(KESS-ah-nee)

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Kessany is, by most accounts, the oldest-inhabited location in Miyat. It was first inhabited in the First Migration in 4000 BC and became the site of the world’s first city-states that colonized the ancient Pfiyuyu. For a long while it was a loosely-associated collection of independent city-states, and it established many colonies across the coast of the sea, such as Pélantos, Mast, and Igalágo. It thrived for some time, uniting under one king, continuing into the Second Migration in 3200 BC. It began to decline around this time and eventually collapsed around the bvatin revolution of 2500 BC. However, during this time, it cemented itself as a lasting cultural influence upon the world and the societal heart of the entire region.

After the discovery of bvatin, an unprepared Talasa was soon conquered, and a relatively short war brought all of Kessany under the authority of a new power—the Pralans. This empire was the biggest to date in Miyat and would eventually bring a currently undetermined amount of the world under its control, but it was most of the known world at that time.

After the rise of the Pralans, what many consider the first empire, Kessany (specifically Talasa) has been a major source of contention for many a king. Talasa is near impossible to keep conquered. By its nature, it is a powerful city, receiving goods day and night from all countries round about. Its people are proud of their cultural heritage, refusing to bow to any foreign ruler of the city. And when one of their own is made the ruler, the city rebels.

Near the end of the Pralans, in 1700 BC, Emperor Kisos sacked the city three times, leading only to increased rebellions. He got so fed up with Talasa that he made two consecutive sieges, eventually pouring in and razing it to the ground. The remnants of the city fled, and what little was left fell into ruin. Bandits and pirates overran the rubble and would capture anyone who came through the nexus until people finally became smart enough to stop doing that.

The city was rebuilt under the next empire in around 1680 BC, with the now-famous Talasa Ring being constructed to make it even more secure from nexus attacks. Also during this reconstruction, the first of its two great walls was constructed, and a massive chain was built across the entrance to the Silver Hall. Over the years, Talasa has been sacked and ravaged multiple times, passing under the authority of many empires, but it remains nearly impossible to conquer definitively.

The same can’t be said for the rest of the island, however. Bakeau has historically been a poor region, after the decline of Nlída as a hub of wealth, because it is not connected to Talasa by any of the rivers that flow south. By the same token, when Talasa flourished, often it flowed down the rivers through the Highlands and the Plains of Aphium.

After the cataclysmic eruption of Kkoyu Mul and the collapse of the unnamed most recent empire,

There is no central power, but the three major cities work together to repel threats and meet at an annual conference in Talasa. As time goes on, they are becoming more and more unified, and some factions believe there should be a king over the Kepata. But most people are fiercely independent. The leaders are chosen differently in each city.

Eccentricity is the norm in Kessany, especially in the ports. Foreign curiosities are all the rage, and new traditions and cultures are appreciated. Though, it doesn’t go much beyond appreciation--the Kessans are also highly resistant to change.

Food varies by region but is heavily built on seafood.

Each city is self-sufficient but trades with those nearby for luxuries.