Saramar

Known as the Free City of Saramar, it is a very large city-state located in Risalla Desert in the southern parts of the continent. Villages and towns in the surrounding areas have traded for countless years with Saramar and look to it for protection. Saramar is a city where all are welcome, no matter the race, as long as they are good people and treat others fairly and as equals. It is a haven for people who have been ousted, hunted and prosecuted in other realms and is a symbol of freedom. People there mainly worship Goldenveil, Goddess of the Dead and Justice; the protector of the city.

General
Around the city, besides villages and towns that have formed, exist other cities smaller than your average city. There are six of those smaller cities and their names are Alkatia, Narzim, Sefareba, Halsi, Mother's Embrace and Ilkir. They are some miles off of Saramar but are near enough to enjoy Saramar's protection and they even follow Saramar's laws and worship Goldenveil all the same.

During the Scarring, a mortal Goldenveil took the city from the doomed and collapsing continent of Ule and flew it across the Great Eastern Sea. She moved west into what is now Eolda and the city settled there for a time. After seeing the conflicts in that land and not wishing to involve her already suffering people, Goldenveil once again took the city to the skies. She opted to bring it south to Risalla Desert; a climate and terrain the city and its people were already familiar with.

Most of the faithful refer to the Goddess as  Mother  and refer to themselves as  Her Children  and follow her teachings. This is because while Goldenveil was still mortal, she did not have biological children but instead saw every one of her people as her  children  ; people to be loved, protected, guided and cared for. She effectively spent most of her mortal life striving to better the life of her people, and to teach them to be free, fair and just towards others and themselves; yet another reason why Saramar has adopted a lifestyle of equality among its people where everyone benefits by cooperating with one another and not by exploiting others. This change was a huge task to be undertaken back then and a big turning point for the city considering its long history of slavery and corruption at the hands of the old and subverted plutocracy.

Consequently, Saramar has no ruler and instead has a spiritual  leader  that the people call  Elder Brother  or  Elder Sister  that guides people according to the teachings of the benevolent goddess and tends to their needs as an important part of the Church of Goldenveil. Right now, there are two spiritual leaders, two aasimar twins named Anen and Kaliyah; brother and sister. They are both loved by the people and do anything in their power to follow Goldenveil’s teachings and help the people. As per Her teachings, '' all people are equal and free and should decide their fate while united. Anyone seeking to rule and exploit other people and be above them has no place here. ''  And so it has been.

Of course, there are those that do not conform to these examples. People that seek to indeed exploit others for their benefit, thieves and even murderers have been found in the city and they are subjugated by the law. Those that have commited terrible crimes though are exiled and are declared enemies of the city and peace. Such enemies and a fair share of danger lurk outside the city, be it cutthroats and bandits once exiled from the city, desert critters like Giant Scorpions, Jackalweres, or Tlincalli raiders among others.

Saramar's population is around 500.000 if one counts the surrounding villages and towns and the six cities outside. The population of the city proper is around 300.000. Various people of many a race live in Saramar and the surrounding lands, and one can expect to see drow, tieflings, slimespawn, tabaxi, half-elves, half-dwarves, half-orcs and others walking in the roads going about their business among other races like lenavi, dwarves, loxodons, and humans.

The main language spoken in Saramar is Common, although there are many other languages spoken around the city both in and out of its walls since its populace is one of the most diverse in Rythalion.

Districts
Saramar's structure is divided into five large districts. The Fountains District, the Market District, the Arena District, the Godsent Plaza District and the Temple District.

Fountains District
One of the most populated districts, the Fountains District is also where water flows into the city from the Saramar Springs. People from all over the city come here to get water from the numerous fountains meant for all to enjoy. Other fountains in the city exist of course, its just that this area has the most by far. It sees so much traffic that peddlers sometimes leave from the Market District to do business in the roads of this district.

Market District
This district is where most of the trade in the city happens. Shops of all kinds exist here; from food stalls to blacksmiths selling their work, to general stores, to magic shops and many other kinds. All are welcome to do trade as long as they are respectful and don't con anyone or steal merchandise of course.

Arena District
Here lies the namesake of the district itself, the Arena. Dubbed as Silverheart Colosseum in honor of the hero Altaera Silverheart who loved the sport and arenas, the colosseum is where many sports take place and among them sparring matches among various warriors. Some criminals of not so serious offenses also have the choice to compete in the arena in a series of sparring matches without pay for the enjoyment of the spectators in order to be absolved of their crime. Of course someone with three offenses is a repeat violator and loses the right to compete. All combat events in the arena are non lethal.

Godsent Plaza District
This sector of the city is where the people honor the Godsent, a group of heroes that have saved the city time and again, otherwise known as Goldenveil's Companions. Back then, the grateful citizens of Saramar had given the group the name Godsent since it was like the gods themselves sent them to the city. In their time, the Godsent had freed the city from the plutocracy, ended slavery, saved the city from being dragged into the Nine Hells and led an army in a successful assault against creatures from the Shadow Plane led by the forces of the now dead god Varacres. In the middle of this district is a square where statues of the heroes of the group stand to this day. There were six of them respectively: Aurora Goldenveil the Half-Elf Cleric, Altaera Silverheart the Air Genasi Fighter, Amir Al' Hakim the Human Monk, Helga Safi the Half-Elf Rogue, Richard Castle the Human Wizard and Valreth Ilrich the Human Paladin. The people of Saramar still tell stories of their bravery and accomplishments, some of them true and some of them myths.

Temple District
In this district lies the most famed landmark of Saramar, the Temple of Goldenveil. It was built after Aurora passed and became the Goddess of the Dead. The temple itself is a hollowed-out gargantuan statue of the goddess Goldenveil, as the people imagined her visage after she ascended and became a deity. The clergy and priests of Goldenveil live inside the statue which also houses a chapel for the worship of other deities. It is so large that it can be seen from miles away from the city. Hundreds of worshippers come and go daily, honoring the goddess for all the things she had done in life for the city and the legacy she left. Thusly, Saramarans take the matter of death seriously and view it as a natural end to the cycle of life, something not to be afraid of; for after they die they will be next to Goldenveil herself; She Who Judges Justly. Speaking of justice, as Goldenveil's portfolio also has justice as a concept, the people take serious injustices as a grave offense and those who commit them are immediately put on trial by the church and if found guilty are exiled from the city.

Trade
Saramar mostly trades with towns and villages near its proximity. Some merchant caravans opt to go to places far from Saramar from time to time in order to bring merchandise otherwise not found in Saramar. Some caravans make the long trip and go to Heikkon or even Yense. Inside the desert, the caravans sometimes go to Pik'Ik'Cha's Encampment in order to trade but mostly head for the Jewel of Risalla. Travel in the desert requires the use of camels and the help of guards due to frequent Giant Scorpion attacks or desert marauders among other threats. The city exports camel hide and fat as well as minerals found in natural caves found west of the city. Some of them are flooded though as an underground river passes through; some speculate that the water in the Saramar Springs comes from that river. They also export antidotes extracted by the desert scorpions found in the vicinity. One of the prominent merchandise Saramar exports outside of Risalla Desert is the palm nut found in palm trees spread around Saramar and Risalla Desert.

Welcoming of All
Saramar welcomes all. Thats a saying that goes around, and this saying has attracted people and communities not welcome in most other realms in Rythalion. As long as they are respectful of the laws of Saramar, don't bring danger to the city and its citizens, respect the freedom of others and don't try to exploit anyone they are welcome. As a result, close-knit communities that had nowhere else to turn to in order to be among friends and people of different cultures flocked into Saramar.

One prime example of this is the community of the drow that had come in the city seeking refuge and a place to call home. Most of them worship Eilistraee, the drow Goddess of Freedom, Moonlight and Song and oppose the ways of the drow who worship the ruthless and demonic Lolth. Even though these drow don't hurt anyone and some of them even worship a deity that is an advocate of peace, many still scorned them and attacked them for being drow; such is the reputation of the dark elves in many realms across Rythalion. In Saramar however the drow refugees have found peace over the years and live in harmony with the rest of the city in which they are a part of. Since then other wayward drow that seek a home have flocked to Saramar.

Half-breeds and tieflings have also found a haven in Saramar, as half-breeds are scorned in many realms in the continent due to the fact that the majority of half-breeds cannot give birth and because of their shady parentage. Tieflings on the other hand are shunned and feared because of their fiendish heritage, although through no fault of their own, most live in seclusion and don't blend well with crowds. People in Saramar however won't even think that half-breeds and tieflings are trouble and cursed and evil just because of existing.

As for other religions and the worship of other deities like Eilistraee, Saramar is open and welcoming as long as said deity is not evil and its worship does not hinder the peace, is not in contrast to the teachings of Goldenveil and does not break the city's laws.

In general, as Elder Sister Kaliyah has said before:  If you are not a bad person and don't hate others for their race, sex, gender or sexual orientation or anything else that does not concern you and you don't exploit others, you are more than welcome in Saramar. Otherwise, don't bother visiting. The city is closed for you.