Irith Kel
The capital of the Principality of Pelshtaria and seat of power for the twin prince and princess, Irith Kel is one of the oldest cities in the region. It serves as a major port where merchants from the Ammuyad Caliphate, the Northlands, the Buntesveldt, Abernord, the interior of the Isthmus of Irkaina, and even the Sea of Grass meet. As a major governmental and economic center, Irith Kel is the main focus of the region and what happens here affects the fortunes and lives of the entire principality.
Built five centuries ago by an expedition from the caliphate, Irith Kel is a well-planned city. The center is dominated by the palace and the barracks of the royal guard, both of which are surrounded by an inner wall. Between this center and the first outer wall are broad avenues, plazas with fountains and gardens, the houses of minor nobility, the University of Irkaina, the massive edifice of the Palace of Justice and Administration, and the old souk where goods of the highest caliber are bought and sold.
The city’s growth was a planned affair, and concentric walls enclose orderly neighborhoods that mimic the city center but on a less grand scale. Some of these quarters are reserved for foreign residents, some of whom have lived in Irith Kel for generations. There is a raucous Brounthian district, as well as districts that are home to folk with ties to other provinces of the caliphate. Yet other districts are devoted to a specific type of commerce, thus keeping the tanners on the edge of the city downwind of other districts, the metal workers’ district (which also includes alchemists) where its fires can be contained, and the camel markets away from anyone with a nose. Sewers run beneath the streets of all the districts, and aqueducts bring water in from the distant Büyük Dâg Mountains.
Despite this good planning and (recent) good governance, Irith Kel is not without troubles. A thieves’ guild operates within the city, and its tendrils stretch across the principality and into areas the principality once ruled. Revolutionaries are common, especially around the university and in the many coffee shops that dot the residential neighborhoods. Not everyone is happy with the open disloyalty to the caliphate. Street violence is not uncommon. Holding the wrong views and walking into the wrong coffee shop can be dangerous, possibly deadly.
Capital
Irith Kel, City of (Capital)
Type
Capital
Owning Organization
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