Canaan
The eastern coast of the Mare Nostrum is a stretch of warm beach (incredibly hot in spring and summer) separated from Kingir by the dense forest of Cedar Mountain. The natives are probably the greatest sailors of Terra Antiqua, having a long history of mercantile and mercenary pursuits to their credit. The trade of the Empire routes mainly through here, giving the traditional center of the land, the great city Sirru, and enormous amount of pull throughout the Mare Nostrum. Most of the Empire's trading norms and values are centered here, giving this the best market valuation of any goods.
Government
Canaan is not only Imperial, but the city of Antakya is the preferred home of the basileus, commander of the Imperial legions. The prefect of Canaan resides in Sirru, traditionally the capital of the cities, though the Imperial legions maintain their main armory and supply depot at Damascus. Port cities are ruled by a single individual, the ba’al or ba’alat(fem.) who rules autocratically, sometimes assisted by an advisory council but more often dictating terms and laws to be disseminated to the population by this council. This person is usually the wealthiest individual in a city, or the one who commands the greatest armies. Since Canaan is part of the Empire, the ba’al is more of a prestigious than powerful position, and the councils have many of the same obligations and responsibilities as any civic senates.
The nobles have all the traditional functions of priests-they perform marriages, funerals, namings, or perform sacrifices (human sacrifice is forbidden by Imperial law but not animal sacrifice) all as if ordained priests. The nobles are fairly pragmatic and tend to take the fastest course to wealth and power without regard for morality in the slightest. Their nobles are supposed to act in such a way as exemplars of their culture.
The prefect at Sirru deals with the ba’ali(plural) in most matters, particularly local matters, and suppressing the local infernalist cults, particularly those that practice human sacrifice, takes up much of a prefect’s time or placating the locals over the demands of the legions or the admiralty.
Defences
Most cities are walled and manned by Imperial legions. The Empire regularly patrols the roads of the region, whose central location made them a popular invasion site until the Battle of Four Armies. The city of Damascus is the manufacturer of the highest quality steel in the world, and holds the Imperial Armory for the Legions.
Industry & Trade
Trade is the lifeblood of the ponnim, the middlemen of the Mare Nostrum. Diplomacy is overlooked, as it is conducted either at Palmyra or Antakya, and diplomats in Canaan are merely passing through between these locales, but trade is largely determined here. The Sirru Senate regulates commerce in Sirru, and oversees it in the other cities through a Trade Council that has representatives from every city in Canaan. This council forwards its recommendations to the Silentium, which then sends those measures of which it approves to the basileus, or recommends alterations it does not approve of back to the Council. The Sirrun Trade Council often sends representatives to Paphos, Knossos, and Byzantium to influence law, and dictate trade laws within Canaan.
Infrastructure
Most cities have communal wells, and water rights are fiercely contested along with every other right. Imperial aquaducts and roads traverse the area, often parallel, but other amenities are privately owned. Milling grain is often done by hand in a household, though industrial mills do exist for the benefit of certain traders and nobles engaged in trade.
Generally, there are no public amenities nor even user fee amenities available. One is either beholden to the owner or one does not receive access.
Assets
The ports are the greatest asset, harvesting the bounty of the Mare Nostrum, and the ships made here are second only to those of Kreta, the offshore island that dominates Mare Nostrum waters. The Ponnim have long been the middlemen of the Mare Nostrum, producing little but transport.
Guilds and Factions
Infernalist cults fill the seamy underbelly of Canaanite society, adding intrigue upon intrigue. The noble houses scheme to restore their old powers, the patricians scheme to maintain theirs, and the whole region is rife with intrigue and treachery.
History
Canaan first comes into play when the Third Dynasty of Erech gains the right to cross Cedar Mountain from Khumbaba, it’s king, and brings all the arts of civilization there. The native ponnim capitulated, accepting a subordinate role in order to obtain the secrets of Erech. They established a series of port cities along the coast, where they met great Yamm and married his daughters, so the inland city of Baalbek, built by the Anunnaki and housing their knowledge became the cultural center and the Ponnim began to sail forth, discovering new lands. The first of these lands was Khemet, where the sea god Yamm attacked and was destroyed by Seth for his trouble.
Canaan was dependent upon trade and the resources of the Mare Nostrum for their survival, and the loss of the sea god cost them dearly, both in income and internal stability. They cast about, seeking gods adequate to provide safety from the demons of Kingir and the djinn of Iranshar. The gods proved far and distant, but Hell was close, and eager.
The gods of the ponnim were shallow and easily lead. Sacrificing to the god of the city one was due to invade or conquer to alleviate their ire at being thrown down, and sometimes receiving their aid in throwing their old worshipers down became standard practice.
This dreadful strategy forced the ponnim to protect their gods and their cities by using titles instead of names, and hiding the names of the gods that only their worshipers should sacrifice to them so the fickle gods would only answer to their devoted worshippers. It also hid the gods so well the Lords of the Hells were able to divert sacrifices to themselves using the titles of the gods, and Canaan slowly became subverted to diabolism.
That the native ponnim survive as a culture even in modern times speaks volumes of their internal social order. Ponnim nobles hold the powers of priests elsewhere, able to conduct rites of marriage, naming, funerals, and sacrifices to the gods. Since ponnim practiced child sacrifice on a massive scale, it took precious little for the Hells to slip their candidates in when they began offering sacrifices to titles rather than the god.
When the royal house split, King Pumayyaton sacrificed the high priest of Sirru to Baalzebul and thus, Canaan fell to infernalism long before they fell to foreign powers.
This arrangement was first exploited by the Hells, each of whom set up cults that fed the greatest devil in it across the land. When Iranshar came, these cults drifted underground and allowed lip service to the conqueror gods, extolling themselves as the truth of the ponnim ancestors. This survived past Iranshar, past Alexander, and well into modern times. The whole of the Purple Ports is a front for the Hells, their attitudes and philosophies straight from the Pit with all the cunning they can muster.
The basileus has encountered great success in imprisoning the gods of the Canaan in the statues of their temples and displays them in His Psychomanteum Holy Wisdom, so Canaanite diabolism is very circumspect. The gods trapped by the basileus terrifies the Hells as much as removing those rivals relieves them. No attempts have been successful, in part due to the Imperial Temples sanctifying the entire city of Byzantium, but even attempts to steal the statues have failed and the Hells avoid the basileus’s notice until they have more intelligence on the matter.
Architecture
Canaan employs Imperial architecture. Uada, the great palace at Sirru, is the largest standing building of the ponnim style, but it is a monstrosity built over generations to meet the tastes of a single individual and hardly representative of any single or sane architecture.
Geography
Canaan is a vast coastal plain until one reaches the rock piles that pass for mountains here at the low cliffs marking the border with Cedar Mountain. Although Baalbek is landlocked, most cities are coastal.
Natural Resources
Mineral deposits mark scant mining, and inland bogs are dredged for oil rich peat used as fuel. Salt mines are common, but most of the resources available come from the Mare Nostrum.
Alternative Name(s)
Khna
Type
District
Inhabitant Demonym
Ponnim are natives, but any race of the Empire may be found here. Nonponnim refer to themselves as Canaanites.
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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