Steel & Spellcraft - Utum

[brown_ant]

"Steel & Spellcraft" is an irregular series of blog posts featuring a heroic fantasy setting on the planet Mars far into the distant future. Today, I present to you:

UTUM

• Atop a colossal ziggurat, the Maharajah of Utum commands the loyalty of the world's most populous nation... of living and undead!
• The Maharajah sponsors expeditions into ruins and far off lands to procure wealth and recover items of power and ancient secrets. In order to ensure the success of these dungeon-delves, some powerful patrons (including the Maharajah) send a veteran priest or scholar with a small retinue of bodyguards (and sometimes novices/apprentices) to accompany the treasure hunters. The priests apply their skill in the healing arts and truth-saying rituals to bolster the health of the adventurer's and to guarantee the treasure hunters remain honest and focused on their goals.
• Adventurers that prove to be useful to the Maharajah, the Rajahs, nobles and other courtiers can exercise their influence, but must do so at their own peril. Politics can be as thrilling and as deadly as dungeon delving.
• Sell-swords and adventurers are now instrumental to the nobles' plan to clear out stretches of wilderness, open up areas for settlement, farming and travel routes.
• Those interested in buying or selling unearthed relics, wondrous tokens and enchanted weapons can find no better place to do so than the Night Bazaar in Utum. Folk from all along the Great Road find their way to the Bazaar for the best selection of arcane items and equipment.
• The young ruler has exiled the Prime Minister and dissolved the Privy Council and installed a sorcerous cabal in its place. Some of the Throne's policies and edicts have been less than popular, especially the new levy on magical goods. A fee is charged to each participant in the magical trade: the purchaser, broker and seller. However, the hue and cry is over the significantly higher tax rate applied to foreigners who buy or broker a magical trade. There is some additional controversy over the preferential tax rate for some Erbos merchant clans rate and the exemption for the local Temple of the [god of knowledge and magic].
• Powered by colossal beasts, untiring legions of undead slaves and machinery not seen since the Golden Age of the Thousand Cities, Utum is undertaking a major civil works project to upgrade the Great Road (aka the Spice Road analog). The first segments were completed in the past few years, linking Utum with a major center of trade (along a major body of water) and a small city state (of military/strategic significance, also agricultural center?). These segments of the Great Road are elevated, broad roadways with minor guard towers and way stations at regular intervals. Trade caravans can also expect well-fortified and guarded spacious camping areas that are at most one-days' travel from the next caravan staging area.
• While neighbouring states and allies have benefited from the economic boom in Utum, states both near and far have started to fear the power rising from the West. It does not take a sage to realize that legions of troops can march down the new walled, paved roadways of the Great Road with great speed.
• Utum was founded by exiled royalty from Lost Atulan.