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The gateway to the east and second only to Roma, Jahan is civilisation's jewel of the north. Whilst its ships pass to the east in search of the exotic, so do trading caravans of the Khazim see it as a gateway to the west.
This privileged position between two worlds has set this apart from the other cities, for none else can rival its wealth in variety and mystery. No respecter of established position, fortunes come and go with the breeze, for life ever contains a speculative quality within Jahan. Such uncertainty may deter some investors, but for every one who so declines there are three others who will vie with one another for the some opportunity.
Social mobility is unusually fluid therefore, noble & merchant houses rising and falling with the flowing tide. A change in circumstance can occur not just through the providence of commerce, but also through intrigue, vice, and violence. The tool of those without the whit of alternatives, assassination is considered as a poor form of dialogue but an acceptable business strategy for all of that. Use of the addictive substances associated with the Khazim is not uncommon, and growing in popularity amongst the noble houses. Duels are becoming fashionable; leaving many a family to keep a closer eye on their third or fourth sons should the need arise.
And yet for all of this, Jahan is a city under siege.
The tales of the Gaels and their raids upon Tirnalis were well known, and when word came from the north of outlying villages being attacked it was but a matter of curiosity for the citizens of Jahan. Such curiosity became anxiety when it became obvious that the attackers, rather than returning from whence they had come, were settling for a time and then moving on...every closer.
By the time the barbarians arrived at the city itself panic had already set in, many fleeing the relative safety of the walls for the road to Fytraval in the south, or if means allowed by boat to Roma. But their ancestors had foreseen such a day and had built accordingly. No matter their martial proficiency in the field, these Urdaal were no match for the craft and guile of those who had first made Jahan's walls and the brave few who remained.
When the barbarians left, a great cry ushered from a thousand mouths at the victory that had been won. Bloodied as they were though, the Urdaal merely retreated back to what they had already claimed. Attempts to recapture these prizes through bribery or the hiring of military companies from the south have led to mixed results. The flow of produce from Vetiver has reduced to a trickle so that even the prices of basic goods have risen sharply. Only the Khazim caravans seem unaffected by the uncertainty.
The cycle continues as ever, but there is even more at stake for all concerned.
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