Soohr-Ahmaad
This small, well-fortified town of efreeti is highly secretive and does not allow visitors within its gates. Outside their great, steel-spiked, stone town wall, a sumptuous “trade hall” — finely furnished and strewn with velvet and silk — has been built where visitors are invited to sell wares or services. The resident efreeti spend a great deal of money there, and never sell anything. In a magically scry-proof and soundproof backroom off the trade hall, efreeti leaders hold secret council with their hired scouts and spies, never inviting even these trusted servants inside the town proper.
Those who have had glimpses inside the gate or over the walls report a town that might support 2,000 to 4,000 efreeti. No other species have been noted, not even as servants. The homes inside seem to be of fine quality and very defensible. The streets are clean. No one who has seen more than that has shared what they have learned — assuming any lived to tell the tale.
History and People
Little is known of the residents of Soohr-Ahmaad. What locals have pieced together over the centuries may or may not be accurate, but it is commonly believed that the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti are descendants of a group banished from the City of Brass long ago. A thousand conflicting rumors argue as to why.
Whatever the reason for their banishment (assuming even that part of the tale is accurate), the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti behave toward their neighbors with a legalistically cruel sense of “fairness.” All the intelligent communities and monsters in The Cauldron mountain range and its immediate surroundings, including the Xha’en Hegemony itself, have made extensive and complex agreements with The Cauldron efreeti (though the Xha’en Hegemony would never publicly admit to such a thing).
The primary way in which the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti interact with surrounding communities is in the hiring of scouts and spies to keep track of the world around them. Through the questions their employers ask, these hirelings are able to discern a little of their employers’ motivations. According to some, even after many centuries away from the City of Brass, the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti remain paranoid that the Grand Sultan will yet send forces to destroy them. Similarly, they are fearful of meddling from the Hellsgate Peaks devils, whom they suspect of coveting their territory. For these reasons, the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti are always in search of news of devils or other efreeti. According to rumor, they are sometimes willing to pay in wishes, if adventurers will make secret expeditions into the Hellsgate Peaks (hundreds of miles away from The Cauldron range) to acquire military intelligence about the devils and their hidden city. Thus far, no such expedition has been known to succeed.
The Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti never speak of why they were banished, why the Grand Sultan might still hold a grudge, why the devils might be plotting against them, or why they are so insular that they don’t even keep slaves in their community as most efreeti do (at least, none that any outsiders have seen). They also seem to be bottomlessly wealthy and able to defend their community from incursion despite engaging in only one-sided commerce, no conquest, and not even any known mining activities.
It is commonly suspected that the efreeti guard some magnificent stolen artifact, one which provides their great wealth without them needing to lift a finger, and for the continued secrecy of which they might gladly die. In perfect accordance with their own laws and with their agreements with surrounding communities, the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti capture and execute all who attempt to solve the mysteries of their ongoing residence in The Cauldron mountain range.
Trade and Commerce
Soohr-Ahmaadin coin is mixed, but almost always current and local, with Xha’en being the most common. No one knows where or how they get it, or what skills, crafts, or trades the town possesses. The efreeti purchase almost anything of fine crafting from those who come to trade with them, even tools and weapons that no one ever sees them use. They do sometimes wear the jewelry or clothing they purchase, and traders have also observed them eat and drink.
The products in highest demand at the Soohr-Ahmaad trade hall are fine incense, high quality Xha’en rice wine or tea blends, and luxuriously preserved sweets. Ordinary food staples are sometimes purchased, but never in the quantities required to feed the entire community. Other than the spies and scouts, the efreeti show no interest in hiring services unless they can be performed on the spot. Musicians are sometimes paid to play in the trade hall, for example, and those who service weapons or repair clothing get customers now and again, among others.
There is talk of expanding the trade hall to allow privacy for a massage parlor or brothel, but traders say there is always such talk, and the project never begins. Perhaps the leadership of Soohr-Ahmaad does not want its citizenry to become quite so relaxed around outsiders.
In any event, however they acquire their coin, the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti offer a major boon to the business of all traders in their region, which makes them quite popular with their neighbors, despite their cruel and inflexible policy toward trespassers.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
As far as anyone knows, Soohr-Ahmaad is entirely independent, a miniature city-state. It has no official acknowledgement as such and seeks none, but extremely detailed arrangements exist between itself and all neighboring military powers — including the powerful Xha’en Hegemony — making it illegal for anyone to attack them, take possession of their land, or enforce external laws of any kind within their town walls.
Government
The Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti make no secret that their suzerain was elected for life by the people, and that while her authority is generally accepted in all matters, her power can occasionally be held in check by a community council. Who sits on the council and why or for how long has not been shared with outsiders.
Military
Though the majority of the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti are never seen with weapons in the trade hall, the locals insist that every force that has ever assaulted Soohr-Ahmaad has failed. Many, traders report, have made the attempt, from human bandits to Cauldron fire giants to various monsters, often in search of whatever bottomless wealth store the efreeti possess. Whenever such a thing occurs, the traders who rely upon Soohr-Ahmaad’s business for their livelihoods watch the proceedings intently from a safe distance. They report skilled defense of the walls by powerful warriors and impressive mages, the greatest of which is believed to be Suzerain Tahmani herself.
The Soohr-Ahmaadin forces always use the minimal force necessary to utterly destroy their enemies. They never attack, but if anyone attacks them, they show no mercy whatsoever. They do not allow fleeing attackers to escape, if at all possible, and they take no prisoners. They also never make sorties outside their walls, and when sieges have been attempted, they have simply waited for the threat to give up and go away (often encouraged by pressures from surrounding communities, who miss the profits of the trade hall). It would appear that wherever the efreeti get their money, they also have access to unlimited food stores.
It is not known what percentage of the Soohr-Ahmaad population participates in its defense when it is threatened.
Major Threats
According to the scouts and spies that serve the Soohr-Ahmaadin efreeti, the only things they fear are devils and other efreeti. If they do guard some precious artifact that grants their endless prosperity, one would assume that stealing or destroying said artifact would harm Soohr-Ahmaad greatly. However, Soohr-Ahmaad residents seem to feel confident that their secrets of secure abundance are safe from their Cauldron, Xha’en, and any other plane-local neighbors.
Wilderness and Adventure
While no one enters Soohr-Ahmaad besides its efreeti residents, the wilderness between Soohr-Ahmaad and its neighbors can be difficult to traverse at times. Wealthy merchants who sell their wares at the Soohr-Ahmaad trade hall rarely make the trek in person. Instead, they hire hardy and/or local agents to do their buying and selling and often send along a few guards to defend their merchandise on the road.
At the bottom of the road leading up to Soohr-Ahmaad, on the Xha’en side, a local adept sells potions of fire resistance at inflated prices, warning always of salamanders, rasts, mephits, or the occasional thoqqua on the trail. It is not inaccurate that some creatures normally native to the elemental plane of fire do make the volcanic Cauldron their home. Occasionally, there are bandits, some of whom might have a fire giant among them. It is true as well that with all the geysers and hotsprings in the area, much of the road is often shrouded in mist or steam, which allows for easy ambush at times.
Traders who make the trek regularly know that the road to Soohr-Ahmaad and its trade hall is usually clear, but you never go unarmed, you stay on the trail, and you always bring healing and fire resistance from somewhere with reasonable prices. If possible, it is recommended to travel quietly and to avoid advertising one’s wealth.
Capital
Soohr-Ahmaad
Type
Capital
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