Taerel:Culture, City (Zu'Aan)
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In the aftermath of the Awakening, and the rise of the kin'toni, zu'aan culture and national identity shattered. The bulk of civilization has retreated into walled city states, protected by conflicting climatic bands that have generated packs, bands and clans of warring kin'toni who block each other's progress. The old Xerea Empire is still highly civilized and (by the standards of the rest of the planet) wealthy. But its institutions are corrupted, militaristic and totalitarian. The Xerea Empire has taken more of a wait and see attitude towards the threat of the kin'toni since they have not been as heavily assailed as other locations have.
The Xerea Empire is more focused on internal dissent and eventually conquering other city states. Technology levels vary somewhat, but the Xerea Empire has lost most of it's high technology in almost all areas and what tiny bits remain are treated more like magical artifacts than technology. The Empire is comprised of a number of walled cities, such as Kran-Xtar (Translated: Nightshade), the capital; Xuran-Varus (Translated: Shadewater), the last largescale port on the planet that is the Empire's main trading hub, and Iri-Vaki (Translated: Newdawn), a religious enclave known for its luxuriant decadence and security.
The Xerea Empire's civilization has retreated into the walled city states east of the mountain range of Qobvoud of the Aqidwyz landmass. The Xerea Empire numbers around fifty cities of around fifty thousand people each, thus making a total population of two million, five hundred thousand people. Aside from the Xerea Empire, there are also independent city-states scattered world-wide, mostly in defensible mountain and hill regions and lush forest regions. The city states include Lona City (located in the Ycric Seasonal Forest), Fyrel City (located in the Rhoillye Mushroom Fields) and Apolytaus City (located in the Avaia Snowy Mountains).
The city-states number around two hundred cities worldwide. Each city has around ten thousand inhabitants, thus making a total population of two million. The rulers of the city-states want to "wipe kin'toni kind off the face of the world". Their open militant stance and aggression towards kin'toni has resulted in some of them being overrun and destroyed, and each one is convinced it will be the one to unify the world and conquer all under their armies. As such, the city-states refuse to aid one another, their hatred of each other only matched their fury against the kin'toni and their disdain of the Xerea Empire.
Most city states retain the more ancient social structures of pre-Imperial times, such as nobility, mercantilists, clergy, and commonners. As with any dictatorship, there is constant conflict between the source of military power - the nobility - and of economic power - the mercantilists - which is only mediated by the Clergy.