Katiress (Ka-TEE-ress)
Filling the northern Somaj coastline between Danamm and Shebar, Katiress is a mix of stunning coastal trade cities and open desert. Here the Alsun Desert reaches to the shores of the Merkessi Sea, broken only by oases and the cities that have sprung up around them. Caravan's lead from the cities deep into the desert and mountain lands. The people of Katiress are very mixed, with humans enjoying only a scant majority. Kedi form the second the largest group, while the nomadic halfling tribes of the desert rule most of that land. The cities are incredibly mixed, including some of the more monstrous creatures from the Navis islands that lie north across the sea.
Each city is run in its own way. Many are run by a sultan, though how the sultan is named varies between cities. Some keep to hereditary lines. In others the sultan is chosen by a council of elders, a merchant board, or the clerics of Urah. Often the sultan is advised by a vizier, a magi intended to provide insight into the mystical realm.
Katiress was shattered in the Dragon War. Helgest forces invaded, carving a bloody swath through the nation as they established a beachhead, then a base, and then forced their way through to the jungle. Katiress saw much of the fighting, and Helgest industrial magic faced off against Somaji elemental fury, and the might of the Genie. Much of the center of the country is ravaged and highly dangerous. Warped elemental scars , twisted magic, and arcane and technological monstrosities can still be found in the aftermath of the sundering of Katiress.
The largest city in the nation is Adjadi, one of the oldest ports in the world, known for the ancient lighthouse and its arcane beacon that towers above the coast. Adjadi fell to Helgest in the Dragon War, with the vizier dying in the city's defense, with the sultan killed by a mob afterwards for his role in the occupation. No new Sultan has yet been chosen, and the city is increasingly in the hands of various power groups looking to assert control. The vying powers include the merchant council, a rich and flamboyant fire genasi prince, a goblin pirate king, an organized criminal group headed by a sphinx, a family of shadowy assassins, a particularly devout and draconian cleric of Urah, a former officer of Helgest, and even a hidden circle of necromancers. No one yet has control, and all sides are trying to fight it out behind the scenes so as not to disrupt the trade city.
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