Jaha

Jaha

(City)

LN

City

Region

Mwangi Jungle, Mwangi Expanse

Level

5

Size

Small city

Population

5,600 (4710 AR)
7,105 (4721 AR)

Demographics

70% humans, 28% iruxi, 2% other

Government

Republic

Alignment

Lawful neutral

Demonym

Jahans (pre-4717 AR)
Jahaxis (from 4717 AR)

Adjective

Jahan (pre-4717 AR)
Jahaxi (from 4717 AR)

Leader

Barashzi, Iakanne Aarsani, Versenne

Images of Jaha

Source: Heart of the Jungle, pg(s). 33–35 (1E)
The Mwangi Expanse, pg(s). 196–207 (2E)

Jaha is a great crumbling city in the northern part of the Mwangi Jungle in the Mwangi Expanse.

Geography

No roads lead to the city, but it is accessible by the Olongo River, and its white granite walls extend above the tree-line that are visible for miles.

History

It is said that the city was created in the ancient past—pre-Earthfall, and perhaps before the arrival of elves—by unknown builders of great height. Stairs are steep, and doorways are tall and narrow. The city is built upon three main terraces, and many smaller terraces. The buildings are weathered and crumbling, but ancient protective magic keeps them essentially sound.

Jaha was until recently ruled by a group of mad Lirgeni astrologers, led by High Star Seeker Leshar Rushton, who arrived in the city as refugees after their homeland was destroyed by storms and flooding caused by the Eye of Abendego. As the city had been an important part of Lirgeni prophecy, the refugees invaded and defeated the city's lizardfolk inhabitants and set about reclaiming the ruins from the jungle. This process was never finished by the Lirgeni Jahans and much of the city remains covered in plant life and occupied by jungle creatures. There is also a warren of tunnels and tombs beneath the city that the lizardfolk fear to enter. Some claim these are the last resting places of the city's original builders.

At the center of the city is a huge domed temple. The Lirgeni made this the focal point of their ongoing astrological activities. They did not welcome visitors, and those who stayed in Jaha complained of poor nights' sleep and bizarre dreams of star-cracked space and sharp-edged spheres. Some say these dreams came directly from the city's ancient builders.

The Lirgeni recently started erecting dozens of enormous stones for some unknown purpose throughout the city. They were maybe connected to a plan to excavate the tunnels below.

Jahans regularly attempted to invade and steal knowledge from the isolated intellectual haven of Saruhk to the west, but otherwise were so insular that any knowledge to be gleaned about Jaha or its people had to be gained through subterfuge; they were largely unwilling to trade even with other Lirgeni.

Recent history

In 4717 AR, a coalition comprised of Lirgeni kinsfolk and lizardfolk astrologers from the Sodden Lands arrived at the gates of Jaha with the intent of compelling the city's inhabitants to share their secrets. To their surprise, however, they discovered Jaha deserted and its occupants inexplicably absent. Despite feeling unsettled, the coalition decided to settle within the abandoned ruins, opening the doors of Jaha for the first time in generations.

In the present day, adventurous scholars are welcomed to assist the new Jahaxi residents in unraveling the multitude of mysteries surrounding the city, particularly regarding the disappearance of the previous Lirgeni occupants, the "Jahan Disappearance". Numerous theories abound, with some speculating that the enigmatic marker stones scattered throughout the city or the extensive, uncharted tunnels beneath its streets might hold the key to this phenomenon.