Per-Sobek

Though the island upon which it is settled is known to the greater world as the Titan’s Spine, all know the island’s sole city-state as Per-Sobek. Located southeast of Aymara, Per-Sobek only exists as an independent nation by virtue of its magical defenses, strong navy and shrewd diplomats. It is not a city of men but of the iruxi, or lizardmen as they are sometimes erroneously named. It was founded by the first pharaoh, Sobekhotep I, shortly after First Contact.

Compared to many other nations of the world, Per-Sobek is primitive. Despite mining magical crystals from their island’s mountains, they make little use of the material other than for ritual and spellcasting purposes, or simply by using it for exploding projectiles. Magical technology is alien to them. Many see it as a curiosity brought by outsiders. Schools of thought espousing the material’s other uses have gained small footholds within the city, including a dwarven workshop in the city’s trade district, but has not penetrated as far as in other nations.

## History

Per-Sobek’s history stretches several centuries back, and like many races, even their myths and stories go no further than about nine hundred years ago. By the time the historians of Per-Sobek began to write down their tales and history in earnest, their founding leader, pharaoh Sobekhotep I had become a legendary messianic figure. The tale of how the Iruxi had come to live on their island was lost, but not how their great nation was founded. Sobekhotepp had been granted a vision from what he claimed to be the great gods of the world to lead his tribe to a location on the coast of their then-unnamed island. While some doubted him, most followed, for Sobekhotep had always been a wise leader.

Not long after settling, Sobekhotep’s tribe had a flourishing village. From this day on, the town grew under Sobekhotep’s infinite wisdom. When other tribes attacked, Sobekhotep smote them with the power of their new gods. Others approached with the intend to trade, and Sobekhotep’s people grew in wealth. Soon, small tribes arrived at Sobekhotep’s village, asking to settle with them. While his tribesmen were hesitant, Sobekhotep allowed it. The village swelled into a city. To all it became known as Per-Sobek: Home of Sobek.

The day eventually came that Sobekhotep’s city held most of the iruxi tribes, leaving only a small number scattered across the island. Per-Sobek was the true center of Iruxi civilization. It is said that by this point, Sobekhotep was over three hundred years old: half again the age of the oldest known iruxi. Sobekhotep did not rule alone, and was assisted by advisor from many walks of life. To his people, he was a symbol of iruxi power and wealth as well as a widely-beloved figure. To his personal dismay, this also meant the words of his council were only taken seriously with Sobekhotep’s personal approval behind them.

Finally, Sobekhotep agreed to take the throne as the true great ruler of Per-Sobek. The finest craftsmen of the city made a throne of gold and jewels, said to be the finest display of power in the whole world. A dais was placed within the council hall, upon which then sat the throne. Sobekhotep became pharaoh Sobekhotep I, and his first act was to sit upon his throne.

As the legend goes, the moment ancient Sobekhotep I had settled on the cushions, life left him. His body, so powerful and healthy despite his advanced age, shriveled into the husk of a venerable ancient. Panic immediately broke out. For seven days, there was disorder in the streets. The council did their best to keep the peace, but without the pharaoh’s wisdom, many of the people refused to listen.

It is said that on the eve of the seventh day, a figure appeared on top of the city keep. To all he was backlit by the sun itself, regardless of where they were standing. His voice was heard through the entire city. He reprimanded the people for their panic. By sowing chaos after Sobekhotep I’s death, they betrayed the trust he had spent three hundred years building. Three centuries of helping the iruxi stand on their own feet, and they fell apart the moment he left. The figure was Sobekhotep I’s son, and in that moment, named himself Sobekhotep II. He both was and was not Sobekhotep I, born of his blood but bearing the same soul. He would protect them like Sobekhotep had done before, but he would not guide them similarly.

By the Pharaoh’s order, the Grand Council was formed from those most deserving within the city. Laws were forged for replacing members, the people were given a voice in their selection, and structure was created that would not require the Pharaoh’s personal touch. After this was done, Sobekhotep II retreated into the isolation of his palace. From this day on, order returned to Per-Sobek. While Sobekhotep II was the true and unquestioned ruler, the council ruled in practice.

Not everything has been sunshine and rainbows for the Sobekians since then. Their society is heavily religious and militarized, but societal pressure and rigidity come with their own flaws. Cults to dark deities or magical entities offering an escape are common in Per-Sobek despite being condemned by the city’s priests. Criminals and rebels recruit those who chafe under the strict laws, promising fortune or liberty. The city-state is under constant internal threats. The city puts high expectations on the guards, and its leaders are reluctant to employ trained soldiers against civilians. Adventurers, both foreign and iruxi, are often hired to root out such groups when the guard is unable to.

## Government

The Grand Council is technically a group of assistants to the pharaoh. In practice they rule Per-Sobek. Since Sobekhotep II’s ascension the pharaoh has only intervened in matters that could have meant the destruction of the country. When the pharaoh intervenes it is considered a failing of the council. The current sitting council members are replaced if they’re lucky, or executed if they are deemed to have made the pharaoh’s intervention necessary.

The Grand Council is elected by the people, but gain their position for life. When a councilor dies, an election is held for their replacement after an appropriate mourning period. Candidates are brought forth by their respective organizations, but elected by the people of Per-Sobek itself. Iruxi elections see less fraud and infighting compared to similar human systems, with most such influences come from cults and criminal syndicates.

The councilor positions are as follows:

* One general of the Per-Sobek army. Candidates are suggested by a gathering of army officers. Upon being voted into the position of councilor, this general becomes the highest ranking officer of Per-Sobek’s army;
* One admiral of the Per-Sobek navy. Candidates are suggested by a council of captains. Similar to the councilor general, the councilor admiral becomes the highest ranking officer in the navy.
* Three priests. Candidates are suggested by the high priests of the relevant faiths, but can never include sitting high priests. Unlike the military positions, becoming councilor does not elevate these priests into greater positions within their organization. They are often chosen for wisdom and experience as much as political influence.
* Seven civilians. All aspiring candidates can sign up to be on the ballot. While anyone can sign up to be part of the election, the victors tend to be public figures ranging from politicians to successful merchants to beloved local figures.

## Foreign Relations

Per-Sobek’s relationship with races beyond the Titan’s Spine has been rocky since their early days. The first ‘pink men’ who came upon Per-Sobek were little more than pirates. Perhaps in this day and age, they would have called themselves adventurers. Even legends from around the time of Sobekhotep I speak of smooth-skinned evil creatures bearing steel and flame against the iruxi, burning, killing and stealing where they went before leaving on their strange ships. The iruxi’s militaristic society is in part a result of this foreign aggression.

The first positive interaction Per-Sobek had with foreign forces came to their shores bearing weapons of war; an order of Avalon’s followers had heard the rumors of a stronghold of demonic lizard-people and sailed forth to crush them in the name of their goddess. The force was far too small to form a threat to the great fortified city, but their interaction never came to violence in the first place. The knights only need to lay eyes on the city from a distance to know these were not savage beasts, but a race of intelligent and orderly creatures.

From here on out, Per-Sobek was introduced to the world at large. Despite their monstrous appearances the Iruxi were gifted with words, and soon began to forge alliances and open trade routes. Distance has kept them safe from Velouve for the most part, but with every foot of Athian land burned, the Sobekians increase their stockpiles.

Nowadays, Per-Sobek possesses trade contracts and treaties with many nations and private organizations. Luxury goods and items crafted by the iruxi masters are beloved by the elite in many nations, especially Aymara and Al’Dina. An open assault on Per-Sobek risks political and economic rebukes from their myriad allies, but the iruxi are aware this is a paper-thin shield against expansionist Velouve. Nonetheless Per-Sobek is protected by red tape as much as it is by its walls.

## Religion

Per-Sobek’s religion is of great interest to many scholars around the world. Despite using different names in their language, the gods of the iruxi generally match the deities found all across the world since the First Contact. Historical records indicate that these similarities in symbolism can be tracked to days before their first open diplomacy with non-iruxi nations. Though these deities are in essence the gods worshipped in other lands, the rituals and symbolism used in Per-Sobek varies greatly from how humans and other races worship the gods.

Their strongest deviation is their worship of the dead, which are simultaneously personified as the goddess known as Hylocephone, the Pharaoh himself, and as the collective souls of the ancestors. To the Sobekian faith, the distinction between these three is a technicality. Unknown to the Sobekian priests, their deviation from Hylocephone’s edicts has left them disconnected from the goddess herself. While they worship her as the goddess of death, all Sobekian death priests instead receive their divine magic from the ancestor spirits.

An interesting footnote is the difference in symbolism between most foreign cultures and that of Per-Sobek. The sky is a symbol of heaven or the afterlife in many other cultures. In the Per-Sobek religion, the sea serves this role instead. Burial at sea is more common in Per-Sobek than cremation or ground burials. Corpses are laid in special boats with low sides and holes in the hull. These holes are filled with a thin layer of wax, which is expected to get pushed out or melt under the hot Per-Sobek sun, laying the corpse to rest beneath the sea.

Pharaohs are the exception, as they get buried within pyramids. On very rare occasion, a particularly honored deceased, typically a great priest or (former) member of the Grand Council, is interred in a special chamber in a pyramid as a sign of the great services they performed for the pharaoh they are buried with.

Due to the pharaoh not being an intermediary between the gods and the people, but the reincarnation of a single individual and the avatar of a god, Per-Sobek pyramids are designed to house the bodies of multiple pharaohs. This is also a necessity as the iruxi have limited room on their island.

## Geography

The Titan’s Spine earned its name through its elongated oval shape and the jagged mountain range running along its length. The crags of the Titan’s Spine Mountains are dangerous not only due to their trecherous terrain, but also due to the creatures living in them. Legend has it there are even dragons living within the Titan’s Spine Mountains on the other side from Per-Sobek.

Below the treeline much of the Titan’s Spine is untamed jungles, housing a handful of iruxi settlements not allied with Per-Sobek. These are often territorial and aggressive compared to the city iruxi. These vibrant jungles also house vicious predators and toxic wildlife. To the unfamiliar they are a death trap, but the experienced hunters of the iruxi can survive with remarkable ease. A common boast is that a single iruxi hunter can forage enough in a day to lay out a feast for a score of men.

Large swathes of flatland exists between the jungles and the coastline in many places. These flat areas are hospitable, albeit often somewhat barren. The exception is the area around Per-Sobek, as the city was founded near a river delta. This meant ground water, and in the many years since the city’s establishment, extensive irrigation systems have made farmland a reality for miles around the city walls.

The city of Per-Sobek itself is a stunning expanse of white stone buildings ranging from one to five stories tall. The city is dotted with large structures like towering pyramids, wind-worn monoliths and palaces for the powerful and wealthy. The temples of Per-Sobek are especially famous and draw pilgrims from many faiths. It is said Hylocephone’s temple in Per-Sobek is the largest single structure dedicated to her in the entire world.

Looming over it all is the Pharaoh’s Palace, a truly massive fortress that serves as both the pharaoh’s home, the seat of government, and the heart of the Per-Sobek military. Reinforced tunnels run deep underground, magically protected from sappers and trapped in case these defenses are breached. Rumor has it every single civilian in Per-Sobek could be housed underneath the Pharaoh’s Palace in times of need, but there is no proof to back this claim up.

## Inhabitants

Per-Sobek is primarily inhabited by the iruxi, as the Titan’s Spine is the historical home and origin of their race. All positions of political power and influence are held by iruxi. Most non-iruxi living in Per-Sobek are visitors such as merchants, mercenaries and scholars. The city does have a handful of permanent non-iruxi residents, many of which live near the city’s docks district. No country’s inhabitants are forbidden from traveling to Per-Sobek, but rumor has it Velouvian visitors are always being watched by the Pharaoh’s agents.

## Language

The national language of Per-Sobek is Draconic, albeit spoken with a dialect that borrows from modern-day Egyptian. Most Iruxi also speak Common, as the language has become a necessity for dealing with non-Iruxi cultures.