Mithusu

Mithusu is an independent city-state in Haven near the edge of the Uldarash Empire. Named for its legendary founder, the city is primarily devoted to the worship of the god Lahhon (la-hahn), who is said to control the sun. In return for glory and praise, Lahhon gives his strength to the city and its citizens in their endeavors. The city is governed by a theocratic monarchy, with Alman Suleiman being the current Malik.

Lore
The city views itself as being the heir to the legendary leader Mithusu, who lived beyond the lands of Rathnir. Mithusu is said to have made a covenant with the god Lahhon where in return for glory and worship the deity would give Mithusu strength and power while also bringing prosperity to Mithusu's allies and destruction to his enemies. Lahhon then gave Mithusu the dual roles of Malik (monarch) of Mithusu's tribe and High Priest of the god's cult.

With the strength of Lahhon and neighboring allies, Mithusu led his tribe to conquer his local enemies. After these initial successes, Mithusu took his tribe across the sea to conquer more distant lands, which he successfully did. However, Mithusu's empire is said to have grown so large that he became preoccupied with matters of state and spent less and less time glorifying and praising the deity. But since Lahhon still gave them his strength, Mithusu's armies continued to win great victories. Eventually, when Mithusu's soldiers saw that Mithusu spent little time worshipping and yet still succeeded in battle, the men assumed that the victories were a result of their own strength and power and not from the help of Lahhon. This and the inadequate worship angered the god so much that he gave his strength to Mithusu's enemies so that Mithusu's army was defeated and forced to flee back across the sea. But soon after docking in their homeland, Lahhon helped Mithusu's old enemies defeat him and made sure that all but Mithusu himself died, with the disgraced leader fleeing on a boat out to sea.

Having pity for Mithusu and wanting to ensure that the deity would receive praise and worship, Lahhon told Mithusu that he would create a new nation from his name but that Mithusu would not live to see it since he had broken their covenant. Lahhon then led Mithusu's boat and fed him pufferfish to sustain him until the boat reached Lahhon's destined location. Mithusu eventually landed in Rathnir on Haven, where he used his last words to ask the god not to judge the new nation for his sin and gave the suggestion to separate the roles of Malik and High Priest so as to ensure that both roles could be adequately performed. Lahhon agreed to this and said that he would call his new people to assemble on the spot where Mithusu died and that the first few would be the initial nobles, more specifically that the first person to arrive would become Malik with the second being named High Priest, thus ensuring that the roles would be separated. The first to arrive, and therefore the first Malik, was Alman Suleiman. The second to arrive, and therefore the first High Priest, was Novus Montu.

Once all of the nobles had been called and arrived at the site of the new nation, it is said that Mithusu's spirit rose towards Lahhon and that the nobles heard him singing, "Remember your covenant oh people of Mithusu, since it is by Lahhon's strength that you will surely prosper. By him it is you who have been called and brought together, so build this great city and these lands will surely look upon you with awe."

Early Construction
Once settled, the nobles built a wall around one part of their new land so as to secure their holdings. With this completed, Novus Montu constructed a ziggurat outside of the wall with a temple to Lahhon on top while Alman Suleiman built his royal palace inside of the wall. As a result, the original wall became the dividing line between the royal district and the rest of the city. In addition, a defensive wall was built around the city's coast to its east and on the opposite side of the river to its west.

The city is still currently awaiting the remainder of those who have been called by Lahhon to assemble where Mithusu died.

Structure
Mithusu is a theocratic monarchy, being governed by a monarch called the Malik who oversees matters of both government and state, granting ministerial positions to other nobles as needed. Additionally, the city has a High Priest who is the leader of the cult of Lahhon, being the only person with whom Lahhon will appear and directly communicate to. In addition to these two positions, the city also has an Assembly of Nobles who advise the Malik when requested, made up of the High Priest and those others whom Lahhon is said to have called to be nobles.

Current Leadership
The current Malik is Alman Suleiman. The current High Priest is Novus Montu.

Religion
The primary religion of Mithusu is Lahhonism, which is the worship of Lahhon, the Holder of Light and Giver of Life. According to the Mithusian Texts, Lahhon was the first and favorite son of the earth and was given the sun to posses. The story of his epic fight with his brother Rihutu, who was given the moon, is recorded in the Book of Lahhon, the first book of the Mithusian Texts. It details how the earth was formed and the origins of the many gods and creatures that inhabit it.

For the city of Mithusu, Lahhon is the god who made a covenant with the city's founder, a military leader named Mithusu, that entailed giving praise and glory to Lahhon in exchange for Lahhon's support and strength. Upon the legendary founder's death, Lahhon extended this covenant to the people of the city of Mithusu. As such, the city sees its worship of Lahhon as being directly related to its success in all matters.

While Mithusu does not prohibit the worship of other gods since these deities are siblings of Lahhon, the worship of Lahhon is primary within the city's boundaries and for any Mithusian citizen. The head of Lahhon's cult is the High Priest of Mithusu, who communicates with the deity in the Temple of Meeting on top of the Ziggurat of Mithusu.

Architecture
The city's architectural style is inspired by Mesopotamian, ancient Near East, and medieval Middle Eastern cultures. The two primary buildings in the city are the Ziggurat of Mithusu and the Royal Palace of Mithusu. The Ziggurat is inspired by Babylonian ziggurats and consists of three levels: the archives (bottom), the priestly quarters (middle), and the Temple of Meeting (top). The Royal Palace is inspired by various Middle Eastern palaces and includes the Great Hall, the Court of the Malik, the Assembly Room, and other specialized rooms.

Literature
The Mithusian Texts, the cultic texts of the city of Mithusu, currently consist of four books. The first is the Book of Lahhon, which describes the creation of the world and the victory of Lahhon over his brother Rihutu. The second is the Epic of Polius, which tells the tale of a heroic figure who bands together with his fellow soldiers to defeat a great beast with the guidance of Lahhon. The third is the Book of Mithusu, which describes the rise and fall of the military leader Mithusu and the founding of the current city. The fourth is the Book of Novus Montu, which entails what Lahhon told the High Priest upon their first encounter in the Temple of Meeting, primarily on how government and cult practice is to be conducted.