The City-States of Ahomey
by Marc SaindonThere's the Gulf of Tangor, the Bay of Tangor, the Peninsula of Tangor, the Tangor Empire... so I'm expecting this is space-filling and that in-game this is how outsiders see the Tangor lands, as one unknown monolithic block. One possibility is that the Tangor Empire is impressive from the outside by those who know of it, but it is a fractured realm, akin to the Holy Roman Empire or Feudal Japan, in which kings and lords pay hommage and tribute to an emperor, but are somewhat autonomous in their daily management of their turf.
One starting point is developping the Gulf of Tangor, the region next door to the Greek-like Minaean coast, and develop them along the cultures of the Benin People (the "Ahomey" as a work-in-progress name, until someone finds something better). Due to Minaean raiders, they have walled cities, impressive pieces of stonemasonry that would shame Dwarves in achievement. The circular cities are honeycombed with lesser walls, allowing the Ahomey soldiers to better defend the city district-by-district in case of siege. A complex system of cisterns, ditches, irrigation and sewers keeps the city clean and supplied with water.
Ahomey cities dot the landscape of the Tangor Gulf, leaving vast empty spaces between them, making Ahomey a loose confederation of city-states, with a very urban population (some raise cattle outside the walls). Nominally beholden to the Tangor Emperor, they do fight for hegemony (only to hold power "in the emperor's name") and some strive for outright independence (only to ask for assistance against Minaeans later on).
The city-states are central for two classes: the Fighter (Ahomey has a very martial culture and career military) and the Rogue (a sub-product of heavy urbanization). Women are often recruited in their own specific military units (leading to legends of Tangoran "Amazons") and Ahomean rulers often have all-female bodyguards.
Notes:
Dahomey
Dahomey Amazons
(Image from: https://medium.com/@trybrid2me/the-benin-kingdom-was-a-flourishing-ancient-city-situated-in-modern-day-nigeria-1fbff461706d)