Ank'Harel

Ank'Harel is a city in Marquet. It is also known as the Jewel of Marquet or Jewel of Hope. It has been ruled by J'mon Sa Ord for the entirety of its approximately 400-year history.

Description
Ank'Harel was described by Jarett Howarth as being "comparable, a bit bigger" relative to Emon. The city is ovular in shape, with enormous, 65-foot-tall outer walls that have tall guard towers decoratively shaped like hands cradling the walls from underneath. Within the city are around a hundred tall, multi-level spires. Many buildings have pointed rooftops and colorful murals. The city is draped in multicolored cloth that hang across the buildings and red cobblestone streets.

The gates of the city close at night, and many caravans camp outside.

Ank'Harel is surrounded by a wide web of smaller villages.

River District
A number of canals begin in the River District. The spring, the perpetual oasis that fuels the city is located here. It is noted that many of the caravans of Marquet travel to and from this district in particular.

Sandherald District

 * Cerulean Palace: The seat of government in Ank'harel.
 * Tower of J'mon Sa Ord
 * Scarlet Prison, also known as the Scarlet Oubliette: Dungeon located beneath the Cerulean Palace. It is rumored that people are placed there to be tortured and to be part of various experiments.
 * Bowl of Judgment: The site of duels sanctioned by the Hand of Ord. Nearby the Cerulean Palace.
 * Indala Skyport

Sigil District
A district on the south-eastern side of the city. The streets here are paved with an opaline material.


 * Crystal Chateau
 * Excavation pit: A 150 foot wide pit whose excavation is overseen by the Allegiance of All-Sight.
 * Omnival Library

Suncut Bazaar
Distinguished by strands of crimson flags that run across the street corners, the Suncut Bazaar features a few shops that go indoors, but mostly open sky and hundreds of various tents, carts, pop-up stand-ups, and even the center of the street, blankets set out, with the various merchants there with their wares strewn across the ground, waiting for anybody to come and approach.


 * Luck's Run: A casino.
 * The Corner Cove: An inn within the Suncut Bazaar.
 * The Debt's Respite: A tavern in Ank'Harel run by Treev Bonebreaker. It is known for being the base of operations for the mercenary group known as the Scarbearers.
 * Oddities & Eccentricities: A curio stall.
 * The Shade: A lounge tavern with a distinctive, dark green tent steeple.

Demographics
Ank'Harel has a mostly human population. In their travels to Ank'Harel, Vox Machina observed a wide variety of people living in Ank'Harel, with everyone seeming to mesh together without prejudice. Notably, they observed a number of dark-skinned halflings, a few half-elves, and some half-orcs. They also observed tieflings walking openly, in contrast to Emon.

Vox Machina did not see or encounter a single dwarf or goliath, and only one elf in their visit to Ank'Harel.

Factions

 * Allegiance of All-Sight: A group that runs a scholarly institution in the city.
 * Alsfarin Union: A group responsible for the creation and maintenance of brumestones and skyships.
 * Scarbearers: A group of mercenaries.

The Hand of Ord

 * &rarr; Main article: The Hand of Ord.

The Hand of Ord is the primary guard protecting the city of Ank'Harel and nearby townships and villages. They wear an ornate and tastefully-designed panoply of deep blue with armor of a reddish-brown metal (presumably of a high copper-content alloy), carrying scimitars at their sides and, often, spears and shields as well. Their helmets cover most of their faces, giving them an intimidating presence.

Culture

 * Kurrak fruit: a fruit that looks like a mango with a spiny, rough exterior. Difficult to hold, but has a delightful flavor comparable to a sweet water experience.
 * Fusaka spice
 * "Be pleased" as a common expression of politeness, accompanied with a small bow, preferably with the hand down towards the stomach.
 * Sandkheg's Hide, an extremely intoxicating beverage

Background
The city has been ruled by J'mon Sa Ord for the entirety of its approximately 400-year history.

When Riskel Daxio attempted to flee Emon before being captured by Vox Machina, a leader of the Clasp stated that Daxio was heading to Ank'Harel.

Before Vox Machina travelled to Ank'harel in search of the vestige Cabal's Ruin, Jarett told them to greet people with the phrase "Be pleased", and that water was as valuable as coin. Once they arrived at Ank'harel, the gates were closed for the night so the group camped inside Scanlan's Magnificent Mansion. Guards from the Hand of Ord expressed concern about the 'strange magic' of the mansion, and advised them not to use it within the city.

Once inside the city, the guards advised them to keep their weapons sheathed. The party visited several areas, including the Suncut Bazaar, noting the similarity to Emon and the range of races of the inhabitants. They next visited two taverns: The Shade, a lounge tavern with a hookah bar, and the Debt's Respite. While at these taverns, they tried Sandkheg's Hide, an extremely strong local beverage.

They visited the Cerulean Palace to seek an audience with J'mon Sa Ord, the ruler of the city. Once inside the palace, they traveled up a tower to a central chamber that looked upon the majority of the desert.

After their audience with J'mon Sa Ord, Vox Machina visited the Luck's Run casino where Scanlan completed his spice deal. After getting kicked out of the casino, the group went back to their rooms at the Debt's Respite.

The next day, the group visited the Crystal Chateau on the upper-class side of the city, where Percy noticed traces of Whitestone in the cobblestone.

Behind the scenes
According to Matthew Mercer, Ank'Harel is distinctly influenced by real-world Arab culture. Ahead of Campaign Three, Matt wrote in a blog post on the official Critical Role website that the city of Ank'Harel was "deeply realized and fleshed out" with the help of others on the Call of the Netherdeep adventure module from Wizards of the Coast. Makenzie De Armas, a Wizards of the Coast writer on Call of the Netherdeep, stated that the writing team wished to make Ank'Harel cosmopolitan without creating a monolith of any culture and that southern and western Marquet are inspired by her Filipino heritage. She described seeing the setting reflecting her Southeast Asian identity as "important and cathartic".