by Adam Manning (this is the second version of this document)
Population: 17,580
Buildings: 1975
Contents
General Overview
History
Layout of the City
Religion
Economics
Campaign Notes
General Overview
The city of Karse serves as a strategically important port for the kingdom of Heortland and the nation of Kethaela. It is the most populous city in Heortland, bigger even than the capital of Whitewall (though that city is more important religiously and culturally). After Nochet, it is the most important port on the Kethaelan coast and goods imported through here often find their way up to Sartar and Tarsh. It is its positioning on these trade routes that gives Karse its strategic significance.
Despite the overall dominance of Orlanthi culture, it has quite a
cosmopolitan flavour. By tradition Karse is the capital city of the
province of Hendrikiland, the central part of Heortland. The arrival of
Western
merchants since the Opening of the Seas brought a new influence to Karse
recently and this was strengthened by the overlordship of Richard the
Tigerhearted.
History
The area in which Karse is now placed had long been a place of human habituation even before the Dawning. Karse was founded in the fifth century of Time towards the end of the Dawn Age. Its founder was an Issaries merchant from Nochet called Solokar Segnorf. In a mysterious ritual, he sought the aid of the Thunder Brothers (the sons of Orlanth) in establishing the site. It is believed that somehow he bargained or purchased their assistance, though the details are known only to the upper hierachy of the Solokar Segnorf cult.
After the end of the Gbaji Wars, the settlement at Karse was one of the first to grow following the destruction of that time. Due to its natural harbour and good position it grew rapidly. This growth was halted following the Closing of the Seas but refugees from Dragon Pass following the Dragonkill War brought limited expansion even during that time. After the creation of the Holy Country by Belintar the Stranger around 1313 ST, Karse entered a second, smaller golden age as a busy trading post between Esrolia and Heortland. This era ultimately gave way to a period of slow stagnation that has continued into the Hero's War in which most campaigns are set.
Two events of more recent times boosted Karse economically for a while.
The first was the Mallia-inspired Great Plague, which is normally dated
from 1483 to 1506 S.T. Though the capital of Heortland was
temporarily moved from Whitewall to Arlakthorn because of this, many
merchantmen from the old capital transferred to Karse. Secondly the
Opening of the Seas in 1580 led to the rebirth of Karse as an
important trading port on the Chrolinthor Bay's coast. Though the
cultural and moral decline continued, Karsian economics grew
considerably because of these events and allowed for the cities
continued
significance.
Under the reign of King Urtanal II, ruler of Heortland from 1595 to 1616, the city had been well run by a guild of merchants from the Issaries religion working with a figure-head Orlanthi priestess named Nereka Silverhair.
The disappearence of the Pharoah in 1616 brought chaos to Kethaela and the death of King Urtanal II at the battle of Northog's Bliss in 1617 threw all of Heortland into total disarray. The King had been a Hendrikilander and had died de facto heirless; both his sons, Wieldar and Vielkar, are presumed dead. Nereka Silverhair was assasinated, presumably by one or other of the thieves guilds. The kingdom of Heortland fragmented along the lines of ancient tribal rivalries. In the following confusion, an adventurer from Tanisor named Richard the Tigerhearted took control of the Hendriki lands and adopted Karse as his capital. He had been in the service of King Urtanal.
The rule of this man, known to his country-men as Richard de Loimbard, led to a more powerful imposition of Western culture in the Hendriki lands and in Karse in particular. On his enthronement, he pronounced that these lands were to be known as Malkonwal and the state religion was changed from Orlanth Rex to Rokari Malkionism. This abandoment of the city's original culture led to the virtual extinction of the cult of Solokar Segnorf. In its stead, the Rosterna (a thieves' cult specialising in thuggery) held sway in the city streets, especially at night.
The court of Richard the Tigerhearted was not skilled in domestic policy; Karse and it's environs grew less controllable during his reign. The new ruler was simply not interested in such matters and this neglect
led to a decline in Karsian living standards. For example thievery, murder, gambling and prostitution became ways of life amongst a sizeable minority of Karse's population. At the same time the informal imposition of the Western caste system led to class distinctions becoming prevalent, leading to a more divided city.
Instead the rulers of Malkonwal were interested in foreign matters, especially the movements of the Lunar army in northern territories. They received ambassadors from foreign lands and were keen to learn of occurences in other provinces.
Richard's interest was misdirected. The Lunar naval invasion of 1619 caught almost everyone by suprise. The Lunar Empire had constructed a fleet in secrecy in the far-eastern port of Corflu. Malkonwal was virtually defenceless against an assault from the seas, particularly following the destruction of the Kethaelan navy in 1616 by Wolf Pirates. If he had only known of it, King Richard would have been effective in rousing the populous to arms as, despite everything, his own personal charisma had made him popular with the common folk of Karse.
A group of adventurers, who had been navigating the Rozgali Sea,
attacked the Lunar fleet with the aid of an off-branch of the Wolf
Pirate's forces led by Tarn the Tiger, purchased at great cost. They
also
called upon some mermen they had befriended earlier to assist, and these
provided the services of an enormous sea-serpent that sunk several Lunar
biremes.
Though they destroyed a large part of the Lunar fleet, they were
eventually routed by the Lunar superhero Carl-Eel. He was known to the
Orlanthi as the red-crystal armoured demon Yfirmatt. This being,
after slaying the sea- serpent, later went on to lay waste to Karse.
During the city's defence, Yfirmatt was wounded badly and his
Nightmare-Steed slain. Karse was left a smouldering shambles; witesses
said
the walls wept bloody tears. Though the Lunar Army did occupy the ruins
this was only for a short time. Afterward, Karse was left abandoned by
all. King Richard was presumed dead, though some said he
was captured and taken to the Imperial capital of Glamour. Following
Karse's ruination, the capital of Malkonwal was moved westward to
Galentor under the command of the Humakti warlord Lakarstang
Battle-Fist.
By 1621 S.T., the city had been overtaken by an evil sorceror from an island to the south called Lord Tragas Eldyrsson. He is the son of a minor demi- god called Eldyr, a descendant of Gagarth. His demonic forces have taken control of the ruins and now all gave it a wide berth. Amongst the chaotic forces that he controls are Mavrioman, a mighty Lunar arch-demon as tall as a full-grown oak tree. The local Zorak Zorani uzko are the only Heroes in the area contemplating venturing into the city and cleansing it of its chaotic inhabitants. Further history is unwritten at this time.
Layout of City
On the northern side of the Chorilinthor Bay, Karse is situated on the
mouth of the Marzeel River. The city is on either side of the river. The
eastern part is larger and includes a large peninsula that arcs round
to the south and east, giving that part of the city the appearence of a
large jaw. The bay this "jaw" forms is very important to Karse and was
seized upon by Karse's founders as providing some shelter for a
port. The founders built a sturdy city wall, which is in two parts. The
first part runs in a north-west to south-east line across the peninsula,
guarding the original boundaries of Karse found there. The other part
of the wall runs around the entire section of the city found on the
eastern bank of the river, a semi-circlular bulge protecting the richest
section of the city which is at it's most extreme eastern and nothern
point.
No stone wall protects the western side of the city, though a stout
wooden wall was under construction just prior to the Lunar invasion.
During the kingdom of Malkonwal the city is culturally divided into two; Orlanthi and Western. The Orlanthi dominate the peninsula and the part of Karse found on the western bank of the Marzeel River. The Rokari section is found on the eastern bank. A bridge of Imperial Age architecture ("The Marzeel Bridge") bridges the Marzeel River, though it currently stands somewhat rundown.
Each part of the city is further divided into different quarters:
The Orlanthi Areas
Wagentor is one of the three ports of Karse. It consists of the
south-eastern tip of the peninsula. It is rough and rowdy and generally
ships from foreign lands not carrying dignitaries are made to anchor
here
first. The dock-side inns are the most boisterous in the whole city, the
most notable being The Seven Starred Crown, run by it's hostess Eilwen.
It has a sign based on the seven stars of the Orlanth's Ring
Constellation, bound into a crown. Run by ladies, it has a board with
ads for adventures. Wagentor is called Seaside by many of it's
inhabitants. One noted resident is Alakmar the Bold, an ex- adventurer
from Volsaxia who claims to have slain a wyrm with his bare hands.
South Issantor is the main port of Karse and in many respects forms the heart of the city. Most business and deals occur here and the wide range of goods and services on offer shows the divergent origin of its occupants. It is found on the northern half of the peninsula. The temple area of Karse is found here to, on the border with Wagentor. The best brothel belongs to Dolli Partonsdottir and is called the Happy Welcome.
Outside the wall on the peninsula is Muggantor. A poor area, it is
dominated by the criminal element of Karse. A shrine to Rosterna, the
largest thieves cult is found in an inn (that also functions as a
brothel)
next to the city wall. The Black Fang Brotherhood, another thieves cult,
is based here too and there is also a shrine to Argan Argar. Hidden in a
tunnel system near to this is Ukkol'ok the dark troll. He had
been captured during a raid by troll forces, escaped from the
authorities and was befriended by the worshippers of Argan Argar and
given sanctuary here. He only emerges at night. During the reign of King
Richard, the Rosterna protection rackets are the nearest to a system of law and order the people of Muggantor enjoy.
Moving northward, on the eastern side of the land where the peninsula first juts out from the mainland, is Fisher Port, another poor area for the cities fishermen.
The area of Karse on the western bank of the Marzeel River is called Barotarl and is home to the cities poorest farmers. All the houses are of wood and the streets are filthy. Barotarl also contains two non-human pockets. On the extreme western corner is Tree Town, an elven outpost containing shrines to Aldrya, Yelmalio and Flamal. The human contact is Kaloral Neverseen, a shaman of Aldrya who spends some time in Barotarl. The other area is Daffertown, on the eastern side of Barotarl, near the Marzeel Bridge. The cult here is of Haldan Scrubwaddle, a durulzhero. Daffertown is lead by Emepbeak the Claw, a durulzworshipper of Orlanth Adventurous. Barotarl contains Unigatok's Dairy, the cheapest source of dairy goods in Karse, though some often wonder what the odd lumps in the milk really are.
Finally, North Issantor is the only Orlanthi area in the
western-dominated north-east section of Karse. It is for richer
merchants, artificers and craftsmen who have yet to convert to the
Rokari faith. It is found
on the northern bank of the Karse Bay, though it is not directly
serviced by a port. It is the richest Orlanthi quarter. The Fantolarian
Merchant Guild is found here, who rate as Karse's most pretentious
group.
An exceptionally fine inn is Quicktongues, run by Jolard and frequented
by young, fashion-conscious merchants.
The Rokari Areas
The western-dominated port in Karse is Salgasar, an area at the "hinge"
of the "jaw" made up by the peninsula and the western side of Karse. It
is the second richest area in Karse and though not as broad in
range as Issantor, the goods here are higher quality. It contains
Colanius' Stables, run by an ex-Lunar cavalry officer who defected.
Stonetor, a dwarven pocket, is here too, though the Rokari give them
little
respect and the cities human smithies hate the mostali craftsmen.
Lafgart's Ship-yard is another important part of Salasgar. It's owner
previously worked for the Royal Kethaelan navy and it produced one
war-ship a year for King Richard. It acts as the port for North
Issantor. One of these ships has an enchantment cast into one end to
allow it to take the weight of an arablest, useful in naval combat. This
vessel
is also unusual in that it has its sides have a battlement shape like a
castle.
The very richest part of Karse is Silfastir, protected by the
semi-circular "bump" of the city wall in it's most north-eastern point.
The Segnorf Manor, King Richard's residence, is here and this contains a
shrine
to the Invisible God. It is also home to the Royal Treasury, run by
Laufgrim Druzerth. The Karsian Royal Orchestra is nearby along with the
Solokar Theatre and the public baths (Ginall's Spa). There is also
the Artist's Gallery belonging to Fiolona Barsool, a priestess of
Uleria. A minor cathedral to the Invisible God is under construction at
the time of the Lunar invasion of 1619. It also contains a church to
Invisible Orlanth.
The fields that partly feed the city are found to the north of the Karse walls. A tournament field, called Tunakvey, is found just oustide the proud gate at the northernmost point on the semi-circular wall section that surronds Silfastir.
Religion
The dominant religion in Karse is Orlanth. Orlanth Thunderous is revered by sailors, traders and travellers and the head priests are Noracharl Thurklisson and Jalvik Tarshfari. The Adventurous aspect is popular amongst adventurers, mercenaries, pirates, the cities guardsmen and the higher levels of street scum. It is lead by Thurron the Undaunted. Since the death of Nereka Silverhair, the previous state religion of Orlanth Rex is rarely practised. The Thunder Brothers, due to their links with Karse, are widely praised and loved.
The Aeolian church of Invisible Orlanth has always been a vocal minority in Karse. Under King Richard's rule, it gained a lot of ground and subtly altered the pantheistic forms of Orlanth worship by changing the form of godhead from roughly a role-model (i.e. a warrior or bringer of storms) to a spritual phenomonen within worshippers. The Aeolian Church of Karse actually received funds from a Lunar agent who arrived at the same time as King Richard. This agent poses as a trader doing the Nochet-Corflu run. The worshippers of Invisible Orlanth do not know of this. In addition, this agent also provides the Aeolian clerics with various low-level magic items such as energy stores to assist them in their rituals: a thorough thaumaturgic investigation could uncover this connection as the clerics are ignorant of this too.
The O. Thunderous temple is in Temple Town, South Issantor, that of O. Adventurous on the side of the wall nearest Muggantor. A shrine to Elmale, Orlanthi god of the Winter Sun, is found in Temple Town, South Issator.
Chief amongst other faiths is Issaries, which is represented by a medium-sized temple in South Issantor. The Issaries cult has a strangle hold on the cities market places; only in dealings from privately owned premises do other trade cults make an appearence (and this would essentially be the Lokarnos cult).
Humakt is worshipped by some warriors in Karse, but the cult is not large. He is quite fashionable amongst the wealtheir mercenaries and there is a small temple to him in Silfarstir. Karsians think of Humakt mostly in negative terms as death personified: a figure of fear rather than faith. The wealthier followers of him are distinguished by their black cloaks with silver cross- clasps.
The local Grain Goddess is Manira and she is worshipped by the females amongst the farmer folk that live in Muggantor. The ploughman's god, Barntar and the earth mother Ernalda are worshipped in Barotarl. The farmers in Karse are the poorest segment of the population and are greatly looked down upon. Merchantmen play quite a large part in bringing grain from fields afar so the association of sustenance and the farmer is not quite as significant as in some cities.
Dormal is widely worshipped amongst the sailors of Karse. His cult is divided into two: Dormal Waverider is the version amongst the native Orlanthi. Here only battle and spirit magic can be gained. There is a very small temple to him in Wagentor.
Amongst the western merchants and higher class sailors, Dormal the Sailor- Prince is worshipped. Here both sorcery and spirit magic can be gained. There is a minor temple to him in Salasgar. Dormal is venerated in an almost pragmatic fashion and there even a few older sailors who claim to have seen him. One of them, Bhutto Metal-foot, says he served under him when he lived as a mortal. Diros the Boatman is also worshipped as is the spirit of the Marzeel River; these faith's shrines are found in Fisher Port. Again these are praised mostly for the gain that can be made in doing so.
In contrast, Magasta worship (where it occurs) is occassioned by fear; fear of the tempests he can bring. If sqaulls look imminent, sacrifices are made to him. Sacrifices of catfish are made each Waterday. An even more exotic cult amongst some sailors is Wachaza. This is mostly on boats from Esrolia that carry mercenaries that were once part of the Kethaelan navy. They can tell of the Wolf Pirate depredations. Piracy as such is quite rare in the seas near Karse, though many fear expansion of the Wolf Pirate's activities. The Magasta shrine is on a small island on the south side of Wagentor. It has an ostentatious sa-metal braced bridge connecting it to the mainland. Around the moat, mermen have been known to very rarely collect to offer supplication to their god, though not in the last ten years.
Economics
All the market places that dot the city of Karse are controlled by the Issaries cult. Traditionally the occupation of trader was associated with glamour and dignity in Karse; the Goldentongues and Trader Princes were accorded as much respect as Wind Lords and Storm Voices. With the greater prevalence of pimps, cutpurses, tricksters, bucaneers, shysters and con men this has lessened. The market officials are mostly still quite decorous in clothing and speech, yet there is now an air of decaying nobility about them. During the time of the Hero's War, they are much more open to bribes and are generally secretive and less trustful. Gone are the traditions such as under-charging the poor by a third on every Issaries holy day; now profit truly rules. Most of these lower- class traders are virtually godless men.
The currency of Karse is the Heorti Guilder minted in Whitewall,
equivalent to the Lunar or the Sartarite Star. Wheels are perfectly
acceptable though quite rare - worth 25 guilders each. Stars are the
second
most common currency. Lunars are rare and mostly melted down to silver
rather than used as currency. Imperials are extremely rare and only
vaulable to a collector. Because of the influx of silver from the
Storm Mountains, silver goods are generally worth 80% of normal prices,
whilst golden goods are at 120% at normal. This has created a profitable
trading route between Karse and Arlakthorn, following the
Marzeel and then the Ethkol Rivers to the Storm Mountains.
Karse imports goods mostly from Esrolia (i.e. Nochet) and much more rarely from Corflu. Only occasionally do goods come in from further western lands like Wenelia. Extremely rare are ships from Seshnela, and these are always causes for excitment, fear and curiosity. In comparison to Nochet, where more basic goods are imported, in Karse luxury goods are specialized in. It is often said that in Karse anything can be bought; this relies on what is imported and has more to do with which boats are in port at that time than what there is stored in Karsian warehouses. Often the imports are so exotic that although the prospective buyer did not want them before, he will once he hears about them.
The most common type of trading activity around Karse is the following. A merchant buys a large amount of alcholic drinks in Karse, mostly imported wines from Esrolia. These are then carried up the Marzeel River through Tirion, then following the Nustof River through Nevrast and reaching Whitewall. During the journey the wines are exchanged for foodstuffs, the foodstuffs (typically Volsaxi grain and bread) being cheap here in comparison to prices in Karse. Then a return trip is made back to Karse where the foodstuffs are sold to buy wine, again the merchant making a profit and using some of this profit to increase his purchase for the next trip.
This situation is complicated by the importing of luxury and exotic items into Karse which are often eventually sold in Whitewall for a large gain or even taken further northward along the Wilmskirk Road into
Sartar, possibly eventually being taken along the Sambarri Pass to Boldhome, Swenston, Jonstown or even Aldachur. Access to other markets can be gained by taking the Tarsh Road to Bagnot, Goldege etc. The key to Karsian economics is that grain is expensive in the city due to the poor position of the farmers and so a good price can be got for it (in terms of wines, luxury goods etc.) and these goods sold on away from Karse for a profit.
As noted above, alcoholic beverages are one good that Karse is
particularly noted for. Popular amongst the sailors that live in
Wagentor is a rum called Racalbad Superior. It is a ginger colour, very
strong
and comes in bottles either of one (5 guilders) or two (9 guilders)
pints. Amongst the knightly and gentrified classes, fine wines are
always popular, including Spemuntar's Nectar (a red wine sold in bottles
of
1.5 pints at 3 guilders, two pints at 5 guilders or magnus sized bottles
of 10 pints at 20 guilders). Another wine is Metuas Rose. Whiskies are
valued too, including Stocapel Stillman, a 1 pint bottles sells at 10
guilders. Gastar's Favourite Tipple is a finer brand, valued by the
Humakti mercenaries, selling at 14 guilders a pint bottle.
Some unusual imports are of particular note. One import taken in from the fishermen and farmers of the Chorlinthor Bay is Mirrorweed; in Karse it is valued as a constituent of sauce in finer stews and casseroles. A constant dealer in this is Wagalrand Khalsson, a prosperous merchant belonging to the Marzeel River cult. It sells at 3 Wheels per ENC point (one ENC point is often referred to as a "talen").
A Lokarnos merchant who has travelled from the north called Yusornal Helocath has with him two long pipes (3 metres long: 20 ENC) which he brought in Sartar from a Lunar soldier who claimed he had confiscated them during with a battle with a Satarite army near Jonstown several years ago. The Lokarnos merchant calls them the "Twin Wind Pipes from the Wamhic Hills" (World Lore: Wahmhic Hills are north of Jonstown). Anyone with Play Pipes can get a good note out of them and they are very loud. Helocath starts the bidding at sixty guilders each.
He also has a game played on a board with two roughly cubic dice made
from bear knuckles called "Wyrms and Mountains". This game is total luck
(POW v POW) to win and played between two people.
Starting bid: 40 guilders.
One other extremely rare item is a book of philosophy from Kralorela.
Helocath has this in storage at the moment, and is seeking to sell it to
the Lhankor Mhy sages in Karse, knowing that they will love it. It
is written in Kralorelan but he does have some notes from a Dayzatar
sage from Inner Prax called Hector the Wise explaining some of the
characters. According to Hector's notes, it is called "Lehung
Tso-Char Yelm" or "Script of Golden Serenity" and here he expounds a
theory that the name "Yelm" might be of Kralorelan origin, and adds he
would love to hear tales and descriptions of this far eastern
land. Helocath would only consider bids in the region of 10,000 guilders
(500 Wheels); anyone else buying it would lead to assasination attempts
on that character, funded by the Grey Sages. This book is
Yelmic mythology with a Kralorelan slant.
Athalward Torpleston is an Issaries merchant who deals in goods from Nochet to Karse and back. His stock of goods from his ship, the Ul-Surfrider, includes (with starting bids):
Set of ul-metal cutlery, with platinum (vi-metal) finishing, fourty
pieces, mint condition: 2,000 guilders.
El-metal locket with tiny painting inside of fair maiden (actually one
of the PC's mother), heart shaped: 300 guilders.
Twelve woollen jumpers in various colours, very well made: 10 guilders
each.
Campaign Notes
The city of Karse during the reign of King Richard the Tigerhearted is rich with dramatic possibilities. Perhaps the adventurer's get embroiled in inter- gang machinations, caught between different thieves' guilds or greasy politicians on the make. Do they intervene in a mugging or murder to save the innocent victim, only later to discover they have earned the emnity of the dreaded Rosternas? Do they attempt to trade and barter there way to riches? Do they try to curry favour with the new overlord's of Karse or are they alienated by their disdain for non-Rokari? What about the insidious gains made by the Aeolian church - do they get caught up in spiritual matters by debating with the clerics of Invisible Orlanth and go on to discover the secret funding from the Lunar Empire?
And what about the invasion - do they discover it before it starts, alerting the King or the people? How much credibility do they have with the authorities or the common folk? Do they try to fend of the Imperial Navy themselves, possibly having to make deals with the Wolf Pirates to do so? Does this lead to the biggest naval battle on Glorantha for nearly 700 years? Finally, do they attempt to battle the might of the invading Lunar Army when they set foot in the city? Above all: Can they save Karse? The timeline given is just a suggestion to give you ideas; what really happens is up to the GM and the players. All these possibilities and more abound in a campaign connected with the City of the Decadent.
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