The Grand City of Osmuli
-Faction Type: City/Nation-State
NATIONAL-Capital: Osmuli
-Government Type: Merchant Republic/Plutocracy
-Currency: Osmong
-Population: 3 Million
-Unique Trait #1: A Million Spears: To defend her precious trade routes, the Grand City needed a military force capable of defending her authority. Thus, during the days of the Iron League, slaves eunuchs and heretics were drafted and forged into the Million Spears. If there were indeed a million spears is up for debate however. Regardless, since the days of the Iron League the Grand City has held a tradition of enlisting her damned into the Spears and sending them off to defend the trade of the Grand City.
-Unique Trait #2: (Created by me)
-Unique Flaw #1: Hive of Scum and Villainy: The Grand City has seen far greater days. Gangs, more often than not enlisted and controlled by rival merchants, dominate the lower quarter of Osmuli and duke it out for control over inner-city power. Though as of yet this violence has yet to affect the higher echelons of power, it is only a matter of time until someone takes it too far and the Gold Council will have to take a stand...
-Unique Flaw #2 (Created by me)
GEOGRAPHICAL
-World-Realm Map:
-Major Cities: While the Grand City stakes claim over lands outside her walls, the 'center of the world' remains in Osmuli and the rulers of the state have had little interest in changing that stance. However, minor settlements scour the claimed lands of the Grand City and often make up the trade routes and paths leading to Osmuli.
-Major Castles: The Golden Palace: Since the first days of the Grand City, before it was quite as grand, the Golden Palace has loomed over the city as a reminder of the grandeur and power of the Gold Council and the Viziers who have ruled. It is said that the Palace existed before the formation of the Grand City, and that the Golden Palace is indeed a restored ruin of a former civilization.
Sand's Edge: The Sand's Edge is the only fortification that stands outside of the Grand City. Sand's Edge stands solitude along the route known as 'The Widow's Tears'. The fortification also remains a favorite spot for caravaneers to rest and settle after a long march through the seemingly endless wastes.
-Buildings of Interest: Spicer's Rest: Spicer's Rest is a brothel within Osmuli famed for it's exotic and 'interesting' variety of tastes and flavors. The brothel has also gained infamy for being the home of many secret deals and negotiations between the Merchant Lords of Osmuli.
-Geographic Features of Interest: Saliblah: The great mountain that houses the valley of Osmuli and her Grand City. Saliblah is a sand mountain stretching sixty miles and centering at the Grand City. While the mountain is passable, and many merchants take the risk to avoid Osmuli tax, they also remain treacherous and make the perfect home for ambitious bandit gangs wanting to stake their claim to riches.
The Widow's Tears: A river cleaving directly through the Grand City. The Widow's Tears is the central trade route of the Osmuli and their claim to economic fame. A canal has since been formed within Osmuli so as to centralize the Golden Council's economic domination of the water-route, though the canal guards are known to let ambitious merchants through without tax given the proper amount of coin or goods.
RACIAL
-Majority Race: The Grand City is predominantly human culturally and aesthetically. However, races of all creeds and colors have permission to enter and live within Osmuli so long as they follow the laws, regulations, and customs of the City alongside pay a 'foreigners tax' for each year of their stay. While the City's lower quarter has become a melting pot culturally, the Golden Palace is off limits to foreigners and non-humans cannot join the clergy or enter governance of Osmuli.
NATIONAL DRAMATIS PERSONAE
-Head of State/Monarch: Grand Vizier
Asil Faruq-Ruling Dynasty (If applicable): N/A
-Constable Of The Army (If applicable): Serdar
Abu Rasidiq-Religious Head (If Applicable): Asam
Yarila Parsha-Persons of interest:
- 'Laesh': The faceless proprietor of the 'Spicer's Rest'. Few have met Laesh personally, and fewer live to tell the tale. Though some wander the streets, tongueless, knowing the true identity of the Brothel-owner...
- 'Tamar Sarek': The current face of the merchant lords and owner of the largest caravan in Osmuli. Rumored to associate with Iron League sympathizers.
CULTURAL
-History: The origin of Ahmet Yarish has been lost to the sands, but his legacy stands in gold today. In folklore, Ahmet was the workboy to an old merchant lord, an abusive old man in a city forgotten to time. In retaliation to the abuses of his master, Ahmet stole a ruby gemstone and hid it away. However, before he had hid the gem, the ruby showed the young man a vision. In this vision, a golden palace rose from a sea of coin, and in the center Ahmet sat upon a throne that shined so bright it was blinding. In just those few moments Ahmet knew, he must make this vision reality. Thus, one night after torrent of physical and emotional beatings, Ahmet poisoned the old man's wine. The following day he took the man's wealth and possessions and rode with a caravan of his own to find his destiny in the sand.
Decades past, and Ahmet never found the sea of coin that promised his throne. Finally, after so long, Ahmet fell to his knees at the Widow's Tears and cried. In a rage, he prepared to throw the cursed ruby into the waters and forget it's false visions. A new vision came, one of Ahmet standing at the Widow's Tears, the waters turned to coin. It was in that moment that he realized what his vision had originally meant. Water is coin.
In the following years, the Grand City came to birth with Ahmet as the First Vizier and the Vizier's Eye as his crest. Historians have debated when exactly the Grand City was proclaimed, but the general consensus remains that these tales came to be over 400 years ago.
Modern history for the Grand City began only a mere 100 years ago, during the reign of Grand Vizier Abu Gana in 2914. Gana met a bloody death at the hands of his own counselors, who had grown tired of his whore-mongering and reckless behavior. These counselors, all merchant lords, agreed that no mere man should hold control of a city such as Osmuli. These men agreed to share their power, and the Iron League came to be. The lower quarter did not take well to this new plutocracy, viewing it was unjust and not the way Ashesh or Vizier Ahmet had willed Osmuli to be run. To quell these whispers of illegitimacy and demands for a new election, the League used fear and terror to stomp out these 'ill thoughts'. In a single day, 150 men and women faced the blade in a series of beheadings known as 'The Wrath of Iron'. In addition to this rise of authoritarianism, the League crafted a new armed forces to replace their small and untrained predecessors. Taking bastard sons, eunuchs, and slaves all no older than 12, the Million Spears were born. Boys beaten and forced to fight to survive in rigid training and live combat. Forged by fire, the Million Spears fought for the League with devotion and loyalty.
The League was birthed in blood, and thus would die in blood as well. In 2956, 42 years into their reign, the League collapsed. Infighting between the merchant lords hit a boiling point, and Million Spear legions had to take sides and choose which lord they felt most loyal to. In the end, however, the Million Spears banded together and showed loyalty to the city of Osmuli. Thus, with their own blades turned against them, the Iron League conceded and a new election came to pass. Grand Vizier Kemal Raka began his, subsequently uneventful, rule. While the Iron League officially disbanded, many believe ambitious merchant lords meet in secret to this day and speak praise of the League; perhaps hoping for a revival of the bloody regime.
RELIGION, MAGIC and ARCHEO-TECH
-State Religion: The Eternal Waters, Ashesh.
-Religious Information: Azoth was not always such a barren landscape. Once, water flowed in vast rivers and interconnected streams, filling the world with life. The eternal god, Ashesh, cut pieces from their immortal coil and bonded forever with this world as a showing of their love. The pieces of Ashesh filled Azoth with magic and arcana, and all the world was plentiful. However, mortals turned their back on Ashesh's blessings. They began praying silently to other gods, gods above the sky and below the earth.
To punish mortals for their foolishness, Ashesh brought pestilence. In a single swipe of rage, the waters of the world boiled so hot they turned to mist, the ground became flame, and Azoth was forever changed. Now, the world is barren, and water is scarce. However, this is not the end. Followers of Ashesh live in, and pray and beg for their gifts once again. They confess their sins, their ignorance and foolishness, in the hopes that some day Ashesh shall give mercy to Azoth and restore the waters of life.
-Religion Demographics: A large majority of the common folk and merchant lords of Osmuli follow the Asheshi faith, alongside those in the outer limits of the Grand City, though exact numbers are difficult to say.
-Holy Sites Under Control: The Water's Light: Also known as Tarasha, the Water's Light is the central authority in the Asheshi faith. A giant temple covered in ancient runes and script that give praise to Ashesh and to the waters of the Widow. Within Asheshi water-priests and priestesses give long, often drawn out, sermons speaking of Ashesh's blessings to mortality and how all mortals are filled with Ashesh's gift. The Head of the Faith remains to be Asam Yarila Parsha, the 'Water Father'.
-Archeo-Tech: Vizier's Eye: The origin of the Vizier's eye is lost to time, however it's prominence is not. Since the first Grand Vizier, Ahmet Yarish, the ruby gemstone has been passed to each subsequent Vizier. The jewel, within folklore and legend, gives it's wearer visions of the future and paths to wealth. The legend extends to believe that most of the wealth and success of the Grand City is due only to the Vizier's Eye. Thus, the gem is said to be more valuable than anything within the Grand City and perhaps the known world.
MILITARY
-Total Military Size: 3,000 Million Spear Infantry, 1,000 Million Spear Horse Lords
-Military Details: 2,000 Infantrymen remain in the Grand City at all times, the remaining Infantry and Horse Lords are distributed predominantly to the Sand's Edge or to taxation and protection duties to caravans entering Osmuli limits.
- Equipment
A
Osmuli Infantryman is equipped with the following.
- 1x Iron/Steel Dagger
- 1x Iron/Steel Spear
- Fabric undergarments with plate protective armor
- 1x Iron/Steel Helmet
A
Osmuli Horse Lord is equipped with the following.
- 1x Steel Arming Sword
- 20x Iron Arrows
- 1x Wooden Bow
- 5x Wooden Javelins
Member
