Overview

The Kingdom of Jast is situated in the northwest corner of central Ashriya, south of the Necropolis and west of Barulis. The kingdom is made up of the city of Jast, as well as various small townships and settlements nearby. Since its founding as a kingdom in 48 AR, Jast has been ruled by the Efficks family. Today, the Kingdom is ruled by King Devante Efficks, an Elf in his early 40’s.

Jast is in a less than welcoming spot, though they have certainly made the most of it. In the west is the treacherous terrain of the Dragon’s Maw Mountains, rich with minerals and ores, but wrought with dangerous creatures abound. The Drakes Tongue River also is to the west of Jast. Most of Jast’s food is produced by farms settled near the river. While much of the food is sold within the kingdom, a significant amount of it is exported to nearby cities and settlements; primarily to Daboran, which has notoriously little in the way of farming.

The Wild Forest to the south is rich with natural resources, though acquiring the resources has been difficult, largely due to the Tormentors that reside there. And although there are Tormentors within the Woods, no known Glibben Court occupies the territory; at least, not one that has made itself known to the people of Jast.

Jast’s prominence today is largely due to the citizens of Jast focusing upon caravaning, and moving goods around central Ashriya. Jast sees an immense amount of trade passing through its borders, and serves as a focal point for trade between the Necropolis, Daboran, and Barulis. Since the establishment of the Grand Tunnel Line in Daboran, many goods from the western nations of Bollen and Myra pass through Jast by way of Daboran, and filter out to the rest of the Midlands from there. While Jast primarily trades between Daboran, the Necropolis, and Barulis, various merchant groups based in Jast have caravans that run across all of Ashriya, bringing food and supplies to various smaller settlements in sparse or underdeveloped parts of the world.

Jast maintains a standing army, though it has never been needed for anything except defending their borders from Tormentors, as well as patrolling the roads to keep them free and clear of banditry. The city used to have significantly more problems with thievery and banditry, but in the past several decades it has been more proactive in eliminating any threats to the merchant trading that the city has come to depend on. The army is largely stationed around the city, and along the border of the Wild Forest to the south, to fend off any attacks from Tormentors.

Culture

Much of life in Jast is based on the significant trade that passes through the city. The people of Jast largely gravitate towards a profession that aids in this endeavor. Generally, this means the production of goods worth trading, or the facilitation of trade.

While the work is dangerous, Jast continues to attempt to pull resources from the mineral-rich mountains to the west. The mines are treacherous, filled with hostile elemental beings that often attempt to drive out workers. The mining operations are largely overseen by Jast’s government and aided by Jast’s military, though it’s not uncommon to hear of private enterprises setting up their own operations; such endeavors, however, have notoriously tragic endings.

The Crafter’s Guild of Jast offers tutelage to the citizens of Jast on how they can use the various materials and components that filter through the city to create useful goods to be used or sold.

Though there are dozens of merchanting groups and guilds based out of Jast, the most well known merchant organization within Jast is the Caravanners Association. Much of the trade in the city has, in some manner, involved the Caravanners, whether the shipment was organized and scheduled by them or whether they helped the caravan hire guards to protect the goods.

The Caravanners Associations have significant ties to the various mercenary companies based out of Jast, including the Jast Fighter’s Guild. Most mercenary companies are hired to protect caravans, though occasionally the companies will be hired by Jast to root out larger bandit groups that tend to set up along trade routes and prey upon merchants who are unable, or otherwise unwilling, to pay for protection.

Since the rebuilding of the Necropolis, Jast has had very strong ties to the neighboring city. This has led to a non-insignificant presence of necromancers and worshipers of Kammatt, the God of Unlife, within the kingdom. The Risen Arts is a business located within the city of Jast, notable for its necromantic lore and enchanted items pertaining to the undead and necromantic arts.

South of the city, in the Wild Woods, resides a temple known as Kammatt’s Sanctum. Despite the temple being consumed by the Woods following the Second Surge, devotees of Kammatt have been able to find their way through the forest to the temple, claiming to have been given guidance and protection by Kammatt to show them the path and keep them safe from the Tormentors lurking within the forest. Those who have visited the temple claim that it is in a state that seems like it is being tended to, but no person has been able to provide insight as to who is overseeing it.

History

The city of Drine was formed in 425 BED, after several small struggling communities came together to pool their resources and work together. The leader at the time of the Turning was Ramon Jast, who died of poison a few years after the start of the Turning. With strong popular support, the name of the city was changed from Drine, to Jast.

In 68 BED, Jast made first contact with the city of the Necropolis, to their north. With no need to drink or eat, the Undead’s alliance brought much needed aid to Jast during the Drought, as the Undead could collect sparse and far off water and food, but had no need of it themselves.

In 48 AR, Jast refounded itself as a Kingdom, naming Irwin Efficks as the King of Jast. Despite the change in governance, Jast continued to try and not involve itself with world politics.

With the destruction of the Necropolis by Barulis in 57 AR, many refugees fled to the relative safety of Jast and the population grew. Fearing Barulis would continue its attempt to wipe out the Undead, Jast sought further protection and through diplomatic negotiations, became annexed by Sarth in 61 AR. King Irwin was allowed to remain in power, but his crown was taken, and he was appointed Lord Governor.

In 70 AR, Jast forcefully seceded from Sarth following the rise to power of the “Three Kings of Sarth” and Duke Lucio D’Sarth. This war did not last long; few know why, but upon the army of Jast arriving at the gates of Sarth, the Sarissa guardsmen threw down their arms and opened the gates. With the Three Kings arrested or killed, and an army within the walls of Sarth, Efficks succinctly forced Lucio to relinquish his claim upon Jast, making it a free city once more.

Following their independence, Jast began to provide aid to the Undead who were attempting to rebuild the Necropolis.

Jast would see a time of peace and prosperity until 161 AR when the earth shook, and many parts of their mines in the Dragon’s Maw collapsed. When the old tunnels were dug out they were even richer in material, but also filled with enemies. Earth Elementals filled the tunnels and caverns, making any attempt to gather their metals significantly more dangerous. Campaigns to secure the mines continue to this day.

In 198 AR, another violent change occurred and forests sprung to life just south of the city in the area that had previously been known as the Wild Lands. Since then, it is not uncommon for people wandering near the Wild Woods to be attacked by various Tormentors.

In 277 AR, following the Fourth Surge, the volcano of the Dragon’s Maw violently erupted, burning much of the countryside and turning Sarth to cinders. Some survivors ran to Jast telling tales of people being engulfed in flames, lava running down the mountains, and gasses suffocating citizens. While the city of Sarth was lost, Jast welcomed anyone who had been displaced by the volcano. In the years following, the furthest sections of former Sarth have become livable again, and under Urien Efficks they laid claim to the borderlands of Sarth. Taking their rich growing lands and soil, and more importantly their bison, it has become the lifeblood of their caravans.