Port Hiranya

Settlement

Port Hiranya

Vudrani Trading Port City

Government Mahajanapada (Independent Vudrani Principality)

Population 11,930 (45% Vudrani human, 15% Kelesh humans, 20% Askedhati amurran, 10% ysoki, 4% vanara, 4% nagaji, and 2% assorted others)

Languages Vudrani, Taldane, Kelesh

Factions Circle of Commerce,

Threats desert kholo bandits, thieving pirates, black marketers, devious rakshasa

Religions Irori, Arundhat, Likha, Abadar, Elemental Lords

Resources Alchemical Reagents, Gemstones, Gold, Ivory, Magic Texts, Silks, Spices

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Port Hiranya is a trading settlement on the eastern coast of the Muspel desert. Similar to Bolgen, it is a port city set up and populated by a mainland nation; in this case, the Vudrani. It was one of the earlier trading settlements established; while many will sail straight to Arisol, Port Hiranya sees a fair amount of use as well. As it's on the eastern coast, it makes for a shorter sea voyage than the trip to Arisol itself, and it is cheaper and less crowded than the great city's docks. This is balanced for many, however, by the need to then transport your wares through the Muspel desert before reaching any other large cities for sale. Piracy and bandity, especially by Muspel Kholo raiders, are not uncommon either, and caravans will often need to bring their own guards along.

Population

As Port Hiranya is primarily a Vudrani settlement in origin, and the blend of ancestries reflect that among its inhabitants far more than Orian norms. The town's population is approximately 45% Vudrani human, 15% Kelesh human, 20% Askedhati amurran, 10% ysoki, 4% vanara, 4% nagaji, and 2% assorted others.

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Town Layout

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Government

The city-state is a principality of Vudra ruled by a regional noble called a Rajah that inherits the role, is voted to the position by the rest of the nobles of the castes, or is appointed by the Maharajah of Vudra themself. As a Rajah may rule their territory as they please, the Rajah of Port Hiranya has traditionally allowed citizens a great amount of autonomy for the sake of stability to the point the position is almost ceremonial. At present times, an advisory board of scholars and merchants called the Royal Circle of Commerce largely conducts the administrative day-to-day affairs of Hiranya and the current Rajah Sunesh is seen as little more than a figurehead who signs the most sensible proclamations into law with his four Caste-wives acting as viziers. None have yet tried to replace or usurp Sunesh even after the few times he has rejected the Circle's proposals as the Rajah has his elite palace guards and powerful court mage-priests on his side, as well as the ear of the Maharajah back in the homeland.

Trade

If there is one thing that Port Hiranya is known for among all peoples of the Twin Continents, it is their trade in luxury goods that can be found nowhere else in the realm. Silks, spices, and fine, magical jewelry flow from the various merchant ships and caravans of the city, traveling as far away as Menisment. As such, Hiranyani society typically concerns itself primarily with facilitating ease of trade and providing quality service to merchants and their employees. Visitors to the Port will often find themselves being catered to, though they will often also be bombarded by offers from every seller in the streets. It is also an open secret that those with magical access to other planes will bring in otherworldly merchandise, especially from the elemental planes, with some rumors persisting that some reclusive merchants or black market sellers are secretly planar entities in disguise.

Most trade in Port Hiranya is regulated and overseen by the Royal Circle of Commerce, which has strict laws in place to try and promote wealth while still contributing to the public welfare. Violators of these laws are punished severely, especially when the criminal is one of the Circles' own, as some long-lived citizens still remember more than one hundred years ago when one prominent Guild Leader tried to usurp Hiranya after amassing great wealth through exploitation and assassinating the Rajah. The current Rajah and his royal servants are aware of this history and, as such, keep a close eye on the Circle, and hold on to the threat that he will disband them if they grow overly inefficient or cruel.

Considering that most of their goods must travel across the coasts or through the Muspel Desert, three fourths of what could be said to be Hiranya's military is devoted to protecting shipments. Kholo raiders are a near constant problem for those traveling across the the caravans and pirates prowl the coasts for ships that seem vulnerable. Heavily guarded ships and caravans move slowly and are quite expensive, so some traders are willing to risk lack of protection in exchange for expedient deliveries - some even taking gambles on highly-trained adventuring mercenaries of dubious character.

Religion

Hiranya follows the Vudrani practice of worshipping a pantheon of gods, the amount of which others find bewilderingly excessive. The local multi-faith temple, called The House of One-Hundred-And-Eight Divinities, is a large dome-shaped building that houses within its cavernous interior a simple shrine with a single well-made idol for each of them. Of these shrines, some hold deities that are purely of Vudra's culture such as Arundhat, Likha, and Ravithra, but there are also shrines of more widespread faiths, including Abadar, Nethys, Lamashtu, Sarenrae, Shelyn, and the various Elemental Lords, their idols depicting according to local syncretic belief. They are all cared for by the temple priests with visitors and pilgrims allowed to pray to as many or as few shrines as they wish with no judgement given to their rituals or offerings as long as they remain non-violent. However, the temple priests are strict about no single divinity being more honored than any other no matter their relative popularity, refusing to make any shrine too ornate and making small offerings to the more obscure or unpopular deities so as not to invite divine wrath.

Amber Lotus Academy

An academy for higher learning in Port Hiranya, especially in the subjects of mathematics, alchemy, economics, wizardry, sciences, and psychic training. It is said, when Port Hiranya was first established, the Rajah realized that any major disruption in overseas trade would ruin the principality with so few natural resources or fertile land in the Muspel coast. However, useful skills and education required very little of either for such great value. So, after decades of collecting money and negotiating with other nobles, the Rajah created a school for both mages and more mundane sciences.

Amber Lotus Academy is well-known for its tuition being affordable for all but the poorest merchants and will even offer to waive fees entirely for someone who shows particular promise in the entrance exams. In turn, anyone who graduates is under contract to donate some of their time and expertise to community service of Port Hiranya, often for a dozen years or so years.

Notable Characters

• The ruler of Port Hiranya is Rajah Sunesh (unassuming male vudrani human ruler) who considers his role mostly ceremonial. He has four wives from each of the four castes (warrior, priest, scholar, and artisan) who advise him closely. They are, respectively to their castes, Rikita (calm female vudrani human tactician) , Zonira (gregarious female nagaji priestess), Esha (erratic but brilliant female askedhatii catfolk alchemist), and Sabri (passionate female vudrani human silk weaver)
• Among the members of the Royal Circle of Commerce, NAME, NAME, and NAME are particularly prominent and hold positions of great political power.
• One Royal Circle member is not what she seems. Though she appears a human Vudrani woman, Shayani the Corpse-Dancer (female leopard raja-krodha) is a truly a rakshasa in a human disguise. She uses the same name when assuming her identity as a wealthy grey-haired gemstone merchant who owns only a single large cargo ship that in truth is crewed by minor rakshasa and undead, gaining their rare gems in trading with otherworldly fiends. Shayani's long-term plans involve driving Hiranya to violence through demonizing Arisol and the kholo, assassination of Rajah Sunesh, and bribing the Circle and Military into greed and cruelty. She knows the Proprietor from a previous incarnation and is disgusted by his current 'softness', though does not want to kill him in case he reincarnates into something more powerful in vengeance - instead she wants him to be magically bound so he cannot interfere with her plans or take them out from under her.
• Mehrdat Of The Third Eye (erudite male keleshite human wizard) is the Rajah's Court Wizard and Headmaster of the Amber Lotus Academy
• NAME HERE is head priest of the House of One-Hundred-And-Eight Divinities.
• NAME HERE (agender antlion worm that walks cultmaster) is considered to be the master of the black markets in Hiranya, having connections in all manner of illicit trade in the city and, if rumor is to be believed, in several dark planes as well. They offer goods, treasures, and trinkets of a truly staggering variety, often precisely what will solve the problems of the customer that sought [NAME]. The cost is always ruinously steep in coin or unsavory in what they want in barter. It is claimed that those who renege on said deals are walking dead, as the swarm of ant-lions that make up [NAME]'s body are seeking out the thief to devour them piece by agonizing piece before reclaiming their merchandise.