Al-Muzhar
For those who brave the journey across the Dyronian Sea to the vast and barren southern continent, Al-Muzhar will often be the first sight upon that wavering horizon. Built upon the northernmost fringes of the Muzhiri Desert, yet still baked by the unrelenting sun, Al-Muzhar is a bastion of civilization in Sulaast; a rich, ancient and thriving city in defiance of its inhospitable clime. Its intricately carved sandstone architecture featuring towering mansions and formidable temples can scarcely be seen elsewhere in the world, a remnant from when Al-Muzhar was the dread capital of the Cobalan Empire.
Under the tyrannical rule of its Tiefling masters, Al-Muzhar is as dangerous as it is beautiful. Notorious slavers, the tieflings are as likely to trade with outsiders as to capture and trade them. Centuries of hiring orc mercenaries to raid human settlements for captives have also left the city with the largest Half-orc population in the world, who make up much of the city guard.
Visitors to Al-Muzhar may also face threats from beyond the mighty city walls. Roving bands of nomadic, warlike elves known as the Mir-Ghul, utterly different from their Ilumvir Empire cousins, raid Al-Muzhar frequently seeking vengeance for the terrible cruelties inflicted upon their people by Cobala and her tiefling servants.
And deep amidst the shifting dunes and bone-dry expanses of the Muzhiri Desert, a terrible secret is rumoured to lurk. The Tomb of the Divine Cobala, a legend whispered of only in hushed, fearful tones, has allegedly been discovered by the Mir-Ghul. They have sworn to keep anyone from finding and entering it with the outmost of force. Nevertheless, many adventurers from all corners of the world weigh this risk against the untold rewards...
Structure
Al-Muzhar is ruled by an oligarchy of powerful tiefling dynasties led by the Marquis Ba'alius Ignio. They levy harsh taxes against merchants selling their wares in the city, but spend so lavishly that Al-Muzhar is a journey all peddlers consider at some point. The tieflings use the wealth they collect to retain the services of several half-orc mercenary bands. These bands are fiercely territorial, and sometimes a conflict between two or more bands breaks out, with lethal consequences for those unlucky enough to be living in that part of the city. Nevertheless, order is generally maintained, in no small part thanks to the Priesthood of the Scorched Empress. The spiritual arm of the Marquisdom, the Priesthood preaches reverence for the dead Empress Cobala and venerates her as a Divine at the same level as Hrogar, punishing those who say otherwise with their powerful fire magic.
Culture
The culture of Al-Muzhar is heavily influenced by the tiefling ruling class. Clothing is a means to display one's wealth, with richly dyed silks being the fashion. Often times, the cut of Al-Muzharan garb is shockingly revealing for visitors to the city, with exposed midriffs, legs and backs being the norm. There is little sense of community aside from the fear of Mir-Ghul raids; the tieflings pay the half-orcs, the half-orcs intimidate the lower classes, and the lower classes pay taxes to the tieflings.
Al-Muzhar's culture is stagnant as compared to other places in the world. The tieflings cling to the old ways of the Cobalan Empire, a time when their influence was far greater and the other races feared them. Now, their grasp ends shortly after their walls do. Nevertheless, the tieflings of the Marquisdom are known to retain some of the strange magics they were taught by Cobala, and it is unknown precisely what terrors the Priesthood of the Scorched Empress retain in the deepest catacombs of their temples.
The half-orcs of Al-Muzhar have a culture quite distinct from the full-blooded Orcs that remain in Tevastra. They have almost completely forgotten their native orcish tongue and communicate in Cobalan (Infernal), the official language of Al-Muzhar. Their small and rudimentary society of mercenary companies is divided between the warriors and the crafters, with the latter being responsible for all non-martial activities including smithing, cooking and construction. The half-orcs are fiercely loyal to their bands and feel little ancestral kinship with half-orcs in other bands. They are loyal to the tieflings to the extent that they are paid handsomely, but are notoriously susceptible to bribery.
Besides the tieflings and half-orcs, in the Raft Circus, Al-Muzhar's canal-based main marketplace, all other races of Tevastra can be found to various degrees, attracted by the lure of profit.
Public Agenda
Al-Muzhar's rulers are focused mainly on the immediate threat of the Mir-Ghul, levying increasingly high taxes to retain as many mercenaries as possible. This strategy has been largely ineffective since even the most fearsome bands stand little chance of defeating Mir-Ghul in the open desert, leaving the population of the city largely trapped behind their walls. It is well known in Norvast that the tieflings will pay a royal bounty for Mir-Ghul scalps, although it is equally well known that one is far more likely to lose their own scalp in the attempt.
Besides defence, the tieflings are eager to reclaim the lost glory of the Cobalan Empire, although how they plan to do so is unknown. They will pay even more lavishly for Cobalan artifacts unearthed from the desert sands, and hoard these in their temples. The other nations of the world pay Al-Muzhar little heed, although this would surely change quickly if the tieflings were ever able to accomplish whatever nefarious quest they have set themselves.
Assets
Al-Muzhar's great wealth is sadly built upon the backs of slaves. Purchased from a variety of sources including Tevenari, the half-orcs, and drawn from the local gaols, these unfortunates are put to work in palm plantations, archaeological sites and mines. The Muzhiri Desert holds a bounty of copper and tin deposits, making bronze uniquely common and cheap in the city, and a seemingly endless tide of slaves are sent into these hellish digging pits. Besides these natural resources, the tieflings rely on their high tariffs to fund whatever projects have their attention. They import lumber from the Blueport Skippers at a steep premium, being one resource they have no access to but nevertheless require.
History
Al-Muzhar is one of the oldest cities in all Tevastra. Its construction coincided with the dawn of the Cobalan Era (CE). Built from the quickly dying trees of what used to be the Muzhiri Forest as well as quarried sandstone, Al-Muzhar expanded along with the Cobalan Empire. At its height, Al-Muzhar boasted a population of over 100,000, and its mighty docks hosted more merchant vessels than even Blueport in Dyr Tolen. As it rose with Cobala, so also did the city fall. It was within Al-Muzhar that the hero Saint Pelimar defeated Cobala at the cost of his own life, sparking the dawn of the Avarosic Era. Since then, the population of tieflings in the city has greatly declined and sections of the city remain clogged with rubble. Like many of the great cities of Tevastra, Al-Muzhar stands as a relic of a mythical past.
By the flame, death or rebirth.
Founding Date
57 CE
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Alternative Names
The Slave City; The Tieflings; The City of Fire
Demonym
Al-Muzharan
Leader
Location
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