Ifru
| Allegiance | Sirdabi Caliphate |
| Capital | Koba |
| Demonym | Ifari |
| Official Language | Sirdabi |
| Official Religion | Azadi |
| Currency | fals/dirham/nour |
| Native Heritages | Tessouare, Sirdabi, Razmani |
Often considered the backwater of the Sirdabi Caliphate, Ifru is nonetheless centrally located among the caliphate's Idiri provinces, lying along the Adelantean coast east of Tessere and west of Amunat. With a relatively small population, unforgiving terrain, and poor harborage, the province still plays a key role in trans-Hazari trade and its towns are vital waystations along one of the most well-traveled caravan routes of the continent. Ifru is part of the Tessouare heartland and was once a renowned center of civilization and commerce, from ancient times through the days of the Ruveran Empire. Numerous ruins lie scattered across the province, some of Ruvan origin, some dating back to the days of the great Tessouare kingdoms, all of them now desolate in the middle of half-forgotten valleys and fields of windblown dunes.
Geography & Climate
Ifru is a difficult land, with a hot and arid climate and punishing terrain that challenge both travelers and residents. The landscape holds a stark beauty for those who are untroubled by the vast empty spaces and isolation, but most people not native to the area -- and some of those who are -- fear the many areas that lie beyond the edge of the country's settlements. Most of the province's population is scattered along the Adelantean shore, which receives some welcome rain in the winter months that makes limited farming, grazing, and arboriculture possible. But scarcely a hundred miles inland from the coast these seasonal rains vanish, leaving the remainder of the province to the mercy of brief but violent storms that pound the land with torrential rain before vanishing as swiftly as they came on.
In long-ago times, in the days of the earliest Tessouare kingdoms and before, Ifru was a far more temperate and forgiving land. Tales and chronicles tell of verdant meadows spreading across the Plain of Ruin and filling the fields now covered in sand, thick forests blanketing the Citadel Mountains, and a vast and beautiful lake that nestled within the very heart of those wooded slopes. But of all this natural abundance nothing remains but dust, and the immense basin of bone-dry and darkened ground now called Shadow Lake.
While overall somewhat hazardous to traverse, Ifru is fortunate to lie at the northern end of one of the safer routes through the Great Hazari Desert -- if "safe" can be used to describe any route through that vast and perilous land. The town of Bel Saleq, situated at the southern edge of the province, owes its existence and its relative prosperity to the deep wells there whose sweet-tasting waters have never failed. Few who follow the caravan route through the town dare to deviate far from its path, and the Wailing Plain that stretches out just to the east is among the most desolate spots in all Idiri.
The foothills of the Citadel are much less menacing, though by no means easy to pass through. Some amount of forage graces the trail, a mix of sparse bunchgrass and twisted shrubs, and additional water is seasonally available from intermittent springs amidst the rocks. The village of Kaztelagh, with its own manmade citadel crowning the bluff, relies on these springs as well as a handful of natural rock tanks that fill with the torrential rains from thunderstorms. Far up in the mountain heights remnants of the once extensive forests still survive, but are generally left alone due to the reputation of the mountains as jinn-haunted.
People
People of Tessouare heritage make up the greater part of the population of Ifru, which along with the neighboring province of Tessere is deemed the Tessouare heartland. Most settlements of size are located either upon the Adelantean coast, or along the Salt Road route of the trans-Hazari caravans. Many Tessouare, as well as a substantial proportion of the ethnic Sirdabi of the province, find their employment in relation to these trade routes, whether as provisioners, caravan guides, merchant middleman, caravanserai staff, or in a host of other jobs serving the caravaneers in various ways. Most of the sailors and sea captains who transport the goods from Koba and Syfax onward are either Salawi or Sirdabi, as Tessouare in general are not fond of water travel, and Ifari in particular have a singular dread of the sea. The people of Neothalis represent the notable exception, perhaps due to lingering Elukoi and Yehani influence there.
Outside of Ifru's towns, the population is thinly scattered across the landscape and is made up mostly of Tessouare who eke out a humble living from the slightly wetter lands of the coast or the Citadel foothills. Despite the remnants of cooler forests further up the mountain slopes, most Ifari only visit those heights sparingly and with great caution, due to the stories of fearsome spirits and other strange mysteries haunting those remote places. Tessouare herders will only venture into the mountains wherever they can hear the song of the emberwing redstart, as this bird is considered a lucky protector who keeps evil influences at bay wherever it is present.
Despite this one bit of caution, Ifari have a reputation for being incurably curious and addicted to risk-taking, and in general are considered hopelessly eccentric (if not a bit dim) by others in the caliphate.
Economy
The economy of Ifru is almost entirely dependent on its role as middleman for the trans-Hazari caravans that pass through the province, bringing a wide variety of goods to and from central and southern Idiri. The border town of Bel Saleq functions as a jumping-off point for caravans headed south across the desert, and plays an equally vital role in giving relief to the merchant trains that have just completed their harrowing trek northward. Though the capital of Koba is the official northern terminus of the Salt Road trade route, most of the goods do not remain there long before being loaded onto ships and transported to much larger trade entrepots such as Kneph-Nebhet or, still more often, Omrazir in Raziya. Serving more localized trade and travel, the Trail of Sand treks along the Adelantean coast, forming a useful overland link with neighboring Amunat.
The remainder of Ifari commerce is almost entirely local, as the province produces few materials or goods of its own for export. One of its few unique specialties is the pungent fish sauce called groum, made from the fermented innards of fish native to the Thalisca Lagoon and Tideward Isles. Although much beloved by the locals and considered by them to be a wonderful delicacy, a taste for the sauce is not shared by most of the rest of the caliphate -- to the point where the word groum is often used as shorthand for something like "the lesser of two evils", and "to stew up some groum" is a widespread proverb for making the best of a very bad situation.
Religion
Most people in Ifru are adherents of the Azadi faith, practicing it as faithfully as possible and performing the daily prayers even in the province's many remote locations. Ifru has few great buildings even its larger towns, but the al-Tajeddi mosque in Koba is one interesting exception. Constructed according to the vision of a pious local woman and her son, the mosque is formed entirely from stone taken from Ifru's many ruins, even incorporating fragments of mosaic to form calligraphic script that swoops colorfully across the exterior. Ifru is also home to practitioners of some of the more mystical aspects of Azadi, most of whom reside scattered through the Citadel mountains, singly in or small enclaves.
Cities & Towns
- Koba, the modest seaside capital, distinguished by its salvaged rubble buildings and home of the eccentric Bastoumis Bibliotekkum.
- Bel Saleq, a Hazari oasis town known both for its hospitality and its tunneled streets.
- Kaztelagh, an ancient fortress town nestled in the Citadel foothills.
- Kenefic, a mixed Tessouare and Amunati village along the Path of Sand.
- Neothalis, an island outpost known for its production of groum.
- Syfax, a port town whose Capital Harbor sits amidst the sunken ruins of history.