Location:The Free Cities of Harra is a federation of independent city-states, located in the far north-west of Azukhar. (Marked orange on map though still being discussed)
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The City of Muaador:Muaador is often called the Western Hill, or the Last Hill, because the city rests upon the westernmost of the large hills within Harra. Its territory stretches from the sea in the west to [the lake] in the east.
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The City of Aslordan:Aslordan is the southernmost country of the Free Cities. It's foremost known as the trading hub of Harra and has a strategic location, bordering [insert name for the country that is now marked on the map as 'Harra'], Muaador, [the lake] and the sea.
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The City of Ovesh:Hidden in the densely packed hills to the north, lies the city of Ovesh. It borders [insert name of the light purple marked country] on the east, the Frozen Seas to the north and [the lake] to the south
Relics:Harra has a rather strange way of dealing with evokers. They have no prejudice against them as all Harrans crave power, however, they will not allow them to go free. If an evoker refuses conscription into the military or another place where they can be of use, they are exiled, not executed. Which is more dangerous for the evoker, as many nearby nations hold stringent views on evokers. Evokers are seen as a status symbol amongst the cities, with each government trying to gain as many as they can. Sometimes, evokers are even bought, sold, or traded between other cities like bartered goods.
Culture:Through ocean-based trade with nations like Kalesia, Harran policy towards women has mellowed noticeably when compared to their land-based neighbors like Kalnach. It is not as liberal as that of Kalesia, but it is still worlds fairer than the policy in Kalnach. This tendency is more visible along the Harran coast, though. Further inland (and near Kalnach), the tendencies are not nearly as noticeable. There, women are treated only marginally better, having just a few more rights than within Kalnach. Many Harran women take to the seas as traders because of this. On the great trade vessels, gender has very little importance.
But there is one way that Harra stands out in practicing. Slavery. In Harra, men and women alike are enslaved, having no rights whatsoever. Unless the owner is thoroughly inconvenienced, crime against a slave is unpunished. Even then, it is the owner that gets reimbursed, not the slave. Typically, such reparations are up to half the value of the slave on the open market. Despite this, Harra is well-known for taking pride in how open and liberal they are compared to Kalnach. They do not see their treatment of their slaves as contradictory to this claim. Any attempts by their neighbors and trade partners to change this is met with unyielding opposition.
While the slave trade flourishes in the triangle of nations formed by Oragos, Da-Hyun and Harra, it is not approved of in other nations than these.
In Kalnach, slavery is forbidden. They do have Serfs, which is only marginally better than slavery, but they do not allow slavery. A serf family is a single step above a slave family, being connected to a piece of land, so that when that land changes ownership, so does the serf’s loyalty change. Kalnachi inquisitors deal harshly with anyone they even suspect of dealing in slaves.
In Othea, there is a number of so-called “indentured servants”, who are most often bought slaves. These are generally treated well compared to slaves elsewhere, but they are still property. having an “indentured” evoker servant is seen as a particularly high prize for any rich or powerful Othean.
Harrans trading with Kalesia have learned never to bring slaves to those shores, as it is a death sentence to own a slave within Kalesian borders. Despite the difference in policy here, Harrans keep coming back to Kalesia for trade due to the rich pickings available from imperial traders.
Idris is about as strict concerning slaves as Kalnach. Some claim that they are even stricter, laying the death penalty on any who claims to own another human being. Some foreknown Harrans have commented once that death is something far more accepted in Idris than pragmatism. Their extreme stand on slavery seeps through to the nations they influence, and while Da-Hyun has managed to keep slavery legal (since Idris’ influence isn’t that large there and it’s extremely profitable), slavery in Oragos is rather illegal, though not as heavily punished as in Idris. However, the illegal slave business is still blooming in Oragos, which isn’t too surprising since it’s a long standing part of their culture and tradition.
Harrans have numerous ways to acquire slaves, and it is not unusual to see Harran slavers in the vicinity of major zones of conflict in the western parts of the world. rumors persist of Kalnachi who sell their serfs, but proof is rarely found by anyone other than the inquisitors.
Each city also has a distinguished own culture:
- Aslordan is a city whose culture is driven primarily by money, it is the largest of Harra's trade cities and everything from clothes and herbs, to coal, wood and slaves pass through its port.
- The plains of Muaador breed some of the fastest horses in western Azukhar, and make Muaador famous for their swift light cavalry.
- Ovesh is a land rich in minerals and ores which produces most of the armor and weapons to come from Harra. It also employs the greatest number of slaves in all of the 'Free' Cities.
Military:Harra as a whole fields a large number of simply trained slave soldiers, primarily as pikemen and archers. They focus primarily of operating as a unit, rather than individual skills and are typically either used for the easiest assignments, or those with the greatest casualties. These slaves are either trained for a few years before they are forced to join the army and/or picked according to their skills in battle.
Climate:In the south, especially alongst the coast, Harra has a very pleasant, temperate climate where from time to time enormous storms flood the area. These lands are famous for their oustretching and overall unhindered forests. The Harran soil is very fertile, especially the north-eastern mountains of Ovesh, which are volcanic. Due to the fertility of their lands and their good (although perhaps slightly misplaced) reputation as cities of opportunity and wealth, the three major cities of Harra have a relatively large population. However, there are some notable differences per city state.
The territory surrounding Muaador is somewhat dry compared to the other Harran city-states, and has flat plains which spread unhindered until they reach the moist coastal lands.
Aslordan is the southernmost and in general the most fertile of the three. It has a temperate climate, quite similar to Othea and Oragos, with the exception that the coastal areas have milder seasons and more rain due to their location.
Ovesh is by far the most northern, and thus the coldest of the three. Here the climate is comparable to Kalnach. The winters are harsh and the comfort of the fire is said to be one of the land’s largest blessings during those times. They're the smallest producers of food of the Free Cities, for which they make up with their production of minerals and wood.
Political climate:The Free Cities of Harra is a collective of independently governed city-states which act collectively when dealing with foreign powers and influence. Despite their constant aggression towards each other, they are like brothers in that as soon as an outside force threatens them they forget their rivalries and band together to deal with the enemy.
Aslardan's forces are primarily comprised of mercenary companies and privateers, conscripted for good pay to defend the city and the surrounding territory. This means that the military strength of Aslordan is in a constant state of flux. They may not be very virtuous, but your word and your sword are what people in Harra value most so it is extremely rare that mercenaries once bought would turn on their employers.
Ovesh is very well fortified, and the other Free Cities consider its position impractical to assail during their regular conflicts so most of the infighting done with Ovesh is performed near the borders of its territory with [inset the name of the red-purple country] and Muaador.
Muaador is known for its swift cavalry, which is of used during internal conflicts in Harra.
Da-Hyun: About three decades ago, a peace treaty was signed with Da-Hyun, resulting in Harran coastal towns no longer being plundered and Da-Hyuni merchants being less hindered by export tariffs. The trade between these neighbors is very prosperous, and their diplomatic relationships are only improved by their common mistrust towards Oragos.
Oragos: While most Harran slaves originate from Oragos and Harran’s history as a province of Oragos, the two countries currently (still) have a friendly relationship. While the Oragossi are less focussed on trade than their neighbours and Kalesia, Oragossi merchants are still a common sight in Aslordan.
Othea: While Othea isn’t their neighbour, the Harrans still maintain trade routes with this nation as well as a friendly diplomatic relationship between the Harran Majors and the Othean Royal House.
Kalesia: Being by far the greatest exporter of eastern, exotic goods, The Empire is an important, respected and greatly appreciated trade partner. Due to their warm relationship, Harra has become the greatest distributor of exotic goods on the western part of the continent, which has resulted in an enormous raise of annual profits for the Cities.
Idris: The Harrans harbour by far the coldest feelings towards this nation. While the Cities try their best to maintain positive diplomatic relationships, a large number of conflicts concerning Inquisitors who overextended their diplomatic immunity, have arisen over the last few decades.
Kalnach: Kalnach is mainly known as an transporter of Kalesian goods, Harra also has some trade routes with the Northerners, though relative few.
Religion:The city states each worship a large amount of natural deities (for example, the spirit of rain, the spirit of trees the spirit of the sea, the spirit of commerce etc. etc. etc.). Each individual is allowed to worship his or her preferred deity. Due to this tolerance and hate of strict regulation, the Holy Order of Idris has so far not been able to create a foothold in The Free Cities. Through the ocean trade, there are some smaller enclaves of the Kalesian faith in the coastal cities of Harra, helped along by their more liberal view of women. Da-Hyunin and Oragossin make up a rather large minority of the Cities, and due to this, the Faith of the Nine (though this is solely practiced by Islanders) as well as the old naturalistic Oragossi religion and the Faith of Idris have spread considerably.
Mythology:
The three forefathers of the three Harran city-states have been said to have been three brothers, As, Ov and Mu. The three were very different from one another and had been blessed accordingly. Through their brotherly rivalry, each developed their own specialism and became masters of their trade. As became a merchant who is said to have gather more riches on Azukhar than anyone had since the fall of the Old Kingdom. He founded a city near the southern coast, which soon transformed in the center of commerce of the western side of Azukhar.
His brother Ov had become a smith, who is said to have transformed his own tears into the legendary blade Vesh, that harvested a thousand souls after the death of his beloved wife and youngest daughter. After slaughtering the cruel tribe that killed half his family, Ov settled in the northern mountains. People traveled to his small shack to learn from the master crafter and soon a city had formed.
Mu did not want to create a city as his elder brothers had done. His spirit was too free to be bound to one place. Instead, he lived with the wild horses of the western plains, feeling at home in his freedom. He tamed the wild Kidor, a race of horses that are said to be faster than the wind and became the best archer of Azukhar. The Kalnachi are said to be descendants of him as well. When he died, his children buried him in the Last Hill, overlooking his beloved plains. There, a city was founded where the nomads could return during the bitter Harran winters.
The three brothers had each perfected their crafts, driven forth by their competitiveness and desire to improve themselves. Year after year, they came together on the lake’s beach to test one another’s skill and see who had improved the most. This tradition has never ceased to exist and to this day, a large festival is held where the apprentices and masters of all three cities come together near the lake to show off their skills. Together, while being so different from one another, the brothers had formed the greatest country that Azukhar had ever laid its eyes upon.
After this story, and the fact that their three cities are so strong together, a common Harran saying is “Asjiala wa kuaharra”, meaning “All perfect things come in threes”.
