The Vaspukars

Also known as the Free Cities of Ayyubid, the Vaspukars are an ancient historical region along the coast of the Pagan Sea, stretching inwards through a lush steppe and mountains rich in gemstones, to the Bloody Desert in the east. Today, the region is divided into six city states: Bursa, Dyabakar, Kardunyas, Tuyre, Ragos, and Kilis, each with its own unique culture.

## History

The Vaspukar cities emerged one after the other as trade outposts and slowly grew in power until they turned into warring city states around the mid 11th century, constantly fighting each other or attempting to withstand the pressure from the Urubuhl World .

### The Topaz Triumvirate

After defeating Kilis at the Battle of Blood in 1103, driving the city from the borderlands, Kardunyas, Tuyre, and Ragos formed a union to protect their monopoly on gemstones mined from the Anagogh Mountains, most importantly the Topaz stone, which held immense economic and religious significance in the Urubuhl world. In response, Prince Krakas of Kilis invaded the Astentine Shallows coast under the pretence of clearing out pirate dens and safeguarding naval trade routes. Instead, he began to impose high tolls on trade routes of the Pagan Coast.

In 1106, the Warlord Rarhlys of Dyabakar allied with the Triumvirate and fought with them for dominion over the Shallows until 1115, when Rarhlys abandoned the cause. By 1130, the Triumvirate had begun to tear itself apart over minor disputes. Bursa and Dyabakar allied with Kilis, at the cost of Kilis having to give up their hold in the Shallows, and together they brought an end to the Triumvirate and their iron grip on the gemstone market.

### The Dyabakar War

In the 1170s, Dyabakar was at war with Kardunyas and Tuyre over the practice of slavery, when Emir Rifahn Mutasim of Rahusha attempted to negotiate a marriage-alliance between the Warlord of Dyabakar and one of his sisters to help deal with the pirate activity in the Astentine Shallows. Kardunyas and Tuyre saw this as a direct affront and sent crucial aid to the revolutionary movement of elites in Hedjaz which helped establish the New Hedjazi Kingdom.

### The Liberation Wars

Between 1194 to 1282, Bursa fought six wars against Dyabakar over the practice of slavery in the lands located between the two cities. Bursa won the first four, but in the last war in 1281, the tides turned and in the peace accords, Bursa was forced by Dyabakar to terminate the slave trade in Bursa and drastically reduce their military forces.

## Politics

The Vaspukars have held shifting rivalries and alliances for centuries. Kardunyas, Tuyre, and Ragos frequently fight smaller wars over the ownership of the Anaghog Mountains, located between them. Kilis is the poorest and smallest of the cities, with little military power and prefers to trade with Bursa and Dyabakar. Bursa and Dyabakar are both formidable powers, the former's strength lie on land, whilst the latter's greatest strength is at sea.

In the Free Cities, money equals power. Several of the cities are ruled by conclaves of the wealthiest among the elite families, but Dyabakar is ruled by a Warlord, the eldest male or female heir of their ancient family line, while in Bursa, the High Sphinx of the Urubuhl faith elects a new Hierarch every nine years.