saddle arabia [Lore] Manephis

[SteelEagle]

MANEPHIS - CITY OF SULTANS

 

Manephis is the capital of Saddle Arabia and a city that experiences near total change with every cycle of leadership. It is also the smallest of all the major Saddle Arabian cities despite its location along a rich delta which provides superb arable land for the cadre of farmers who are the only permanent populace. Large farms and irrigation projects surround the city but it is not for their large scale production that the city is known. It is the home of the Sultan and the government of Saddle Arabia and it is from Manephis that the efficient and swift-moving mechanisms of the wealthy state of Saddle Arabia moves into action. What separates Manephis from other capitals is not this simple fact as that can be said to be true of all capitals, but it is the population and manner in which it changes that gives the city its unique flavor.

 

A new Sultan, once given his power, immediately has to fill all government positions. Everyhorse he picks moves to Manephis along with their families. Attached to this are all the aides and functionaries of the departments who follow in the hoofsteps of the officials, and there are needs that must be fulfilled. Following certain patterns and theories of a comfortable life, the Minister of Public Safety approves a certain amount of immigration in the form of workers, store owners, and entertainers. Law Enforcement and military officials bring their contingents as well. The city can swell from only a few hundred to many tens of thousands of horses in a relatively short time as a result. Once the mass moving in ends, the city can remain remarkably stable or the next ten years. Horses leave and are replaced. Diplomats from other nations are recalled by their home nations and their position filled.

 

The entirety of the city save for the farms outside of it is one giant palace, arguably the largest structure on the planet. Everyhorse and every function of both the city and the state happen inside of it. Open air markets are held in giant courtyards and stores may be mistaken for rooms in other palaces. Medical facilities are shared by the Sultan and the cultural facilities are side by side with royal archives and the departments of government. One can bump into the Minister of Finance as he leaves his lodging and a short trot down the hall is guaranteed to be filled with officials and celebrities of every stripe. Living space is not small, however, as on average a family of four can expect on average to live in housing the quality and size of nobility from most other cities. Supplies and availability of funds and resources are carefully considered and the city has been capped in terms of population. Consumption and quality control are watched over closely, and as a result, even the poorest amongst the citizens of the city live a life of relative luxury.

 

Of course, Manephis is not a paradise resort but the palace of a Sultan who earned his position. The Sultan expects those allowed into Manephis to share the same meritocratic drive as the Sultan does and those who fail in their jobs or simply do not live up to expectations can be removed from their positions and the city to be replaced by one of the many willing and able Arabians who are ready to clamber over the failures of others to reach new heights. It is a city of near endless work, as everyhorse from Sultan on down to the street sweeper is instilled with the meritocratic drive that enabled them to get the positions they now have. The lazy, meek, and confused are quickly rejected and replaced with the tireless, aggressive, and intelligent. Yet after a period of ten years the overwhelmingly vast majority of residents vacate the city as a new Sultan takes charge. It is during these times that the city is as quiet as a babe at rest, whole sections of the city seemingly abandoned. Only guards and a bare bone staff remain to keep the city secure and going in preparation for the new leaders to take charge while farmers from outside the walls toil as they always have and will. Such is the way of life in Manephis, capital of Saddle Arabia.

A Journal Between Lovers: My Travels and Travails, by Flowing Stars