The Port Town of Jaboor

 

Image by Flaviobolla, source

Jaboor is a port town on the east coast of Ylaruam, in the Emirate of Abbashan, with a current population of 4500. As well as a port for ships to load and unload, there is also a marketplace and a huge mosque to Al-Kalim and The Eternal Truth that dominates the skyline with its four minarets.

There are tensions within the population. Until seven years ago (AC993) Jaboor was an independent sheikdom that paid fealty to the Sultan in Ylaruman city. Although not huge or an economic powerhouse, it was prosperous in its own local way, trading with many other nations and towns on the Sea of Dawn.  

Then the town was taken over by the Emir of Abbashan, who has different ideas about governance.  The Emir and his court are not cosmopolitan traders but culturally Alasiyan, desert nomads. They tend to be more religious, conservative and wary of outsiders than their coastal countrymen. 

This is exemplified by Al-Fassaad - a clique of conservative guardsmen drawn from the desert nomads who have taken it upon themselves to be the moral guardians of Jaboor. Al-Fassaad is not an official organisation - more of an informal society within the town guard. They disapprove of many things including foreigners, luxury, greed, laziness, impiety and anything about sex.  They can harass or prosecute people they disapprove of  and have shoved merchants and foreigners around and even knocked over merchant stalls of they view the wares as decadent or sinful. Al-Fassaad is not just in Jaboor but has supporters in Abbashan and Fabia as well, but in Jaboor they have become more obvious because there are more people and things for them to get angry about. There are even rumours about Al-Fassaad tipping off desert bandits about merchant caravans travelling between Abbashan and Jaboor, especially if Al-Fassaad thinks that Abbashan would be better off without whatever is being traded. 

The counterpoint to Al-Fassaad is House Paranthi, a collection of merchant traders that started as a family business but now has non-family associates. They take a very different view and consider the desert nomads and Al-Fassaad as interfering fanatics. House Paranthi does business with a wide range of buyers and suppliers, including those in other Ylari cities (Surra Man Raa, Tameronikas & Cubia), Thyatis (Tel Akbir and Retebius), the Northern Reaches (Soderfjord city) and even further across the seas, to the Isle of Dawn, Norwold and the Sea of Dread. House Paranthi is observant of the Eternal Truth enough to stay out of trouble but no more than necessary. House Paranthi is primarily a business, and does what is necessary to both protect its interests and make money. They feel harassed by Al-Fassaad and would look kindly on any adventurers who could undermine or discredit these over-zealous town guards. 

The Sheik of Jaboor feels miserable and dejected. He believes that he has become merely a figurehead, obliged to pass on the orders from Abbashan. Although he does not believe he can successfully rebel and break away, he is looking for something to bolster his authority and standing especially with the Emir. However, there is intrigue among his inner circle. His treasurer has been compromised by a Thyatian agent who found evidence of accounting irregularities. The treasurer is now suggesting that Thyatian assistance might help against the dominance of Alasiyan nomads and is also encouraging increased trade with Thyatis. Meanwhile his wife's maid is actually an agent for the Emir in Abbashan - currently the maid is simply listening in and passing information back to the Emir but could do more if ordered to.    

As well as factionalism and intrigue within the town there are some external threats that are less subtle:

• A pack of gnolls has set up camp a few miles out of town in a desert cave. As well as gnoll warriors and a gnoll shaman, they have tamed a pack of giant hyenas (stats as worgs). 
• A small oasis has become the home of human bandits led by a Twisted Summoner who also has his own  contingent of summoned monstrous minions. Two of the bandits regularly enter Jaboor disguised as desert nomads, and gather information about targets for the bandits, as well as buying supplies that could not be stolen.  
• A wadi has become the lair of a particular breed of basilisk that is slightly less lethal than others of their kind - their gaze only paralyses, rather than petrifies. But their touch or bite still turns victims to stone. A sage in Jaboor is fascinated by these reports and would pay hansomely for a basilisk corpse, preferably undamaged, so that the biological causes of these changed abilities can be investigated. 
•  Out to sea both mermen and human fishermen have clashed with a colony of crabmen. Although not exactly evil, they are voracious and are destroying the local fishing stocks. The crabmen have set up residence in underwater caves set into chasms along the sea floor. The fishermen want the crabmen destroyed, while the mermen are looking for a more peaceful resolution. 
• Out in the desert towards Abbashan there is the abandoned Palace of Al'Jaboorzi, a huge ruin that is now home to bandits, gnolls, necromancers and worse. 
• There are rumours in town of a chaotic cult that worships snakes. At least some of the cultists are believed to be humans within town. The authorities in Ylaruam city are sending a cleric of the Eternal Truth, Reverend Tormond, to investigate.