Naishn

Merchants needed protection, and military units from border outposts needed consistent supplies - these were the needs which gave rise to the mutually beneficial relationship that birthed the small settlement in the very southwest of the Shattered Sands. Naishn, originally, was intended as nothing more than a waystation of sorts: a place where traders and traveling shopkeepers could temporarily set up, a place where soldiers from nearby stations could regroup and rotate patrols, and a place where both could rest and recuperate safely from the merciless and savage desert wild.

 

It was only until the traffic through this small settlement became nearly constant - very often from the Everwood to the west and New Bablyon to the far east - that its community members realized perhaps a more permanent and established solution was required. And thus the city was developed, rumored to be one of the most swiftly built in history, its construction vastly hastened by materials from both merchant and military being brought in from all directions, the necessity for such a city having been recognized and appreciated by all. Naishn, at first just a handful of huts and a barracks, had finally become a home to anyone who would have it.

 

It didn't take much longer for Naishn's inhabitants to take advantage of the nearby sea. Although dozens of miles east of the transition into the Everwood, the city is only a couple north of the coast, easily within walking distance, which had been initially avoided out of fear of pirate activity as well as a lack of personnel to maintain a port. However, now that the city had planted a stronger foothold, the rush of expansion to the coast was inevitable. A port was born, and the Naishn tradition of merchant and military pairing was extended to ship and sea.

 

Although separated by a few miles of desert, inland Naishn and its coastal annex are still connected by what is currently known as the "Merchant's Highway", a bustling stretch of road between the city and its port that has seen persistent use since its creation. A center of all sorts of activity, typically filled with anywhere from a few dozen to thousands and thousands of people at a time depending on the time of day and day of the month. Temporary outdoor shops and makings, tents and pavilions of all sizes for businesses and off-duty soldiers alike, caravans, campfires, gatherings, showcases, demonstrations, sparring grounds, even festival activities - the Merchant's Highway is a seamless blend of marketplace, tourist attraction, military reprieve, travel route, resting spot, and place of recreation. And keeping it all safe, of course, are the eastern and western stone walls that help the road connect its city and port, both of the high and long structures running a few hundred yards parallel on either side of the highway and manned by Naishn guards at all times.

 

Naishn's port itself, although less than half the size of the main city, is never dull. Home to one of the largest sea navies of Aneos, consisting of mostly traditional ships and a small grouping of scouting airships. Often seen as the slightly more seedy portion of the city, with gambling, underground crime, and drunken debauchery fairly common among its inhabitants, particularly at night. Some blame it on lack of strict scrutiny on travelers and through-traffic, but others directly credit it to the navy itself, or more particularly the rather colorful main fleet and its leader who call the port their home.

 

Though often likened to being the more rugged and rustic smaller sibling to New Babylon, Naishn does have its sense of order. Ruled by a joint "council" with power split equally, who all maintain at least a somewhat light connection to Queen Huntress Amadeii Sol in the east. Of this council: Watch Captain Arn Tharr, an older and seasoned dwarven man with a fantastic sense of humor, the military guard leader of the region and Naishn's direct forces, as well as of the smaller non-contracted portion of the navy; High Admiral Zekta, a colorfully animated and notoriously unpredictable female desert elf nearly two centuries old, respected for her unconventional but highly effective battle tactics, as well as for being the leader of Naishn's primary navy force, a band of contracted, diverse sea-and-air mercenaries known as The Crimson Band, or simply The Band; banker and merchant organizer Filo d'Auterre, a stubborn but highly intelligent younger human man who acquired his position via lineage, but has impressed everyone with his initiative, unpredictably deep pockets and long reach into others'; and lastly, Honoress Oria van Degan, a middle-aged human female, quiet but intimidating, noble and political figurehead for the city, typically responsible for the diplomatic relations the city is involved with, occasional spymaster when required.

 

The meaning behind Naishn's name seems to have been twisted and lost to the majority over time. The most famous and unfounded explanations are ones which decipher rather roughly into "Place to Meet", "Jewel on the Coast", "Oasis", and "Sea-Stone", but the name actually has roots in a far more eastern branch of the language than most realize. Correctly, the name itself is a simplification of "naia'sashiin", which in direct translation is simply "To watch over."