Al'Qarad: City of the Sacred Sands

Two races founded the city together in the early 400's AC, the Asherati, and the Mushokteh (also known as the Bronzelings). No tale of the city is quite complete without a discussion of its founding races. Beginning with the Asherati; they are a sand-dwelling people, about the size and shape of an elf, but thinner. They account for twenty-five percent of the population of Al'Qarad. It is said that they are to sand as merfolk are to sea, and they are known to dwell all throughout the vastness of the Abakan, though not in such numbers as the humans of the north or orcs in the west. They have no need of structures of stone or clay, most often living in burrows beneath the sand, where it is cool and comfortable. In years past, they most often preyed upon the small creatures of the desert, and upon the plants that grow there. They are masters of sand-craft, and can sculpt, from the most worthless clay, masterpieces that are yet beyond the skill of elven smiths and gnomish engineers. They delight in selling these trivial creations to outsiders, and are known to range the desert far and wide to acquire the rare goods that no others can get (I speak of far-away dragon-glass, cactus juice, special quarried rock, and seralisk meat).   Secondly, the Mushokteh, or Bronzelings (a somewhat misleading name, that), who make up sixty-percent of the city's inhabitants. They are the chief architects of the buildings above the sands, and the chief worshippers of the dragons, and especially of Sabahg. Though they appear as extremely short dragonborn, standing at only three-and-a-half feet on average (the tallest among them I have seen was only four-and-a-half at most), they have not the same origin of that race. While the dragonborn were born of the will of the dragons, the Mushokteh seem to have developed independently, and it is speculated that the blood of dragons runs through them, though much diluted, as if they and dragons were once, long ago, not so far apart. The moniker, Bronzeling, comes from the color of their scales rather than any strong relation to the Bronze timekeeper dragons -- the Mushokteh have no time-altering powers of their own. These small desert-dwellers are numerous, and can be found throughout the Abakan, and on its periphery, in large concentrations spread across few settlements. They are deft craftsmen of sandstone and clay, and have molded the city of Al'Qarad from the barren wastes of the desert. They revere dragons, and many have dedicated their lives wholly (they live for eighty to one-hundred years each) to the worship of Sabahg and the collection of gifts for him. Their food, before this modern age came, was mostly sustained by the hunting of seralisks and other such sand-beasts, for although the Mushokteh are diminutive in stature, they are fierce and cunning hunters.   Of course, though there were but two races in days of old, numerous others have joined the city since its founding, and now make up a non-insignificant portion of its population. Chiefly, and most respected among these, are the red dragonborn. These dragonborn hold somewhat of a unique position in the society of Al'Qarad, being the offspring of a revered deity, and yet also functioning as normal citizens within the city. To the other denizens, these dragonborn are a reminder of the power of their god, and they are somewhat of a gift from him to them, and they are treated with immense respect. While, in many other societies, this privilege would be quickly abused and lead to somewhat of an aristocratic ruling class, the ambitions of the dragonborn are kept in check by Sabahg and his offspring, who watch the city to ensure that his lesser children cause no trouble among his "subjects." These red dragonborn and their draconic overseers make up a further ten-percent of the city's population.   In the final five-percent of the population, we have many smaller groups of races more foreign to the region. Among them, to name a few are the sand-elves, sand-goblins, dragonborn and dragons of other colors, dwarves, and djinni. This diversity of race has brought with it a diversity of culture, and the elements of each have crept into the culture of the city in equal proportion. From the underground dens of the Asherati to the brick towers of Mushokteh to the cave-like houses of the dragonborn, the traces of each culture can be seen in the very foundation of the city.

Sabahg is, of course, Thearch of Al'Qarad, and answers to none save perhaps Zō himself. However, dragons have little interest in managing the affairs of the lesser races, and his power is delegated to the Alkayn al'Ssepag, or the High Priest of Sabahg, in the common tongue. The Priest is chosen from a college of senior priests by Sabahg himself, based on a standard known to none save the Lord himself. Sabahg's direct control of the Priesthood has guaranteed that what would normally be an easily-corruptible office is held only by the most pure and devoted, ensuring stability and peace reign for as long as he does. The Alkayn al'Ssepag is primarily responsible for disseminating and fulfilling the Lord Sabahg's will. He (though he can indeed be a she) attends all festivals and celebrations dedicated to the red dragon brood, gives a weekly service in their honor, where he reads from a book of Sabahg's wisdom and interprets it for those who attend.   The college of priests who provide the Alkayn al'Ssepag are called the Kulya (simply "College" in the commonspeak). There is one priest in the Kulya for each one-thousand citizens of the city. Priests are directly chosen by the citizens (there is a complicated system of districts implemented that I shan't go into here) via a paper ballot voting system. Elections are only ever held on an as-needed basis, either when a current priest desires to retire, dies, or the city gains another one-thousand citizens. The Kulya is responsible for managing the myriad of religious celebrations that occur daily. Though there are several city-wide celebrations throughout the year, religion is a part of daily life for denizens of Al'Qarad, especially for the Mushokteh. Thousands of families each week need to have their children blessed in one of the temples and in by the Sacred Sands, not to mention that everything from birthday parties to shop openings need a priest to give their blessing. The priests of the Kulya are not the only ones in the city, but they are the senior most, a sort of manager of the lower level priests, and the high demand for priests in the city has generated an equal supply, and the Kulya serves to guide society towards the teachings of Sabahg and the Alkayn al'Ssepag.

The history of Al'Qarad begins in 408 AC. In the third month of that year, it is said that the first Alkayn al'Ssepag came to the small village at the site of the future city and proclaimed that the Lord Sebahg, whom the townsfolk knew well, had made clear his desire for a great city to be built in his name (Rather uniquely, this first Alkayn al'Ssepag was actually one of the snakemen of the desert, called the Ssuraban, in that region of the world). After delivering her news, the Alkayn al'Ssepag, who's name is given as Nassryn in the Deifics (This is the collection of scriptures written of the Lord Sabahg and his doings since Nassryn helped found the city), she travelled throughout the Abakan and directed wayward travellers and pilgrims to the site of the new city. There, waiting for them, they found a wide expanse of freshly made dragon-glass, and thusly named them the Glass Fields. There they also found a toiling populace, growing steadily each day, constructing a large plaza of sandstone, hollow at the center, which would mark the center of the city, and would delineate the borders of the Sacred Sands.   Into this newly-busy city travellers poured, now pilgrims fulfilling their duty to their liege-lord. Each carried with him a loyalty and love for their lord and as much sandstone as he could carry. In the year 411 AC, Nassryn returned to the newly-named Al'Qarad, and oversaw the construction of the Dragonspire, where many of Sabahg's brood roost to this day, and of the ziggurat at the north-western point of what would become the bazaar of the Sacred Sands. Construction has never been declared completed, and each new Alkayn al'Ssepag after the first seeks ever to expand or improve the city's infrastructure and to leave his own mark on Sabahg's most treasured jewel.   At the death of Nassryn in 443 AC, Sabahg himself came to the city for the first time to gaze upon it. He honored the city by resting in the Sacred Sands, sanctifying them, and by ordering his children to roost wheresoever in the city that they would. He also brought with him many of the red dragonborn, enlisting them as guardians of the city, to ensure peace and prosperity should the vigilance of true dragons fail. A grand funeral and cremation was held for Nassryn, who had the extreme honor of being cremated by Sabahg's dragonfire, and was thus deified and accepted into the brood.   Thus it was that the era of peace and prosperity came unto Al'Qarad, uninterrupted save for a small incident during the Nymyrian Fallout. Trade flows in and out from the city, which is a bustling metropolis, and yet is also calm and reverent. Walking through the streets, one is bound to encounter a red dragon at least once. The red dragons of Sabahg's brood are unusually good for conversation, oft taking after the friendliness of their progenitor. On especially blessed, lucky days, Sabahg himself will appear in the city, bury himself in the Sacred Sands, and spend his day (or several) speaking to any who would listen to him, often gathering a massive crowd who he speaks to of life, and how to find meaning in it. Quality of life in the city has generally been on the rise ever since its founding, and the relative peace has resulted in a lack of local interest in the outside world, which frankly leaves little interesting for me to say on its history, and so I shall move on.

The city is built around a massive expanse of sand at its center known as the Sacred Sands. The Sands cover five acres of the city center and is dedicated entirely to Sabahg, should he choose to rest there, which he often does. The northern section of the city is built right up to the foot of the mountains that overshadow the city, with some structures even being constructed atop the sheer cliffs at the city's north-western point. In all other directions, there is only desert for miles and miles, except for to the south-east, which turns into the verdant Eazim Grasslands once the main spire of the city is but a small pin on the horizon. The buildings are constructed mostly of the natural clay and stone of the Abakan, reinforced with magic. Any building that is large enough features a roost on the roof for any offspring or kin of Sabahg that wish to rest there, and small dragons lazing about the city is a marvel unmatched by any of the other great cities of this world. On the periphery of the Sacred Sands is an enormous open-air market where most of the city's inhabitants, the Qarud, do their shopping, be it for grocery, fine linens, or a simple meal. At the north-western-most point of the bazaar, a massive ziggurat dedicated to Sabahg houses many of the dragon-priests of the city, and is a place of public worship, where offerings are made to the Lord Sabahg, and where his adherents ask for his wisdom.

To the north of the city, and touching its north-western-most point are the Galzhür Mountains. The peaks there are high and mighty, built of stone with snow on the peaks, which are often shrouded in haze far above the city. Of course the city itself lies at the eastern edge of the Abakan Desert, with the Eazim Grasslands just to the east. It is some 200 miles to the east and slightly south that the Northern Grove of the Eazim lies. To the west is the vast expanse of the Abakan, and the trailing edge of the southern mountains. Following them for nearly 500 miles, one would come to the northern-most edge of the Unbadd Greenlands, and would finally come to Astrophel's Keep at the border of Eldrichten on the Euboeid Ocean.   Al'Qarad itself is placed on a flat plane of firm sand and stone hardened, in some places, by dragonfire. Dragon-glass, this stuff is called, and it is sacred to those within the city. Just to the south of the city are the Glass Fields where much of it is mined and where, on occasion, Sabahg himself will come to produce more. To the north, a pass through the mountains leads unto the vastness of the Wildlands of the west. In the pass are several dwarven settlements and way-stations built by the mountain dwellers, who secure the city's northern flank. Beneath the city are vast rivers of water, invisible from the surface, which sustain live therein. How these rivers came to be, and how they were discovered is not known, save perhaps to a few who have drawn the secret from the lord of the desert, and have been bade not to speak of it. No one is permitted to pollute the rivers with his presence, and so the exact flow of them is unknown.

The primary export from the city is the dragon-glass that can be found in relative abundance on the southern outskirts of the city. Dragon-glass is sacred to Al'Qarad, and is seen as a gift from the Lord Sabahg and his brood to his followers (he does go to the Glass Fields from time to time to replenish the supply of glass). Nearly every denizen of Al'Qarad has harvested glass from the Fields at one point or another, but those who make a living shaping and selling the stuff search for the much more rare shape-able sheets. When an artisan finds a sheet of dragon-glass up to her standards, she will carefully take it back to her dragon-fire-infused forge, where the dragon-glass can be reshaped into new and intricate fineries. Fewer merchants still feed the city's ravenous hunger for the famous painted dragon-glass of Al'Qarad, which is glass magically infused with colorful dyes (on the cheaper end), or with swirling magical energies, to give a more luxurious feel. Every citizen owns at least one painted-dragon-glass object, usually red, and most have several. The colorful windows of the city have led to it being referred to as the "City of Painted Glass" by outsiders, and its lively window-murals draw travellers from far and wide. Outsiders who want to get their hands on the glass pay exorbitant amounts for the special transport and care of the goods, but having an item made of painted dragon-glass is considered a sign of extreme wealth in many communities and kingdoms outside of the Abakan, including in my native home of Jin-El Aethis.