Post by doc on May 16, 2009 17:10:23 GMT -6
Here are some notes for Kethelnesh, the main setting for my Carcosa game:
KETHELNESH
Location: Hex 1812
HISTORY
Some eight hundred years ago, this territory was once occupied by an elaborate Ulfire citadel that served as a pirate port. The pirates became brazen and stole from a cabal of sorcerers who used their power to summon forth unspeakable horrors that totally obliterated all within the citadel into ash.
The sorcerers claimed the land for their own, creating a bleak town centered around the citadel that allowed in man, regardless of color, willing to serve the cabal in exchange for protection from raiders, war bands, and the horrors of the wastelands. Over centuries the town, named Kethelnesh, began to swell and grow until it became one of the few true cities on the map of Carcosa. It is now a sprawling collection of black towers, shadowy plazas, crowded markets, and dire repute. Located directly on a well traveled river, Kethelnesh is a center for trade. It is ruled, still, by the seven sorcerers who took the land centuries ago. Said to be truly immortal, the sorcerers are rarely seen and consort only amongst themselves. Most of the folk of Kethelnesh go through their whole lives without catching a glimpse of their masters.
GEOGRAPHY
The city of Kethelnesh looms upon the lip of an unnamed river. It is a true city, ringed by walls of stone and mortar, with a concentric pattern. At the heart of the city stands the Obsidian Vault, a slab like, doorless square building of black stone where the Seven Masters conduct their foul experiments and seek to wrest the secrets of Eternity from horrors beyond time and space. Surrounding the vault are the estates of those favored by the masters. Slavers, occultists, artists, the beautiful, and the mad. Theoretically all of those favored are of the same social rank, but there is much jockeying for power and prestige in the eyes of the masters. The Seven Masters do not discourage this, as they expect their followers to be fawning and sycophantic, making them dependant on the praise of their masters. Surrounding the estates of the favored are the markets and businesses of Kethelnesh (see below). As the city is a center for foreign commerce, nearly anything can be found in the unsavory areas of the markets at any given time. Drugs, slaves, and even souls are sold openly here, as there are no taboos for the decadent folk of Kethelnesh. Outside of the trade areas are the homes of the more common folk, including the myriad laborers, servants, and farmers that keep the city going day to day. These areas tend to be more crowded than anyplace else in the city, often with several families sharing very limited space in hastily constructed tenements. It is in these areas that the Sleepers hunt at their masters’ bequest (see below). The Western part of the city terminates into a series of docks. It is common for 1d6 foreign ships to be docked here at any time. A stone’s throw from the docks stands an ancient citadel that was once a pirate base. It has been transformed into an arena where blood sports are popular and where the population of Kethelnesh and many visiting seamen find grisly entertainment (see below).
LIFE IN KETHELNESH
The folk of Kethelnesh are allowed to govern themselves and enforce their own authority. Anybody not strong enough to protect their own lives needs to stay clear of making enemies. Individual streets tend to be close-knit and organized by color, although this is not always the case. “Special interest” groups are common, often given names such as “The Beneficent Parlor” or the “Glad-Handed Gentlemen” that give little connotation of their true purposes.
Kethelnesh boasts two strong industries; wines and weapons. The wines of Kethelnesh come in a variety of flavors and colors, and are said to be worth far more than the lives of the slaves who produce them. The weapon smiths of Kethelnesh have devised techniques of creating very sturdy, though superbly balanced weapons, including a round, razor-edged shield that can be used for both defense and attack, and a short, broad bladed sword used for both thrusting and to parry larger blades. The wealth brought into Kethelnesh from these dealings, as well as the ominous threat the Seven Masters present to any would-be enemies, give the illusion that the city offers a level of safety that other pockets of civilization cannot match.
This is a lie.
With the regular influx of money brought in by commerce, the most popular form of entertainment in Kethelnesh is gambling. Many citizens will wager on anything, but the greatest thrill is to fix a price on human life. Bloody gladiatorial events are the main attraction for most of the citizens, and the city boasts a long, spired citadel not far from the docks where captured slaves and convicted criminals are made to face creatures taken from the wastelands, mutant and spawn alike. Some gladiators live long enough to build a career out of bloodshed and rise to stations beyond that of slave. The current champion of the blood pit for the better part of a decade has been a stoic and intense fighting man known simply as The Albino. In his entire tenure, he has only been defeated once; by the Earthman Val Duncan, who cheated mightily.
There is only one single true law in all of Kethelnesh: Dare Not Defy the Masters. Any insurrection or similar attempt to wrest power from the masters of Kethelnesh; any attempt to defy them or go against their will in any manner, will bring forth terrible retribution. The cabal has, as it’s hands, the Sleepers. The Sleepers are human beings transformed into something alien and terrible. Adolescent youths of both genders, naked and beautiful, with their eyes sewn shut. They do not speak. They do not tire. They do not feel. Their smooth skin is as hard as iron and they strike, unarmed, with preternatural strength. They enforce the will of the masters of Kethelnesh. Those foolish enough to stand against the will of the masters will be visited by the Sleepers. A couple. A handful. Several dozen. However many it takes. They appear seemingly from out of the shadows themselves, rending the perpetrators to bloody chunks with their bare hands, then disappearing silently back into oblivion.
SLEEPER
# Appearing: 2d10 or as needed
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4
Damage: 2d6 (open handed)
Move: 15
THE SEVEN MASTERS
Kethelnesh is ruled today by a cabal of seven sorcerers who are the very same that founded the city, seemingly immortal and implacable (at least that is the story generated by the citizenry). Of the seven, Master Darkness is the first and greatest. Calling himself “The Seventh Spawn of Shub-Niggurath” and “Hell’s Lost Son,” Master Darkness exhibit’s the iron will and cold cunning to keep himself in charge. He is obviously mad, claiming to be an avatar of an entity known as The Black Prince. He has not been seen for nearly a decade. The last description given of him was a cloaked and hooded man, missing his right arm from the elbow. Master Axe controls the military forces of the city, a giant sheathed in armor of obsidian spikes, coming truly alive only amidst carnage. Master Blood is a former ravager and pirate, now commanding a vast network of informants that extends far beyond Kethelnesh. Master Grim, known as “The Death Dwarf” is a small, stunted, twisted sorcerer who spent years as a slaver and poisoner on his rise to power. Master Rictus, fat, odiferous, and concealed by a grinning, golden mask, has spoken to the Great Old Ones so many times that his sanity has fled, although his great power cannot be denied. Master Death, the necromancer, walks with one foot in the world of the Living and the other in the realm of the Dead. Lastly, there is Master Rasp, who has never left his dark demesnes in the heart of Kethelnesh. Unseen, but seeing all, Master Rasp may be feared in the city even more than Master Darkness himself, for Master Rasp controls the Sleepers.
The Seven Masters have the power to summon and control the ghastly gods of a bygone race and age under threat of eternal torment, and in their power they have grown arrogant. It is only the Seven Masters, they tell their subjects, that allows for the races of Man to live unafraid of the elder horrors. It is the Seven Masters, they claim, that cause the Great Old Ones to tremble in fear. The citizens of Kethelnesh, never having known anything more powerful than their masters, do not dispute their claims. It is only a matter of time, centuries or days, that a failed spell will cause the indomitable wrath of the Great Old Ones to be freed at last, and then mighty Kethelnesh and it’s seven masters will know torment unspeakable foe eons on end.
THE THRALL EDICT
There is a catch to living in one of Carcosa’s true civilizations, and it is the Thrall Edict. Four times during the year, when Carcosa’s twin moons touch each other, the streets of Kethelnesh are deserted and all doors are locked and windows barred at night. These are the nights of the Thrall Edict, where the Sleepers walk the streets and take away people in the night to be used for the sorcerous rituals of the Seven Masters. It is usual for 4d10 folks across the entire city to simply disappear in the night. Visitors who know of these occurrences stay out of the city on those nights and confine themselves to their ships. Not that this always guarantees their safety. The city folk do not mention the Thrall Edict to anybody not of the city, nor do they speak of it openly amongst themselves. It is considered a small price to pay for the safety and prosperity brought by the Seven Masters, and besides, there are always more vagabonds traveling to Kethelnesh in hope of sharing the good fortune of the city.
-Doc
KETHELNESH
Location: Hex 1812
HISTORY
Some eight hundred years ago, this territory was once occupied by an elaborate Ulfire citadel that served as a pirate port. The pirates became brazen and stole from a cabal of sorcerers who used their power to summon forth unspeakable horrors that totally obliterated all within the citadel into ash.
The sorcerers claimed the land for their own, creating a bleak town centered around the citadel that allowed in man, regardless of color, willing to serve the cabal in exchange for protection from raiders, war bands, and the horrors of the wastelands. Over centuries the town, named Kethelnesh, began to swell and grow until it became one of the few true cities on the map of Carcosa. It is now a sprawling collection of black towers, shadowy plazas, crowded markets, and dire repute. Located directly on a well traveled river, Kethelnesh is a center for trade. It is ruled, still, by the seven sorcerers who took the land centuries ago. Said to be truly immortal, the sorcerers are rarely seen and consort only amongst themselves. Most of the folk of Kethelnesh go through their whole lives without catching a glimpse of their masters.
GEOGRAPHY
The city of Kethelnesh looms upon the lip of an unnamed river. It is a true city, ringed by walls of stone and mortar, with a concentric pattern. At the heart of the city stands the Obsidian Vault, a slab like, doorless square building of black stone where the Seven Masters conduct their foul experiments and seek to wrest the secrets of Eternity from horrors beyond time and space. Surrounding the vault are the estates of those favored by the masters. Slavers, occultists, artists, the beautiful, and the mad. Theoretically all of those favored are of the same social rank, but there is much jockeying for power and prestige in the eyes of the masters. The Seven Masters do not discourage this, as they expect their followers to be fawning and sycophantic, making them dependant on the praise of their masters. Surrounding the estates of the favored are the markets and businesses of Kethelnesh (see below). As the city is a center for foreign commerce, nearly anything can be found in the unsavory areas of the markets at any given time. Drugs, slaves, and even souls are sold openly here, as there are no taboos for the decadent folk of Kethelnesh. Outside of the trade areas are the homes of the more common folk, including the myriad laborers, servants, and farmers that keep the city going day to day. These areas tend to be more crowded than anyplace else in the city, often with several families sharing very limited space in hastily constructed tenements. It is in these areas that the Sleepers hunt at their masters’ bequest (see below). The Western part of the city terminates into a series of docks. It is common for 1d6 foreign ships to be docked here at any time. A stone’s throw from the docks stands an ancient citadel that was once a pirate base. It has been transformed into an arena where blood sports are popular and where the population of Kethelnesh and many visiting seamen find grisly entertainment (see below).
LIFE IN KETHELNESH
The folk of Kethelnesh are allowed to govern themselves and enforce their own authority. Anybody not strong enough to protect their own lives needs to stay clear of making enemies. Individual streets tend to be close-knit and organized by color, although this is not always the case. “Special interest” groups are common, often given names such as “The Beneficent Parlor” or the “Glad-Handed Gentlemen” that give little connotation of their true purposes.
Kethelnesh boasts two strong industries; wines and weapons. The wines of Kethelnesh come in a variety of flavors and colors, and are said to be worth far more than the lives of the slaves who produce them. The weapon smiths of Kethelnesh have devised techniques of creating very sturdy, though superbly balanced weapons, including a round, razor-edged shield that can be used for both defense and attack, and a short, broad bladed sword used for both thrusting and to parry larger blades. The wealth brought into Kethelnesh from these dealings, as well as the ominous threat the Seven Masters present to any would-be enemies, give the illusion that the city offers a level of safety that other pockets of civilization cannot match.
This is a lie.
With the regular influx of money brought in by commerce, the most popular form of entertainment in Kethelnesh is gambling. Many citizens will wager on anything, but the greatest thrill is to fix a price on human life. Bloody gladiatorial events are the main attraction for most of the citizens, and the city boasts a long, spired citadel not far from the docks where captured slaves and convicted criminals are made to face creatures taken from the wastelands, mutant and spawn alike. Some gladiators live long enough to build a career out of bloodshed and rise to stations beyond that of slave. The current champion of the blood pit for the better part of a decade has been a stoic and intense fighting man known simply as The Albino. In his entire tenure, he has only been defeated once; by the Earthman Val Duncan, who cheated mightily.
There is only one single true law in all of Kethelnesh: Dare Not Defy the Masters. Any insurrection or similar attempt to wrest power from the masters of Kethelnesh; any attempt to defy them or go against their will in any manner, will bring forth terrible retribution. The cabal has, as it’s hands, the Sleepers. The Sleepers are human beings transformed into something alien and terrible. Adolescent youths of both genders, naked and beautiful, with their eyes sewn shut. They do not speak. They do not tire. They do not feel. Their smooth skin is as hard as iron and they strike, unarmed, with preternatural strength. They enforce the will of the masters of Kethelnesh. Those foolish enough to stand against the will of the masters will be visited by the Sleepers. A couple. A handful. Several dozen. However many it takes. They appear seemingly from out of the shadows themselves, rending the perpetrators to bloody chunks with their bare hands, then disappearing silently back into oblivion.
SLEEPER
# Appearing: 2d10 or as needed
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4
Damage: 2d6 (open handed)
Move: 15
THE SEVEN MASTERS
Kethelnesh is ruled today by a cabal of seven sorcerers who are the very same that founded the city, seemingly immortal and implacable (at least that is the story generated by the citizenry). Of the seven, Master Darkness is the first and greatest. Calling himself “The Seventh Spawn of Shub-Niggurath” and “Hell’s Lost Son,” Master Darkness exhibit’s the iron will and cold cunning to keep himself in charge. He is obviously mad, claiming to be an avatar of an entity known as The Black Prince. He has not been seen for nearly a decade. The last description given of him was a cloaked and hooded man, missing his right arm from the elbow. Master Axe controls the military forces of the city, a giant sheathed in armor of obsidian spikes, coming truly alive only amidst carnage. Master Blood is a former ravager and pirate, now commanding a vast network of informants that extends far beyond Kethelnesh. Master Grim, known as “The Death Dwarf” is a small, stunted, twisted sorcerer who spent years as a slaver and poisoner on his rise to power. Master Rictus, fat, odiferous, and concealed by a grinning, golden mask, has spoken to the Great Old Ones so many times that his sanity has fled, although his great power cannot be denied. Master Death, the necromancer, walks with one foot in the world of the Living and the other in the realm of the Dead. Lastly, there is Master Rasp, who has never left his dark demesnes in the heart of Kethelnesh. Unseen, but seeing all, Master Rasp may be feared in the city even more than Master Darkness himself, for Master Rasp controls the Sleepers.
The Seven Masters have the power to summon and control the ghastly gods of a bygone race and age under threat of eternal torment, and in their power they have grown arrogant. It is only the Seven Masters, they tell their subjects, that allows for the races of Man to live unafraid of the elder horrors. It is the Seven Masters, they claim, that cause the Great Old Ones to tremble in fear. The citizens of Kethelnesh, never having known anything more powerful than their masters, do not dispute their claims. It is only a matter of time, centuries or days, that a failed spell will cause the indomitable wrath of the Great Old Ones to be freed at last, and then mighty Kethelnesh and it’s seven masters will know torment unspeakable foe eons on end.
THE THRALL EDICT
There is a catch to living in one of Carcosa’s true civilizations, and it is the Thrall Edict. Four times during the year, when Carcosa’s twin moons touch each other, the streets of Kethelnesh are deserted and all doors are locked and windows barred at night. These are the nights of the Thrall Edict, where the Sleepers walk the streets and take away people in the night to be used for the sorcerous rituals of the Seven Masters. It is usual for 4d10 folks across the entire city to simply disappear in the night. Visitors who know of these occurrences stay out of the city on those nights and confine themselves to their ships. Not that this always guarantees their safety. The city folk do not mention the Thrall Edict to anybody not of the city, nor do they speak of it openly amongst themselves. It is considered a small price to pay for the safety and prosperity brought by the Seven Masters, and besides, there are always more vagabonds traveling to Kethelnesh in hope of sharing the good fortune of the city.
-Doc
