City of Ashuur
Art: Royal Ceremony by Yury Ostapchuk
The City of Ashuur is the Capital of the Ashuurite Empire of Kuurash the Great. The first city she had conquered, it was the base from which she would grow her power and subjugate all the Satrapies.
In the height of the empire, all things flow to Ashuur. Gold and slaves, treasures and trophies, people of all walks of life.
Only distant Byzantur can match Ashuur's greatness.
In wealth of goods and people, in wealth of history and heritage, the City of Ashuur is unmatched.
Government
Politics in Ashur is handled by the noble castle. Their politics has now expanded to become the politics of empire and they constantly scheme and jockey to be assigned the best administrative positions within the satrapy and beyond. All of course swear fealty to Kuurash and House Sacaar and many of them probably even mean it. But there are no more Uumani people to bring under the protective wing of the Empire and Kuurash is growing old. The Empire has started to look inwards and many questions are being raised about succession. It is rumoured that factions are already starting to form as the great noble houses position themselves to make the most of the coming chaos.
History
The history of Ashur is conquest, dominion, and a return to the glories past. In short, it is the very history of the Empire itself. But the story of greatness starts with humble origins. Kuurash was the only daughter of a poor family in one of Ashur’s poorest regions, the arid uplands of Kaisib. A non-noble family of subsistence goat herders, the Sacaars lived small lives of little importance. When Kuurash was a young child, her grandmother would tell her stories of a people that once were, many many generations before she was born. She talked of an Empire of the Uuman that was filled with glittering spires and technical marvels and a people that lived holy lives in alignment with the LAW of Heaven. Kuurash could see that those days were long since passed. Her people squabbled among one another, they supplicated themselves before corrupt officials. Worst of all, they did not keep the LAW or pay homage to the ancient gods but engaged in the worship of degenerate idols.
On her 16th name day, Kuurash was told she was to be wed to a merchant from Subaruum. She was horrified that she was to be the wife of someone who preyed upon the poorest of Ashur’s people and knew that this was not the life the gods had planned for her. That night she stalked from tent to tent with a dagger, slaying the merchant and his complacent caravan guards. When the village awoke, they were mortified at the sight before them. Seven heads were arranged in a row and Kuurash, bloody and exhausted stood atop the merchant’s wagon with the symbol of Ishtar Bellicosa, goddess of war, blazing in the sky above her…or so the tale goes.
She sends one head to each of the six towns in the region and one to the city of Ashur with the message:
Followers of the LAW of Heaven hear my call. We will no longer place our necks under the
yoke of these idolatrous cowards. In the name of Ishtar Bellicosa and under the gaze of
Heaven, we will put to the sword those who have long oppressed us. Rise now and know that
our ascension is assured. Stand with me and all glories, honours and riches will be yours.
Stand against me and you shall be sent to Ishtar to face trial for your treachery. Kuurash of
the Sacaar says this unto you.
When the tower was finally breached, the people of Ashur saw the generations of wealth that had been taken from them. They washed through the tower in a tide of bloodshed and looting. When the people had taken their vengeance and the city was free, Kuurash piled all of the stone idols in the great throne room and fashioned them into a new throne for a new ruler. Her loyal fighters and the soldiers who had helped her were named the Sacred Spears of Ashur for the holy work they had done and remain to this day as her most fanatical followers.
Now is the time for Ashur to show the Uuman another way.
Now is the time for Empire…
Enraged at the petty upstart, the warlocks of Ashur sent a force of soldiers to put down this little insurrection. When the soldiers arrived, their path through a narrow ravine was blocked on both sides and missiles rained down from the slings and arrows of the rebels high above. The undisciplined soldiers soon surrendered and in an act of mercy, or perhaps cunning, were given food and medical aid and sent back to Ashur unharmed.
What deal was made with those soldiers is lost to history, but when Kuurash and her small band of fighters approached the city of Ashur they were met not with resistance but a greeting and an unlocked gate. For the next two days the fighters of the Kaisib and the former soldiers of Ashur, now fighting under the banner of Kuurash moved through the city, sacking and burning the temples to foreign gods and looting the money-lending houses of the Via Chrysopoeia actuaries, all the while ensuring that the citizens were left unharmed. On the third day, the city was in riot. The people were now free of the tyrannical cabal of warlocks that ruled over them and the parasitic moneylenders that drained them of everything they had. The final task was to take the Tower of Ashur itself.
Points of interest
The Tower of Ashur: A great and imposing tower that spirals upwards in an eclectic architectural design. It can be seen from anywhere within the city of Ashur and for several miles beyond. It is the palace of the Sublime Empress, Kuurash the Great of House Sacaar. It houses the Throne of Idols, the treasury, the barracks of the Sacred Spears of Ashur and many other important military, financial and administrative centres.
Arena of Ishtar: The Great Arena of Ishtar is a place of entertainment, justice and religious worship through might of arms. Here, the condemed can find an honorable end, or be torn to pieces by wild animals as punishment for some heinous crime. Here, great fighters from all across the Ashurite Empire come to test their mettle against Ashuur's Champions.
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Related Reports (Primary)
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