Shalasia's second-largest city and its most important western seaport lies on the mouth of the river Sharna, right on the border with Espava. (See regional map) While Sarema lies entirely south of the Sharna, its influence extends throughout the local region, to the extent that its much smaller Espavan neighbor across the river, officially known as Dezin, is often referred to colloquially as "North Sarema." Like Shalaton itself, Sarema consists of often-lavish stone structures clustered mostly along the river and coast, surrounded by a sea of temporary structures (mostly pavillions and tents) and the whole serves as a center of trade between Shalasia and the sea -- the sea in this case being the Great Ocean itself.
Population: More than 70,000 permanent residents, with some estimates exceeding 200,000. As in the case of Shalaton, "temporary" residents, including full encampments of desert nomad tribes, put the real population somewhere over 300,000. While Sarema is an overwhelmingly human city, the goblinoid and beastman populations are significantly higher than Shalaton's, even though the city is somewhat smaller overall. Moreover, while dwarven and elven merchants do pass through, they have formed no permanent communities (even by the tent city's loose standards of "permanence") of any significant size.
Government: Most of Sarema and its immediate environs are ruled by the powerful Pasha Masalles, though national Shalasian law holds a heavy influence, with many laws passed that in effect apply to the city of Sarema alone. As in Shalaton itself however, some of the city's powerful merchant organizations carry enormous influence with the local (and to an extent even the national) government. Moreover, many Pashas of western Shalasia own palatial homes and estates in and around the city which are officially regarded as lands under their own authority.
National Affiliation: The Imperial Sultanate of Shalasia
Chief Exports: Crafted goods of all varieties, from pottery to furniture to jewelry and swords -- in fact however, this might be extended to /all/ goods of all varieties, as this center of trade is likely to have anything and everything imaginable available for sale, passing into, out of, or through town from somewhere.
History
While habitations along the banks of the river Sharna are probably among the earliest human settlements in the Broken Sea region, and in one form or another have existed continually ever since, and coastal trade made the river mouth an important local population center before the development of writing, the city of Sarema in its present form is little more than a thousand years old, when it became in effect the capital of the de-facto state of West Shalasia following the sack of Aphera and the capital's relocation to Shalaton (then called Ge'ar Sultanri). The Al-Samir revolution that reshaped Shalasia's political landscape nearly four hundred years ago began here among the Pashas of the west whose seats of power lay in and around Sarema.
Important Landmarks (extremely incomplete list)
Fort Dezin: Though it lies on the north bank of the Sharna's mouth, in Espava, and in fact houses a significant detachment of the Espavan armed forces, most people regard the local Espavan fortress and the surrounding city of Dezin as simply the "Espavan side" of the greater city of Sarema. Dezin itself is colloquially known as North Sarema, and its population consists mostly of merchants whose livlihood lies in trade (openly in time of peace, secretly as smugglers when legitimate trade is forbidden) between Espava and Shalasia; those who serve or prey upon them; and Shalasians fleeing justice, creditors, or revenge on the far side of the river. Indeed, it is an open secret that many among the troops of Fort Dezin itself clandestinely cross the river to Sarema proper when on leave.
Hall of Assembly: A wide stone structure with an enormous golden dome, lying near the center of Sarema's permanent core (but naturally far northwest of the geographic center of the city if the vast tent city is included) officially resides within the jurisdiction of no single Pasha, answering only the laws of the Sultanate. It is here that the various Pashas with interests in the city meet on neutral ground to form policies and alliances, air and resolve their disputes, and mete out justice when required. The building itself is several hundred years old, and served its present function for all the Pashas of the west for centuries, surrounding the Al-Samir revolution -- which itself was (arguably) born and (certainly) nurtured within these walls.
Ocean Harbor: The vast natural harbor created by the bay of Sarema is supplemented by an enormous man-made breakwater, sheltering shipyards and docks second only to those of Shalaton itself. The harbor here is perhaps more cosmopolitan even than the capital's, receiving most of Shalasia's trade from the west, the north as far as Eastport, and even the far east.
Palace of Masalles: The sprawling wings and many-fountained gardens of the chief Pasha of Sarema rival even the Sultan's in Shalaton in many respects. Though far less extensive than the Imperial Palace grounds, which serve a far more varied purpose, and not nearly so ancient -- even the oldest structures here have stood for only a few hundred years -- its lofty spires and sheer extravagance seem calculated to inspire envy even in a Sultan or a king.
Rafesh Castle: The symbol (and active military projection) of the Imperial Sultan's might in Sarema is the enormous stone fortress whose walls stretch hundreds of meters along the river Sharna and out along the coast, sheltering the local naval yard. One could well imagine that nothing could escape the castle's countless ever-vigilant eyes, were one not aware of the smuggling of goods and people across the river that has occurred perpetually, in war and peace, for hundreds of years at least.
River Docks: Several kilometers upriver of the Sharna's mouth, lofty stone buildings begin to give way to shabbier structures and sometimes-makeshift piers where riverboats and ferries are constantly putting in and out, on journeys upriver or across to Dezin. Many wealthy merchants and Pashas have their own, usually better-kept docks and piers connected to their own homes and estates further down the river, but nowhere are they as crowded or as heavily used as here. The region of the city near the actual harbor is as rowdy as might be expected of any district dominated by sailor-choked docks, but those docks seem downright geneteel in comparison with the river docks upstream.
Temple District: While some individual Pashas have shrines erected to specific members of the pantheon -- some of them even lavish in the extreme -- the primary center of worship in the city is the official Temple District mandated by Pasha Masalles. While the temple to Athoth overshadows all others present, and several faiths have no visible presence in the district (given the nature of the faiths in question, whether their temples are absent or cleverly hidden must be in some doubt) the city deals with them in an essentially egalitarian fashion, and manages to keep the peace between them admirably well. Even the local temple to Isiyes was not significantly ravaged following the outlaw of its religion in Shalasia, though this may have resulted in no small part from Sarema's distance from the capital and the opportunity it gave the faithful to secure the temple and protect or remove its more movable valuables ahead of more general rumor. Since the worship of Isiyes became permissible in Shalasia again, at least to those who acknowledge her subservience to Athoth, the temple has even been reopened, though the worship service has necessarily changed.
Tent City: Like Shalaton's, the great majority of Sarema's people live, work, or do business in a vast, ever-changing city of tents and pavillions that extend far beyond the river and coast toward the desert. Most of the people here are desert nomads who come to trade through the city with the outside world, as well of course as those who seek to do business with them, or who simply lack the resources to live or work in the heart of the city, and criminals out to prey on nomads or other likely victims. As in Shalaton, while the vast majority of the city's wealth is concentrated along the river and docks, and most of its goods do pass through there, the actual business of trade mostly happens in the vast open markets of the tent city.
