Arodia
Geography
Afyal – The island to the south-west of Arodia, a
vital stop on the spice route. For this reason, it has been dominated by the Midani
for hundreds of years. However, the southern mountains, where the authority of
the padishah holds little sway are rarely mentioned. The Arodian caste system
still holds sway here, even among the Enlightened and it is permitted for woman
to have up to four husbands, inverting normal Polygamy. Merchants use this to
pool their finances. The elephants on the island are strangely intelligent,
tame and protected by the law of the padishah. Otherwise see Medina al-Afyal.
Alabaster
City – An ancient city, where every resident was a Sage with powerful magic to
fulfill their every whim. Such a place is lost, but rumors have suggested it
lies at the bottom of a vertical cave deep within Láhág. What
the local lizardfolk call Tulkau
Shayn. Or Gullet Cave in their language due to the sharp outcropping at the
top. Those who have researched the city claim it was either as the legends say,
a haunted library of the rakshasa or periodically invaded by Feywild monsters.[i]
Blackstone,
The – Some report their dreams are filled with a black monolith inside a cavern
lined with rime. Those who have been chosen are those who wield thoughts like
lightning and stone. In ages past, a breach from the Far Realm was contained in
the Upper Druk Yul, behind psionic wards and elemental stone. All imbued by
their consciousness. Those who have the dreams in the generations after are
bound to follow them and reinforce those wards.[ii]
Bilwanti –
An Oligarchy of the Mountains of the Moon. This city was much plagued by Ogre
bandits, which engaged in hit and run raids against caravans crossing from Sughd.
Thanks to the deep-set valley of the Riddled Peaks, which was filled with high
caves. The oligarchy eschewed the traditional war-crayfish and eunuchs for
horsemen of the Hundred Kingdoms who could ride faster than a complacent ogre.
These lancers still proudly teach this art after their contract finished.[iii]
Degringolade – The ruins of the ancient megalopolis
located in modern Láhág. During the Dawn Age and Antiquity, Degringolade was an
advanced network of cities built by the descendants of the Garuda Bird Riders,
which was the first state to develop steel and they harvested the Pujrbirth for
strange plants and insects. In time the city was swallowed by the jungle, the
conflict with inhuman foes and the pujrbirth sapping it. It was also notable
for its Minotaurs which were pulled from the river during its decline and
formed a large element of its population until the end.[iv]
Druk Yul – Part of the Mountains of the Moon to the
east of the Axis Mundi. Druk Yul divided into Lower Druk Yul, a scrubby and dry
upland region and Upper Druk Yul, a sudden ascent to dizzying heights and
glaciers, thrown up by the collision of continents. The most noticeable element
are the inhabitants, a surviving population of Thri-kreen from the Dawn Age
live in nomadic and violent lives in the uplands. The thin air of the mountains
permits only the court of the eastern Dragons, ruling over ice-sparkled hoards.[v]
Great Blue Reef, The – Beyond the Topaz Islands or the
Gulf of Morays is a submerged stretch of rock and coral. Home to the squid-men
who are Humanoids but do not seem to be able to speak. Very little is known
about them even in The Yellow City and they do not welcome visitors. Their
raids on ships mean that trade between the Yellow City and Nangia occurs by
shore-hugging ships. And the sight of the reef indicates to Elven Merchant
Fleets or Zakharan merchants that they must turn back, south or make the final
dash for Bambung.[vi]
Hundred Kingdoms, Arodia – Due to the vagaries of the
common togue, there are two places with this name. One is the vast sweep of
Arodia, where rajas and sultans maintain their individualistic unity through
constant warfare and patronage of hundreds of fakir schools and spirits. United
only a few times, the title of the Maharaja is then supplanted by the
ostentatious Vikramaditya, Sun-Horse, which carries its ancient origins from
the original Animal Nomads of forgotten Peloria. The traditional rajas stand in
varying contrasts to those of the Enlightened Faith in the independent northern
sultanates or directly ruled, island caliph of Afyal.
Láhág – The haunted jungles along the east coast of
Aroadia, extending south of The Yellow City, it comprises the bottom element of
the Yoon-Suin. The jungle here has always had strong planar connections and
that has produced a multitude of strange creatures which elevated animal
husbandry in Degringolade to heights unseen, but also encircled it in a net of
aggressive spirits and monsters. Ghosts do not rest easily here and so the
jungle remains a haven for Dawn Age relic populations and tribes which have otherwise
been pushed out of the Hundred Kingdoms.[vii]
Lamarakh – Frequently confused with the River of the Gods,
the name properly refers to the land surrounding the sacred river. The
river-forest is so filled with the tributaries of the river that the spots of
dry land are more akin to islands and the rivers to lakes. The boundary between
Lamarakh and Láhág is only when they forest ceases to brood and becomes alive
and wet. As a major thoroughfare between The Yellow City and the rest of
Arodia, the inhabitants live on rafts, boats and barges. The Marsh Elves and Lamarakhi
developing the same style of life.[viii]
Medina al-Afyal – The City of the Elephant. On the
distant island of Afyal, a near descendant of the First Caliph took up a fleet
and set sail as far as possible to bring the Enlightened Faith. What he ended
up doing was skirting Sahu Island, deposing the shifting dynasties, eliminating
the local religion and establishing a new city. A critical entrepôt, the rich
resources of the island combine to make the city almost as rich as Huzuz. It is
Fate therefore the padishas are seemingly mad. The palace, however, is a
marvel, mixing the magical and mundane methods of construction.[ix]
Mountains of the Moon, The – The greatest mountains on
Earth, this range is where all Humans and Slugmen come from according to
legends. Here lies Axis Mundi, the spindle of which all creation revolves. It
was not created first but put in place to order Earth as the heavens should be.
Between the haunted citadels of the Crystal Dwarfs and raiding Yak-Men, there
are numerous Oligarchies. Each Oligarchy rules a valley and produces trade
goods with slaves and eunuch-warriors in exchange. Most conducted down the
River of the Gods to The Yellow City or ported down and up to Sughd. They war
inconclusively.[x]
Nefelus – The poetry about Afyal fails to mention the southern
city, where the Enlightened Faith fears to tread. Isolationists for two
centuries, the island’s original name and inhabitants include more Deva than
anywhere else, and most reincarnate here. Most prominent citizens are deva and
the magocratic seven councilors are called the Thraxinium. Nefelus houses their great library, for knowledge
and magical prowess are held greatest. The Nefelese defend themselves, blaming
ignorance of others for destroying their idyllic culture, when an eruption of
the Elemental Chaos by the Genies paved the way for the Zakharans to land.[xi]
Oligarchies – See Mountains of the Moon, The
Pajuli – The lush grasslands between the rise of Sughd
and the Hundred Kingdoms. Here the grass grows shoulder high in the mud, and
the termite mounds rear like giant gravestones. Water buffalo and rhinos graze
free of human settlement stalked by tigers and dhole. So long as the haunted
ruins of blood-drenched Hailakundpur remain, this will be a wild paradise.[xii]
Pujrbirth – A Degringolade word meaning madness, see
Láhág.
Purple Land, The – See Yoon-Suin
Runggara Ban – A city in the northern parts of the
Hundred Kingdoms near the lands of Lamarakh, and where Ravana the Younger first
proselytized the cult of the Elephant Demon. It is a beautiful and cultured
place which has thrived as a new center for pilgrimage. However, visitors have
noticed that death comes quickly and without much notice in those lands. For
all the ease of life brought by wealth, life is worth even less under the
tutelage of their god.[xiii]
River of the Gods, The – Alternatively
The God River. It is really many rivers which flow from the Mountains of the
Moon to gather in Lamarakh, the riverine forest. This waterway is both holy and
vital as much trade is carried on it by the Marsh Elves and Lamarakhi. It is
rich and full of silt, bodies and funeral ashes. All to benefit the innumerable
ancient deities which line and watch its upper reaches and the delta that is
The Yellow City. All trade between the Oligarchs, Sughd and the Yellow City
move along it.[xiv]
Safedvamana – In the Hundred Kingdoms is a small city
of little consequence. Except here was the last lord central Arodia. A man who
brought suffering to much of the region for the stated purpose of opposing the
northern sultanates, but many believe it was for personal glory. He oppressed
the lands until the wheel turned and he died. His supporters revere him as almost
as a God. Upon his death, he was interred inside a great tomb, where his
followers guard his holy body, now the focal point of their religion, and from
which they launch continual bandit raids.[xv]
Sarapesh – One of the Continent’s wonders, the city
theoretically nests in a western valley leading to the sea. In practice an
ancient enchantment causes the city to shift between the Planes and in layout,
drawing wealth and Zakharan merchants. However, it always plays a lesser role
to even Earthly entrepôts, its instability makes it hard for merchants to
return and so it remains a merely rich city. Its rule is split between thieves’
guilds and the Panjandrum, master merchants.[xvi]
Sempadan Forest – An old term used to refer to Láhág,
still used in Zakhara and sometimes in Jungo. The inhabitants are called the
Jibb. See Láhág
Speaking Mounds – The coastal lands now called Sughd
By the Sea have been the crossroads of the world for millennia. Great armies
have clashed in the valleys and river bends, all to be interred in the
ever-growing circles of the mounds. In turn, those individuals descending or
paying homage to the warriors of old have come from across the world to commune
with the spirit present. They are said to move and speak to Primal mystics, but
only those nearby can witness the reaction.[xvii]
Sughd – At the western edge of
the Mountains of the Moon, where it becomes the World Pillar Mountains. Lies
the center of Arodia’s highland tea, silk, and opium production and much is
carted to the Yellow City via the River of the Gods. Sughd is part of the
cultural sphere of Zakhara, theoretically followers of the Enlightened Faith
and a trade nexus, running though passes west to Zakhara and north to the coast
of the Sea of Ships. What makes it so shunned except to merchants is the central
city of Syr Darya.[xviii]
Sughd By the Sea – One of the greatest trading cities
in the world, its potential is sapped by Syr Darya’s unwholesomeness. Located
in what was ancient Peloria by the Sea of Ships. Blue Sughd or Fat City to the
nomads is the largest clearing house of trade in interior Nangia. Accessible
via ship or by caravan, from four continents, it has preserved for thousands of
years, and a dozen masters. But it should be bigger, trade comes by necessity
not choice, the merchants fear the power of the Ogre Magi and scholars leave
for Zakhara’s cultured gardens. A new master may be needed.
Syr Darya – The City of Dweomers, Syr Darya makes
Sughd so unappealing despite the beauty of its cultivations. It is described as
a place of ancient renown, famed for its mysteries, its knowledge, its ghosts,
and its secrets. The city supposedly renegaded on a deal with a clan of Ogre
Magi who were fleeing east from Zakhara, five hundred years prior. The ogres
sought the help of a mountain demon named The Shikk. Who allowed them to seize
control, but transforming the human population into nasnas – immortal but
missing literally one half of themselves. Now a dusty and languishing place.[xix]
Topaz Islands, The – Beyond the quaysides of the
Yellow City which cluster the vast mouth of the God River are the jewels of the
Southern Sea - the Topaz Isles. A myriad of rocky islets that stretches across
the Gulf of Morays like so many necklaces. Belched forth from the blazing hot
depths of the earth, they brought a rich vein of gemstones with them that has
never been fully mined. Here lies a ship-terrorizing Dragon which allows the
Crabmen to live free. Cannibal smugglers and sea-nomads bely the ruined
settlements once used by the city.[xx]
Yellow City, The – Known by
many names, the common moniker is from the way the buildings glow on hot sunny
days. Its inhabitants have claim to be the wealthiest, most refined and
educated in the world. Unfortunately, the constant flow of narcotics, trade and
hierarchy make it stratified and deeply jaded to suffering. The Slugmen who
built the city from some northern tip of Degringolade, hoard the property and
knowledge. Then come the Humans castes and then the disparaged Crabmen who
comes into the city for servitude. The city itself is both massive and a riot
of thousands of years of architecture.[xxi]
Yoon-Suin – The north-eastern side of Aroadia, where
the River of the Gods empties into the sea, also known as The Purple Land. The
land here is low-lying, inhabited first by zoomorphic Humanoids during the Dawn
Age, then by the Human-Minotaur state of Degringolade, followed by The Yellow
City. Yoon-Suin traditionally also includes Láhág to the south and west, the
Topaz Isles, the riverine Lamarakh and the uplands of Lower Druk Yul. Somewhat
grandiosely the inhabitants also claim The Mountains of the Moon, the Hundred
Kingdoms and even distant Sughd.[xxii]
[i] See Draconomicon: Metal pp.98-107
[ii] See Psionic Power p.49
[iii] See Martial Powers p.116
[iv] See The
Clay that Woke
[v] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land pp.13-14
[vi] See Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land p.10
[vii] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land pp.6-9
[viii] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land p.11
[ix] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.108-111, Ruined
Kingdoms: Campaign Book pp.23-25
[x] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land pp.15-16
[xi] See Dungeon Magazine #165 pp.10-11
[xii] See
Yoon-Suin 2E p.326
[xiii] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land pp.12-13
[xiv] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land p.11
[xv] See White
Dwarf 21, Tomb of the Maharaja pp.28-29
[xvi] See Dark
Dungeon Presents: The Shifting City
[xvii] See Primal
Power p.120
[xviii] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land p.16
[xix] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land pp.17-18
[xx] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land pp.9-10
[xxi] See
Yoon-Suin the Purple Land pp.3-6
[xxii] See
Yoon-Suin, the Purple Land
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