The Jagged Sea

Nestled between the Scythe in the west and the sprawling Great Continent to the east, the Jagged Sea region is home to diverse city-states bustling with trade, war, and adventure. The culture of this area has similarities; humans all speak a common tongue (referred to as Hisaar by outsiders, though non-Hisarlik residents bristle at this), and bound by a handful of universal traditions and one pantheon of deities. Warfare in the cities uses common units and armament, distinguished only by tactics employed and the degree of training.
Two dozen large city-states are arranged around the sea, with smaller cities and colonies sprinkled throughout the region. Though most cities abut the water some are built inland, straddling rivers. Relatively few changes have emerged form this region in the past thousand years; human culture here has flourished, with new philosophies and discoveries augmenting the area's rich history. While the Republic encroaches from the north and other human nations are either in decline or still building themselves up, the cities of the Jagged Sea see themselves as the premier human culture at this moment in history, though their lack of unity may be their undoing.
The terrain of the Jagged Sea makes invasion from beyond the city-states difficult; the sea vessels and skyships of the city-states are accustomed to fighting on their home surf, and vast stretches of dry land along with hills make travel from beyond difficult for most land forces. The biggest problem facing the Jagged Sea region is a lack of unity; twice outsiders have invaded, and twice the city-states split between helping their foes and fighting against them, though this latter effort often resulted in a chaotic mess. Granoss to the northwest has been Republic territory for some time, and a recent incursion by the Republic added Akri Dory to their fold, the city-state at the northernmost tip of the Jagged Sea.

Structure

There is no organization above the city-states themselves, though many form alliances. Each city practices its own governmental customs, with magocracies, timocracies, monarchies, and even democracies. Propaganda is a past time in the Jagged Sea, with the most prolific orators spending abundant time commenting on the inferior systems of others while building up their own city-state.
Militarily, the phalanx is still in common usage among all city-states, with wizards supplementing shield walls against ranged attacks and long spears preventing charges from all but the most heavily armed cavalry. Warmachines are occasionally used to break up formations, but given the back and forth nature of most battles within the region (most battles are over farm land or resources, and borders change hands often), warmachines most often serve as champions of their respective armies, with one or two facing off with opponents to solve the dispute.

Assets

Individual city-states have varying degrees of wealth which change often depending on what resources are found or available, what trade routes exist, etc. All city-states are self-sufficient, as otherwise they would be consumed by their neighbors; colonies often rely on their parent city for some time, sending back raw goods and contributing to the army. Unlike the Republic, citizens in most city-states are expected to provide their own arms for defending their beloved city. It's incumbent upon wealthy merchants and nobles to donate generously to city walls and by purchasing assorted vessels, and this civic spirit has resulted in robust and well-staffed navies in each city. Hisarlik alone can field over a hundred sea vessels outfitted for war and four dozen skyships, not counting single or double pilot craft.

Type

Political, Confederation

Demonym

varies

Controlled Territories

• Hisarlik
• Kantashi