Sana

### Population

80,000 (Human 37%, Half-elf 23%, Elf 18%, Gnome 10%, Dwarf 2%, Halfling 2%, Other 8%)

### People Of Note

Akyar al-Awasif

The first thing one would notice when approaching Sana is its unique metal spires which soar toward the sky, gleaming in the sun. Some visitors have likened the towers to exotic mushrooms. The bizarre towers are found nowhere else in Amsha. They are the legacy of whatever inhabitants ruled the city long ago, in a forgotten time.

The elven ruler, Sultana Samia al-Sa’id, has been in power for the past 100 years. She has ruled in an enlightened, progressive manner that has endeared her to both the common people of the city and to those who dwell in the towers. A powerful wizard in her own right, Samia has gained wisdom over the years and acquired mighty magical items. The sultana helps settle the squabbling between the tower-lords (also called amir al-burj). She also fends off the acquisitive tendencies of nearby Nabihab.

The sultana is aided in all things by Akyar al-Awasif, a female noble djinni. The sultana herself freed the djinni from imprisonment many years ago and she now serves by choice. Akyar is fanatically loyal to the sultana. If the djinni perceives a threat, she will stop at nothing to aid her liege. She is on good terms with the other genies who live in Sana’s towers. Though (as might be expected) her relationships with dao and efreet are somewhat strained, Akyar speaks for all the genie peoples in court.

Sana is actually two cities, one built ages ago by unknown, seemingly inhuman hands, the other having grown up around its base during the modern, enlightened age. The Old City comprises metal spires that tower over the area. The towers are constructed from a unique steel alloy. About 50 of these towers are in evidence, though fully half of them are shattered or toppled. The surviving towers stand almost 100 feet tall. The tops and bottoms of the towers are slightly flared, with a long stem in between. The interior of each is an open stairway, spiraling up the inside without a rail to a great single floor perched at the tower’s summit.

Three of the intact towers, arranged like points in a triangle, have been claimed by the sultana for a palace. All three towers have been connected by a fortified wall, which adjoins and links their fluted bases.

The sultana provides grants for use of the remaining intact towers. Wizards and priests inhabit them, using the towers as research laboratories or sanctuaries. A number of wizards have blocked or removed the interior stairs and provided their own methods of egress. There are only 22 towers (not counting the palace), and they are always full, though turnover is regular.

These towers are considered to be Sana’s great mystery. It is assumed that they were created by some magical, possibly divine race from the heavens. A few surviving inscriptions from this race are in an archaic tongue seen nowhere else in Amsha. The sages say they speak of a war between the city dwellers and “those above.” The natives evidently lost and abandoned their city. The nature of these original inhabitants is unknown, except that they were humanoid. All humanoid races have been suggested, but common thinking leans toward the burned elves (drow).

Sana is considered by many to be one of the most magical cities in Amsha, second to perhaps Sihr. The city’s strange towers attract sha’irs, sorcerers, and elemental mages, as well as pragmatists, kahins, mystics, scholars and researchers seeking the advantages of both privacy and city living. The sultana has set down rules governing the behavior within the spires (e.g., no inter-spire warfare, no experiments that affect the spires or the city), and violating those rules may be cause for expulsion. Sana has lost three towers to such activities.

The New City of Sana is clustered at the base of the towers, a collection of white-washed, mud-brick houses, much like those found elsewhere in Amsha. This is the home of the poor and of the middle class, consisting of traders and artisans. Sana has a thriving business of craft and art, catering to the wizards who often require the finest materials for their research.

The New City also produces excellent weapons and armor, using metal from the city’s fallen towers. As noted, this metal in an unusual alloy of steel. It tarnishes instead of rusts, melts at a lower temperature, and may be drawn thin to make durable metal cords. Otherwise, it is just as strong and light as steel, and can be used in the same fashion. Weapons produced with this steel function as normal weapons of their type. The metalsmiths of the city pay 2 gp a pound for this material. A single fallen tower produces several tons. The existing stock has already been claimed by the city’s metalsmithing houses however.

## People

Most adventurers that come from Sana are magic users of some sort. The few there who aren’t are usually content with their work as artisans or traders, while magic users are always in need of funding and rare components for their churches or spell research. The people of Sana are fairly knowledgeable about magic on average and even the lowliest of commoners could probably tell you something about spells.