often learn Draconic as well. Some believe that the rise of education and embrace of logic is related to the low levels of spiritualism and worship in Va'Sehir. While it is by no means an atheist society, compared to most human nations there is very little emphasis on the importance of appeasing the gods. Temples can be found- big ones even, especially within the capital and the university city of Ilzhara, but many citizens do not consider themselves "spoken for" by a particularly god. For a culture so enamored with death, worshipers of Helora (likely the most commonly worshiped deity of humans worldwide) are scarce. There are two very old, very large temples to her to be found, but they remain largely empty. In fact, most of her worshipers migrate to the monastery-city of Heliahmir in the mountains. True believers of hers find the rampant use of necromancy here to be unspeakably blasphemous. Vundath, lord of the weave, and even Vanar - goddess of undeath and secrets, are commonly worshiped. Just under these paramount deities of magic are Izumir- deity of scholarship, Torav- god of craft and coin, and Tirias-Kishar the deity of guards and combat. Only farmers worship Hallar-E'ah (mostly in Shirokhav) and only sailors worship Tulmar (mostly in Kharo'jhan). Short of that, worshipers of other gods are few and far in-between.A Kingdom of Intrigue
Like all places with a significant population, Va'Sehir has it's issues with crime. The most common perpetrators tend to be fairly harmless- pickpockets and charlatans that prey on tourists. There are a number of hidden wars waged, however, within the city's underbelly. Kharo'jhan, the capital and main seaport of Va'Sehir, has the nickname the City of Spies or the City of Intrigue. Those spying on one another range from rival gangs, rival scholars or arcanists, rival business investors, or rivals to the throne. Everyone is in a constant fight to reach the higher echelons of society, and those at the top fight to maintain their position. Within a society where magic is used often and liberally there is a constant push and pull between crime and law enforcement over the best crafted magical trinkets to best one another. Shops and those of wealth are constantly in search of magical means to better guard their treasures and purses and criminals are always on the hunt for methods to surpass these fortifications. Ironically, the best of these magical anti-theft and pro-theft tools are developed in Luxumu or Azan and bought by the most affluent in Va'Sehir. Though some cities have more issues with smuggling, gang violence and the like, most of the real, violent crime is concentrated in the deeply corrupt aristocracy. Assassination is commonplace among the rich and noble.The Embrace of the Dead
The culture of Va'Sehir is very different from most other places. Perhaps it is due to the vast number of years the kingdom was isolated but they do not share a moral compass that is balanced in the same way as it may be in other places. They did not develop the the view that life is inherently sacred or that a proper burial is a mark of dignity of respect. This is a society that takes recycling to the extreme. Newcomers are often flabbergasted to learn that many city guards are actually physically preserved corpses controlled by necromancer captains. They may also be amazed to find ghosts and spirits haunting the university in plain sight, often interacting with students or giving advice as if they were still among the living. They do not view death as the end of anything- nothing more than a unique plane shift, and it is perfectly possible for those who shift over to return if need be. All this is not to say that there aren't funerals for the dead, but this process often includes a scattering of the ashes to the desert winds. People have the option to either be cremated or to have their bodies donated to the kingdom to be used for whatever purpose is deemed necessary. Most citizens consider it more honorable to donate rather than "waste" a body by burning it. Usually it is something only done to those of special importance. Some people have do have the ashes used in glass-blowing to create a special kind of urn. There are even small "mausoleums" of these glass objects- usually rich families. Donated bodies, when not utilized as workers of some kind, often end up being used for experimentation at the university or are at times bought by wealthy scholars for their own personal research.Drawn to the Waters
Though Va'Sehir is considered a "human" kingdom, they can certainly boast decent levels of diversity in their citizenry. Being settled around the largest source of water in the region, most traveling into the area inevitably find their road has led them to Va'Sehir. This kingdom has a large tourist draw even from the other continent. The largest populations of non-humans are Tabaxi, Dwarves, Dragonborn, Half Orcs, and Gnomes. It also has some of the largest populations of Tieflings on this continent. A sizable portion of the humans are of Yuani descent (the Baru'dar) or are ousted Yuan-te, and a large number of Fire Genasi also make the region home, an after-effect of the open rift to the Plane of Fire at Mordenaz Dulath. It's rare to see a high elf here, but this is one of the few places one might find "civilized" Meliferan wood elves and there is also a passage into the underdark within this walled region leading to a drow settlement. The drow who use this passage do not raid surface towns but act more like aloof neighbors who also worship Vanar. You can find some very unusual individuals from below roaming the streets after dark as a result of this passageway. There are rumors that within their drow settlement below Va’Sehir there is a school that teaches a particularly shadowy martial art to all who are willing to convert to their religion.The Sun-Baked Cities
Kharo'jhan x Sea Port. Trade Center. Home to the Royal Palace. City of Spies. Ilzhara x Magic University. Culture. Tourism. City of Scholars. Lots of Rock Gnomes. Shirokhav x Food Production, Farming. City of Grain. Majidan x Trade town. Mostly humans. City of Coin. Zulekhar x Major industrial hub. Manufacturing. Many Dwarves. City of Smoke. Ghanamm x Often called the City of Slums. Where the poorest of poor have been pushed over time.
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