Location: Al-Adiz, City of Panthers

 

The ancient city of Al-Adiz, known in ancient times as Hartagosa and more recently as Pantherburg, the City of the Crusaders, lies on the narrow, fertile strip on the northeastern coast of Araby. Nurtured by the sea yet enjoying a fine deep-water harbor, Al-Adiz is fortunate to be sheltered from the worst ravages of the desert by a series of steep hills to the south.

Originally settled during Classical times by the same peoples that eventually became Estalians and Tileans, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times during this period before being abandoned. The ruins were settled by the precursors to the Arabyans, then razed by the Nekheran Empire, but later rebuilt, then razed again, and... you get it.

In more modern times, Al-Adiz was one of the key strong points of the Knights Panthers during the Crusades, but it was later retaken by the Sultan of All Araby. The ruins of the last Panther castle to hold out in Araby, the Pantherversteck (said to be cursed OC), still overlook the city from a particularly tall and ragged cliff not ten miles away from the harbor.

While not the only town on the coast east of Al-Haikk (the capital of Araby), Al-Adiz is certainly the only important one. In population and size, it is comparable to Salzenmund, but it looks very different indeed, and if anything, the divide between rich and poor is even more pronounced. Indeed, such is the squalor of the common people that the city might well hold more people, but it clearly produces far less.

The city is governed by Emir Atmath ibn Summary al-Diddi, vassal to the Sultan of All Araby, governor of Al-Adiz, supreme commander of the garrison, defender of the faith, and a hundred other titles. His main job is to keep the city safe and under control and to make more gold flow to the Sultan. He's got to contend not only with internal challenges but also pirates (it's called the pirate coast for a reason) and vicious desert raiders. Sometimes evil spirits or undead threaten the city, as do cold-blooded crusaders from the far north...

This temporal ruler, who has extensive privileges and wealth, shares power with the Muftis, the cleric-lawyers of El, the twelve Magisters Emporium (guilders), various sects of Sahirs (philosopher-priests), Fakirs (Arabyan sorcerers), criminals, nobles, and many more besides. While everything is alien, it's not materially different from how things work in the Empire.