Ma'jesh

"It seems you were right, Lady." The sleek skeyll dropped deliberately to one knee a respectful distance away.
"You doubted?" the merchant king gave a reproving glance over her shoulder.
"Of course not, Lady," the skeyll replied a little too hurriedly. He dragged a single claw across his chest and then over the pale stone floor, a skeyll gesture of placation. "I only did not expect to see profits from your scheme so soon. I only expected the people of the other capitals to be more wary of the offer you present here."
Lemne'ta turned from the tall arched window and sauntered to her throne. She pursed her lips and made a thoughtful sound as she lowered herself into it slowly and gracefully. Her eyes were locked on the skeyll still bowed before her nearly a third of the way across the room, but were unfocused on anything present.
When she had not spoken after a few seconds, the skeyll lifted his long head and turned his head slightly to one the left to see her better through one eye. "It will still take some time before you can act further."
She made the thoughtful sound again and nodded absently. "Of course," she muttered, more to herself than the skeyll. Then, she said aloud, "But, they will fall, eventually. And my ancestors saw fit to bless me with patience." Her eyes focused abruptly on the skeyll and the three meter dragonkin was suddenly acutely aware he was being observed by a predator.
"I have patience," she smiled, showing her teeth.

Demographics

While most tropical cities lean heavily towards one species or the other, Ma'Jesh has an unusually balanced mix of skeyll and hume residents. There are neighborhoods throughout the city unofficially designated as each species' territory, where one can always find a safe haven and the other is treated with suspicion and caution. Both species, though, mingle freely across the rest of the city. A smattering of ethnicities from around the world call the city home, making up as much as a fifth of the city's population combined, depending on who is asked. The rest of the residents are locals.
Ma'jesh is also unusual--at least among the many capitals of Adi'nia--in that the lines separating its wealth classes are somewhat difficult to distinguish. There is a fairly steady gradient from the richest members of the social elite to the poorest slaves hauling carts of useless dead.
Social classes within the city are much easier to recognize. Merchants openly display their badge and ranking for all to see and exercise their authority over their inferiors and subordinates frequently. Slaves are branded or otherwise marked with their masters' unique insignia so they could not possibly be mistaken for anything else but the property they are, regardless of the finery their masters may dress them in. Professionals of every variety sport the crest or emblem of their patron merchant, and modify their personal style (from dress and accessories to manner of speech to body language) to reflect their individual trades. Major mercantile powers based in the city have their own districts which are further divided into quarters according to profession.

Government

As with each capital of Adi'nia, Ma'jesh is headed by the most innovative, ruthless, and successful merchant in the city. Lumne'ta oversees her capital fairly, but ferociously. All citywide ordinances are either designed or finalized by her hand and her word. Issues exclusive to a particular district are left to the discretion of the owning merchant, though any contradictions with city law or problems with other district merchants are taken up to Lumne'ta. Master professionals within each district establish protocol for their individual quarter, and so forth.
All residents pay taxes according to their wealth, with the exception of slaves who receive no wage and whose taxes are taken in the form of the labor they provide. (Slaves deemed not productive enough are forced to stay in pens outside the city proper.) Nonresident merchants seeking to do business within the city must pay a fee in the form of a sampling of their finest product to Lemne'ta, in addition to a levy paid to her and the merchant(s) the visiting merchant will be doing business with. Visiting merchants who do not provide a sufficient payment to Lemne'ta are turned away. Levies are used to pay for roads, irrigation systems, plumbing, and a public health system.
Although everyone within the city proper, resident or visitor, is fully expected to follow the laws therein or face (often brutal) repercussions, the protection of the law is extended only to recognized residents. Visitors receive no assistance from the city guard or representation in the city's legal system. Therefore, visiting merchants often arrive with a contingent of mercenaries to protect their wares and their lives during their stay. There are two exceptions to this law. First, any visitor may be declared the guest of a resident merchant (or, in a few districts, a high-ranking professional) by that merchant (or professional). This is relatively common and gives the guest access to most of the same benefits a resident would receive, but only those permitted by the host. Second, an individual may be declared an honorary resident by Lemne'ta herself, a rare occurrence. Honorary residents have all the same rights and privileges as a genuine resident, including the ability to host guests. However, this status may be revoked at Lemne'ta's discression and is almost always temporary, declared in a written contract with a clearly defined expiration.

Industry & Trade

Blacksmiths. Artists. Jewelers. Slavers. Hunters. Masons. Pirates. Countless trades uses Ma'jesh as a hub for their trading. Its position on the Arda'wint Peninsula makes it an ideal stopping point for ships traveling west to the Split Continent or south to the Hissing Lands.
Ma'jesh is also known for its exportation of dyes, fruits, fabrics, and animal products such as silky and colorful niklen furs.

Type

Large city

Inhabitant Demonym

Ma'jeshan