Dalbanu

Ishtar
Capital	None
Ruler	Council of regional governors
Government	Local governors and dragon-lords
Demonym	Ishtaran
Adjective	Ishtaran
Languages	Common, Ishtaran, Telan
Religions	Ishtaran living saints; Chaskan pantheon; Draconic pantheon; Khapeshan pantheon

Ishtar (pronounced ISH-tarr), or the Land Between Two Rivers, has been inhabited since ancient times, and many Ishtaran city states can trace their histories back for millennia. This region has one of the more unique cultural understandings of the divine, which heavily permeates into their culture, society, and governance.

Geography, flora, and fauna

Geography

Ishtar is a vast region, stretching from the western foothills of the Zakros Range to the eastern coast of the Chaska Sea. This landscape is incredibly diverse, encompassing forests, arid plains, grasslands, hillsrivers, lakes, marshlands, and more.

Ishtar is often referred to as the Land Between Two Rivers, referring to River Qaro and River Qes. The twin rivers are the primary geographical distinguishing features of the region, critical not only in an ecological sense but also culturally and historically. Both rivers begin in the east, fed by rainfall and melting snowpack from the mountains of the Zakros, joined by smaller tributaries as they flow west. For most of their courses, both rivers are quite wide and flow languidly across the landscape, turning into an expansive marshland near the coast.

While the land around the rivers is quite lush, much of the land between them is arid, receiving relatively little rainfall per year. The foothills around the Zakros and Karn Andur are similar for most of the year - while people and animals remain common in these areas, most life in the region lives closer to the rivers. Short vegetation is most common in this environment, with only scattered trees, usually in low areas around sources of water.

Flora

Along the coast of the Chaska are scattered forests, mostly cedar, pine, holm oak, cork oak, and pomegranate. While not covering a particularly large area, primarily only within Enesur, these forests are relied upon heavily for material. Similar to Tirione, the forests also have cultural importance, serving as a setting for many of the region’s oldest tales and legends.

Animals

Wildlife within Ishtar is quite varied, especially along the rivers. Innumerable kinds of birds live in the marshlands, both mundane and magical. It is common for both cranes and falcons to be domesticated, the former as pets and status symbols and the latter primarily as work animals. In Ishtaran legends, the unique black and white crows of the region are said to offer advice to those who help them. Far more dangerous than any of the above birds are the axe beaks. Though disliked when wild for preying upon livestock, axe beaks are also tamed and used as mounts. An uncommon variant of the axe beak, called terror birds, are even larger and more fearsome.

Deer, antelope, onagers, boars, and gazelles are all common in Ishtar, as are a diverse selection of smaller mundane creatures. Less common but still prevalent are elephants, mostly in the dry plains between the rivers. A number of predators are native to the region as well, including lions, jackals, panthers, and foxes.

The marshlands are also home to hodags, spiky reptile-like creatures who fearlessly hunt prey regardless of its size. Hodags can grow up to 15 feet long, and have been known to upturn boats in order to knock passengers into the waters for an easy meal.

Magical creatures

One of the more odd creatures of Ishtar is the disenchanter, a blue and red, furry, quadrupedal, magical beast, which would look similar to a strangely-colored single-humped camel if it were not for its prehensile trunk. While they are perfectly capable of grazing like any other herbivore, when given the option disenchanters prefer to feed off magic instead, draining the power stored in magical items. These creatures are highly social - while rarely found in large herds, they strongly desire to be around other intelligent beings, whether humanoid or not. Some people, particularly adventuring types, use disenchanters as mounts and to track down treasure.

Faerie dragons, common in Ishtar, live semi-wild in the coastal forests. Faerie dragons prefer to live close to settlements in order to have someone nearby to play pranks on, and are almost always peaceful in nature (aside from times in which their whimsy puts themselves or others in danger). Despite their strong sense of independence, these tiny dragons occasionally ally with Ishtaran spellcasters as their familiars.

Ishtar is known for two types of intelligent magical beasts in particular. First are the lamassu, creatures with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and wings of a bird. They are joined by the shedu, similar in appearance to the lamassu but with horns and the body of a bull. Both types of creatures typically dwell away from population centers, often in old ruins, caves, or other inaccessible locations. While both lamassu and shedu greatly value quiet contemplation and philosophy, lamassu are by far the more outgoing of the two. Some Ishtarans seek out lamassu and shedu for their advice, and the creatures are greatly respected in the region.

Goblin tribes of Ishtar frequently both venerate and fear the goblin snakes of the marshlands, who often form cults around themselves. On the goblin snakes’ side, this is more out of a desire to have their innate sense of superiority indulged than anything else, and also has the upside of providing servants to bring them food. Goblin snakes often gather other venomous snakes around them - those that live and travel through the Ishtar marshlands know to avoid dangerous looking snakes, as where there is one, many more are likely soon to appear.

Dragon Scars

Between the Rivers Qaro and Qes lie the Dragon Scars, deep canyons that run parallel to each other. Each over a hundred miles long, Ishtaran legends hold the Scars to be the the result of an ancient battle between exceptionally powerful dragons, strong enough that they reshaped the earth around them as they fought. Some even claim the Scars to have been created in the primordial battle between Apsu and Dahak, a belief particularly widespread amongst the dragons that live around Ishtar. A number of dragons dwell within the Scars, and those living elsewhere sometime make visits and pilgrimages.

History

Like much of the land on the eastern Chaska, Ishtar has been inhabited for almost all of recorded history. Many cities of the region are quite ancient, though they have continued to grow and expand as populations increase. Though there have of course been great changes over history, and especially as a result of cultural diffusion, many of the aspects of Ishtaran culture can be traced back for millennia.

Viridian occupation

During the reign for the Viridian monarch Avus IV, also known as the Sun King, Viridian legions were sent far and wide. First among Avus's goals was the incorporation of the cities of Ishtar into his empire, bringing both the northern and eastern coasts of the Chaska Sea under Viridian control. Through continuous military campaigns lasting from Y9355^* to his death in Y9402^*, Avus was able to accomplish precisely this objective.

These new additions to the empire were never stable or well-incorporated, however. The logistics of maintaining over half of the Viridian military thousands of miles from Ilirnas proved impossible to resolve, not helped by an unfriendly populace. The people of Ishtar greatly resented the distant new rulers imposed upon them, and had begun to organize unified councils to resist better than their disparate city armies had been able to. By Y9410^*, the situation had become obvious to Viridia. Queen Vita, Avus's daughter and successor, ordered the withdrawal of the legions to the border of Viridia before her father's campaigns.

Demographics

The population of Ishtar is primarily human, with significant numbers of dwarves, orcs, half-elves, half-orcs, suli, ifrit, sylphs, goblins, and kobolds. Individuals of other ancestries can be found in smaller numbers. Most, though not all, of the orcs in Ishtar are of the Shubugal ethnicity.

Though they are almost entirely found in their domains along the waterways, rarely leaving for the cities or the lands away from the rivers, many dragons live in Ishtar.

Culture

Religion

Most Ishtarans worship the gods of the Chaskan pantheon, especially Shai, Marya, Socharin, Aduntarri, Nisaba, and Ubellur. Many areas within Ishtar have their own patron deity, usually strongly reflective of that area’s location, culture, or history - this patronage is usually considered to extend to a handful of cities and their outlying lands. Within Ishtar, the affairs of the material world are viewed as the reflection of the divine, and therefore the deities are seen as having personal interests, goals, failings, and relationships just like mortals. If two deities are seen as having a particular relationship, a similar connection likely exists between their patron regions.

Rather than merely anthropomorphizing the gods like some other cultures do, Ishtarans commonly believe that mortals can be avatars through which their deities can walk the world. These living saints, as the Ishtarans call them, are thought to have reflected their god's tenets to such a degree that they now carry a literal part of their god within them. The living saints are widely treated with awe and reverence, sometimes even to the point that they attract saints of their own. As fragments of the divine, it is believed that a saint's voice is their god's voice, their hand is their god's hand, and even their thoughts are their god's thoughts. By living in accordance with the tenets of their deity, each saint becomes so closely intertwined with the divine that the two become difficult to separate. Upon the death of a saint, it is thought that the part of the god that was within them reunites with the deity.

The ziggurat-like temples of Ishtar are both places for prayer and homes for the saints. Carefully tended and maintained, the temples are seen as realms by which the god, through the saint, can have an increased presence in the mortal world. More so than elsewhere in the world, many temples in Ishtar house relics important to the faith. While these might be blessed artifacts in temples devoted directly to pantheonic deities, in the temples that house a saint these relics are likely to be something personal to the figure that is seen as connected to their sainthood.

Some Ishtaran temples even include portals to demiplanes created to honor the gods. These demiplanes are generally rather small, but effectively serve as the other half of their temple. With far more control over the laws of the universe within these demiplanes, clerics can better create a "second home" for their god than would be possible in the Material Plane. Demiplanes and holy relics are usually only found in the major temples in Ishtar, those that are considered the primary location of worship of a given god. Smaller temples in the region are usually far less elaborate.

The Draconic pantheon is rather widely worshiped in Ishtar as well, with followers not limited to the dragons of the region. Many Ishtarans fuse the two pantheons, often seeing Marduk and Tiamat as dualist universal deities who the other gods exist beneath.

Languages

A number of languages have developed in Ishtar over its history, though most are now functionally extinct and are only used in scholarly works, if at all. The only widely spoken Ishtaran language is, predictably enough, Ishtaran, which is spoken across the nation. Sataru is the only other historical language that the common people of Ishtar might be expected to know, as it was used in original tellings of ancient legends and remains used in some modern artistic works. Especially in the southern part of Enesur, Telan is widely understood as well. Other foreign languages are less common, but not unknown, especially in larger and coastal cities. Racial languages can also be frequently heard, particularly Orcish, Draconic, and Dwarven.

Arts

The people of Ishtar are proud of their ancient stories and legends. While almost all are written down as well, retelling them from memory is seen as the best way to share and experience these narratives. These often take the structure of a play, usually without a set, involving multiple storytellers/actors. Basic magic is often used as well to enhance the theatrical nature. In addition to written narratives, nonfiction works and poetry are common as well. A form of poetry written in a ring is especially popular - when read clockwise the verse has one meaning, which changes when read counterclockwise. These poems are often humorous in nature, usually as a result of the contrast of the two readings.

Ishtaran artists are experts of working with stone and clay, and are primarily known for their statues and reliefs. Many temples and palaces are covered in reliefs that wrap around rooms and the outside of the structures, depicting tales of legends or the divine. These are viewed not only as artistic works but also as a means to assist in recounting these stories. Jewelers from Ishtar are also highly renowned, producing beautiful wares made of agate, jasper, chalcedony, and other material.

Magic

Though viewed with distrust by many, hemotheurgy has become somewhat popular with Ishtaran mages, though it still accounts for only a small minority of magical practice. These mages typically seek out isolated locations in which to learn and practice their craft, away from the prying and interfering eyes of the rest of society. While not strictly evil, this path of magic does tend to lead its practitioners to unpleasant conclusions and actions.

Ishtaran sorcerers are disproportionately likely to possess a draconic bloodline.

Food and cuisine

The Ishtaran diet is quite varied. Staples include bread and beer, both made primarily out of barley, the meat of goats, sheep, and other livestock, as well as wine, apples, grapes, figs, apricots, pears, plums, beans, peas, cabbage, beets, and a number of different kinds of nuts. Olive oil, salt, and a variety of spices are used to help add extra flavor to dishes.

Architecture

Most buildings in Ishtar are blocky, rectangular structures of stone or mud brick, often plastered and painted, with wooden doors and open (or sometimes glass) windows. Bricks are either mortared or held together with bitumen. Buildings are often two or three stories tall, but it is uncommon for them to be any higher. Houses are usually built around a central courtyard that serves as a combination garden, kitchen, dining area, and common space. While houses tend to be somewhat large, multiple generations of a family usually live within, often accompanied by close relatives.

Ishtaran temples are built as ziggurats. These multi-tiered, flat-topped, pyramid-like structures contain areas for worship, artifacts, and living quarters for priests, as well as space for civic institutions. Ziggurats are often roofed with gardens and waterworks.

Society

Ishtaran cities are known for their detailed and heavily codified sets of laws, built upon over the centuries. While cities may have some variation in the minutiae of their legal codes, they are broadly consistent across Ishtar. These laws tend to emphasize retributive punishment - an eye for an eye, and so forth. While harsh, these are a long standing pillar of Ishtaran traditional governance.

There is a distinct social hierarchy within Ishtaran cities. At the top are the priests, who not only direct religious life but also control the civic activities within the cities. The priesthood tends to be inherited between generations, but it is not exclusively so - while most priests and priestesses had a mother or father who served the temple before them, it is still possible for initiates with no family history to join. Priests serve religious and governmental roles, and are also often trained in astrology, architecture, and mathematics. The upper middle class of merchants, scholars, and scribes has a role of significant social prominence as well. Outside the cities, in smaller communities, social structures tend to be based more on familial systems, though still subject to rule from city administrators.

A minor yet important caste in Ishtaran society are the maryannu. Essentially hereditary warrior nobility, these are families that are expected to defend their cities whenever called upon. In exchange they are given wealth and support to focus purely on training, adventuring, and otherwise ensuring they are able to meet any challenges and threats that may arise. Historically maryannnu fought from chariots pulled by horses or other creatures, fighting from their platforms either as archers or as mages, but in more modern times most only use their chariots for ceremonial parades or recreational races. Large battles between armies, of the sort in which such chariots would be a boon, are very uncommon in contemporary Ishtar, and so the maryannu have largely refocused to be elite, independent foot soldiers. Adventurers that leave Ishtar are disproportionately from the maryannu caste, setting off to gain experience and knowledge to further their roles at home.

Travel

Much of internal travel in Ishtar is undertaken by boat - most population centers are along the rivers, so this is the most convenient and efficient method. Qaro and Qes are mostly wide and slow, and most smaller boats are steered and powered by using long poles to push off the riverbed. Boats with sails are less common but still used. Roads exist for overland travel between major cities, but many smaller towns and villages are unconnected from this system. Long distance travel in Ishtar is generally safe - bandits and dangerous animals remain an ever present concern, but are mitigated somewhat by the lamassu and some dragons.

Names

Though most Ishtarans use both their given and family names, figures of high importance and renown are likely to be referred to by a mononym.

Dragons

Dragons play an important role in Ishtaran culture. Many live along the two rivers, forming a crucial part of the society of the region while simultaneously remaining separate from it in some ways.

For reasons that have been lost to history and are now only a matter of speculation and legend, by tradition the rivers of Ishtar are the domains of the dragons, theirs to control as they see fit. The most widespread stories tell of how the dragons once ruled the entire region, but then lost it by unclear means; a great conflict, masterful diplomacy, or divine intercession are the most common explanations given. By and large these traditional arrangements are respected by the other inhabitants of Ishtar, at least in part as it ensures the dragons do not attempt to control life away from the riverbanks as well. As an extension of the rivers, many of the irrigation systems upon which Ishtaran agriculture relies are controlled by the dragons as well. They alone determine when to let the water flow and when to hold it back.

Through ruling the waterways, these Ishtaran dragon-lords greatly influence life in the region. Most levy fees called dragon-tolls on those that wish to pass through their sections of river, amassing great wealth in their hoards as they do so. Others allow free passage in exchange for political standing, religious influence, or knowledge. Many Ishtaran chroniclers and storytellers believe the dragons to be a major factor in why the region never fully centralized - the dragon-lords' historical tendency to throw their support behind local cities in exchange for personal wealth, power, or prestige has resulted in no city being able to gain an upper hand over the others. The dragon-lords can be highly competitive when it comes to their territory, often clashing with dragons that control neighboring sections of the rivers. Rulers and citizens of local cities often offer tribute to the dragons.

Government

Ishtar is far more of a cultural region than a unitary state. The region is nominally governed by a council of four figures, known as high governors or ensi-kingal in Ishtaran. While sometimes called kings by foreigners, this is quite inaccurate - Ishtaran government is not autocratic, and the positions are all democratic to a degree. Each of the high governors represents one of the four regions of Ishtar, and are elected from among the the governors of each city, or ensi. Local governors each lead a city and the surrounding lands with the assistance of the city priesthood. The position of governor is both civic and religious - they are simultaneously the leader of the city and the head of the temple to that city’s deity. Governors are elected from among the priesthood of the temples.

In practice, the centralized aspect of this system is almost never put to use. Cities are functionally independent for the governors to govern as they see fit - accountability from above only comes if the leadership begins to take actions that are seriously out of line. The higher council is a relatively new system compared to many of the other traditions of Ishtar, and many do not trust or are willing to accept the rule of those outside their cities. This is partially rooted in the religion of the region - accepting the leadership of those in another city is seen as also accepting the rule of their god over one’s own.

Regions

Ishtar is historically considered to consist of four broad regions, which today are also used as dividing lines for government.

• Enesur is the southernmost region. It is delineated by Sakunyaton in the south, Uthash and Eshnuk in the northwest, and Arad in the northeast.
• Aqaran is in the northeast. It is delineated by Ekallatum in the west, Marqash and Sippar in the south, and Kisurra in the east.
• Terqa is the northernmost region. It is delineated by Hadatu in the west, Eppon in the south, Tammuz in the north, and Birtuamurru to the east.
• Sarves is in the southeast. It is delineated by Erish in the west, Susa and Birtusatium to the north, Birtumas and Kutallu to the east, and Agade and Shemsara to the south.

Economy

While much of Ishtar is agrarian, and many Ishtaran live as farmers or pastoralists, there is significant industry in the cities as well.

Its location on the eastern Chaska gives Ishtar easy access to the vast maritime trade networks - in the larger cities, it is easy to find goods that originated in far away lands.

Outside the cities, Ishtar has significant mineral wealth as well, some of which is used as trade goods.

A side effect of the marshlands, the coastal cities in Enesur and Aqaran have become quite widely known for their print industries. The reeds of the marshlands led to the creation of paper mills in the area, and print shops soon followed.