Ishtarra

The Southeast’s Ishtarran desert is vast, desolate, and uninhabitable. However, underneath the sand, a series of tunnels and caves have provided the Ishtarran people a home away from the bright hot sun. Rivers of underground water have provided a means of meager survival for the Ishtarrans for generations. Slowly the Ishtarrans pushed their network of tunnels further and further from their desert. As their tunnels spread, they began raiding the areas they had burrowed to. For centuries the Ishtarran were the biggest threat to the citizens of the other kingdoms, launching secret attacks and raids. At the end of the Blade War, the Ishtarrans were brought in and their tunnels now are used as an alternate route for trade as they twist below the surface. What was once a very jingoistic culture has opened its proverbial doors and joined the great melting pot of New Meritta.

Ruler

King Layl Heramon is one of the last dark-born, those who were born before the Blade War ended. While she was just a child when the last king, Anaja Va, signed the peace treaty, she has a strong nostalgia for the days when Ishtarra hid under ground and took what they pleased. She is well liked by the citizens of Ishtarra, but less so by the Council of Kings. Very little else is known about Layl.

Capitol

At the center of the Ishtarra Desert it is rumored that a great oasis of water and vegetation breaks up the sea of dunes. This life is the only marker from the surface of the vast city underneath. Vedriss is an enormous cavern miles below the ground. Built on a geothermal pocket, the warmth from the earth keeps the city thriving. At it’s core, a twisted spire of rock with a glowing orb on top. The Tower of Light has long been the home to the King Under the Desert. No one knows what mystical force keeps the orb glowing bright, but it’s magic has kept the Ishtarrans alive for as long as anyone can remember.

People of Ishtarra

The people of Ishtarra are insular and and private. Though Ishtarra is part of the kingdoms of New Meritta, and its King sits on the council, the people have had a difficult time with the transition. Many wish to return to the days when they patrolled the tunnels under the kingdoms, popping up and taking what they wanted. Most Ishtarran’s consider themselves Ishtarrans rather than citizens of New Meritta. Outsiders are only begrudgingly welcome in the desert caverns that make up the villages and cities in Ishtarra. Any slight against the citizenry is seen as an immediate threat and dealt with swiftly.