The city proper is surrounded by a massive wall nearly 12 miles in length. The wall is known as the "Ruddy Wall," for its slight reddish tint--the result, some say, of the blood of the hundreds of dwarvish captives who died laboring to construct it. There are three gates, one on the southwest, one on the northwest, and one on the northeast. About 25,000 people live within the walls, while another 40,000 (approximately) make their homes in the farms and shops which encircle it. The biggest transvallic population lives outside the northeastern gate and along along the shore.

The city's primary industry is its docks, divided into the southern docks, the northern docks, and the outer docks. The last of which lie outside the city walls and are dominated by fishing vessels, small trade ships, and largely regulated commerce. The southern docks deal primarily with foodstuffs and textiles and powered almost completely by sweat and hustle. The northern docks are more advanced and pride themselves on the heavy machinery and steam engines available to move cargo from shipside to landside.

Jacketz is also home to Jacketz Ironworks, Principle Steelworks, Lennox Armaments, Berkeley Shipyards, and Darnton Wrights--all major companies which depend on the constant flow of raw materials brought by the Southern Expanse Trading Company to the city. Over 60% of the imports and 85% of the exports of Jacketz are carried by SETCo vessels.

Politically, Jacketz has dominated the surrounding countryside since the building of its castle by Duncan Jacket (the source of the "z" in the town name is unknown) in 9700. It was founded with the help of official forces from Mickelgarth, but the mercenary band led by Duncan acquired the upper hand, and Jacketz never professed more than salutary allegiance to Mickelgarth or the northern colonies. By 9710 it had declared itself an independent city-state, the equal of any in the old world.

Until the ascent of Dun Cess, it was the only substantial power in southern Ilico, fighting alternating with the retreating orcish armies of the south, the retreating dwarvish armies of the northeast, and the encroaching human armies of the northwest. In 9728-9730 Jacketz withstood a 32-month siege against human armies nominally allied Mickelgarth and her colonies. This success was primarily because Jacketz was able to rely on imported foodstuffs from its elvish allies. Throughout the 9800's, Jacketz fought continuously against the rising star of Dun Cess, being prominently besieged for 22 months in 9836-9837. It was during this constant warfare that the northern provinces, including Falwell and Thulia, were able to break away from the control of Dun Cess under the leadership of the Reynolds family of Malmo. Exhausted by the constant war with an implacable city and shown the evidence of their weakening hold over their own territory, the expansionist policies of Dun Cess were discarded and talk turned to the formation of a loose confederacy with dominant centers at Dun Cess, Neorome, Jacketz, and, to a lesser degree, Malmo. This was accomplished in 9886 to great ceremony. Within six years, the remaining regions joined the Confederacy under the supposed leadership of this or that "leading city" as it became obvious that the great powers were beginning to focus on lesser powers than themselves. The Confederacy proved surprising peaceful, if rarely cooperative. Jacketz maintains its own mint, but since 9945 has produced the same series of coins as Dun Cess.

During the Second War of Ilican Succession, Jacketz remained tied to Dun Cess and expanded its territory (or rather, Boatia) at the expense of the secessionist Chinmin, Agricolum, and Agnatic. Following the war, the Agnatic Province was dissolved and its rich timbered territory added to that of Boatia. In exchange, Jacketz' gains at the expense of Chinmin and Agricolum were repudiated. The primary effect was to lessen the political signifiance of Forsythia which had heretofore dominated the lumber towns of Agnatica.

In recent times, the municipal politics of the city have been dominated by two great families, the MacDuffs and the Leckenbies, each of which has enormous influence with the city's great industries, mobs, and dockworkers.

Stories about Jinja abound, ranging from the tame in which a new Emperor would return from his first visit to Jinja a shaken and newly devout man, to the lurid, detailing the abduction of women to bear sons who would become the next generation of priests. Versions differ as to the point at which the women would be slain following delivery; one variant supposes that they sacreligiously donned the garb of men and became priests themselves. Another popular story is that the famous swordsman and poet Yoshinobu's famed 24th book was left unfinished precisely because he had discovered Jinja and was preparing to end his autobiography with the news. Since his body was never discovered, it was easy to attribute his death to the hands of the feverish assassins of Jinja.

Jinja figures prominently in the mythology, art, and literature of the Sudibin; an example is the often-reproduced fantasy on its appearance seen in this encyclopedia. This work is attributed to the master Okakura, though many scholars question this attribution.

While there may have existed a shrine like Jinja at one time, possibly even under the secrecy ascribed to it, it seems unlikely that such a place could continue to be unknown to the mass of Sudibin people, much less the outside world, for 4,000 years. Nevertheless, even in modern times, Sudibin priests speak of going to Jinja in words that cannot be interpreted as metaphorical. From time to time, intrepid groups have set off to discover this ancient place; of those that have returned, none has reported success.