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
Jassira was once the destination of choice for Belharan nobles looking to buy slaves. The ancient sultans valued prestige and attention from the mighty nation, and many owned vast harems of slaves themselves. The wealthy class of the two nations were closely intertwined, as Jassiran slaves were known for being able to handle rough conditions. Tribes were enslaved wholesale to divide in sale to nobles from any nation able to afford them.
After the fall and the events of the godswar, Jassira recovered quickly. In a matter of years it became one of the foremost nations in trade and consumerism. While still keeping a hand in the slave market, they shifted mainly to slave "imports" with royalty holding harem variety as a significant boasting point.
Geography
Jassira is a sandy desert land with infamously hot days, and blistering cold nights. It rarely rains there, and as a result few plants grow through the majority of the region. Lush plant-life exists on rivers and oases, but these are far and few between. Most cities are built on these rivers to allow easier access to water.
Cait remarks that she has never seen as many trees in her life as she has with the forests of the Frost Marches.
Government
Jassira is ruled by a Sultanate, with the current ruler being a Sultana. Many of the regional governors are close to the royal family, making it easy for her to enact laws.
At some point before Leorah left Jassira, the Sultana was giving out many edicts that some considered crazy. These edicts changed frequently (in the order of months), making it difficult to follow the ones in effect at any given time.
Culture
Jassiran society is much more open than the cloistered village of Hawkethorne, with topics considered taboo elsewhere being common street gossip. Slavery in particular is much less of a taboo than in other parts of the world. It's common for even middle class citizens to own at least one slave. Slaves are most often used for manual labor and childcare, and it's not uncommon to see slaves shopping for their owners at local markets. Treating ones slaves badly is seen as disrespectful, and can result in being shunned from high class society.
Given that firewood is sparse, and an expensive import on top of that, the majority of Jassira opts to go without. After all, warm bodies and thick blankets are in ample supply.
Religion
Mallach is the most commonly worshiped god in Jassira, and there are multiple temples to him in any given region.
Economy
Jassira thrives on the export of silks and spices, easily maintaining it's wealth through trade with the rest of the world. Imports consist mostly of a wide variety of slaves, along with fruits and vegetables for personal gardens.
Mythology
Kiyoko tells of a story in which the Trickster god Keros humbled a past Sultan of Jassira, and emptied all the wealth from his treasury.
Trivia
- According to Savin, a real-world analogue of Jassira would be a mix of ancient Egypt and Babylon.