Jhohir
Located along a broad strait sheltered by the Island of Quy, Jhohir is the Xha’en Hegemony’s leading port city and hosts ship traffic from all along the western Xha’en coast. Extensive docking, repair, and warehousing facilities are maintained by the Darondan clan, who have been masters of this city-state for several millennia.
In the past, Jhohir was a powerbroker in the struggles for dominance in the Xha’en region. Shipping and mercantile contracts from the Darondan were used to favor one city-state over another, and Jhohir mercenaries fought for any city that could pay their price. Strict neutrality kept the city relatively safe, but the rise of Xha’ahan and the eventual formation of the Hegemony significantly reduced Jhohir’s influence and forced the Darondan to focus more on their shipping and trade functions.
Though the Darondan clan, in theory, rules the city and its members or their close associates hold all major offices, the true power in the city is the local chapter of the Triads, which controls a secret network of criminals, killers, and smugglers. Triad operatives hold obscure but significant positions throughout Jhohir, and nothing comes into or goes out of the city without the express permission of the Triad leader, a mysterious boss whose true identity is not known, though some claim that she masquerades as a humble beggar or cart seller. Under her guidance, Jhohir has become one of (if not the) major centers of Triad strength in the Hegemony, and so far, few suspect the full extent of its influence.
Otherwise, Jhohir is what one might expect in an ancient city that is crossroads to an empire — noisy, dirty, crowded, with a huge gulf between the walled and guarded mansions of the wealthy and the rude hovels of the poor, which continue to spread around the city like a dark stain. Folk of every description can be found here, from arrogant Xha’en nobles (the Darondan are the most arrogant of the lot, aware as they are of their family’s past greatness, and how far they have fallen since the glory days) to humble Gtsang monks, Anari merchants and their guards, exotic southerners including the occasional cat- or ravenfolk, and even a handful of Senge tribesfolk who have made the long journey here to obtain food and clothing for their people in exchange for handmade goods or service to wealthy patrons.
Comments