Geography
Ajayib – The City of Wonders. Fame for its highland
coffee and gardens as the hills slope towards the Al-Malja River. It is the
most western of the Cities of the Pearl. It’s control of the Realm of Bleeding
Trees and the Realm of Coffee make it rich, and for that they are allied with
the nomadic House of Dubb to fight the Hill Tribes of the Al-Suqut Mountains.
Though settled recently, the passaged cliffs were home to an older city
destroyed generations ago for their iniquity. The inhabitants are independent
and strong-willed with rich colors and either sex may go unveiled.[i]
Al-Suqut Mountains –Jibal Al-Suqut or The Tumbling
Mountains. Plunging into the sea for the southern length of the Narrow Passage.
These foreboding shores hide mad wizards, tribes both savage and inhuman and
sea-going brigands eager for the wealth of three Continents. The terrestrial
side is no better with Hill Tribes occupying a similar niche as they prey on
the Realm of Coffee, herders and Ajayib. The House of Dubb and the armies of
Ajayib are not enough. The city hosts many private expeditions of adventurers
searching for foes, treasure or a fortified place to retire as lords.[ii]
Argent – From the end of the Dawn War a city has stood
in atop a mountain of Peloria. Overlooking the Chaos Plain, where the Planar
boundary with the Elemental Chaos is weak. Established by the will of the Gods
to serve the Paragon Compact. An agreement to turn back otherworldly menaces,
to be upheld by all civilized peoples. Not all gods joined, but all empires to
be, including Mira and Vadar sent champions over the centuries to do their
duty. With Nerath’s long hegemony, they were not needed, and the city lost its
purpose. Served and administered by torrians, leonid-draconic Humanoids.[iii]
Asad, House of - The Children of the Lion is an Enlightened
tribe of the High Desert that numbers some 5,000 men and women, divided into 20
clans. They claim the Jamal Oasis as their own, though they permit other
enlightened nomads to use it. Asad is one of the wealthiest tribes in the High
Desert, and it is blessed with strong camels, fine sons, and beautiful
daughters. The people of Asad are proud to the point of arrogance. They are
easy with their friendship but also easy to offend.[iv]
Assassin Mountain – Deep in the Haunted Lands is said
to be the fortress of the Everlasting, an order of Assassins or holy slayers,
as they are known. Led by a mysterious figure called Grandfather, the location
of Jabal Sarahin is
unknown except to those of the order. However, discussions in the Border
Islands of Hevastar have revealed it is to the north of the Genie’s Anvil and
built by the Jann. Near a village called Ganam and a mountain shaped like a
skull.[v]
Bakr, House – The Clan of the Young Camel, an Enlightened
tribe, mostly now lives in and around the city of Tajar, where Sheikh Ali al-Hadd
rules. However, some tribe members chose to remain true to the desert life;
most have married into other tribes. The others; a core of some 500 members of
House Bakr, still remain in the High Desert, determined to carry on the
tradition of their people. There are rumors the Sheik mortally fears the city
as did his father.[vi]
Bandar al-Sa’adat – The Crossroad of Trade. Capital
and largest harbor in the Masud Jazayir (Fortunate Isles) in the Straits of
Sorrow. Not large, it is most known for its general disregard for the laws of
the Enlightened Faith, for the inhabitants are descendants of outlaws, rebels
and malcontents. Loyalty to the Grand Caliph is professed, but he is far away.
Besides being especially verbose and prone to piracy, the dominant feature of
the inhabitant is that business and pleasure are one and the same. Many
merchant deposit their goods solely here and the great merchant houses carry
them to the Golden Gulf.[vii]
Bariya,
Island of – The Wild Island. A distortion caused by the Genie’s Wind on
mapmakers. See Kalanawan
Bay of Fins – The coast of northwest Zakhara is a
forgotten place. Where the tiny realms shielded from the Land of Fate by the
Mountains of the Lizard’s Tongue. But still threatened by Qudra and the Corsair
Domains. The Bay of Fins is remote enough that their heyday was during the time
of Nerath and they still call the Endless Blue the Aelathric Ocean. The Human
and Halfling communities were long beset by sahuagin, always a threat. The port
towns are now taxed by them on behalf of some Dragon overlord.[viii]
Boundary Mountains of the West – The High Desert of
western Zakhara is ringed with five great mountain chains, which have kept
organized settlements scarce and the Enlightened Faith spotty. The Al-Suqut
Mountains shield the Narrow Passage, the Range of Marching Camels and Mountains
of Tears separates the High Desert from the increasingly wetter south, the
Spines of the Dog separate the Inner Seas and the Mountains of the Lizards Tongue
create the coastal strip. This pens in the nomads, the ruins and secrets and
cooks them like an oven, making them vicious and hard to deal with.
Buring Lands, The – See Lesser Deserts, The
Caravans, Sea of - See Inner Seas, Zakharan
Cities of the Ancients – In the east of Zakhara, where
the jungles mirror and merge with their Arodian counterparts. Ancient lands
stir fitfully. In the time of Giants and Elves during the earliest periods of
Antiquity, there were up to seven kingdoms. Now there is only Nog, Kadar, new
Dihliz and distant al’Afyal. Less kingdoms than ruins populated by sullen
converts and colonists. The lands are rewilded and untamed. The doom is
unknown, the survivors dwell there still amid the ancient power, great statues
of animal-gods and palaces. Illegal and legal Slavery is common and feeds the
cities west.[ix]
Cities of the Heart, The – The heartland of Zakhara
along Suq Bay, where the First Caliph had the most success and where his son, Nasir
al-Nasr forged an empire. It is anchored by golden Huzuz in the south, smoky
Hiyal in the north, Wasat between and Halwa linking the Two People in the
deserts. Here, loyalty to the throne is most felt. Even if it is more
theoretical than material.[x]
Cities of the Pantheon, The – On the eastern side of
the Golden Gulf lies a stern land. Also known as the Pantheist League, cities
maintaining a strict interpretation of the Enlightened Faith. Of all the
Divisions of the Faith, only Moralists are allowed and only the great Gods are permitted
worshiped. And only the earliest four and a local god they hold dear. Though
they chafe other Zakharans, the cities are peaceful, prosperous,
well-maintained and their citizens do not go hungry. For this and their efforts
to enlighten the Ruined Kingdoms do they proclaim their superiority over their
decadent fellows. Segregated together yet bound strongly.[xi]
Cities of the Pearl, The – The western side of the
Golden Gulf borders the Crowded Sea and the High Desert. Caressing some of the
wealthiest cities in Zakhara. Ajayib, Gana, Jumlat, Sikak, and Tajar produce
many luxury goods and transport the valuable cargo of the Known World. Trade is
almost as important as Fate and so the lands have the greatest extravagance and
poverty. Slavery is rarer here in favour of crushing debts on the free.
Colorful, proud and somewhat haughty. They are the enemies of the Pantheist
League across the water.[xii]
Colossus of Uruk, The – On the north side of the
plateau of Sahu is a great granite statue of a king. One of the little-known
Necromancer Kings. This immodest self-idol to King Uruk serves a vital purpose
of being a lighthouse over the shark-infested reef, the Horn of Sahu.
Overlooking the familiar coastal iron spires of the region, locally called
Ereshkigal. The statue is hollow and magical in its operation, though the
techniques have long failed.[xiii]
Corsair Domains – Shielding Zakhara’s northern coast
are balmy island chains, home to life-long pirates. These Corsairs of the Great
Sea, lounge in the hidden city of Hawa or on sandy and desert outcroppings.
They contend they are to test the faithful and enrich themselves via Piracy. The
islands have always held corsairs, but they were vastly crueler. Slave-takers
and practitioners of humanoid sacrifice to Primordials. Ended by the
Enlightened Faith, coupled with the believed wrath of Fate. The domains consist
of three chains: The Genies’ Turban, The Desert’s Virtues and The Disputed
Holdings.[xiv]
Crowded Sea (Bahr Al-Izdiham) – An ocean is a desert
with its life underground. And the Crowded Sea is akin to dry mirages. It
comprises of two island chains cleaved together by mapmakers who do not fully
comprehend the breath of Laughing Storms or the Genie’s Wind, and so place them
mere days apart. The western half is mostly dry islands, plied by
ocean-foundering dhows and anchored by Imaria and Zakhara. The distorted east
is the Thousand Thousand Islands of legend and wealth. Most make the monsoon
journey via Afyal and The Yellow City. Few know or can afford map-making magic.
Dawihi
Isle – An island betwixt Rog’osto and Afyal, not too far into the
Crowded Sea. It is also northerly to Sahu. This land is flat veldt. The island
is covered in ruined towers like many of the coasts, full of nesting seabirds
and raptors on account of there being no other predator animals. This island is
ruled by a mysterious avian queen with a few fortified villages. As merchant
way stations are occasionally swept away by monsoons.[xv]
Desert Mosque, The - A holy site of great importance
to the desert tribes of the High Desert. Each year, the House of Nasur rotates
a guarding clan. The Desert Mosque is a huge, domelike sphere of volcanic rock
buried in the ground. The mosque is arranged so that, in facing Huzuz, one also
faces the rock. Dedicated to no specific faith, the mosque is maintained by Kahins
and Mystics. Originating when Yusef al-Nasr, the first of desert dwellers,
received enlightenment there. He promised that the Enlightened peoples of the
desert would hold that great land in the name of the Grand Caliph.[xvi]
Desert’s Virtues, The – West of the Genie’s Turban is
another cluster of islands in the Corsair Domains. Though most are unnamed or
individually named, and are but sandbars or storm-drowned, there are four known
ones. The Camel’s Hump, which has a single elevation, the Chador, which has two
humps and reminds Zakharans of Moralist robes and the Dune, which is small and
sandy. The Dune is also called Solitude or the Isle of Exiles, for it is a
place of captains’ displeasure. Satellite villages, ruled by ex-Corsairs dot
the main islands. Alongside hidden caches of Hawa’s great and powerful.[xvii]
Desolation, Mountains of (Al-Sayaj Mountains) – These
barren mountains have long divided the Cities of the Pantheon from the Ruined
Kingdoms. They are a mixed blessing. Its rivers feed all the western cities and
only water the ruins of the Grey Jungle. It divides the Midani from the giant-blooded
natives and it creates deserts and jungles from monsoons. Talab needs them, for
without them, it is neither gateway nor tollhouse.
Dhi’b, House of – The Sons of the Wolf numbers some
4,000 Enlighened people, most of whom are herders and craftsmen. But there are
several raiding clans of 200 or more warriors each. These clans prey on the
caravans traveling through the south and southcentral region. The sheikh has
allied with or against most of the other major tribes over the years, depending
on the circumstance. They use many old forts as hideaways and storehouses.[xviii]
Dihliz - The Gateway City. Built up the Nogaro River,
of stolen stone, a century’s time and unclaimed ground. Dihliz is the most
Zakharan city of the Cities of the Ancients, though dominated by al-Alfyal
patronage. A popular debarkation point for those seeking fortune and high
adventure in the Ruined Kingdoms. It also serves as a major melting pot and trading
center between the inland towns and the civilized world. The city is open and
interpretation of the laws of the Enlightened Faith are looser. Except when it
benefits the authorities. Though grants are given, most non-magic treasure is
smuggled out.[xix]
Disputed Holdings, The – The reach of the Corsairs
exceeds their grasp along the shores of the Free Cities. Several islands would
be tempting strategic prizes, but the nature of the Corsair Domains prevents
coordination. Though it does not stop loose claims by captains, ambushes or
resupplying. The Wizard’s Reach is just outside of magical Qadib. Al-Raqsa (The
Dancer) and al-Tir (The Bird) lie west and north of martial Liham. And most
tempting is Qal’at (The Fortress), which would allow the captain to prey on all
cargo heading to Qudra. Not just an enemy but the clearing house for all the
trade heading south.[xx]
Djinni’s Claws, The – Supposedly lands beyond the rim
of the world, given to or in shape of Genies. But south of the Islands of the
Crab and east of Imaria. Barely explored, mostly unnamed and completely
unsettled. Most charts divide it into Yadd al- Djinni (Hand of the Djinni),
al-Zira (the Arm), and Kalb Bahriy Sahr (Shark Reef). Sometimes a single island,
Kaff (Palm), is separated from the others. Lush and equatorial, it is home to
wonderous animals and plants. Kaff is safest yet home to undead pirates hungry
for flesh. Al-Zira must contain a Planar portal for genies are more frequent.[xxi]
Dubb, House of – The House of the Bear is an
Enlightened tribe, lives in the southwestern corner of the High Desert, hard on
the borders of the Al-Suqut Mountains. There are about 3,000 tribe members,
broken into nine separate clans. Most live by herding, but some clans do a
thriving business among the Realm of Bleeding Trees, where they harvest
aromatic gums. The tribe is on excellent terms with the people of the city of
Ajayib and has aided Ajayib’s caliph against the mountain people.[xxii]
Echoes, Vally of – Between two small ranges of the
windward Furrowed Mountains is a valley filled with large black rocks. These boulders
are frequently higher than an Ogre and having tumbled from the steep hills,
restrict vision and sound. Not even a
mounted warrior or tracker can note much but the passage of mountain goats and
deer. The closest village is called Talv, where the Al-Zalin passes through the
falls of Sakina Canyon and becomes a wadi.[xxiii]
Eredu –
The Damned City. Tucked away as the Northern Coast wraps into the Narrow
Passage, dread Eredu has been long notorious for tolerating the intelligent
undead. Its proximity to Stygia and its isolation from the wrath of Zakhara has
kept the ancient traditions. The city remains because it tests the undead
greatly. The undead must submit to authorisation to gain unlimited access. For
those that must feed, it last no more than a year per district and requires
explanations of how it will obtain sustenance without harming any citizen,
visitor or friendly people. Foul named knowledge has become the trade.[xxiv]
Fabada – A village of little note except to merchants,
it lies on the northside of the Mountains of Forgotten Dreams, facing the
Genies’ Anvil. A peaceful Hill People called the Numtanajd, they are one of the
desert most durable communities. There are three tribes forbidden to intermarry
yet intermingle at will. They are filthy according to their Enlightened
neighbors like the House of Dhi’b, who refrain from attacking due to the gifts
the shepherds give them. They do not haggle but traders must abide by their
numerous and bizarre taboos and customs.[xxv]
Fahhas – The City of Searching. The most sober city in
the Pantheist League sits at the mouth of the River of Peril (Al-Naqus). Though
well placed for trade and blessed with green grass and orchards along with some
of the best ceramics in Zakhara, the people remain sullen, brooding and
joyless. Punishments might account for this, for the law is applied to its
fullest here. The city is more likely to order disfigurement and torture than
enslavement or banishment. Otherwise, the city is searching for enlightenment
and truth, which may bring them happiness.[xxvi]
Firethorn Island – The greatest of the Corsair Domains
in size. This island is thickly forested with sub-tropical jungle, swamps and
arid uprisings. This approach to Hawa is no less difficult. Across from it is
the mysterious Island of Gardens and betwixt them is Chaos Bay. A maze of coral
and sandbars, that shift magically at the whims of the Sea Elves who dwell
there. Beyond this, ships must navigate another maze of saltwater swamps, home
to the saline firethorns. A poisonous rose that can be made into a deep red
dye. Hawa’s sole indigenous, luxury export.[xxvii]
Furrowed Mountains (Jibal al-Hutut) - A low line of
weathered limestone, baked in the sun. No rain passes here, shortly the ground
hardens into the Haunted Lands. Many Hill Tribes dwell here, able to resist the
Enlightened except for the Slave raids of Qudra, for Mamluks prioritize their determined
relatives. What caravans cross it from the Free Cities must walk the difficult
terrain. Hostility is assumed here. The last great tribal raid occurred during
the Red Crusade, when the Free Cities and Crusaders were surprised by them.[xxviii]
Free Cities, The – The Cities of the North are six
great ports, each with a distinctive color. Hafayah, Liham, Muluk, Qadib, Umara
and Utaqa. Though they profess loyalty to the Grand Caliph, the level is
proportional to their distance from the Mamluks of Qudra. Hill Tribes to the
south, pirates to the north and foreigners in the streets made the cities
somewhat uncivilized. Indeed, the standing armies are frequently used against
each other. The official treaties recognize each Caliph as ruling a river
valley. They interpret this as one river to another, where lies the next city.
Qudra must make regular peacekeeping incursions.[xxix]
Foreigner’s Sea (Bahr Al-Ajami) – An expanse of water
between the Ruined Kingdoms and Arodia. The prevalence of the Crowded Sea
causes it to be given short shrift. And the trade lanes be discounted except by
memory. It opens to the ocean itself. Otherwise see Laughing Storms.
Gana – The City of Riches. Like Jumlat, the city
devotes five months to pearl fishing. But takes advantage of being adjacent to
the Realm of Bleeding Trees in the off-season. Built west of The River of
Maidens (Al-Sabiya River). Gana produces finer pearls than Jumlat but for the ethical
captains, they frequently must risk breaking their vows. At the end of the
season there is a great festival, giving the city a wild reputation. After that
is the Task of the Pearl, a competition to give the Sultan a marvel or wonder
from abroad.[xxx]
Genies’ Anvil – A waste almost as inhospitable as the
Great Anvil, but that it has recorded a few spots of rain ever in its history.
Unlike the Great Anvil, it presents a tempting trap for caravans to cross the
Mountains of Forgotten Dreams and cut across it. Few survive. The only reason
to enter would be to search for legends and the Jann city of Ubar. Even then
the jann House of Sihr, whose amir is prone to violently assuming the worse,
even of other Enlightened.[xxxi]
Genies’ Garden, The – Two mountains, unnamed, protects
a valley paradise between the Weeping Desert and the Burning Lands. Countless tall
red rock spires rise to form narrow alleys through the mountains, each barely a
dozen feet wide and shading the glare. Sound is absorbed by the sandstone
formations and natural arches. It is shady at the base, with vegetation grows
in abundance in small pools of cool water. However, such a place makes a good
home for numerous monsters and Genies.[xxxii]
Genies’ Turban, The – Opposite Muluk of the Free
Cities is a grouping of Corsair-haunted islands. The greatest is Firethorn
Island, where taunting Hawa lurks. Completing the turban itself is the
mysterious Island of Gardens. Cuddled into Chaos Bay between them is al-Oyum
(The Eye) and al-Anf (The Nose). Some corsairs refer to the islets scattered
about as beauty marks and use this to question strangers about their
familiarity with the waters. Firethorns grow in grasslands and salt marshes
here, absorbing the sun to produce a faint glow like embers. Which clearly
marks their impenetrable and poisonous defense against both Mamluks and
Crusaders.[xxxiii]
Ghost Mountains (Jibal al-Taif) – A small mountain
range which helps shield the Cities of the Heart from the Haunted Lands.
Consisting of three parallel ranges, it is also the foundation for Wasat. With
the Al-Qalil (Insufficient Flow) River stemming from it.
Great Anvil – The inhospitable heart of the Haunted
Lands. If this place was ever inhabited by mortals, only the Gods would be able
to tell, for this land is death. Hot enough to near kill a lizard in its burrow
at midday and frozen at night. This land never sees rain and its barren face is
constantly swept by dust storms. The surrounding mountains shield inhabited
lands but deny it the water required for life. Only the Genie can and do
survive. The heartland of the Jann and capital of the Brotherhood of the True
Flame.[xxxiv]
Grey
Jungle – The desert-meting tip of the Ruined Kingdoms is no less deadly for
being west of Dihliz. A terrible disease called Grey Fever makes the dense
rainforest even more lethal than the elephant-eating teak serpents and
carnivorous jungle Giants. Still, a great number of treasure laden ruins
remain. Including the rumoured city of Ysawis, the Doors of Shajar and the
Temple of the Serpentine Empress.[xxxv]
Golden Gulf – See Inner Seas, Zakharan
Great Sea, The – Bahr al-Kibar, See
Sea of Ships
Hafayah – The City of Secrets. Second northernmost of
the Free Cities, it lies on the black banks of the river Al-Kufr. Dark and
somber, its people and granite architecture prefer black. Its wealth is in
semi-precious stones from the river, and more precious ones are rumored. Its
people are suspicious, particularly of Qadib, their rival and magic-users in
general. Subterfuge hides intense loyalties and when it breaks out, the streets
run red.[xxxvi]
Halwa - The City of Solitude. One of Zakhara’s few
major inland settlements. It sits above a wadi which is fille briefly each
spring from the Ghost Mountains. It serves as the chief trading post for the
desert nomads of the Haunted Lands. Its people are considered canny merchants.
Many caravans and adventures pass or leave from here and rumors say contraband
including Slaves, move on to Hiyal It is two hundred miles to Suq Bay and Wasat
to travel.[xxxvii]
Hanif, House of – Powerful enough to send its own
ambassador to the Court of Huzuz, the largest Enlightened tribe of the Haunted
Lands with 10,000 people. The tribe controls the region surrounding the Ghost
Mountains and the Al-Akara Mountains. And a permanent base in a fortification
that was formerly held by Assassins, a day’s ride west of Halwa. As a people,
this tribe has an intense loyalty to the throne and is known for rescuing
thirsty pilgrims lost en route to Huzuz. The people are brave, honest to a fault,
and open to strangers in their lands. Seen as toadies by nomads.[xxxviii]
Haunted Lands, The – What was once a rich jungle or grassland,
where cities dwelled in Antiquity amid snowmelt rivers. Is now a harsh, rocky
desert of a hundred shades of red and brown, baked for nigh on a thousand years.
Instead of oasis and cities it has pillars of stone thrusting up through the
sands. The Giants and Ruined Kingdoms once ruled here, but according to legend,
Fate scattered the people and lands for their violence. What is known in divine
libraries is eventually the wadis dried and the few remaining cities of
Moradask and Sokkar fought, lost and cursed by upstart Huzuz.[xxxix]
Harab, Island of – The Island of War. More working
mines than Bariya, but just as distorted. See Rusunuga
Hawa – The City of Chaos. The only sizable settlement
of the Corsair Domains is their unofficial capital. Held only sometimes by a
pirate king and usually by a council of the most powerful Corsairs. It lies
inside Chaos Bay and is sometimes known as the City of Stilts, as the retired
pirates build above the islets. Sea Elves moving the razor-sharp reefs with
magic as a defense. The riot of architecture hides sunken ruins and lost
treasures. The people are independent, self-reliant and dangerous, much like their
close relatives in Utaqa. They welcome newcomers but do not trust them.[xl]
High Desert – More mysterious and wonderful than the
ancient Haunted Lands, this semi-Continent is Zakhara’s domestic frontier. The
cities here are further apart, far more material in their cultures and the
nomads far more likely to be unenlightened. The mountains box in the lands,
creating alcoves for things to be forgotten such as the dreaded Pit of the
Ghuls, unrecorded people or strange magics. The city of Akota itself is not
even governed by the Land of Fate but squats in the Narrow Passage for its Imarian
overlords. Here the desert caravan or the ship is the only way to travel.
Hilm – The City of Kindness. Perhaps the most liberal
of the Pantheist League, it is closest to Huzuz and so a stopping point for
overland pilgrims. It is the league at its best, with as little crime as color.
Likewise, its people are known for being even-tempered, patient and managing
the best hospices in Zakahara. It was the second city to receive the Enlighted
Faith, and the Gods of the Pantheon were its gods. They tend to temporarily
enslave ruckus-causing Enlighted followers of lesser gods, to work for the
religious authorities, rather than execute them.[xli]
Hiyal – The City of Intrigue. On the rim of Suq Bay, a
mere three hundred and sixty miles of golden Huzuz, stands the soot-blackened
slums of Hiyal. The valley of the river Al-Wahl traps the shroud from the
foundries and kilns, nurturing the dark alleys and back rooms. The city is
believed to be the center of the Slavery black market. Nomad attacks have
breached the wall but be mired in the slums. Though regarded as duplicitous and
untrustworthy, the Great suq is world famous as is the quality of its weapons.
Rumors say there are Planar portals in the city.[xlii]
Hotek, House of - Only some 2,000 Enlightened people, growing
as they war against the city of Hiyal. the sultana and her brood have
oppressed, cheated, or harmed many. They traditionally roam the northwestern
corner of the Haunted Lands. Until recently the members lived in peace with the
city. Now they move primarily by night and are not as welcome as they once were
in the City of Intrigue. As the raids grow more common, conflict with the other
major enlightened tribe of the eastern desert, the House of Hanif, has
increased as well.[xliii]
Hudid – The City of Humility. Among the more tolerant
of the Pantheon. Hudid is located outside the Golden Gulf, on the shores of the
Crowded Sea. Along the Al-Jama
River (Gathering Waters). It is a prime site for exotic items as it services
incoming ships to the Continent itself. Considering this, it maintains the
Pantheon’s purity with tariffs and laws that penalize, but do not discourage
outsiders. It possesses a renowned university, for the pious and scientific
studies. It is also forefront towards the Balanite Heresy in Mahabba, with
fears of sympathizers inside the city itself.[xliv]
Hulm – A village of Hill People in the High Desert, to
the south-east of the Pit of the Ghuls. Like the rest of the accursed valley,
they were not practitioners of the Enlightened Faith and served as warriors in
various campaigns by the barbarians of the hills and deserts to resist or
destroy those who were. Traders accuse them of breaching hospitality even more
than other unenlightened tribes.[xlv]
Huzuz – The City of Delights. Nestled between the
Golen Gulf and Suq Bay is the grandest and most spectacular of Zakharan cities.
Called the “heart of the heart” or The Golden, its spires can be seen from
ships. Here is where the Loregiver lived and where the First Caliph received
the vision. The wealth of the Land of Fate has flown to this city as has
uncountable pilgrims. The city is quite tolerant and confident, even in the
face of the Age of Chaos. Marvels include the Grand Bazaar, the Palace, the
Public Gardens and the Golden Mosque.[xlvi]
Huzuz, Land Travel – To Halwa is the Ghost Route. Up
the Al-Sarif River for ninety, then north to the deserts of the Haunted Lands
for a hundred. The green means Zarif, where each accuse the other of cheating.
One or two days away is the Oasis of Solitude, where camels fill up. Then scrub
for two hundred before the Al-Malih River and another one-fifty to Halwa. The
Pilgrim’s Route to Hilm starts at the Pilgrim’s Gate, then past the Shrine of
the Brave, along the Al-Akara Mountains to Zayir. One-fifty to the Mosque of
the Thirsty Jann and then south two hundred.[xlvii]
Huzuz, Sea Travel – All ships must sail some thirty
miles down the Al-Sarif River to the Golden Gulf. The Northern Sea Route, Dihl
al-Suq is frequented by pirates and merchants rarely assist one another. The Southwestern Sea Route, the Pearl Way, is
along shallow water, storms coming up or aquatic Humanoids occasionally
threaten this. The Southeastern Sea Route is used by ships seeking the
Pantheist League and beyond. There are few pirates, but many storms. The Elvish
Trade Fleets do not fear the Golden Gulf unduly, they come via the Pearl way
first and leave by the Southeastern.[xlviii]
Inner Seas, Zakharan – Zakahra has relied on ships for
longer than it has relied on camels and donkeys as they divide it almost in
two. The Golden Gulf is the primary transit, linking the Pearl Cities and the
Pantheist League to each other and the Crowded Sea. Then comes the north and
south quarter of Suq Bay, which facilitate the Cities of the Heart to the gulf and
prevent the deserts merging. Via The Passage, or Al-Tariq Channel the waters come
to the Sea of Caravans, Bahr al-Dahil.
This provides easy access to the northern caravans without having to
port across to Hiyal.
Island of Gardens, The – Opposite Firethorn Island,
home of wretched Hawa of the Corsairs is a barely inhabited island of legendary
renowned. Towering cliffs and plunging waterfalls spring from lush shores,
giving rise to the idea that some mystic force dwells above in the River of God.
From the few who visit, they can sadly attest the abundant foliage and flowers
do not extend to the heights. Old stone stairs lead to an arid interior. The
people were once corsairs but now grow orchids. But the island is barely
explored, and few can really say what lies at the river’s source.[xlix]
Islands of the Crab, The (Jazayir al-Sartan) – Where
the Tumbling Mountains give way to the Laughing Storm, is a lush but avoided
archipelago said to be in the shape of a crab. Rain comes only during the
monsoon and there is only a small Zakharan settlement on the seaward side of
Jazirat al-Qraidis. Jazayir al-Alfar is home to Zakharan Halflings (Tarangu) on
the north arm and Imarian Humans (Haifami) in the south. Neither welcoming, as
they are unenlightened targets for Slavery.
Jazirat al-Sadaf is home to Gurum: Ogres, Ogre Magi and their purple
hybrids. Some sort of crab God lurks in the center.[l]
I’tiraf – The City of Confessions. The site of the
League Conclave, the governing body to which every Pantheist city sends
representatives. And hosts the navy and a magnificent blue mosque. Located at
the mouth of the river Al-Hadi
(River of Inspiration), the city prides itself as the most moral and upstanding
realm. This likewise come with the belief that outsiders of the Pantheist
League are barely above savage who will come around. The emir’s family stop
short of self-deification and are frequently blamed for all conspiracies in the
Cities of the Pearl. Periodic rumours of war turn into xenophobic riots.[li]
Jacinth Sea – See Sea of Salt, The and Moradask
Jamal
Oasis – The best known and maybe most hospitable place in the High Desert. South
of the Mountains of Forgotten Dreams is a mighty caravanserai, old temple and
good food. Though the House of Asab claims it, travellers are welcome so long
as they don’t overstay. The temple is a cylinder of wind-blasted granite topped
with a minaret. This is marked with religious aphorisms, mostly lost. The
visible one is said to be debated by djinn on summer nights. Those with wisdom
are rewarded, other punished.[lii]
Jann of the Haunted Lands - The Jann of the Haunted
Lands are wildly crazy and impulsive, dangerous to themselves and to all who accompany
them. Always present, they have become extreme in the last few decades. The
homeland of the jann is the Great Anvil, the large central waste of
inhospitable land. Here lie great ruins of civilization that are now
uninhabited, save for the elemental peoples. A typical janni tribe will number
11 to 31 individuals, lead by a Sheik who responds to an Amir has yet to renew
loyalty to the fifteenth Grand Caliph to renew loyalty. He might be dead.[liii]
Jumlat – The City of Multitudes. Perhaps one of the
worst cities in Zakhara and certainly the Cities of the Pearl. Crowded along
the habitable strip of the Tepid River (Al-Fatir), the city survives on pearl
fishing alone. Most of the city is indebted into poverty to the pearl merchants
and the beggars fill the streets in the off-season. Long a rival of Gana,
Jumlat’s pearls are inferior, but they harvest more. The city is infamous for its
lecherous chief vizer. An Elf whose longevity and preference for human maidens
has destroyed many merchants and single-handedly made the veil more common
there.[liv]
Kadar – See Ruined Kingdoms
Kadarasto - The City Most Sinister. Once the capital
of ancient Kadar, this city resides inland up the river Nogaro River from
Dihliz. Its unique architecture: heavy, angular, depressing and with graven
icons too difficult to remove is enhanced by its riverside bluff and atop a
dozen city ruins. Its people are natives but the moneyed classes stem from
Zakharan exiles and adventurers, so the cruel mixed dynasty regulates both with
fear and Mamluks. The base for valley exploration, all ruins within two days
ride have been picked clean. Leaving fields and landscape with gutted tombs and
toppled statues.[lv]
Kashan,
Well of – In the Genies’ Anvil is an ancient stone that some say was made by a
Kahin, the Hand of Makti. Near that is an enchanted oasis at the bottom of a
great depth. This well is said to contain enchanted groves and rich gardens.
Also, the treasures of the Jann as guarded by the ruthless Amir Bouladin
al-Mutajalli of the House of Sihr. Clearly not one has ever returned with the
legendary treasures, but somehow rumours still spread the amir or his daughter
are the only ones to know the magic words to enter.[lvi]
Kashtaph –
On the windward Mountains of the Lizard’s Tongue, where the Bay
of Fins delivers rain, stands a corrupt merchant city. Kashtaph guards perhaps
the only pass beyond into the High Desert and extracts a toll for trade with
the Hill People and some of the Unenlightened Desert Nomads like the House of
Tayif. The pass is
hidden to avoid local Goblins, the House of Nasur and distant Tajar. More
recently, the city has been seized by Eladrin desert nomads, the Sand Knives,
who now extract a tax on the treasury.[lvii]
Koth, The Spires of - Half a day on foot from Raziz is
a natural granite spire, topped with black quartz. A navigation point for
caravans. Nine Mystics from that village claimed it for the Zakharan God of
wisdom and used a djinni’s help to carve a spiral up it. For whatever reason a
caravan found their bodies far below. Now on the high holy day, the skeletons
scramble like spiders up the sides to pray and plead for a night.[lviii]
Krak al-Niraan – Within the Weeping Desert of the
Haunted Lands stands a might man-made rock. Built in wetter times to guard the
trade routes to dead cities. Here is the dreaded outpost of the Brotherhood of
the True Flame and justifying terrible is its reputation. Entire clans of the
House of Hanif have vanished by wandering too nearby. Not the main stronghold
itself however, hidden from all but the Gods in the Great Anvil.[lix]
Kruk Al-Shidda – An abandon fort at the southwestern
end of the Gogol Pass. Cutting through the Al-Yabki Mountains between Jumalt
and Gana. As authority has weakened, the fort came to be a point of contention
between the cities. As each monsoon tapered off in late winter, the fort would
be seized in turn as it was too soon to finish refortifying it. Eventually a
wise general destroyed the fort, and the cities had no reason to feud. Th ruins
are now said to be haunted and travelers go missing there. Shaddad, the terror
of the Genies, once ruled nearby.[lx]
Leaning Towers, The – Across the valley of the Nogaro
River in the Ruined Kingdoms lies a coastal ruin. Not like the great metal
spires of Rog’osto, but of stone and mortar. Of the same era and make as the
Doors of Shajar, the ruins are infested with snakes. There is little reason to
visit.[lxi]
Lesser Deserts, The – The Haunted Lands can be divided
into three parts in decreasing levels of habitability. The Weeping Desert
extends from the Furrowed Mountains, so called due to noises made by the undead
that roam here. It was the more fertile land of the wastes centuries ago. Here
lies Sokkar, Animal Nomads and Krak al-Niraan. Beyond the line of barchan was
the Burning Lands, where Al-Anwahr
and Moradask flourished along with what little water
flowed into the Jacinth Sea. This land was sparser, as the heat of the Great
Anvil baked the rock and the sand.
Liham – The City of Soldiers. Where the Al-Sari River
meets the sea is the closest the Free Cities come to Qudra. Equal distance
between Umara and Qudra. So, the Mamluks have a strong presence here, hence the
name or Liham the Lapdog. Crimson is favorited here, and it is sometimes called
Liham the Red. Indeed, the flickering masses of people have given the bazaar
the name Al-Mauqida, the Hearth. Its specialty is coffee. There are regular
rumors that the mamluks or the population will overthrow the Caliph and wage
war on the other.[lxii]
Mahabba – The City of Charity. Like Hudid, it is
located outside the Golden Gulf and benefits from trade in the Crowded Sea.
Unlike Hudid, it has been closed under its on military, due to fears of the
Balanite Heresy. This ancestral stain cannot be forgotten, and the city is
taking on a new name, the City of Silence. The heresy is real and aggressive,
persecuting those who have turned their backs on ancient traditions. Harsh
persecutions and inquisitions have led to the near banning of music and
overlooking of official overreach.[lxiii]
Majlis – The stronghold of the Geomancers in Kadar.
There were nine geomancers, and it is said most were slain here as Imam Suhail min Zan and the Lions
of Yesterday laid siege. Though razed, its foundations lie somewhere to the
east of the Nogaro river. It’s fall opened the Ruined Kingdoms to be exploited
by the corrupt but Enlightened dynasties of khedives and by unwholesome animal
faiths.[lxiv]
Military
Camps of the Qara’a – In Zakhara, a qara’a is a barren field of weeds and
scrub, good for grazing but not much else. West of the Jamal Oasis, two houses
compete for one. One hundred years ago, the soil dried and House Fajirik and
House Ashurim fought for the last patch. In time they came to a truce,
requiring the qara’a to be neutral and each maintaining a military encampment
opposed each other. The truce was supposedly renewed again for another hundred.
Tajar supports Fajirik and Qudra support Ashurim for an even older slight when
the land was green.[lxv]
Mina – A
place so insignificant that few can claim it really exists. A small town to the
west of Qudra, providing it with food thanks to its abundant farms. Beyond
that, it serves as a staging ground for Qudra’s regular excursions to corral
the petty Jabb lords of the coastal strip. Isolated from anyone but the Sea of
Ships by the Mountains of the Lizard’s Tongue.[lxvi]
Misbahd and Jinutt – The island of Sahu is limited in
its civilization. The northern side is home to only two villages, the pirate
port of Misbahd and the fishing village of Jinutt. Placed against the base of
the plateau. Besides being a persistent threat to shipping in the Foreigner’s
Sea, they are noted for a pre-Enlightened Faith custom. They leave the bodies
of the dead in the jungle for the animals. This has kept a proper set of
clerics from being established.[lxvii]
Mountains of Forgotten Dreams – Shielding the
relatively mundane eastern reaches of the High Desert from the wrath of the
Genies’ Anvil. These tall former volcanoes were sliced by wide and easy passes,
even if falling boulders were noted in traveler tales. A highly prized feral
dog, the white saluqi roams the brush of the lower slopes.[lxviii]
Mountains of the Lizards Tongue – The northern
Boundary Mountains of the West. These ranges create both the chaos of the
coastal strip and the inner High Desert. They shield the Pit of the Ghuls from
any filling water and keep the north dry. They also allow the host of petty
states along the coast to thrive, menaced only by the Corsair Domains and
Qudra’s occasional watching. It is the home to both Zakharan Dwarves and the
Jabb, the Human Hill People who gave rise to the Zakharans of the west. Even if
no one remembers them.[lxix]
Moradask – The City of the Sun. Besides the inland
salt lake, called the Jacinth Sea in the Haunted Lands. Grew a city of
plentiful limestone, gems and beautiful creations. Over the decades the
inhabitants grew wealthy and prideful. Taking to worship their own whispering
master-crafted idols. They turned to looting their neighbors. The next year the
First Caliph met them and destroyed the city. The hand of Fate turned the water
to the Sea of Salt. Many idols and treasures were hidden in the catacombs below
by cultists before the land became desert. Valuable yet rare magical wood is
scavenged here.[lxx]
Muluk – The City of Kings. An unbroken line rules
Muluk from even before the First Caliph and the city is greatly proud of it.
Just as much as the regal purple it produces from local indigo plants. Indeed,
the Grand Caliph lets the citizens wear the color freely and it is famous in
barbarian lands for it. At the mouth of
the river Al-Zalim, it is betwixt Umara and Qadib. The people are seen as
arrogant and proud. Others sneer Muluk’s ruler saw the faithful sweep away
unenlightened emirs and sultans, and so converted to maintain unbroken control.[lxxi]
Natifa, Burning Pool of – West of the Mountains of
Forgotten Dreams, adjacent of barchan in the High Desert lies a sweet-smelling
yet salty pool of burning water weeds. A marvel even for elementally infused
Zakhara. The weeds burn only in contact with the water, cannot be extinguished
with water and a fountain emerges from it. Even stranger is the ghost who
dwells there, an elderly woman who asks travelers to cook with an open kitchen
at one end. She fetches ingredients and if she likes the food, she will reveal
desert secrets. If not, the chef is thrown into the pool and must escape.[lxxii]
Narrow Passage, The – There is no way by ship between
the Great Sea and the Crowded Sea except the straits which run from the High
Desert in Zakhara and Stygia in Imaria. Passed Akota and the tightening walls
of the Tumbling Mountains (Jibal Al-Suqut) and the Weeping Mountains. The Elven
Merchant Fleets fight hard to keep this passage open against Corsairs and
Midani rivals, for the Grand Caliph knows that he who controls these remote
seas, controls a third of the Known World’s trade. Such a bottleneck always
results in wrecks and Cities of the Pearl do well from resupplying the skilled.
Nasr, House of – The People of the Eagle roams the
northern reaches of the High Desert and maintains the Desert Mosque. The
Enlightened tribe numbers some 3,000 people (split into 30 clans), and all are
known for their hospitality and prowess in weapons. Every year a single clan is
entrusted with protecting the Desert Mosque. They have had disagreements with Qudra
in recent times, as the Mamluks can barely tell them from Hill Tribes.[lxxiii]
North Coast, The – A nebulous region that ranges from
the barely inhabited Mountains of the Lizard’s Tongue to the thriving Free
Cities and islands of the Corsairs. This stretch of the Great Sea is much more
influenced by thousands of years of trade and war with Adventia and central
Nangia. Fezzes and stockings are common here, as are unveiled women and
foreigners fill the ports. The inhabited regions are still recovering from the
devastations of the Red Crusade. Corsairs are a constant danger to ships, even
those of the Enlightened and only the Mamluk of Qudra keep the Grand Caliph’s
authority in place.
Pantheist League, The – See Cities of the Pantheon
Pit of the Ghuls – A valley of death and wafted by the
scent of decay. A deep valley surrounded by a ring of granite hills and cliffs,
a branch of the Mountains of the Lizard’s Tongue. Legends say in ancient days
the Gods punished a Giant who had mastered an ocean here. Now there is a salt
lake and a ghost. Besides that, there is the giant’s confirmed but undiscovered
treasure and the largest concentration of Ghuls anywhere on the Continent.
Their presence has kept the tribes of the area unenlightened and fearsome.[lxxiv]
Qadib – The City of Wands. The river Al-Haul houses
such wonder that all eyes are drawn to it. For more elemental mages, sorcerers
and Sha’irs live here than anywhere else in Zakhara except for Huzuz and
Rog’osto. Its universities of elemental magic and civilized arts are considered
some of the best in the Known World, hence alternatively, City of Sages. There
are a great many bound Genies, mostly Jann. The people are all that is good and
bad about scholars and debaters. It also produces a fiery yellow-orange pigment
called Uther. Rumors of caves to the Underdark are common here.[lxxv]
Quabah – A remote and tormented village south of the
Pit of the Ghuls. Created by nomad Mystics from the Mountains of the Lizard’s Tongue.
The brotherhood lived as celibate ascetics and hardship. A revisionist leader,
Yzeed, then reinterpreted the doctrine to allow for wives, which were exchanged
from the Hill People with gaudy religious trinkets. However, as the mystics
were obliged to treat their wives with the same reverence as the Gods, women
began turning up in droves from across the High Desert.[lxxvi]
Qudra – The City of Power. North of Hiyal lies the bastion.
Qudra has been under Mamluk control since they rebelled against their tyrannical
emir who plotted to overthrow the eighth Caliph. The city has never fallen and
is grim, bar it’s reward of a magnificent mosque. Here the Mamluks projects
authority bar their humiliation by Hawa a decade ago. The non-mamluks inhabitants
are not warlike and are hardworking, honest and obedient. Slaves are constantly
imported as recruits, though the mamluks run the most enlightened slave market.
It also is a major clearing house for northern trades goods going south.[lxxvii]
Range of Marching Camels, The– Like humps on the
horizon, this range separates the High Desert from the frontiers of the Cities
of the Pearl. It also forms a critical guide for the caravans of ivory and
Imarian Slaves that cross east from Akota. The range is not much of a barrier
to the nomads which cross with ease to make misery to Ajayib and Ganna and raid
each other.
Raziz – Betwixt
the Range of the Marching Camels and the Mountains of Forgotten Dreams is a
village of poor reputation. It is surrounded by refuse and the well allows for
many animals. Unfortunately, the inhabitants are regarded as gluttons who have
never developed a culture beyond feeding on their sickly herds and dancing for
every occasion. Scandalous to Zakharan recorders, they love to dance together,
a distinct one for each sex. Worse, they also embrace and kiss each other on
the mouths at the crescendo. Their interest in the outside world is otherwise
limited to lurid tales of war and bloodshed.[lxxviii]
Realm of Coffee, The – The land to the south of Ajayib
is better watered and higher than most of Zakhara, perfect for the growing of
coffee. This has done much to enrich the new city, but the highlands stretch
for quite a distance and quickly merge into the Tumbling Mountains (Jibal
Al-Suqut). This means much of the land is under threat from the Hill Tribes.
This has encouraged the city into an alliance with the House of Dubb and
encouraged many adventurers to strike out into the hills for land grants.
Realm of Bleeding Trees, The – Between Ajayib and Gana
stretches a wasteland of shrublike trees. Good only for goat herding otherwise,
the gum of these trees is the source for frankincense and other luxuries. This
draws the attention of both cities. With Gana being the closest but the nomadic
House Dubb directs its own harvest west to Ajayib. No one has fought a war for
it yet. What is more concerning is the area has managed to be raided by the
House of Tayif. The unenlightened desert riders inflicting just as much fear as
damage. See (Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 40-88)
Ruined Kingdoms – In the east of Zakhara lie the
ruin-haunted valleys of the Cities of the Ancients and the death wastes of the
Haunted Lands. Here is where the oldest civilizations in Zakahara emerged
during the Dawn Age. Before the copper men of the Golden Gulf learned from
them, the Giants built settlements here and Zannad ruled over Nog and Kadar.
Eventually the Humans would steal the stranded coastal cities. The Elven Merchant
Fleets first found its calling here, trading tin for spices and tropical wood.
In time the river changes, curses uttered, and heroes warred. The land grew
untamed.
Rog’osto – The City of Spires. Th most northern of the
Cities of the Ancients, this is the last stop before the jungle becomes dry and
Arodian. Here, the Yellow Plant Empire once built vine bridges to cross the
drylands but those rotted before memory. The city is named for its great metal
towers, gleaming out of time. For their shape it is also known as the City of
Fungus. It is thought burned Elves (Drow) built them. They are claimed by
wizards and priests, making the city the most magical by population on the
Continent. Many competing factions fill the court.[lxxix]
Sahu – The Isle of Serenity. Named for the tranquil
life of its inhabitants, the island shares the metal towers of the region. But
these broken spires halt at the massive, forested plateau that dominates the
center of the island. Those ruins here are from Nog, but a later era than the
mainland. The island is noted by Elven records to be unwholesome and the
tranquility that of death. Two shark-infested reefs; the southern Rubban’s
Tears and northerly the Horn of Sahu complement this. A Colossal Statue completes
the languishment of faded glory.[lxxx]
Sahu,
Interior of – Forgotten to all but the dead, are the ruins on the plateau.
Indeed, only records remain in the Astral Sea, like Hevastar. The sterile
capital of the Necromancer Kings, a nonangon. Nycopolis lies against a dead
lake, volcanic rock and granite, and empty of even a speck of grass but filled
with belongings. The last king opened a rift to the Shadowfell and its spirits
haunt it at night. In contrast the lost and hidden summer palace of the first
king, Uruk was made of ivory and white marble. Spirits whisper of island
tunnels and an underground palace prison.[lxxxi]
Serpent Bay – A deceptively calm stretch of water off
the Grey Jungle coast, as the Golden Gulf gives way to the Crowded Sea. Shallow
and wide, its turquoise waters give a marvelous view of the sea monsters and
aquatic Humanoids which attack moored ships here. If they were gone, it would
be a vital stop.[lxxxii]
Serpentine
Empress, Temple of – Weeks deeper into the Grey Jungle, beyond the Doors of
Shajar lies an ancient temple. This is dedicated to human-headed serpent, Naga
and their occasional God of night of simply their knowledge. Great treasures
should have been stored there. With many modern rival cults and treasure
hunters seek them.[lxxxiii]
Shajar,
Doors of – Up the Nogaro river is it’s tributary, the Abdo River. Winding its
way through the outlying forests of the Grey Jungle, past a city which dared to
tame it. Nothing remains of that city except for two statues of it’s king,
guarding a dam long since burst back into a valley. These statues are likened
by the few to survive seeing them, as like flanking a door.[lxxxiv]
Sihr, House of – Not a Human tribe, but the
Enlightened Jann of the High Desert. In the heart of the desert lies the Genies’
Anvil, an inhospitable place where no mortal can survive for long. The number
of jann in the House of Sihr is unknown between the desert and the Elemental
Chaos. The tribe itself is divided into several clans, each with its own
sheikh. These clans wander, herd, trade with other Enlightened tribes, and
occasionally raid settlements. All sheikhs claim allegiance to the Amir.[lxxxv]
Sikak – The City of Coins. Named for coin-sized fish scales.
On the River of Copper (Al-Nuhas River), the city fishes the bountiful coast and
nearby Maribar Island. It has been ruled by the same Gnomish dynasty since
before the First Caliph, who spend their childhood working with the fishermen.
The administration is handled by the royal family. The Sultan has a harem of
the most beautiful woman in Zakhara and over twenty children. It is known the
artisan wells are kept working with Genie pacts, the people are informal in
manner and dress and very thin-skinned about their way of life.[lxxxvi]
Strait of Sorrow, The (Nada al-Hazan) – The first and
last entrepot of the Crowded Sea, before the journey east, called the Silver
Road. Here is where the Genie’s Wind is harnessed. Well explored, dry,
tree-less and moderately settled, its wild port is Bandar al-Sa’adat in the
Masud Jazayir (Fortunate Isles). Otherwise, there is al-Zabdiyat (the bowl),
claimed by a Sha’ir, bleak Tawil (long), Dirs (Jaw-tooth) with it’s falcons and
Sayyad (The Hunter) with its sea-bred horses. Lastly is dreaded Jazirat
al-Gawwar (Island of the Whirlpool) which is shunned by all, yet names the
archipelago.[lxxxvii]
Suq Bay – See Inner Seas, Zakharan
Tadabbur –
A featureless heap of rubble perched in a once-strategic ridge at the
confluence of two rivers. Once the last fastness of the Geomancers, it’s vast
underground structures have been choked with decay as the upper ramparts have
been devoured by the jungle. Here they made their last stand deep within Nog,
having been chased from Kadar by Imam Suhail min Zann and the Lions of
Yesterday. The place is named for or passed in, the word for contemplating
mysteries.[lxxxviii]
Tajar – The City of Trade. The northernmost of the
Cities of the Pearl, it is the heart of seaborne trade. It can reach every city
within the Inner Seas of Zakhara easily. Foreign fleets trade here. It controls
the caravan route to the Port of Akota. Here the nomads of the High Desert come
to trade. Only the suq of Huzuz can rival its marketplace. Ruled by a Sheik
from the House of Bakr. It has artisan wells to supplement the River of
Courtesy (Al-Adib River), abundant work and wealthier poor. They are proud,
boisterous, musical and quick to take offense.[lxxxix]
Talab - The City of Questing. To follow the river
Al-Muti (River of
Generosity) east from Hilm, into its source amid the scorched wilderness.
The most common starting point for adventurers entering the Ruined Kingdoms and
Haunted Lands from a Pantheist city. Underwater conduits bring water from wells
in the Al-Sayaj Mountains, which in turn flow from the reservoir to make the
Al-Muti not a wadi. A great university of healing is present. The people are
insular and secretive due to raids from desert nomads, otherwise unwelcome
merchants. Profitable Slavery of unenlightened from the Ruined Kingdoms and
illegal kidnappings feed corrupting Assassins.[xc]
Tayif, House of – The Ghost Warriors are at most 1,000
Unenlightened members in the High Desert. The tribe’s numbers seem much greater,
for the people roam the entire length of the desert. Raids struck caravans
outside Qudra and resin-farmers in the faraway Realm of Bleeding Trees. Almost superhumanly
fast, they survive solely through raiding. They seem to have no set pattern or
purpose other than to damage established trade. They wear white in battle, and they
are always veiled. No Ghost-Warrior has ever been identified, save for the
leader and his vizier. A foreigner and a disgraced priest.[xci]
Thawr, House of - The Enlightened tribe of the
Children of the Bull has dwindled to some 1,500 people. Lured away by the
prospect of employment and adventure in the Pearl Cities. Their land is currently
in the southeastern spur of the desert, where the tribe supplements trade by
raiding the border regions for horses and supplies. These raids were originally
minor, but now, losses are heavy. They may retreat to the deeper desert or
migrate north to seek shelter with the Bakr in the city of Tajar. So far, they
are searching for something.[xcii]
Ubar – The
Lost City. Located in either the heart of the Great Anvil of the Haunted Lands
or the Genie’s Anvil of the High Desert, this is the capital of the Jann of
Zakhara. Here the jann live as the wo-dwelling component of the Two People,
thronging the bazaar where they trade for goods of value only to them. While
their Amir is indisposed the city is ill-maintained and banditry against others
is rife. Caravans from here can appear without warning, loaded with frankincense,
metal and ceramics. Sha’ir must never attempt to command here. The Giants
called it Dayya.[xciii]
Umara – The City of Knights. Situated on the mouth of
the Al-Yatir river. It has been most injured by the Atoks. A formerly
unenlightened people who rode from the plains of central Nangia to inhabit the
Furrowed Mountains. Their Khan was the first to adopt the Enlightened Faith and
deposed the previous Caliph following a series of disastrous battles with
Muluk. The Astoks are generally Midani in appearance but are shaggier with full
beards compared to the moustaches of the coast and different customs. They
dominate the city elite but not the bureaucracy. Their God was adopted as an
enlightened god.[xciv]
Uqab, House of – The League of the Vulture is made up
of outcasts from the desert and their descendants. They consider themselves Enlightened,
but their respect for the Grand Caliph is slight and their reconciliation of
the gods fleeting. They are scavengers, living off the success of others. They
raid caravans and steal horses. There are likely no more than 2,500 members, scattered
in small bands, but their numbers grow with each attack and each telling of the
tale thereafter. The Vultures recruit savages and mountain tribes to aid in
their attacks, but the tribe lets these outsiders do most of the dying.[xcv]
Utaqa – The City of Free Men. So far along the North
Coast, the only reason it could be considered part of Zakhara is that is not
beyond the World Pillar Mountains. Its color is white, representing purity or
surrender depending on the view. They see themselves as good and decent and
others as decadent and tyrannical. Making them honest and blunt. Stridently
opposed to slavery, all slaves are free inside their territory. Mamluks
garrisons are aligned against the civic government as much as invaders.
Mercenaries abound on the road to Sughd by the Sea.[xcvi]
Vahtov – A city built to rob the Pit of the Ghul, it
is nestled at the end of the valley and cradled by the hill spur. House of Nasr
refugees and Dwarven Nomads from the nearby mountains excavated riches before
descending into civil war. Legends say the inhabitants were shrunk to the size
of thumbs, feasted on by ravens and the survivors live in a crack. Resettled
after two hundred years by outcastes from the House of Tayif. The city is now
home to all races and creeds of heretics, the infirm, disfigured and the despised. Justice is merciless here.[xcvii]
Vishap’s Teeth – So striking that even those who are
not caravanners have mentioned it. Four great pyramids of dark granite, worn
smooth by the wind jut from the High Desert. Beyond the tail of the barchan
dune, close to the Range of Marching Camels. Though believed to be natural,
primitive tribes including the Numtanajd of Fabada say it is the teeth of a
sleeping and immense vishap. The cruel and wingless Zakharan Dragon.[xcviii]
Vor
Kragal, Ruins of – The City of Ash was the jewel of Bael Turath’s south. A
hellish forge in the Mountains of Forgotten Dreams. Pacts transformed the city
into a maker of war weapons, fuelled by blood and infernal magic and each
designed to kill body and soul. With each of the three houses taking on more
pacts than mere damnation, its population descended into the kind of decadence
and debauchery beyond one’s sickest fantasies. Whether Dragonborn siege or
Tiefling feud, the city abruptly was buried beneath volcanic ash, only rising
in the last generation to taunt the land with its disquiet shades.[xcix]
Wall of
the Wailing Elephant – A vast rocky escarpment that separate the desert of the
Great Anvil from the tropical lowlands of the Ruined Kingdoms, specifically
Kadar. So named for its great size and the many wind-blown holes, which sound
halfway between a moan and an elephant’s trumpet. It is said there are hidden
valleys and ways that certain desert tribes use as refuges. And they will kill
and die rathe than reveal them to outsiders.[c]
Wasat – The Middle City. Between Huzuz and Hiyal, on
one of the busiest trade routes in Zakhara, is a sleepy city where not much
happens. It primarily serves as a waystation between its dream-like neighbors
and produces only the essentials. Some desert bards named it The Shining City
due to the reflection on the white-washed buildings, when the fog or hazes
lifts. The people are so unremarkable that they have the aspect of refusing to
be surprised by anything. This may greatly contribute to the city’s reputation.
Yet its strategic location and indifference are rumored to hide many spies.[ci]
Weeping Desert, The – On of the rare sandy stretches
of desert in Zakhara. Very haunted by the undead. See Lesser Deserts, The
World Pillar Mountains, The, (Jibal al-Akbas ) - These
are the western massifs of the Mountains of the Moon, beyond the valley of
Sughd. Home to the mysterious and threatening Empire of the Yak-Men, the
mountains divide the Animal Nomads of the deserts from those of the steppes.
Hordes and caravans cross only in force, limiting the Caliphate from adding any
Enlighted people beyond to the Land of Fate.
Yak-Men, Realm of – In the
soaring heights and hidden valleys of the World Pillar Mountains dwell a
reclusive and oppressive race of Humanoids. The Yak-Men are Ogre-sized and
possess the heads of yaks, to themselves they are known as Yikaria. It is hard to
find details. They are feared in Zakhara as boogey-men, and in Sughd as raiders,
everywhere as Slave-takers. Ruling openly in the lowlands and sacrificing
slaves to their faceless God. This same god has taught them to force dao to
serve them without harm and inhabit the living bodies of others as spies.[cii]
Yarrat - A village of desert Dwarves who dwell in pits
beneath ironwood trees. Their women have the skill to cast magic with desert
stones. Near the southern tip of the Genies’ Anvil on the way to the Pit of the
Ghuls, they trade water for goods. These dwarves live on tubers and have an amazing
knowledge of the desert and finding water. Some say they know a hundred secret
pools across the Anvil.[ciii]
[i] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.86
[ii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.86
[iii] See Revenge
of the Giants pp.6-7, 9-13, 25
[iv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.36-37
[v] See Assassin Mountain: Holy Slayer
Sourcebook pp.22-31
[vi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.37
[vii] See Golden
Voyages: Book 3 pp. 3-5
[viii] See Draconomicon: Metal pp.118-123
[ix] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 104-105
[x] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.58
[xi] See Al-Qadim
Land of Fate pp. 94-95
[xii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.85
[xiii] See The Complete Book of
Necromancer pp.111-112
[xiv] See
Corsairs of the Great Sea: Campaign Guide, pp.5,30-32
[xv] See Ruined
Kingdoms: Campaign Book p.6
[xvi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.38-39
[xvii] See Corsairs of the Great Sea:
Campaign Guide, p.6
[xviii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.37
[xix] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.105-106, Ruined
Kingdoms: Campaign Book pp.16-20
[xx] See Corsairs of the Great Sea:
Campaign Guide, p.6
[xxi] See Golden
Voyages: Book 4 pp.1-16
[xxii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.38
[xxiii] See A Dozen
and One Adventures p.29
[xxiv] Inspired by Open Grave p.15
[xxv] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, pp.13-14
[xxvi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.95-96
[xxvii] See
Corsairs of the Great Sea Adventure Book, pp.36-39, Campaign Guide, pp.7-10
[xxviii] See
Assassin Mountain p.24
[xxix] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.70-71
[xxx] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.87-88
[xxxi] See Caravans: Campaign Book, p.14
[xxxii] See A Dozen
and One Adventures: Campaign Book p.13
[xxxiii] See
Corsairs of the Great Sea: Campaign Guide, pp.5-6
[xxxiv] See A Dozen
and One Adventures: Campaign Book p.13
[xxxv] See Ruined Kingdoms: Campaign Book
p.6
[xxxvi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.71-72
[xxxvii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.58-60
[xxxviii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.43
[xxxix] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.120-121
[xl] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.72-74, Corsairs of the great Sea: Campaign Guide,
pp.8-19
[xli] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.96-97
[xlii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.60-63
[xliii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.44
[xliv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.97-99
[xlv] See Caravans: Campaign Book, p.15
[xlvi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 63-69
[xlvii] See City of
Delights: Gem of Zakhara pp.31, 33-34
[xlviii] See City of
Delights: Gem of Zakhara pp.34-36
[xlix] See
Corsairs of the Great Sea: Adventure Book pp.28-32
[l] See Golden
Voyages: Book 1 pp.1-16
[li] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 99-100
[lii] See Caravans: Campaign Book,
pp.15-16
[liii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.44
[liv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 89-90
[lv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.106, 108, Ruined
Kingdoms: Campaign Book pp.21-23
[lvi] See Secrets of the Lamp: Genie
Lore, p.38
[lvii] See Draconomicon: Metal pp.202-203
[lviii] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, pp.18-19
[lix] See A Dozen
and One Adventures p.41 A Dozen and One Adventures: Campaign Book pp.16-26
[lx] See Cities
of Bones pp.7-8
[lxi] See Ruined Kingdoms: Adventure
Book pp.36-37
[lxii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 74-75
[lxiii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.100-102
[lxiv] See Ruined Kingdoms: Adventure
Book p.8
[lxv] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, pp.14-15
[lxvi] See Al-Qadim Land of Fate: Maps
[lxvii] See The Complete Book of
Necromancer pp.110-111
[lxviii] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, p.15, p.17
[lxix] Never
really elaborated on in Caravans, just names on the map
[lxx] See Cities
of Bones pp.26-32
[lxxi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.75-76, A Dozen and One Adventures: Campaign Book
pp.5-10
[lxxii] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, p.12
[lxxiii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.38-39
[lxxiv] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, p.17
[lxxv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 76-77
[lxxvi] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, pp.17-18
[lxxvii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 77-81, Corsairs
of the Great Sea: Campaign Guide, pp.25-29
[lxxviii] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, p.18
[lxxix] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 111, 113, Ruined
Kingdoms: Campaign Book pp.25-27
[lxxx] See Ruined Kingdoms: Adventure Book
pp.38-40, Campaign Book p.6, The Complete Book of Necromancer pp.109-110
[lxxxi] See The Complete Book of
Necromancer pp.112-115
[lxxxii] See Ruined Kingdoms: Campaign Book
p.6
[lxxxiii] See Ruined Kingdoms: Adventure
Book pp.32-36
[lxxxv] See Al-Qadim
Land of Fate p.40
[lxxxvi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 91-92
[lxxxvii] See Golden
Voyages: Book 3 pp.1-16
[lxxxviii] See Ruined Kingdoms: Adventure
Book p.59
[lxxxix] See Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 92-93
[xc] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 102-103
[xci] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.40
[xcii] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.40, 42
[xciii] See Secrets of the Lamp: Genie
Lore, pp.35-36
[xciv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp.81, 83
[xcv] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.42
[xcvi] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate pp. 83-84
[xcvii] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, pp.20-21
[xcviii] See Caravans:
Campaign Book, p.21
[xcix] See Dragon Magazine #364 pp.17-26
[c] See Reunion p.9
[ci] See
Al-Qadim Land of Fate p.69
[cii] See Monster
Card pp.15-16, Dragon Magazine #241 pp.89-95
[ciii] See
Caravans: Campaign Book, p.21
No comments:
Post a Comment