Atlas
Imarel Travel Guide - by T.A. Saunders ©2010 v1.2
The city of Ztai is the seat of power for the twelve Zissah tribes and acts as a place for emissaries from other nations to visit, without interrupting the tranquility of day to day life for the various, smaller villages that pepper the subcontinent. The city itself is widely considered the oldest on Imarel, with the temple at the center of the city predating known history. It serves as it did all those ages ago as a place of worship, but rather than to the Nine Lords of Chaos that it once paid black homage to, it now stands exclusively for the Spirit of Serenity, who is the matron deity for all Zissah, save those who keep to the old way.
Ztai enjoys a healthy amount of commerce from sea traders who come to swap meets of a sort, set up in the city square where they are given access to various plant, animal and mineral goods found throughout the island from various village traders, called Ghutei. The Ghutei are highly skilled at both bartering and appraisal, so attempting to trade shoddy wares with the Zissah here is often a futile effort. Occasionally, though it is frowned deeply upon, the Ghutei will also trade ancient Zissah artifacts, tablets and the like from the dark times. These sell for small fortunes to scholars who are attempting to piece together a period in history that the Zissah themselves have seemingly forgotten.
Ztai is also where the elders of all the tribes meet each month to discuss matters of universal importance amongst the tribes and delegate what is in the best interest for all the tribes. There are occasional inter-tribal disputes over hunting ground and the like, which if cannot be resolved through discussion, are resolved through contests between village champions. These are always non-lethal and rarely result in a bleeding or anything being broken. It is more a test of skills than it is to cause serious harm a fellow Zissah. All twelve tribes answer to the High Priest or Priestess of the temple, who is considered the supreme leader of all Zissah. This individual, who is known as a Dae-Chajn, considers the words of the twelve elders of the tribes, but has the ability to make rulings against the will of the majority of he or she sees some divine reason to do otherwise.
People are free to wander Ztai as they like and take in the ancient splendor of the city, with great basalt-crafted buildings that often have vines winding down their sides, or the white stone-paved streets that have served for day to day travel for longer than anybody can remember. Despite having suffered the purge of the Shar`Vaire and at least one other ancient war, Ztai is still mostly intact and looks much as it did millions of years ago. Amongst other things, the city boasts the only Zissah library in existence, as well as the only harbor on the entire subcontinent that can receive airships without difficulty.