The lands surrounding the River Qorath were among the many regions destabilised by the Great War of Naplica. As the Empire of Lóngyuán retreated to their heartlands, the fertile basin of the river became a refuge for human merchants, refugees, and displaced peoples seeking to rebuild far from the great battlefields of the war.
In the decades that followed, settlements rose along the Qorath’s banks and its caravan routes. The most prominent of these were Kiryat-Az, founded by settlers in the fertile southern plains; Utic-Saphon, a port city established along the river’s mouth on the eastern sea; and the settlements of Ain-Marda, Tel-Aram, and Beth-Kadur, which emerged along the middle course of the river where caravan routes crossed the fertile basin.
The River Qorath quickly became the lifeblood of these communities. Barges carried grain and stone downstream, while caravans brought incense, metals, and exotic goods from distant lands.
As the cities prospered, their wealth attracted the attention of surrounding powers. Most prominent among these was the Clandom of Māt Ṣēri, whose rulers expanded northward in the years following the Great War.
Rather than destroy the flourishing cities, the rulers of Māt Ṣēri imposed a tributary system upon them. Kiryat-Az, Ain-Marda, Tel-Aram, Beth-Kadur, and even the coastal port of Utic-Saphon were compelled to pay tribute in coin, grain, and trade tariffs in exchange for military protection and recognition of their autonomy.
Though this system preserved the independence of the cities, it fostered resentment among their merchant elites. Increasingly, the rulers and guilds of the river settlements began coordinating trade policies and negotiating tribute collectively, laying the foundations for what would become known as the Cities of Qorath.
As decades passed, cooperation between the river cities deepened. Raiders from Māt Ṣēri to the south and bandits in the mountains from the west threatened the caravan routes that sustained their prosperity. To protect their interests, the cities established joint patrols along the river and caravan roads, as well as agreements regulating river tolls and merchant law.
This loose alliance came to be known as the Qorathi League, a confederation of independent city-states united not by a single ruler but by shared commercial interests and the necessity of collective defence.
Each city retained its own rulers and traditions. Kiryat-Az became known for its scholars and priestly courts, Utic-Saphon dominated maritime trade along the eastern sea, and the central cities of Ain-Marda, Tel-Aram, and Beth-Kadur flourished as caravan hubs linking inland Naplica to the coast.
The most recent of the Qorathi cities is Hadath-Ruma, whose origins lie in open defiance of Māt Ṣēri.
For generations, merchants of the river cities had grown increasingly frustrated by the tribute demanded by the Clandom. Eventually, a powerful coalition of merchant houses, caravan masters, and financiers abandoned the Qorath basin entirely. Crossing the northern mountains, they established a new settlement along the high passes that connected the riverlands to distant northern markets.
This new city, Hadath-Ruma—the New Height—was deliberately founded beyond the reach of Māt Ṣēri’s authority. Free from tribute and strategically placed along the mountain trade routes, the city quickly grew wealthy and powerful.
Though geographically separated from the river basin, Hadath-Ruma maintained strong commercial ties with the older Qorathi cities and was eventually recognised as part of their wider confederation. It remains the only member of the Cities of Qorath not bound by tributary obligations to Māt Ṣēri.
Today, the City-States of Qorath form one of the most prosperous commercial regions in Naplica. The river continues to bind the cities together through trade, while their markets attract merchants from across the continent.
Yet beneath their prosperity lies tension. Many within the river cities resent their continued tributary status to Māt Ṣēri, while others fear that open rebellion would invite conquest. Meanwhile, the growing power of Hadath-Ruma, wealthy and independent beyond the mountains, offers a tempting model for those who dream of a future free from tribute.
For now, the cities remain united by commerce and necessity—but the question of whether the Cities of Qorath will remain tributaries or rise as a true confederation of free states continues to shape their politics.