Lapaliiya

Lapaliiya, also known as the Lapal League, was a confederation of city-states lying on the southeastern shore of the Shining Sea. The term "The Cities of the Seabreeze" was sometimes misunderstood to describe Lapaliiya, but this phrase also included other, independent cities, such as Narubel, Tashluta, Ormpur, and Procalith. By 1479 DR, the confederacy of Lapaliiya had crumbled during the Spellplague due to spellfire spreading through a newly formed gap in Halruaa's North Wall. The remnants were occupied by wild elf tribes and the region was known as Elfharrow. The city of Ormpur survived, however.

Geography
It lay roughly between the Shining Sea, the plains of the Shaar, the jungles of the Chultan Peninsula, and the verdant lands of the Lake of Steam. It consisted of the land between the Delphin Mountains in the west and the Sheir Peninsula in the east, and bounded inland in the south by the Mhair Jungles, the North Wall of Halruaa, the Bandit Wastes, and the Dun Hills.

Religion
Every town and city in Lapaliiya had its own civic deity, a god adopted as the patron of the community and whose faith was glorified there. In a particular settlement with a civic deity, all other faiths were actively discouraged. Some settlements were outright theocracies. The civic deities of Lapaliiya and their respective settlements were Bhaelros (Ithmong), Deneir (Mierskar), Chauntea (Dungar), Eldath (Lushpool), Garl Glittergold (Zashuma), Gond (Lhazantal), Ilmater (Uzurr), Kelemvor (previously Myrkul; Sheirlantar), Lliira (Abreon), Selûne (Sammaresh), Silvanus (Malaxer), Tempus (Lapalgard), Tiamat (Ormpur), Umberlee (Ilyaport), and Waukeen (Sheirtalar). In Lapaliiyan mythology, Amphisbaena the World Serpent was a dark god who'd wrapped its coils around the world. As he devoured himself, so he slowly crushed the world into pulp.

Government & Relations
The nation of Lapaliiya was a fractious confederation or league of various city-states,  loosely ruled over by a council or monarchy of only limited power and influence. In past centuries, Lapaliiya was no more than a collection of independent city-states, a nation in name only governed by a Grand Council comprised by the satraps of the five most powerful, but with practically no real power. Since the union of the rulers of Sheirtalar and Lushpool in 1147 DR, it was ruled by the Overking of Lapaliiya, from the capitol of Sheirtalar. The reign was complex. The Overking ruled directly over Sheirtalar, and through their heir, Lushpool. With the consent of the Grand Council, the Overking also officially governed the remaining city-states of Lapaliiya; the Grand Council could vote on the Overking's decrees, but make its own. However, in practice, to enact a new policy, an Overking needed the unanimous support of the representatives of Sammaresh, Ithmong, Lushpool, Sheirtalar, and Uzurr, and typically had to negotiate with the satraps of Lushpool and Shoonsar of Ithmong. Circa 1372 DR, the nation was ruled by Overking Shaliim Wyrmslayer.

Owing to the tradition of civic deities, the relationships between the towns and cities tended to reflect those between their respective gods, with both alliances and rivalries. The league was highly fractious; conflicts occurred more between the city-states than with other countries. These were generally open political disputes or underhanded scheming.

However, Lapaliiya did have some quarrels with neighboring Halruaa via the Talath Pass. At times, the city-states raided Halruaa, most likely for its great magic, but the invaders were soundly defeated by such magic. Otherwise, they were content to trade peaceable in both directions, provided the Lapaliiyans stayed behind the border.

Economy & Trade
Lapaliiya and Halruaa had healthy trade back and forth through Talath Pass.

Population
Around 1372 DR, Lapaliiya was recorded as having a population of 1,217,642 people, comprising 95% humans, 2% rock gnomes, 2% yuan-ti, and 1% wild dwarves. Of the human population, 50% were Shaaran, 35% or 36% were Calishite, and 12% were Tashalan, with 1% Chultan and 1% Halruaan. Although they were a minority compared to the Shaarans and Calishites, the Tashalans filled most positions of authority in the nation.

Languages
The majority Shaaran population spoke the Lapaliiyan dialect of the Shaaran language, which used the Dethek alphabet. The dominant language, however, was the Tashalan language. Those who knew multiple languages would speak the tongues of their neighbors: Alzhedo, Chultan, Halruaan; or those of their enemies, Gnoll and Yuan-ti.

Culture
Whatever their ethnicity, however, Lapaliiyans had a uniform character. They tended be hardworking merchants and zealous warriors. They greatly valued personal honor and propriety, and would regularly wage feuds and fight duels over even minor offenses that outsiders would quickly dismiss or barely notice. Religious careers, such as clerics and monks were highly respected and had much authority, while those who used arcane magic were treated with suspicion, ever since the Rage of Wizards of 1142 DR.

Ophiophobia, the fear of snakes, was commonplace. Humans saw serpentfolk like the yuan-ti as the major menace to both their lives and their property, and would kill them on sight if ever they appeared in the open. Even dealing openly with serpentfolk was a crime carrying the death penalty. Despite this, the yuan-ti maintained a significant but secret influence over Lapaliiya, and officials had a habit of not noticing questionable dealings between them and people of substantial political clout. Ironically, some Lapaliiyan humans had yuan-ti ancestry, enjoying enhanced reflexes and resistance to poison, while being slightly inhuman and counted as serpentfolk themselves.

Through long exposure, some Lapaliiyans could be highly resistant to poisons, able to shrug off even lethal venoms. Other Lapaliiyans were adept sailors and well balanced on a rolling deck.

Lapaliiyan warriors were commonly equipped with well-made javelins, scimitars, and studded leather armors. Potions of invisibility were readily available.

Geography

 * Bandit Wastes
 * Dolphingulf
 * Dun Hills
 * Sheir Peninsula
 * River Talar
 * Serpent Deeps

Settlements

 * Abreon
 * Dungar
 * Ilyaport
 * Ithmong
 * Lapalgard
 * Lhazantal
 * Lushpool
 * Malaxer
 * Mierskar
 * Sammaresh
 * Sheirlantar
 * Sheirtalar
 * Untisczer
 * Uzurr
 * Zashuma