Sharash (pronounced shah-RAHSH) is a city in Tamkaranu. Located in the northeastern foothills of the Kurzag Mountains, Sharash is the only major city in the nation that is not either on the coast of the Chaska Sea or along the River Arrud, both of which are instrumental in sustaining the networks of trade that drive the economy and society of Tamkaranu. Sharash, then, is rather unique. It was first established as a crusader outpost in the early days of the Eastern Crusade by new arrivals, largely from eastern Thadria, though they were quickly joined by refugees fleeing the undead armies that were sweeping south along the coast. Even as the forces of Belet-Shuthnir consolidated control of the rest of the eastern Chaskan coast, Sharash stood, its remote location, favorable geography, and large volunteer army kept the dead at bay for over ten years.
Even so long after the conclusion of the Eastern Crusade, the people of Sharash still consider their independence, and willingness to go to great lengths to defend it, to be a core part of their identity. That they are a relative distance from the capital at Nindara certainly helps matters as well, with the judge-council unable to exercise direct influence on the far-flung city. The shufet of Sharash even go so far as to directly negotiate treaties with the dragons of the mountains, which under normal circumstances would be prohibited as only the central judge-council is permitted to engage in foreign diplomatic matters.