![[ekbir.png|250]] *His Sublime Magnificence, Xarguun al-Daoud II, Sultan of Ekbir, Aasimar Cleric of Geshtai 16 (Life domain)* **Government:** Independent feudal monarchy with hereditary ruler; advised by an immortal Marid grand vizier and a Council of Faith comprised of the clerical representatives of each of the “good” Baklunish deities (with the High Priestess of Geshtai being pre-eminent amongst them) **Capital:** Ekbir City (pop. 37,445) **Major Towns:** Farakash, Fashtri, Hadash, Kofeh, Unator, Varakash **Provinces:** Numerous minor sheikdoms **Resources:** Foodstuffs (especially seafood), cloth, wood, ship-building supplies, hemp **Coinage:** Star (pp) sextant (gp), galley (ep), wave (sp), dory (cp) **Population:** 1,960,000—Human 90% (B), Halfling 4%, Dwarf, 2%, Genasi 2%, Elf 1%, Other 1% **[[Languages for Genies & Giants|Languages.]]** Baklunish (low, ancient), Primordial **Allies:** Ataphad Confederacy, Tusmit (sometimes) **Enemies:** Chakyik (sometimes), Ket (sometimes), Knights of the Watch ___ [[Ekbiri Characters]] ___ Founded by survivors of the Invoked Devastation who fled northeast, the small port-city quickly grew as northern nomads came to trade with the new settlers. Ekbir’s southern and eastern borders are formed by the Tuflik and Blashikmund rivers, while her northern border follows the Yatils to their terminus in the Yecha Hills. This arm of the mountains is filled by the Udgru Forest, a largely untamed region where the Sultan’s authority does not go unchallenged. Ekbir, located on the coast of the Dramidj Ocean, boasts one of the most imposing fortresses in all the Flanaess within her capital city. The city of Ekbir and the coastal areas of Ekbir are mild and pleasant year-round. The interior of is entirely another matter, for the winters there can be quite severe. The Nifen River marks an unofficial boundary between the settled and wild lands of Ekbir. The country is quite fertile, and the interior is almost purely agrarian. The people are very devout for the most part, and some followers could be described as zealots. Most citizens are worshippers of the Baklunish pantheon with special focus on the worship of Geshtai, and even those who hold her or some other deity or deities as patron still have great reverence for Istus as the Lady of Fate. Ekbir’s military is more than sufficient for the defence of the realm; although they have given up the nomadic lifestyle, the Ekbiri still have a strong love of horses and a large force of seasoned light and medium cavalry patrols her borders and pilgrimage routes, and a one-thousand-man army of mace and scimitar-wielding heavy infantry is personally commanded by the Sultan himself. The nation’s formidable war-fleet is based primarily from the capital city, though her mercantile fleet is divided almost equally between the capital and the more southerly port of Kofeh. The shipyards of Hadash Bay are quite busy as well, refitting several ships of state to honour the fiftieth anniversary of Xarguun’s reign as Sultan. Ekbir is arguably the oldest of the Baklunish states in the Flanaess being founded by the second cohort of Baklunish refugees to leave Tovag Baragu after the Invoked Devastation. While the Djinni Risay led her cohort away from the sacred stone circle first, Ekbir the Marid was the first to guide his people to their final homeland on the Dramidj and through his great magics, is said to have raised the Old City of Ekbir in a single day in -392 CY. Ekbir, a devout and eternal servant of the goddess Geshtai, encouraged his charges to likewise focus their devotion on her. The dynasty of Amir’s that Ekbir established were universally clerics of Geshtai. The simple guidelines he established for proper government, trade, and agriculture were quickly elaborated upon by his followers. Within twenty years of the city’s founding, a well-defined social order was achieved. While most of the rest of the Flanaess was in disorder, Ekbir was an island of stability and benevolence, and it is largely because of the marid known as Ekbir that much of the history, culture and religion of the Ancient Baklunish peoples have survived to our current age. From its founding, Zeif has sought suzerainty over the nation of Ekbir and many minor wars have been fought over such demands over the centuries. There was peace for nearly a century following the largest of such conflicts, known as the Ataphads War (325-335 CY), when in 426 CY, the Sultan of Zeif again sent emissaries to Ekbir and demanded subjugation to the Padishah Sultan and the Baklunish Empire of Zeif. The great Marid Noble, Vizier Ekbir, and the lower priesthood of Geshtai encouraged the Sultan to resist Zeif but Amir Mumanar III was never known for his strength of character, and he announced to the Grand Council his intent to finally submit Ekbir to Zeif. The next morning the royal palace awoke to find Mumanar dead in his bed chambers. The Vizier immediately declared martial law and declared himself Regent-Vizier of Ekbir, an act quickly ratified by the Grand Council to stave off chaos in the streets. Mumanar’s eldest son, Prince Farhad, was technically in line to become the next Amir but because he had yet to achieve high priesthood, by tradition he was unable to be crowned until doing so. Unfortunately, Farhad disappeared while leading an adventuring party in the Yatil Mountains in 430 CY leaving no heirs. Recognising the precariousness of ruling indefinitely as Regent, the Vizier swiftly set about securing the support of the Grand Council to anoint a new ruler. By carefully manipulating the Council’s clerics, he ensured they accepted Xarguun al-Kofeh, a high-ranking cleric and his trusted ally, as Sultan of Ekbir. This move restored nominal royal authority while allowing the Vizier to maintain significant influence through Xarguun’s reign and over that of his three successors, down to the current Sultan, the aging Xarguun II. Over the next decade, the Vizier’s influence remained strong as Ekbir entered a period of stability and growth. By 440 CY, he had restructured the Grand Council of Faith, further consolidating power by removing representatives of Xan-Yae and Zuoken, dismissing their faiths as foreign cults. In their place, he elevated the heads of the influential Houses Hashem and Zana of the Mouqollod Consortium, staunch allies of the followers of Geshtai. This alliance between the faiths of Geshtai and Mouqol brought about an economic boom, particularly along the Ataphad trade routes connecting Ekbir to Mur and the west. Ekbir has had peace since the end of the Ataphad Wars, allowing it to establish a strong and stable economy. Ekbir is on good terms with the people of its neighbour, Tusmit, as well as with the Beygraf of Ket. The relationship between Ekbir and Zeif, on the other hand, is near ruin again. For the last twenty years the sultan has sought to again advance Zeif’s claim as the highest temporal authority in all Baklunish lands. Ekbir and the Grand Council have rejected this utterly on the basis of history, and also on morality, pointing to the corruption in the sultan’s court. Ships from one nation are now routinely harassed in the ports of the other, or simply refused berth. It is hoped that the growing tensions can be resolved without violence, but the armies of the Vizier stand ready to defend their nation. To the north, Ekbir is sometimes raided by the Chakyik but they also just as often employ them as mercenaries and scouts as conditions require.