El Gedz

El Gedz is a small fishing town in the southeastern corner of Raziya province, situated on the Gulf of Adwa. Though located on a busy corridor of ship traffic, El Gedz participates little in the commercial ventures of the region, its harbor rendered only poorly accessible by the circle of rocky islands known as the Kindly Isles. The islands do, however, shelter flourishing reefs and an abundant population of fish and other sea life, which grants the town a moderate degree of prosperity. Particularly valued are the Gedzi oysters that thrive in the peaceful waters of the bay, and the spiny-nose sculpin found in the tidepools along the beach -- the former a delicacy for which the province is famed, and the latter harvested to extract the highly regulated substance kholabin.

The inhabitants of El Gedz are largely Sirdabi, whose ancestors are said to have settled the area as refugees in the days of the Marzum despotate. They joined a small population of native Razmani, who are responsible for the construction both of the town's tidy stone houses and the network of water channels and cisterns that keeps it supplied with fresh water. In religion, the people of El Gedz are devout Azadi who worship at the also Razmani-built Kindly Mosque.

El Gedz is connected to the city of Alheri by the Oyster Road, which joins with the Sharizaar Road to make its way north to the provincial capital of Omrazir. The village is also linked to the neighboring province of Salawi by the Trail of Thirst, but in practice that inhospitable route is little used. Although larger ships are unable to navigate the Kindly Isles to reach El Gedz, the locals often send their own small craft out beyond the islands to meet and trade with ships in the more open waters of the Gulf.