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A haven for trade of all things and peoples, a jewel poised between three empires and worse things, yet possesed by none, where beggars become rich and rich men become dust. All of this fits the city of Sahil, despite how tumultuous its past and present might be.
The Beylik of Sahil is the latest form of independent rulership of the ancient city from other powers. Ever since its flourishing in the times of the Maronni and Nasher empires, this city fought for special trade independence, buying their way out of serving in wars and other unsavory matters. During the Calamity it suffered greatly, but it became an independent free city in where trade houses would act in council. This system led to cutthroat competition, flourishing of assasin and mercenary guilds and decades of war during the night. It was only when the city was anexed by the Anatol Empire and cultists from Sahrán settled on its eastern deserts that the houses got their act together, and elected to be ruled by a Bey, as they were in theory one of the many Beyliks of the Anatol Empire.
Sahil is populated mostly by humans, with sea elves and water genasi remnants from an ancient undersea empire forgotten by time, being renown sailors and navigators. Tieflings descendants of Sahrán and other lands make a fetishised minority, and a few Asker tribesmen make their down the mountain seeking work and shelter from their own kin. Sahilese society is accepting of all vices, religions, races, genders and ideas, as long as they belong to a person with pockets filled with gold. Magic is enthusiastically sponsored, with libraries and temples dedicated to its study.
Sahilese traders on the job, wearing their typical modesty robes
Powerful trade families hold most power over society, though small traders are never quashed and monopolies never get to take a chokehold on markets. Slaves and magic items are heavily taxed to finance the Beylik, but only in Sahil can one find such a diversity of both. One street in the capital of Minal Tijar sees more trade than entire cities.
The current ruler is one Bey Deniz Tukkar, a shrewd man who gained his place in the throne of the Minaret of Tijaara by proposing a deal whose details remain in secret to the main wife of the deceased Bey. He then solidified his position by expanding his harem thinking with the right head, making strategic marriages.
Sahilese Trade Guardsmen
The Beylik remains independent by being a jewel of trade, but also by posing its enemies against each other. Istvani pirates in the Island of Helenos, Larmanese mercenaries and Anatol warlords will happily throw their service if it means denying the city to another would be conqueror. The sahilese trade guard remains a semi united guild, protecting the cities and traders in their travels far abroad. In the odd chance that the Beylik finds itself in battle, it borrows the men from other nations, adding their guards, the royal palace guard, and the services of as many mages, priests and sorcerers that it can muster.
Aysun Turannor:
Aysun Turannor:
Born off disagreements within the Noker clan, the Aysun departed to find new lands to call theirs, seeking the beauty of their oldest light, the Old Mother and her truth. Their travels found them in the lands of Sahil, one of merchants, slavers, and smooth talkers. All of them liars, all of them deserving of the sword.
The Aysun Turannor are one of the smallest clans amogst the great nine, and as such, hold some of the most radical views amogst their kin. They hold the minimum required rituals to fullfill their oaths to Alsham and other deities, focusing on their love for the Old Mother, death, and truth. All Turannor despise lies and lack of honesty, but whilst scathing remarks or displeasure might be the norm with others, the Aysun will draw blood over even the smallest of white lies. They hold truth to be a gift from the Old Mother, and her in a pedestal higher than their lives.
It was this special kind of radical, zealot folk that came into the Beylik of Sahil. After the initial dread of open battle against such potetially fierce enemy, the rulers of Sahil saw the potential in their friendship and accepted them, if somewhat at an arms length.
Most Aysun remain in the desert waste seeking evil to cull, whilst their core remains within Minal Tijar, commanding the Order of The Black Serpent after having taken over its command . Their skills in surveilance, assault and stealth do not go unrewarded. Asides the violence, they are used casually by sahilese traders and commoners to seal contracts without ink. One simply needs to request a Turannor´s presence, speak the deal aloud and pay either an accorded sum. The Turannor will then hold both parties liable, for if one were to lie or break the oath, the turannor would take its head just for the insult of doing so.
Matriarch Akram Aysun
A soft spoken Matriarchy given the women´s closer tie with the Old Mother, the Aysun are ruled by their priestesess. One can recognize an Aysun by their black and purple robes, with hoods instead of the typical turban. Other deities or ideas are met with friendly apathy, yet apathy nonetheless. Suprisingly, for a clan so abhorrent of lies, even by Turannor standards, they are no strangers to ambushes, assasination and sabotage. When not serving or fullfilling oaths or praying to the Old mother, their favorite past time is taking the heads of blood cultists in the vast empty of the northeast of the Beylik, for they violate the order of life and death, thus insulting their goddess.
Order of The Black Serpent:
Order of The Black Serpent:
The Black Serpent Himself, now deceased
The peace of Sahil is balanced on a rapier´s point, at any moment any faction could make it collapse, from within or without, and the rulers of Sahil understand that being cautious is not enough. After countless assasinations in the days where the trade houses hired their own henchmen, the new Beylik was established with its own shadowy arm. The Order of The Black Serpent it came to be known, named after the first mythical assasin who offered its services. Theirs is the task to keep the status quo in Sahil, no matter what they need to do.
Its membership is a secret, its actions might be, if they wish to. The order is funded by a portion of the tax revenue, but answers only to itself. Since the trade houses and the Bey himself is a threat to the balance of things, they are more often than not, the victim of the black serpent. A trader trying to establish a monopoly will be warned, once, then appear on its bed bitten by a dozen black snakes. A Larmanese captain trying to muster troops for an attempt at conquering Sahil will unfortunately fall off a tall building with three accidental stabs to the neck. Assasination, sabotage, manipulation, whatever it takes to ensure that Sahil remains independent, and no one alters its status.
Black Serpent Oathsworn
The Black Serpent´s inner mechanisms are a mystery to all, with only a few glimpses being known. Initiates are drawn from natives to the Beylik, and only they may become Oathsworn to it. Asides them, thugs, mercenaries, or other peoples may be contracted as needed, but the decisionmaking remains in these mysterious oathsworn.
The order used to be suspected of worshipping dark creatures and carrying acts of evil. They posess outposts far and wide in the region, and are known to have their greatest somewhere in Minal Tijar.
If anything resembling a battle comes to the order, it will be after multiple subterfuge, assasination and infiltration acts to weaken the enemy. The order preffers battle by a thousand bites, which has allowed them to keep all the enemies of the Beylik at bay when the more common means of diplomacy have failed.
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