Y'Matara
Y’Matara (Yuh-MAH-tah-rah) is known as the gateway between north and south. It sits at the convergence of the River Nekhet (NEH-Khet) and the River Sahri (SAH-ree), a city that has long overseen the river trade of the Osirion Wastes.
Although it is an independent city-state within the Free Cities of Al-Khet, Y’Matara claims no allegiance to any kingdom, making it a centre for diplomacy. It is home to embassies from all the known realms of Al-Khet and boasts the largest Merchants Quarter in the region. Here, the powerful Merchant Lords of Nefra, the trading houses of Thal’shara, and the aristocratic families of Zhinra reside in grand estates gifted by the Divine Pharaoh. These estates are sovereign lands where the laws of their homelands apply.
Trade flows through Y’Matara like the waters of its rivers, and the Slave Markets are among its most profitable enterprises, second only to the renowned slave auctions of Khennet-Aru in Nefra. Slaves arrive from across the Osirion Wastes, brought in by warlords or imported by foreign slavers. Prices are determined by age, health, and skills. Cheaper slaves can be acquired through private brokers, but buyers often find themselves with dangerous or treacherous acquisitions.
When gold is not exchanging hands, the people of Y’Matara indulge in various pleasures. Temples of Talona offer indulgences for a modest donation, and the city’s finest eateries serve delicacies from all corners of Al-Khet. For those seeking more exotic experiences, the Shu-Ra Dream Baths near the royal quarter offer opulent steam baths infused with rare narcotics from Zhinra, providing visions and dreams of distant realms.
The Divine Pharaoh Sethet-Ka decreed the last day of each month as the Festival of Crimson Sands. On this day, the citizens of Y’Matara gather at the Royal Ziggurat to watch gladiatorial battles, drinking wine and revelling in the spectacle. Those who refuse to attend are often forced into the next month’s games, providing Sethet-Ka with an opportunity to display his dominion over life and death.
Society & Wealth
The people of Y’Matara exhibit pride and a sense of superiority over outsiders, a mindset encouraged by the Divine Pharaoh. The Artisan & Merchant Caste enjoys greater privileges, including better housing and access to the Hight and Merchants Quarters. Artists, sculptors, and musicians may express themselves more freely, yet they remain beholden to Sethet-Ka’s whims. The Noble Caste occupies the highest tier of society, exempt from many laws and free to pursue their own ambition. A breakdown of percentage of wealth is as follows: 10% aristocratic, 5% wealthy, 10% comfortable, 25% modest, 25% poor, 30% squalid, 10% wretched.Trade & Tax
Y'Matara is a wealthy city, with several tenous and dangerous trade routes internationally to the King of Orrendale, Frostheim Clans, and Crownlands of Gavinar. It also boasts intracity trade at normal levels with the other cities in the Free Cities of Al-Khet. Y'Matara's main exports to its trading partners are brandy, magnesium, and wondrous magical items. A Sales Tax of 40% is placed on all goods purchased within the city limits, which allows the city treasury to be consistently full.Defense & Law
The Sethet-Ka’s Templars act as Y'Matara's city guard, to ensure that uprisings from the lower castes do not materalized. If someone has been deemed a criminal and is caught, the Priests the order will assign punishments. While there is a codex of complicated laws and customs that maintain the society of Y'Matara, the Four Decrees are considered the most important. The Priest or Priestess who is presiding over the court that determines if a person is guilty will often use one of the following punishments:- The criminal is petrified and must serve as a city statue for 1d100 hours
- The criminal will be subjected to bestow curse for 1d100 hours
- The criminal is hung upside down in the Great Bazaar of Khetem and subjected to a day's worth of beatings by any/all comers
- The criminal is made to choose a body part to have permanently removed
- The criminal is made to participate in the fights of the Arena of Sekhem
Culture & the Arts
The world-renowned songstress Zehra Greenfire is often seen gracing the stage at The Gilded Oasis, where her haunting ballads such as 'When the Wheel Turns Again' and 'The Lament of Atenara' continue to captivate audiences from all walks of life. Iskha de la Plume, esteemed editor of the widely circulated gossip broadsheet The Golden Ink, is equally famed for her sharp-witted plays and barbed quilled, making her one of Y'Matara's most influential voices in both theatre and scandal.Districts of the City
Royal Quarter
Towering gold-plated obelisks and marbled palaces dominate the quarter. Within it the rich live in excess and the poor are only seen as servants, entertainers, or sacrifices. Many of the embassies from the surrounding regions maintain lavish estates here. Buildings: Shrine of the Scarab, Shu-Ra Dream Baths, Temple of TalonaMerchant's Quarter
A labyrinth of craftsman workshops, counting houses, and grand estates, where gold flows as freely as the River Nekhet. Here, merchants, traders, and noble financiers wield power that rivals even the Viziers and Templars. The Gilded Hand dominates the district, enforcing strict trade laws and monopolies. Buildings: The Gilded Oasis, Shrine of the Scarab, Temple of Talona, House of Ten Thousand WeightsScholar Quarter
Home to the Shemsu-Ra, where the city’s greatest minds study magic, history, and prophecy. Buildings: Obelisk Academy, Grand Eternal Vault, Shrine of the Scarab, Temple of TalonaGreat Bazaar of Khetem
The bustling centre of trade and commerce. Access to the Great Bazaar is tightly controlled, with its gates open to the public from dusk until dawn. After nightfall, only invited guests may remain within. Those seeking forbidden pleasures or rare treasures find them here. Buildings: The Lotus Bloom, Musemi's Storehouse of Abundance, The Golden Needle of Favelli, The Black Market, Aset’s Exotic Aviary & EmporiumDocks Quarter
While Sethet-Ka maintains strict control over much of Y’Matara, the Harbor of Ashet is a place where the law is loosely enforced. The Harbor Master and the Pharaoh’s soldiers monitor the comings and goings but often ignore illicit dealings. Buildings: Scarab's Rest, The Ivory RouteWorker's Quarter
Laborers, and lower caste citizens live and toil in this quarter. Though every citizen of Y’Matara is provided for, the strict laws governing the lower castes make life difficult, and one wrong move can lead to exile or death in the arena. Buildings: Abandoned Temple of Talona, Shrine of the Scarab, The Collegium of Antiquities and Subterranean StudiesHigh Quarter
Where the artists and other middle class citizens live.Slave Quarter
Here, men, women, and children are auctioned off like cattle, their fates sealed by the highest bidder. Some earn their freedom, others are never seen again.Guilds & Factions
Scarlet Jackals
The Scarlet Jackals are decentralised and cell-based, favouring obscured hierarchies, burner identities, and coded names. Still, rumours persist of a core leadership known as the Triad of Teeth, each 'Tooth' controlling one major market.Order of Sekhrem-Ra
The Order of Sekhrem-Ra hold an unique and dominant position within Y'Matara's governing structure. They serve not merely as law enforcers, but as agents of divine order - representing the will of the Pharaoh in all civic matters. Their authority stretches across all classes and castes, particularly in the lower districts where dissent and unrest are most feared.The Gilded Hand
The Gilded Hand is a confederation of powerful guilds, each led by a Guildspeaker - an elected voice who represents their guild on the Gilded Council, the ruling body of the faction. Decisions affecting market laws, port fees, trade licensing, and foreign contracts are made by vote within this council.Shemsu-Ra
The Shemsu-Ra are the arcane stewards of Y’Matara—an elite Collegium of scholars, battle-mages, archivists, and magical regulators. Formed in the final centuries of the Age of Heroes, they exist to preserve the relics of lost civilisations, regulate spellcasting within the city, and ensure that dangerous knowledge remains sealed from misuse.Council of Voices
The ruling elite of Y'Matara, each vying for influence and seeking to gain favouritism from Sethet-Ka, many of the Voices are also the heads or leaders of other factions throughout the city.
Founders
Type
City
Population
15,000
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Y'Mataran
Location under
Included Locations
- Abandoned Temple of Talona
- Arena of Sekhem
- Consveratory of Beasts and Verdancy
- Grand Eternal Vault
- Great Bazaar of Khetem
- Harbour of Ashet
- House of Ten Thousand Weights
- Obelisk Academy
- Royal Ziggurat of Heka-Sar
- Shrines of the Scarab
- Shu-Ra Dream Baths
- Temples of Talona
- The Collegium of Antiquities and Subterranean Studies
- The Gilded Oasis
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Related Tradition (Primary)
Characters in Location
Related Plots
Caste System
The Four Decrees
- It's illegal to charge money for water
- Spellcasters must register with the Shemsu-Ra upon recognition of their gift or upon entry to the city
- If weapons are drawn in the city they must draw blood but not cause death
- Bags of Holding are illegal inside city walls