Myleah
Myleah is the moral center of the nation of Jechran where all tribes send their representation. Dre'Ana's mortal agent presides there as the nominal leader of all the tribes of Jechran.
Orignally, Myleah was the site of the ancient Orcish capitol of Fejraka. The entire empire of Dobrekan was ruled from this city, and to this day many ruins and relics of that ancient past remain. Old roads leading to the south and west are still functional and sometimes used by the Jechrani tribes to move quickly to different parts of their nation. Unlike Dobrekan, however, the Jechrani nation is not as centralized. Women of the tribes periodically assemble in Myleah and pay homage at the large temples erected to Yeraiah and Dre'Ana. Several other buildings in the city also serve as centers of convocation between the tribes and the seat of power for the Revered Mother, a Jechrani woman selected from among the tribes to act as a figurehead of sorts for the nation and as an intermediary to the goddesses.
Geography and Areas of Interest
Myleah is located in a temperate forest composed of both old and newer growth. Trees that are large tend to be those that survived the chaos of The Great War, while smaller ones came later. The land tends to roll slightly from east to west immediately surrounding the city, coming to a nadir at Lake Batoma, named for the goddess Dre'Ana. The lake is allegedly home to a small contingent of nixies that has relations with the city of Qwanderal off the coast.
To the southeast of the city is a smaller lake that flows down a stream to Lake Batoma. This pool acts as a local watering hole for the wildlife and natural breeding ground for Jechiras.
West of the city, where the land is highest, are many remains of Fejraka. Caves and depressions in the landscape have often led adventurers to vast underground ruins with ancient secrets from before the Great war. There is rumored to be an entrance to the Underdark of Northern Avlis somewhere down there in one of the ruins.
Northwest of the city is a small settlement of sylphs which at alternating times has been both ally and foe to the inhabitants of Myleah, but always foe to the Eshala, a hated tribe of half-orc Jechrani rumored to be born from unholy unions between orcs, humans, and elves left behind from the aftermath of the War. These evil neighbors have continually posed a threat to Myleah and generally not been accepted into the confederation of tribes of greater Jechran.
Society and Rule
Women are the dominant gender in Jechran and must take measures to keep their place at the top of society. Treatment of men varies among the tribes. Each has its own specific policies. Some tribes keep no men and only trade for time with men for copulation with neighboring Jechrani tribes that do keep them. Others allow men some small form of freedom but force them to roam the wilderness alone and severely limiting their abilities to congregate in groups. Tribes that keep no men will not allow male infants to live in the village. Tribes that lean more toward evil will kill the infants or sell them as slaves to traders from Drotid. Other tribes will trade them away to tribes in need or simply cast them out to be found by other wandering males.
Most tribes are ruled either by a single dominant warrior woman or by a council of elder warriors. In some cases, the priestesses of either Dre'Ana, Yeraia, or both will lead the tribe. However, most of the time, priestesses are relegated to advisory and shamanic roles.
Tribes also usually have a dominant alignment and most members adhere to it or are cast out to join other tribes. In some cases, castoffs will band together and start a new one. Tribes can also frequently be wiped out by war with other tribes, which happens frequently, especially between those of opposing alignments that cannot agree on local principles of living. Thus, the existence of tribes is quite fluid and changing. Only the most powerful tribes with multiple villages in their number can persist for hundreds of years.
Frequent warring also affects the lifespan of Jechrani females. When left to their own devices, elves and half-elves are known to live for hundreds if not thousands of years in the case of elves. However, due to the Jechrani lifestyle and its dangers, it is uncommon to come across elven members of Jechrani tribes that are older than 200 years or half-eleven members older than 100 years. For humans, the numbers are even more bleak. A human woman of 35 years old is considered an elder in most tribes just by right of age.
The lack of males in society and the short life expectancy produces differing familial roles. Women generally assign themselves willingly to a role of Provider or Supporter. Providers and Supporters have differing customary jobs. In general, Providers become warrior-hunters and take care of the safety of the tribe, though all women in Jechrani society train to become functional fighters. Supporters' main duty is procreation and organization of the home. These women are known to spend significant time producing offspring and setting domestic policy. In some cases, a Provider and Supporter will pair up and live in the same dwelling, but this tends to vary by tribe. Many tribes opt for a completely communal dwelling structure.
Adult males in Jechrani society are located in one of three places. They are either roaming the wilderness on their own, living off the land in constant flight from tribes that seek to capture them or worse. If they are not in flight, they are captured and held by a tribe for breeding purposes as a permanent living arrangement. These males are usually kept in a fortified dwelling with others. In cases where neither of these are true, the males are usually dead, killed by a tribe and discarded.
Rarely, adventurers do make their way to Jechran. It seems to be happening more lately. Tribes that are used to dealing with adventurers will keep a cautious eye on them. Tribes of good and neutral alignment understand most of the time that the adventurers are just passing through, and as long as they do not decide to stay, they are allowed to go (though perhaps not unmolested.) Evil tribes tend to have no such tolerance and will often kill male adventurers on sight unless the males prove to be powerful enough to make such an attempt a foolish thing.
Various underground societies and male-oriented guilds have sprung up to help other men survive. These groups tend to be sympathetic toward adventurers and outsiders, often asking them for help and offering them rewards. Like the tribes themselves, these societies tend to be fluid and wiped out often when discovered by the Jechrani warriors.