Eridu
One of the six Realms with full representation in the Hexarchy's government, Eridu is one of the country's three most powerful realms, alongside Karnak and Arumen. It has direct representation on the High Council, holding one of its three permanent seats alongside major realms (remaining seats allocated or shared amongst the so-called Minor Realms of Suza, Asshyria, Kunapura, Pyrax, and others.) Eridu has the largest economy in the Hexarchy (closely followed by Karnak), the fourth-largest GDP per capita (after Kunapura, Eventide Islands, and Karnak), and its second-largest population (after Karnak).
Eridu is an elective monarchy, in which the new leader is selected every fifteen years from amongst the senior-most ruling families in the country. Since the unification of the region just before 1685 AN, Eridu has elected six kings, the first in 1685 AN and the next election (the seventh) is scheduled for 1760 AN. The current king, Puannum of Eridu (𒁍𒀭𒉡𒌝), has reigned the entirety of his term (1745 AN-1760 AN). Should a king vacate the throne mid-term, an Acting King takes his place until the next election. Eridu has had two such rulers in its history, both reigning for less than five years. No king, once reigning or acting, is permitted to assume the throne again. Former kings tend to represent the Hexarchy abroad as ambassadors to major Micrasian nations.
Not to be confused with the unrelated city of Constancian Eridu.
Geography
Eridu is bordered to the west by the Empty Quarter, to the east and north by the White and Red Rivers, New Alexandria across the extended East Bank Territory region, to the southwest by Asshyria and to the south by the sea, known locally as the Gulf of Eridu. Eridu shares a nearby maritime border by river or sea with the Eventide Islands, New South Caputia, and the Isles of Caputia belonging to New Alexandria.
Eridu consists of four regions. The oldest is the White River region, centered on the realm's largest city, Enkidu. The area surrounding Enkidu is heavily urbanized, and houses the Hexarchy's largest conurbation outside of Ashtaroth. Eridu's eastern territory sits on both banks of the White River (the east bank region being sparsely populated). This region consists of Eridu's most important economic centers. The second-oldest settled regions are located in the Red River Valley, which anchors the north end of Eridu's territory. Its western end orders the city-region of Marduk. The western region contains the largest inhabited region of Eridu, and is home to the city of Atlantys, Eridu's provincial capital. This area is one of the agricultural centers of The Hexarchy, providing most food bound for neighboring provinces and cities. The fourth region consists of most of Eridu's central interior, and that is dominated by Ereshkigal Forest, where human habitation is impossible due to its dangerous fauna, hostile terrain, and extremely dense vegetation that makes reliable travel impossible even without apex predators of all kinds hunting travelers down for their next lunch.
Ereshkigal Forest
The deep interior of Eridu is home to the expansive, hostile Ereshkigal Forest, one of the most dangerous locations to humans in all of Micras. A vast jungle characterized by dense, mega-sized vegetation, the forest is home to the most diverse set of apex predators on the planet. Nature preserve laws in the Forest's interior are some of the harshest on Micras, to avoid disturbing and provoking its incredibly dangerous fauna to further violence. The Forest is known specifically for the extreme conditions it holds for humans who venture past the walled area, these being first completed in 1700 AN and expanded aggressively in response to the Forest's endless variety of dangerous creatures of all sizes. Known as the "Zoo of Death," it houses one of the few tropical ecosystems where most biomass consists of predators instead of herbivorous creatures, allowing the jungle to continue its overgrowth and forcing predators to evolve increasingly sophisticated methods of both hiding and hunting their prey.
Deep in the interior, permanent structures of any kind are progressively strictly regulated and limited to military structures to observe conditions inside the forest. Any surviving trespassers, poachers, and the like are very severely punished -- usually by being shoved back into the forest and left to the mercy of its dangerous fauna. Occasionally, this fauna does escape, only to be culled by roving armed patrols. Poachers have attempted to take the hybridized variants of Jingdaoese valleytiger, often only to wind up dead long before the authorities arrive to salvage the situation.
Ereshkigal Forest is only separated from the water by narrow corridors to the north and south, wherein the vast majority of Eridu's overland trade flows to the rest of the country. In the south, the Pan-Keltian Highway follows on its main branch through the Hexarchy from New Alexandria, passing south of the Forest. This area is one of the most fortified areas on the planet meant to deter animal incursions, rather than defend from other civilizations' attacks. The Pan-Keltian Highway splits at the west end. The north end runs through the capital of Atlantys before arriving at Marduk. A smaller branch runs through Midway at the fringes of the vast Empty Quarter, and the main branch continuing through Kunapura to the west of Eridu.
