Ešērate of Šapliḫīti

The Ešērate of Šapliḫīti was historically an important center of the sugar industry long before independence. Though the plant is not native to the region, it had already arrived from the Archelin Isles as far back as 1500 BC via Gnomish trade dissemination. For much of the heart of Ursumar lands it was an interesting novelty and a productive cash crop, but would not be cultivated on large scale thanks to local conditions. However, by the time of the Divinity of Latter Bāblus, the industry began to take hold in Šapliḫīti. Then a lightly populated borderland between the Aimaur and Ursumar, the Iššin of Sarfun began to expand his territory into the region and began centralizing sugar production there, hoping to make a play for supremacy. This scheme failed, but when the Divinity of Ashēryku took the Divine throne and abolished the Iššinates, the region was split from Sarfun as a way to reduce Ešēra power. The region would see major population growth through the Ashērykan era, but leveled off by the time Bēlqūašdu took the throne. Hit hard by the Great Death of Ærellion thanks to the crowded and unsanitary situation of many of its workers, it took a backseat to Binašru-ku for some time. As an Ešērate which had great (though unequal) wealth despite its small size, Šapliḫīti was constantly struggling for influence against both Annišāḫūtu and Binašru-ku, a situation which followed the Ešērate into independence.

As both Annišāḫūtu and Binašru-ku declared independence in 1974 and began preparing to conquer the province while Bēlqūašdu remained in turmoil, Šapliḫīti was forced to defend itself. With an absence of help from Bēlqūašdu, the Ešēra made the decision to declare independence himself and hoped to lead both Annišāḫūtu and Binašru-ku into fighting over the Ešērate between themselves instead of invading. This strategy only partially worked, but both Annišāḫūtu and Binašru-ku have been unable to invade, knowing they would immediately prompt a response from the other, and Šapliḫīti has settled into an uneasy peace. Šapliḫīti would also see its territory expand to encompass both Sarfun and Hitārra as both cities feared Annišāḫūtu seizing control over them, deciding to align with the Šapliḫīti instead. This further stymied any Annišāḫūtu plans because it means that Annišāḫūtu and Šapliḫīti share a land border, so Annišāḫūtu can't just rely on landing in and pacifying Eppūr itself. The incorporation of these two cities has also allowed Šapliḫīti to diversify their economy. Hitārra's site at the mouth of an important estuary means that any trade passing down the river from Bēlqūaš must pass through it, and the city is the second largest in lakeside trade volume after only Annišāḫūtu. Sarfun's location as a defensible fort in the highlands makes it a good choke point for an attack from the north, and without taking that city it would be hard to siege Hitārra. Sarfun is also home to the Temple of Sarfun, one of the major deities of the Alwatian religion, making it an important religious site. Finally, though the rest of the highlands remain in Bēlqūašdic hands, Sarfun is the center of the region's incense trade, so Šapliḫīti, not Bēlqūašdu, reaps the rewards of the region's populace.