Jassira

A desert realm in the world of Savarra, which lies across the southern sea from the Frost Marches, Jassira is a major home of the Catfolk race, and is the native home of Cait, Calla, and Leorah.

History

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The kitsune Kiyoko recounts a tale of the trickster god, Keros, who humiliated a past male sultan of Jassira. Given that Kiyoko was trapped within the amber orb at the time, and that she fought during the Godswar, the event must have taken place over 250 years ago:

The story goes that the Sultan, ruler of Jassira, was proud and thought himself the cleverest man in the realm. It was true that he was extremely learned, and a man such as he enjoyed calling scholars from all over Savarra to ask them questions none could answer. One day, he issued a challenge that whoever could answer where the center of the world was would receive all the wealth of Jassira. Answering wrongly would result in death. However, the Sultan himself did not know the answer, but was betting his brilliant reputation would mean people would assume he did.

Keros, disguised as a spindly catfolk vagabond, came before the Sultan claiming to have the answer. When asked, he said the center of the world is "right under my feet. It goes wherever I go, oh Sultan; as I move, so does the center of the world". The Sultan thought the answer ridiculous, but could not prove him wrong or provide his own argument, because he had none.

Unwilling to part with the fortune of Jassira, he and asked "how many stars are in the sky?", to which Keros said "neither too many nor too few". The Sultan, outraged, said that was incorrect, but Kero's pointed out, again, that he could not prove it.

Finally, the Sultan asked "how many hairs are there on my head?", and Keros said "as many as there are on my tail". Again the Sultan said he must be wrong, but when asked to prove it, he would not face the task of having all those hairs counted. Humiliated, he ordered for Keros to be seized, but the trickster god revealed himself before the Sultan in his court, and said:

"You think yourself clever, oh Sultan, and indeed you are so. But always remember that there are always those more clever than you."

Keros then vanished, and the Sultan later found that his treasury had been completely emptied of all the wealth of Jassira.

Geography

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Jassira is a sandy desert land with infamously hot days, and less-known cold nights. It rarely rains there, and as a result few plants grow there. Cait remarks that she has never seen as many trees in her life as she has with the forests of the Frost Marches.

Government

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Jassira is ruled by a Sultan or Sultana (female sultan). The current ruler is a Sultana. At some point before Leorah left Jassira, the Sultana was giving out many edicts that some (like Leorah) considered crazy. These edicts changed frequently (in the order of months), making follow the ones in effect at the time difficult for citizens.

Culture

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Despite the cold nights, many Jassirans don't have fires near where they sleep, as firewood is expensive and burning the alternatives nearby can be dangerous (Leorah claims many have alternative ways of keeping warm).

Cait comments that the people in Hawkethorne very much keep to themselves, suggesting that Jassiran culture is much more communicative, expressive, and open.

Khor'minos, the city of the minotaurs is legendary, even back in Jassira.

According to Cait, even in a land where the god Mallach is popular, sexual activities involving a catfolk's tail are considered niche.

Religion

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The god Mallach is commonly worshipped in Jassira, and there are multiple temples to him there.

Economy

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Kiyoko tells of a story in which the Trickster god Keros humbled a past Sultan of Jassira, and emptied all the wealth from his treasurey. It is unknown what effect this had upon Jassira's government and economy, but it must have been devastating.

Making and sustaining fires is expensive because not much wood grows there.

Trivia

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• A real-world analogue of Jassira would be a mix of ancient Egypt and Babylon.