Dark Ring

Geography of The Dark Ring

The environment around the Sea of Screams is harsh and unforgiving like the Dark Ring itself. Most of the Dark Ring is covered by deserts. These deserts are characterized by cold winters with snowfall and large rainfalls widely during the winter and occasionally over the summer. The average Dark Ring desert has short, moist, and moderately warm summers with fairly long, cold winters. The mean winter temperature is between 20 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit and the mean summer temperature is between 70-82 degrees Fahrenheit.

The winters receive quite a bit of snow with snowfalls in excess of 1 foot being common. The soil is heavy, silty, and salty. It contains alluvial fans where soil is relatively porous and drainage is good so that most of the salt has been leached out.

The plants are widely scattered. These cling to life wherever they can but prefer sticking to shaded areas or underground caves. Many species have evolved to retract their leaves and stem beneath the ground during turbulent weather. The main plants are deciduous and more or less contain spiny leaves.

A vast majority of the animals are burrowers. Several lizards do some burrowing and moving of soil. Even the Rael Deer, the only species of deer native to the Dark Ring, burrow into the soil. Their shovel-like antlers are perfectly suited for scooping away the sand and allowing them to dig for their favorite food, tumors.

Across the Dark Ring the deserts are covered in dark gray sand. This sand, made from crushed igneous rock, is extremely fine. Sometimes after a storm the sand is blown into waves giving it the look of an endless gray ocean.

Flayer Wastes

Far to the West of the Sea of Screams is the flayer wastes. These lands are characterized by red plateaus, composed largely of oxidized ore,  that rise from the flat gray sand. Other than the plateaus, there is no cover for miles. Explorers have reported a severe lack of water or natural fauna.

This is due to the mind flayers. They have built great hives inside the numerous plateaus of the wastes. Any animal is quickly picked off by a hunting party. All water was drained below ground long ago with the mind flayers using it to lure unsuspecting travelers.

While the mind flayers wish to expand, the combined might of Doud and the garrison at Bakar limit their raiding capabilities. If one of these two were to fall, the mind flayers would have free access to the Sea of Screams.

Gray Peaks

Separating the Desert of Ash from the rest of the Sea of Screams, the gray peaks are an ancient mountain range. Rounded and snow capped, the peaks mark the separation between civilization and the apocalyptic lands of Doud and the flayer wastes. Undead have been known to have a strong presence in the mountains, particularly during the winter months when the lands are at their darkest.

Pallid Desert

While most of the Dark Ring is covered with gray sand, the pallid desert possesses white sand. This startling shock of color is thought to have occurred due to a massive shift in the Ring’s landmass a myriad prior. Large quantities of sedimentary rock were thrust to the surface.

This has left the pallid desert with its pale white color, sand perfect for digging through, and an abundance of natural resources below the surface. Rare minerals, ores, and even natural gas deposits are plentiful throughout the desert.

Red Forest

Toward the East below the Veld Gale mountains lies the red forest. This area of land, covered in Garnet Beech trees, is a shock of color on the gloomy Ring. The leaves of these trees possess deep red leaves year round. Within the thick underbrush live the tabaxi. The red forest is their ancestral home with dozens if not hundreds of scattered tribes living within. Many of these tribes are not friendly and will hunt any creatures, including humanoids, that dare enter their domain.

Sea of Screams

While many would assume the body of water would be a lake, the Sea of Screams is in fact a sea due to it being saltwater. This has puzzled scholars due to the sea’s tributary rivers being all fresh water and the Thonis River, which the Sea of Screams drains into, also being fresh water. To this day, nobody knows where the salt comes from or why the Sea of Screams contains almost zero flora or fauna. Some suggest the sea is cursed while others suggest that the Dark Ring’s low magic properties might naturally turn all water salty over time. Both of these theories are not well respected.

Thonis River

The Thonis River provides life to the region. Stemming from the Sea of Screams, the Thonis flows southward until it drops off the side of the Dark Ring. Every year the river floods out of its banks leaving behind rich natural nutrients. This flooding provides exemplary farming land for those that inhabit the river’s banks. It is an oasis in the otherwise gray desert of the Rings. Many believe that without the Thonis River, there would be no life south of the Sea of Screams.

Veld Gale Mountains

Like the teeth of a great dragon, the Veld Gale mountains rise from the Dark Ring. On top of their highest peak sits the legendary dwarven monastery of Eydenwald Darkseer. This is a secret monastery known only to the elite of the dwarven race and investigative scholars (like myself).

The Veld Gale are characterized by their sheer cliff sides and constant shaking which makes scaling the peaks often impossible for any but the most ardent aether souls. There is a break in the Veld Gale, created long ago by Eshai the Pious in an act of great engineering, known as the Eshai’s Crossing. It is the only known safe avenue to pass through the Veld Gale. Other routes to circumvent the mountains take a traveler perilously near the flayer wastes or deep into Signoria lands controlled by the Nyx. Either option is not desirable.

In recent years, scholars have begun compiling a series of interesting reports about the Veld Gale. It appears that the High Gods are active far more than average on the mountain’s cliffs. Disciples, travelers, clerics, and the non-believers alike have reported a three-thousand percent increase in High God contact upon the mountains. Most of these contacts occur during the Autumn season near the Autumnal Equinox.

Eshai Caliphate Gazetteer

Overview

Across rolling gray sands to the North of the Dark Ring lies the lands of the Eshai Caliphate. Founded in 388 AR through the wit and determination of Eshai the Pious, the Caliphate has grown to encompass huge swaths of land above the Veld Gale mountains in the last four-hundred years. The nation’s eyes focus both on expansion and education. It is this internal strife which limits the Caliphate. Although, to others, this deep seeded temperance is what makes the Eshai so mighty. Try as they might, the hostile forces of the Dark Ring find it difficult to bring discord into the lands of the North. However, as ambitions grow, so do the cracks in the Caliphate.

Bank of Salt

The Bank of Salt is the engine of the Eshai Caliphate. Founded as a central bank for the nation, it has blossomed into the largest lender and financial institution in all the Rings. The bank’s cunning tactics and lending strategy have caused it to gain wealth beyond comprehension. Yet, as of late, the Bank of Salt has found it has reached its limit within the land around the Sea of Screams. Powerful individuals within the institution seek expansion either through deals with the Prime and Primordial Rings or the collecting of new land south of the Caliphate. These wishes bring them into conflict many within the nation but, at the end of the day, money talks the loudest.

Faisal

The Material God of the Caliphate is Faisal. Appearing at times like a two-headed cat and others like a lanky sage, Faisal was the closest supporter of Eshai. She pledged herself to his teachings and in return, Faisal provided the power required to obtain her new nation. However, unlike many other Material Gods, Faisal is not ambitious. He seeks simply the acquisition of knowledge and the perfecting of the lands within the Caliphate.

Although he is a Material God, this has not stopped descenting avoids from arising within the nation. Many believe that Eshai’s future lies to the South and the fruitful lands along the sea. Faisal has resisted these attempts for struggle but over the centuries the Material God has lost much of his power within the Caliphate. Power lies in the Caliph, Mujats, and other powerful members of the government.

As Faisal sees his dream crumbling, some fear that the Material God might remind the Caliphate why he is indeed a god.

Keepers of the Spice Trade

Along the edge of the Dark Ring lies the perfect environment for growing rare spices. Generations of families, many older than the Eshai Caliphate, harvest bountiful yields. Traders and merchants transport these spices around the Dark Ring making a tidy profit. The Caliphate has cemented itself as the keepers of the spice trade. Yet, although the spices continue to flow across the Rings, other powerful factions see opportunity. The wealth they could achieve if they gained control of the spice fields is vast and maybe worth a war.

Leaders in Thought

Many within the Caliphate follow Faisal’s teachings. They dedicate themselves toward lies of learning and study. From agriculture to anthropology to alchemy, every field of study has a dedicated Siyar. These Siyar take the form of estates littered throughout the Caliphate. The Siyar of Mathematics focuses on the study of that particular subject. This massive interconnected system of learning has produced a series of staggering intellectual leaps and great works.

The Zulfaar is an epic poem that describes the history of Eshai that was written by the poet Husna that was written in the Siyar of Literature. It has proliferated across the Caliphate and has become a foundational text of the nation.

Mathematicians in the Siyar of Mathematics have begun work on universal mathematical constants. They believe that with their work, they can articulate the base mathematical functions that were used in the construction of the universe. If these functions are found, they believe that people can figure out how the universe was created.

Finally, alchemists have begun the creation of a rare and unstable compound called Phoenix Powder. This red sand creates a small explosion when struck. Through refinement and careful alterations to the base formula, alchemists think they can achieve a wide variety of arcane effects.

The Bank of Salt

Created near the start of the Caliphate, the Bank of Salt, often referred to as the Salt Bank or Salts, started its life as a simple central bank. However, as the trade of minerals and spices grew the Caliphs gave the Salt Bank more power. After more than four hundred years, the Bank of Salt has almost become an independent entity from the government. While the Caliph can order that the bank take action, this has fallen out of favor and instead members of government usually petition the bank for funds.

Internal System

On the outside the Bank of Salt seems to operate like any normal bank. The bank has a chair that serves on a three year term before a new chair is appointed by the board of governors and approved by the Caliph. The board of governors sits below the chair. Each governor is responsible for a different sect of the rank or region that the bank operates within.

Below this level sits an army’s worth of branch managers, accountants, financial analysts, and more. These lower level positions oversee the day to day operations of the Salt Bank.

While the bank does maintain more than one-hundred local branches across all three Rings, the nerve center of the operation is located in Zosul on the Dark Ring. Located near the center of the city on the street of silver lies the headquarters of the bank. Standing almost two-hundred feet tall, containing more than nine-hundred rooms, and an underground vault said to be larger than the actual city, the bank’s seat of power is a wonder of Eshai engineering.

Investments

With being the larger lender in the Rings comes many investments. The Bank of Salt finds profitable enterprises in many areas. From supporting a rising nation to funding a new bridge, the bank does not discriminate between money making enterprises. The main thing the bank’s leadership examines is whether or not they can make money on the venture or at least break even. Risky investments are often met with high interest rates or absurd pieces of collateral. Once, when the nation of Breoa defaulted on a loan, the Bank of Salt received their entire production of mead for a year. Under threat of being terminated from the bank’s client list, the nation of Breoa capitulated and have never defaulted on a loan since.

The Bank of Salt’s investing is so widespread that they have developed a stock market. Stocks are bought and sold within the headquarters of the bank. It is estimated that more than three million gold pieces worth of stock are traded daily.

The Gold Swords

An organization the size of the Bank of Salt requires a way to keep safe its interests. That’s why the bank employs its own private mercenary army, the Gold Swords. These troops are equipped with the finest weapons, armor, and supplies money can buy. However, it is widely known that the Gold Swords rely on their superior equipment far too often. Their actual training and military strategy is lacking. However, for the purposes of the bank, this is not an issue. The Gold Swords have crushed many private armies or local warlords that have made an enemy of the bank.

The Bank of Salt usually keeps a standing force of two-thousand Gold Swords that can be dispatched at a moment’s notice. However, prior history suggests that within a year, the bank can assemble an additional seven-thousand fully outfitted soldiers. These soldiers are separate from the army of the Eshai Caliphate which has caused some concern amongst the ruling class and Faisal.

When Clients Default

Defaulting on a loan from the Salt Bank is a mistake few repeat. At first the bank sends notification of the default or breach of contract. If payment is still rejected, the bank contacts local authorities. Once even this avenue fails and the bank still has not collected what it is owed, a Gold Sword battalion is loaded onto an astral ship fleet and deployed anywhere on the Rings. The mercenaries collect what the bank is owed, plus interest, before departing from the wreckage they leave behind.

Level of Wealth

It is unknown exactly how wealthy the Bank of Salt is at the moment. As of the year 715 AR, it is assumed that the bank contains at least forty million gold pieces within its vaults with loans exceeding that of two-hundred million gold pieces. However, this vast wealth hangs on a knife’s edge. Running the bank is expensive and too many failed business deals could spell ruin. Maintaining growth requires constant reinvestment from the bank. They run dangerously close to defaulting on their own dealings every year. However, by obtaining more lucrative trade deals and lands, this pressure might be eased temporarily. Many within the bank realize it's not a matter of if the bank will run out of money, but when unless a new source of income is found.

Kasheevs

Corruption is usually rampant in organizations the size of the Salt Bank. However, the board of governors has a secret weapon: the Kasheevs. A Kasheev resembles a humanoid, standing seven feet tall with dull gray skin. The creature has eight eyes that line the top of its bald head. It has claws sharper than swords and bones that have surprised being dropped from mountain tops.

A Kasheev has the unique talent of sensing deception. From a blatant lie to an omitted truth, the Kasheev will detect it. But the Kasheev goes further than that. Deception causes extreme pain to the Kasheev. The creature will attack a deceptive creature. Employees are kept honest as these creatures patrol the halls of the Salt Bank. Many would-be thieves have been scattered across the walls as an angry Kasheev ended their life.

Great Colleges of Eshai

Under Fiasal’s direction, the Eshai Caliphate has been a strong proponent of learning and knowledge. The great colleges of Eshai are many small, semi-independent, institutions of learning that specialize in a specific field. These Siyar are the backbone of learning not only in Eshai but across the Dark Ring. Many hopeful students make pilgrimage to Eshai seeking education from only the brightest minds.

These disparate pieces continue to be worth their weight in gold. The technological and logistical innovations yielded by the great colleges keeps the Caliphate one step ahead of the other Dark Ring nations.

The Siyar of Knowledge

While the Siyar are often small and independent, there is one great exception. The Siyar of Knowledge, located in Daratu, is a central institution that houses all other known Siyar fields. Only the best teachers and students can attend the Siyar of Knowledge. However, there is no shortage of such minds. With the Siyar’s grounds there is room for more than forty-thousand pupils and five-hundred teachers. Despite the Siyar rarely teaching more than thirty-thousand, the grounds are still bustling with the rising stars of tomorrow.

The Siyar of Knowledge also contains the finest equipment. Alchemy labs are packed with rare ingredients, the library on site contains over eighty-thousand tomes, and magic users of all kinds wait to teach pupils about their specific arts.

Magic Proliferation

Mages within the great colleges teach the expansion of magic. This comes to the dismay of certain organizations like the Ard Magos but the Caliphate’s protection is enough to ward off any unwanted threats.

This desire to proliferate magic does not mean that the great colleges are not careful. They recognize the damage that could come from irreverent use. However, the inherent power within all magic is a siren’s song that few can ignore. The mages particularly focus on low magic as it is more powerful on the Dark Ring. In fact, after years of diligent study, the mages have found that the ill effects of low magic decrease by 96% while on the Dark Ring.

Elven mage Basir Cem Caith released an essay titled The Damping of Detorioral Presences of Low Arcana in the Daratu Area in 712 AR. In the essay, Basir claims that low magic within the vicinity of Daratu and perhaps across the Dark Ring should be considered safe to use as the effects are consistent with any other form of magic.

However, unknown to the public, the leaders of the Siyar of Knowledge held back Basir’s follow-up essay. This essay details that high magic is unsafe on the Dark Ring. Basir noted the dangerous effects of high magic increased 249% across ten different studies in the area around Daratu. Cem Caith’s superiors believed that this revelation would draw the ire of many powerful enemies and decided to bury the knowledge. Now only Basir Cem Caith, a few loyal students, and the leaders of the Siyar of Knowledge know the truth: high magic is dangerous on the Dark Ring.

Sponsored by Nations

Many nations across all three Rings sponsor the great colleges. In exchange, the nations gain access to the college’s vast repository of knowledge and designated seats for their most prestigious students within certain Siyar. This relationship has led some within the Caliphate to question whether or not external forces are corrupting the great colleges. To the surprise of nobody, these voices have quickly been silenced.

Government Structure

Eshai’s young government, while considered strong, is often disorganized. Tradition and familial ties bind officials more than any written law ever could. While the ruling Caliph still has unquestioned authority, the balance of power has been diffusing across the Caliphate for some time. Some are even beginning to question whether the government has become too weak to govern. Many like the Bank of Salt or the spice traders are beginning to consider something new.

The Spiral Law

The bedrock of the Caliphate’s government is the Spiral Law. Written over three volumes by Eshai the Pious, this law book details the government structure, the legal code, and how people should live within the Caliphate. However, the Spiral Law is often contradictory, written in verse, and traverses between a dozen different languages. The first paragraph alone contains instances of nine different languages. While it is undisputed that the Spiral Law is wise, the average person within the Caliphate cannot read its text.

Caliph

The Caliph is regarded as the religious and political successor of Eshai within the Caliphate. They wield nearly unlimited power within the Caliphate except regarding matters of the judiciary. The Caliph can also not violate the Spiral Law’s word.

A Caliph serves for life or until the Mujats deem they completely disregarded the Spiral Law. During the latter instance, the Caliph is exiled to the edge of the Ring to a house known as the Heretic’s Roost. The exiled Caliphs spend their days learning the Spiral Law and asking for penance. Only people with special permission from the Mujats may visit them.

As of 715 AR, the current Caliph is Davar Cem Akram.

Mujats

The Mujat are legal specialists who help rule the Caliphate. These 144 elite interpret the Spiral Law and handle matters of the judiciary within the Caliphate. Mujat are chosen by Fiasal or through a special council constructed by the Siyar of the Spiral.

Inside the Caliphate, it is the Mujat who wield power. Due to the complexity of the Spiral Law and other’s inability to read it, a single Mujat can sway the course of public policy for decades. With enough united Mujat a Caliph can be reduced to little more than a figurehead.

This is why a smart Caliph often pits the Mujat against each other. The Mujat spend most of their time fighting amongst each other. Their petty squabbles often devolve into dark dealings, assassinations, and political betrayals. Occasionally they are united which is often a death knell for their enemies.

Descendants of Eshai

Nobility in Eshai stems from royal families connected to Eshai or her cousins. These descendants trace most of their wealth or station to gifts that Eshai gave them during the founding of the Caliphate. Even destitute families who have squandered Eshai’s gifts are still held in an air of reverence. Many within the descendants become prominent business owners, high ranking officials within the Bank of Salt, A-il Sham, or members of the Mujat.

A-il Sham

Generals of the Caliphate and protectors of the caravans, the A-il Sham control the warriors of the nation. Many live in and around Bakar in the West and hail from the nobility. However, any soldier with enough courage, skill, and friends canrise to the position of A-il Sham. With new lands ripe for the taking, the A-il Sham are always ready for a fight. For this reason more temperate minds within the Caliphate are wary of them.

Khabat

Khabat, the miracle city, the jewel between two rivers, the cradle of civilization, sits at the heart of the Eshai Caliphate. It was Eshai herself who found the land they lay between the two azure rivers nestled in the heart of the desert. She laid the first stone of the royal palace herself before becoming the first Caliph. Since then the city has risen to be a hub of trade, politics, and cultural exchange. Khabat is the jewel of the Eshai Caliphate and its beating heart.

Capital City

Khabat acts as the capital city of the Eshai Caliphate. The roads of the nation trace their roots to the city. Amongst sprawling stone buildings lie every amenity of civilization. Many believe that Khabat brings together the best of the Caliphate into one place. Faisal said once that Khabat shows what could be across the Caliphate.

House of Eshai

The royal palace stands as a testament to the Caliphate’s power. Its great blocks of limestone were mined from the Veld Gale mountains hundreds of miles away before being dragged to the new foundations. The structure encompasses a garden which contains every known plant on the Dark Ring along with an artificial waterfall which stands eighty feet tall. Within are also halls used for political debate, whole trading markets, and theaters for people to enjoy performances or book readings.

Grand Arena of Malem

Near the edge of Khabat lives the arena. Here contests from around the Rings come to compete in contests of skill. While combats are not uncommon, the challenges often include some metal components. Whole labyrinths are constructed on the arena floor, the arena is flooded for diving contests, and once participants had to construct massive golems uses parts scattered around the arena floor which then fought each other.

Festival Grounds

There is always a festival occurring at Khabat. The people of Khabat welcome these celebrations and the merriment they bring. For this purpose the Caliph dedicated festival grounds outside the city for these engagements. Spanning more than three-hundred acres, the grounds support advanced sewage systems, permanent outdoor stages, and massive kitchens designed to feed thousands.

The Twin Miracles

Two rivers that run on either side of Khabat with the city nestled between them. To the East is the Kalan and toward the West the Losha river. These rivers begin from underground streams four miles North of the city and run above ground for only seven miles before falling back below ground. They create an oasis amongst the desert. To this day scholars from the Siyars say that the rivers are miracles on the Dark Ring. However, to the people of the capital city, they are more than a miracle, they are what keeps Khabat thriving.

Khabat Astral Lighthouse

The Astral Lighthouse of Khabat was the first built on the Dark Ring. Zell and Fiasal collaborated in its construction hundreds of years ago. Modeled after Clover’s lighthouse, Khabat’s sees almost as much use. Many trade routes from the Prime Ring to the Dark Ring run exclusively through Khabat and Zosul.

Gilded Way

Also known as the Caliph’s Route, this road that starts in Khabat and runs through all of the Caliphate toward the holy city of Garib. It is one of the most traveled and guarded roads in all the Dark Ring. The Guild Way was built by the second Caliph of the Caliphate, Omran the Builder.

Zosul

On the southern border of the Caliphate, at the edge of the Sigornia of the Nyx, lies Zosul. The Bank of Salt has made its home here along with many merchants. This prosperity has not gone unnoticed as many on the Dark Ring seek to gain control of Zosul’s riches for themselves. However, with the Salt Bank in control, the Caliphate has a formidable ally protecting its border.

Seat of the Salt Bank

The Bank of Salt has made Zosul its headquarters. Much of the city is dedicated, in some way, towards its enterprises. For those seeking an audience with the bank or trying to disrupt the institution’s plans, Zosul is the first place to go.

Street of Silver

Zosul’s main thoroughfare is nicknamed the Street of Silver. Wealthy merchant companies and rare vendors make their homes here. Proximity to the bank and its vast resources is highly prized. A person could walk for hours along the street without ever seeing the same vendor twice.

Singer’s Bridge

The bridge connects Zosul to the Nyx city of Halkyn. Legend says that it was sung into existence by powerful clerics. Stones from the bottom of the sea, bound together by magic, formulated the structure that connects the Caliphate to the Sea of Scream’s Eastern shore. Guards from both nations patrol the bridge.

Port of Zosul and the Grand Fleet

Zosul’s port represents the Caliphate’s only access to the sea. For this reason the Caliphate has poured gold into the port. Robust stone docks jut into the waters and are large enough to harbor more than two-hundred vessels at a time. Sailors from Breoa have often complimented the docks on their design.

The docks also serve to host the Eshai navy and the Salt Bank’s merchant fleet. These two forces patrol the waters of the Sea of Screams hunting enemies of the Caliphate or trading with other port cities. If the port of Zosul were to fall, the Caliphate would suffer a catastrophic blow to its trading ecosystem.

Zosul’s Astral Lighthouse

The Caliphate’s second Astral Lighthouse was built in Zosul. It was financed entirely by the Bank of Salt to further their trading enterprises. Even with the bank’s immense resources, the Astral Lighthouse in Zosul is half the size of that in Khabat. This is of no concern to the bank who now has faster means of shipping their products and envoys off Ring.

Nyx Raids

An old foe of the Caliphate, the Nyx constantly send raiding parties over the water into Zosul. These clashes are small, with casualties sparse, but the two side’s efforts hamper the other all the same. So far the Nyx’s goal appears to be destroying the expansion of Zosul. However they have been stifled by the overwhelming power and tenacity possessed by the Salt Bank. The bank views this as an opportunity to prove their superiority and further train the Gold Swords under their control.

Daratu

If the heart of the Caliphate is in Khabat, the brain resides in Daratu. Home to the best scholarship and manufacturing in the Caliphate, the city of Daratu is home to the smartest people within Eshai. Specialized craftsmen walk the city’s streets in droves. People take pride in the arts and what they can create.

Seat of Wisdom

Located in Daratu is the home of the Siyar of Knowledge. This Siyar unifies the other Siyar around the Caliphate. Sometimes referred to as the seat of wisdom, it houses on average thirty-thousand students who often join the workforce of Daratu or use their talents to study at one of the other Siyar across Eshai.

Monolith of Gestrom

Upon a hill to the West of Daratu sits the Monolith of Gestrom. This imposing red structure hums at night. Near the base sits a small oculus which a person can peer through. Using dials on the sides of the monolith, a person can gaze across the night sky with far more precision than any telescope. The Monolith of Gestrom is responsible for finding many of the safe routes across the astral between Rings.

Factory Row

Dozens of factories, great and small, are based in Daratu. Many are clustered together in a region colloquially known as factory row. These factories employ most of the city's population. However, many know not to stay out past dark inside factory row. Roving bands of bandits or the occasional Nyx raid can find a lost traveler in the dark. It is no hyperbole to say the most dangerous thing a person can do in Daratu is walk the factory row when night falls.

In Construction Astral Lighthouse [Needs Update]

Being financed by the Salt Bank, a new Astral Lighthouse is under construction in Daratu. Estimates believe the Lighthouse will be completed sometime before 740 AR. This project represents a new union between the Bank of Salt and the great colleges. Their great hope is that the Daratu Lighthouse will be filled with new innovations and will become the most advanced Astral Lighthouse in the Rings.

The great colleges hope that this will bring further prestige to their institutions. The city of Daratu wishes to expand their market across the Rings. The Bank of Salt has secured within their contract that they can impose a small tariff on all goods moved through the lighthouse. Daratu’s lighthouse has the potential to ignite a shining future for the city. However, failure could plunge the city into chaos as all three organizations have dedicated an enormous investment into its construction. This has not gone unnoticed by the Nyx.

Bakar

Bakar is the city of spices and swords. Between the fields of spices lies the training grounds of the Caliphate’s armies. Life in the city is simple; either harvest the spice fields or grab a weapon. There is little in between.

The Spice Fields

Bakar’s spice fields grow many spices not found anywhere else on the Dark Ring. Upon last inspection, the Bank of Salt appraised the total value of one spice field to be upwards of six-million gold pieces. It should thus be no secret as to why the Caliph made Bakar the home of Eshai’s legions. Soldiers crawl the spice fields on constant guard for thieves or arsonists.

Rain Orb

Found more than a thousand years ago, the Rain Orb sits in a temple within Bakar. This deep blue orb has the ability to summon rain clouds above the desert. Without the orb, many of the spices would be unable to strive. After the rise of the Caliphate, the orb’s safety in Bakar became top priority. The Rain Orb is one of the most highly guarded sites in all of Eshai.

Military Fortification

The military of the Caliphate is housed in seven different forts inside and outside the city. While they are the standing military of the Caliphate, the soldiers are often used for many other common jobs like cheap labors, guarding the spice fields, or acting as Bakar’s town guard. The city is a military town through and through.

A-il Sham Home

A majority of the A-il Sham make their home within Bakar. The proximity to the soldiers and lucrative spice trade investments make for an enticing draw. However, some have voiced concern over many of the country’s foremost military leaders all being located in one place. So far, reasonable minds have not won that argument.

Wandering Way

For those not wanting to head South via Zosul or ship, there is always the Wandering Way. This road journeys South through the desert and into the nation of Qis. It is heavily guarded by soldiers. The threat of a Qis invasion via the road can never be ignored.

Nesting Ground of the Roc

To the South along the Wandering Way is the nesting ground of the Roc. These giant birds make their nests atop plateaus that protrude from the desert sands. The Roc usually hunt native bulette or other ground dwelling creatures that make their home in the desert. However, the beasts are opportunistic and have been known to hunt caravans or lost travelers. A single Roc can eat fifty fully grown humanoids a day.

Qis Gazetteer

Overview

Qis stands alone on the Dark Ring. Under the leadership of the lich Soris, Qis has begun the longest existence nation on the Sea of Screams. Through expansion the country has continued to grow despite the efforts of its neighbors. With every passing year, the threat that Qis possesses to the sovereignty of all people on the Dark Ring grows. Their ultimatum has not changed: kneel with the living or serve with the dead.

Land of the Lich

In 156 AR Soris completed his ritual for lichdom in Gharib. By the turn of the next century he had escaped to what is now Jahat where he took control of the local government. Since those early days he has been the undisputed leader of Qis. With power enough to level entire armies, few have met Soris on the battlefield and lived to tell the tale.

Betrayed God

There is no Material God ruling Qis. Instead, there is one imprisoned within its borders. Hawass was once the god of Jahat who was challenged by Soris to a duel. Using his new lichdom, Soris defeated Hawass and imprisoned the god within his left eye. The lich cut out the eye, with Hawass inside, and sealed it away in a vault applying the mark of Qis, understood as order in the common tongue, upon the prison. Then Soris spread the symbol around the land building its power the further it propagated.

Hawass is not simply a prisoner. Soris uses the god’s power to bolster his own abilities. One of these methods allows Soris to command untold thousands of undead using Hawass’ divinity and mental processing to control the corpses.

The Necromancer’s Duty

Soris has said that he believes in the Day of Final Mourning where the souls of the dead will return to their bodies and walk the Dark Ring. However, he believes that the day of return can only come via the use of necromancy. By animating enough bodies, Soris believes that the conditions will become right where the souls can return and use the residual necromancy to live their second life.

All other nations across the Sea of Screams decry Soris as a heretic. They speak of his taboo use of the dead. However, to this, the lich smiles as his dream shambles ever closer.

Watchful Eyes

Qis is considered by many a police state. The Social Harmony Division (SHD) works tirelessly to keep a watchful eye on the living citizens within Qis. With so many enemies, Soris knows that his nation cannot be divided. Traitors against the state are rooted out with ruthless efficiency. There is a reason why there are so few spies in Qis. Everyone is already a spy and trained to flush out the liars amongst the population.

Zephath Blades

Soris’ keen mind and the zeal of the nation’s people would not be enough to fend off so many foes. That is why Soris, using the power of Hawass, created the Zephath blades. These weapons give off a faint chill and those close to the blades have reported a distinct lack of taste.

A Zephath blade uses the life force of the wielder to empower its strikes. It can turn a normal soldier into a killing machine worth five veterans. However, the cost is high. A regular swing will visibility age the average person by one to two years. After a battle, an army of Qis soldiers made up of young recruits might resemble a nursing home.

The Zephath blades have also given way to foul insinuations against the Qis. A child of seven, after a few swings of a sword, can appear twenty-five. Intelligence within the Eshai Caliphate notes that, while an uncommon practice, their own researchers have encountered people who describe the forced aging and use of child soldiers. Soris denies this saying that if this were true, the nations along the Sea of Screams would already be dead.

Work Camps

Along the edges of the Gray Peaks and in the wastes West of Isis lie the work camps. These camps are designed to extract raw materials from the surrounding environment. Usually the process for obtaining these ores or raw materials is too complex for a simple undead and thus enemies of the Qis are conscripted to do the job. It is thought that a twentieth of the population in Qis lives in one of these work camps.

Where the Dead Walk

Reanimation is the cornerstone of Qis. While others fear the power of necromancy, Qis wields it with surgical precision. Many citizens walk past hundreds of undead each day.

Widespread Necromancy

Over the years the Qis have found that undead are perfect for menial, repetitive, labors. Farming, construction, and assembly are all easily done by undead day and night. Without the need for rest an undead workforce is on average two and a half times more productive. Complicated tasks like accounting or medical work are beyond the brainless creatures for now. However, Soris and his necromancers say they are making great progress towards a society where all jobs are done by the dead.

Soris’ Theory

Souls find where they are supposed to be according to basic arcane principles. In life, a soul rests in a body because that form is naturally suited for it. During death the body becomes foriegn and uninhabitable for a soul. This is why Soris believes that by mimicking life the natural low magic of the Dark Ring can help a soul rebind to the body. He hopes one day to start a “reanimation cascade” where one soul’s rebinding creates better conditions for the next until within minutes all the undead across the Dark Ring have their souls return to their bodies as like seeks like.

Reverence of the Bones

For Soris’ plan to work the bodies must stay relatively intact. Simple jobs and minor damage to the body is fine, even natural in the opinion of Soris’ other necromancers. However a sword to the chest would once again make the body unsuitable for soul habitation. This is why the Qis have adopted a principle known as reverence of the bones.

They seek to maintain their undead in the best conditions possible. People are to treat the undead with respect. Not as living people but as expensive artwork or a family pet. This also means that the Qis do not use their undead in battle unless absolutely necessary. A body lost means a soul that will never be brought back.

Useful People

With so many undead laborers, Qis values “useful people.” Those without advanced skills are dead weight within the nation. People are pushed to find work in things that the undead cannot do. However, since most citizens cannot leave the country itself, these skills are hard to obtain. In recent decades, to the horror of the Eshai Caliphate, Qis agents have been kidnapping students from the Siyar. They force these students to teach the unskilled citizenry before being sent to the Western work camps.

Surveillance of All

People tend to follow the rules if they are always being watched. That is the ideology behind the mass surveillance present within Qis. Many people believe the eyes of their King are upon them at all times. And, in a way, they are right. Disunity within the nation will not be tolerated.

The S.H.D.

The Social Harmony Division oversees much of the surveillance and policing work within Qis. This mysterious organization lingers in the mind of every Qis citizen. There is constant fear and paranoia that the SHD will be listening into a conversation. That is exactly how the SHD wishes to be thought of by the people. They are the monster in the closet, the ghoul beneath the bed, and the knife in the dark waiting for the traitor to show their true colors.

Undead Eyes

Every eye is a portal for the SHD. Using special devices the agents of the SHD can see through the eyes and listen through the ears of any undead under Soris’ control. They have tens of thousands of eyes watching the population’s every move constantly. Because of this the SHD literally has spies everywhere.

Neighbor Against Neighbor

This atmosphere of paranoia that the SHD creates helps to turn friend against friend. They release constant propaganda which details the punishments of concealing a known traitor. Even a suspected traitor must be turned over to the SHD immediately. With the threat of work camps and decomposition ever looming, many neighbors have turned against each other in a desperate scramble to save their own skin. Oftentimes the accusations are fake or amount to nothing but the SHD never confirms this. The work camps always need more bodies to fill them one way or another.

The Young Phanes

Many children in Qis belong to the Young Phanes. Named after the general and creator of the SHD Yelem Phanes, this organization is designed to teach children the values of the nation. Starting from the age of seven years old, a child is taught the values and traditions of the Qis people. Group leaders instill loyalty into the children. There is also a national incentive of ten bags of grain a year to enroll a child within the Young Phanes. Outside governments have criticized the Young Phanes for “brainwashing” the youth but when asked the children say they simply love learning more about their beloved country and becoming well rounded citizens.

One in Fifty

The SHD is a massive organization containing tens of thousands of official and unofficial employees. Current SHD documents suggest that one in fifty living civilians in Qis work for the organization. This makes the SHD the largest single organization on the Dark Ring.

No Specific Powers

It is difficult for foreigners to comprehend the exact reach of the SHD. This is on purpose because Soris gave no power restrictions on the SHD. They can act with complete autonomy and answer only to their king. If an agent of the SHD makes a threat the chances are high they can carry it out no matter how vast the scope.

Intelligence Gathering and Decomposition

One of the SHD’s most important jobs is intelligence gathering. This is done through their usual spying techniques combined with “advanced interrogation methods.” Other nations along the Sea of Screams simply call it torture.

However, SHD torture goes far beyond the physical. Many times the SHD will not even detain an individual once they begin to torture them. Instead they employ a system called decomposition. In short, decomposition is a specialized psychological torture style meant to attack the vicitim’s mental health and sense of reality. Agents performing this technique employ mass gaslighting. They will sneak into a victims house to move furniture, steal items, or destroy documents. A long-time SHD agent who knows the victim personally might all of a sudden act as if they do not know the victim. The end goal is for the victim to doubt their own mental health and push them to the brink of sanity. With their grip on reality in free fall, the SHD moves in to gather information.

Using these tactics the SHD has one of the most robust intelligence gathering systems ever created. This web often expands to other nations as well. The SHD’s subtle yet effective techniques allow them to strike far behind enemy lines and interrogate a target without them even knowing the SHD is at work.

Agents Amongst Enemies

In recent decades the SHD has pivoted toward expanding their reach beyond Qis’ borders. They have embedded thousands of agents in other nations. These smaller cells have begun to grow. While other nations know Qis is slowly infiltrating their populations, the exact scale of the infiltration is yet unknown. However, many Nomarchs in Kar-Thonis have begun preparing for the worst case scenario.

What Kar-Thonis does not know is that SHD already has an agent high up in the government. The entire political system lies open on the operating table before the Qis. A lesser organization would have already struck but the SHD has longer term plans.

They know that the Pharaoh is constructed from multiple different people. The current plan, nicknamed operation Butterfly, is to insert a loyal SHD agent so they can become chosen for the next Pharaoh. Once chosen they will merge with the other initiates and become the new Pharaoh. It is the hope of the SHD that their programming will be strong enough to create a Pharaoh that is loyal to Soris and the Qis nation.

Jahat

Created from the labor of ten thousand undead, Jahat is a jet black metropolis standing like a spike of defiance on the banks of the sea. Rock taken from two miles below the surface near Isis was hauled hundreds of miles across the desert before being piled high. However, it could have been no other way. From his symbol of power, Soris hopes to change the Dark Ring forever.

Capital City

Jahat is the capital city of Qis. It was once a thriving city state ruled over by the Material God Hawass. This all changed in 173 AR when Soris defeated Hawass in a duel and chained him beneath the Malachite Fort. Since that day, Jahat has been the seat of the Qis nation.

Malachite Fort

Doubling as his royal palace and the staging ground of the Qis army, the Malachite Fort is built out of its namesake mineral that is reinforced with low magic. Its sickly green hue is striking against the rest of the city. Soldiers dressed in the colors of Qis, white and green, march from the fort daily and patrol the streets.

Near the center of the palace lies Soris’ throne room. Diplomats say the interior is made completely out of gold polished to a mirror sheen with great silver columns studded with jewels. Mages note that it is littered with hundreds if not thousands of protective wards. It is one of the greatest single rooms in all the Rings.

Shaming Grounds

Those found as traitors to the nation must have an example made of them. On the Northern end of the city lies a flat city block with raised seating circling it. Here the guilty found by the Social Harmony Division are judged before their fellow citizens. From there nobody can guess the relentless shaming that befalls the people. Gladiatorial fights, tarrings, and the dreaded goose eye are all favorites of the crowd.

Zephath Forge

Nobody knows the exact process for making Zephath blades. However, ten people everyday are marched into the factory and never seen again. Blue light streams through the small windows as inhuman wails echo from the interior. Everyday at sundown, five new blades emerge and are sent to the armories.

Jahat Astral Lighthouse

To the surprise of the Dark Ring, Jahat has an Astral Lighthouse. Most of the time it is not functioning and can only house three astral ships but somehow Qis built one. The first documented instance of the lighthouse being activated was 774 AR.

“They have what?”

-Cissaya after nearly choking on her salad when being told about the Jahat lighthouse

Khari

If there is one thing that undead can do it is to work efficiently. Therefore placing all the manufacturing in one place significantly increases the production of the undead. That is how Khari, the dead city, became the manufacturing hub of Qis. Soris’ vision is of a city working like a clock in perfect undead unison.

The Dead City

Undead outnumber the living inside the dead city. For every one person there are twenty undead servants. Khari has special streets dedicated entirely to undead travel. Lines of servants miles long march in lock step between factories and supply depots.

Metal and Bone

One Eshai scholar from the Siyar of Smithing said that the city of Khari survived off metal and bone. Great blast furnaces are kept glowing via the undead. At all hours of the day they construct all the necessary items the nation needs. Wheels, farming equipment, door hinges, tables, armor, and more come from the endless factories.

Black Skies

With so few living civilians, the city of Khari can accept extreme levels of pollution. The skies over the city are black from the constant billowing smokestacks. Around the city the Sea of Screams has turned a deep brown due to the pollution. Clean drinking water must be imported from elsewhere in the nation because of the heavy metals within the water. An old saying goes that a person drinks a pencil every time they have a cup of water in Khari.

The Mortician’s Shroud

Qis’ vanguard is named the Mortician’s Shroud. This advanced fighting force is stationed in Khari. At any given time the Shroud has between two and five thousand soldiers which represents the backbone of the Qis fighting force. While the city’s pollution is often a problem, Khari is the closest population center to Gamietta which the Shroud often attack. With few in the Mortician’s Shroud living longer than two years, Soris sees no reason to care about the long term health effects of his soldiers living in Khari.

Revelation

With the years of stalemate at Gamietta turning into decades, Soris demanded something to break the draw. The greatest engineers of Qis began the construction of Revelation in response. This cannon stands eighty feet tall and weighs over nine tons. Constructed from steel infused with necromantic magic, the cannon is powered by the souls of the dead. After it is finished Qis believes that it will be able to crack through the Weeping Wall in Gamietta with one shot. The more optimistic engineers believe that Revelation is strong enough to level entire cities with its barrage. However, it remains unfinished and untested.

Isis

Standing as the guardian to the wastes that lie to the West of Qis, Isis is a city inhabited by miners and members of the SHD. With its silhouette standing alone on the horizon, it is perhaps the most isolated city in all the Dark Ring. The roads leading to it are potholed and covered by sand. Signs have long since fallen into disrepair. One day Isis might drift back into the sands it was built from.

Headquarters of the SHD

It is said that Isis contains the headquarters of the SHD. However, it is unknown where exactly the headquarters is within the city. SHD has never made public the exact address of their base of operations. Some believe that the headquarters is moved constantly while others say the entire city itself constitutes the SHD’s estate.

Mining town

The ground beneath Isis is latent with ore. This is how the city supports a few thousand miners which burrow beneath the sands. The work, even aided by undead, is difficult. Cave ins are common due to the shifting earth above. Human miners most delicately pry the metals from the rock before the undead take the ore to the surface.

Hell’s Throat

There is a spiral mining hole that carves its way a mile below ground known to the locals as Hell’s Throat. To this day gems and thick gold veins run alongside the throat and its tributary mining tunnels. However, in those caverns lie monsters. Large beasts who feast on the rich gem deposits will also eat any wandering miner. For this reason almost all mining operations, unless escorted by mercenaries, do not enter Hell’s Throat. Sometimes though the SHD will toss a particularly annoying prisoner down the hole. If they escape, they live. If not, the creatures of Hell’s Throat have some variety to their diet.

Signoria of the Nyx Gazetteer

Overview

The Signoria of the Nyx encompass the thousands of miles along the Eastern border of Kar-Thonis and the Eshai Caliphate. Made up of the Sabian people, composed primarily of Nyx, the Signoria is the largest nation in terms of landmass near the Sea of Screams. More importantly for the other nations, they are not friendly to those they consider outsiders.

First of the Dark Ring

The Signoria of the Nyx is made up primarily of the Nyx race. It is the Nyx who were the first race to grace the Dark Ring and were the first sentient life upon the Ring. They are perfectly adapted for it. A Nyx can go weeks without water, has skin designed to tolerate the extreme cold, and a secondary eyelid that protects a Nyx from sand.

Originally the Nyx made their home along the Sea of Screams, in modern day Gharib, but have been pushed out by settlement and conquest. Now they stick to the fringes of the sea, dreaming of the day they will reclaim their old land.

History of Battle

The Nyx have a long history of warfare and battle. They take pride in the fact that they stood against the Titan races long ago when the Genasi ruled the Prime Ring, the Nyx ruled the Dark Ring, and the Goblins oversaw the Primordial Ring. As the Genasi fought against the Slaad and the Goblinoids allied with the Minotaur to battle the Aboleths, it was the Nyx who fought the combined might of the Ruvor and the Arnyr.

It was a long and bloody struggle. Eventually, as the legend goes, the Nyx were able to defeat the Ruvor causing them to barricade themselves beneath the Dark Ring. Yet, they could not defend themselves against the Arnyr. The entire Nyx race was on the verge of being wiped out, their cities turned to ash and weapons broken, when the King of the Titans, Xix, was defeated. This caused the Arnyr to flee into the stars with Drach, Prince of the Titans.

The remaining warriors of the Nyx eventually followed them into the stars. They have not returned from their great hunt. However, what followed on the Dark Ring was more battles. The Mind Flayers eventually landed on the Dark Ring and began preying upon the Nyx. Invaders, other races from the Prime and Primordial Rings, also discovered the Sea of Screams. For thousands of years the Nyx have needed to fight to survive. All the other races have gotten the Nyx’s great sacrifice except the Nyx themselves. They remember the debt of blood that is owed to them. One day soon, the Nyx believe the time will come to collect.

Strange Religion

Nobody outside the Nyx themselves understand their religion. Many brave scholars have dedicated their lives to understanding the question: who do the Nyx worship? What is their religion?

They have gathered the Nyx primarily worship the Lord of Mists in public. However, the High God goes by many different names to them including the Ruiner, the Sabian Savior, and the Wise Executioner. These epithets are not found anywhere else natively amongst the Rings of Meropis.

Many also believe the Nyx have a whole pantheon of Material Gods that they keep secret from outsiders. They do not build temples to these gods but speak about them in private. Sermons are held in dark allies and beside a dying fire deep below ground. Their holy books are passed orally with their lessons found not in the words but in the emotions of the heart. One nameless Material God, who the Nyx simply refer to as the Maiden, appears to be the most active. Scholars have documented many stories of this god appearing randomly, providing aid, and then vanishing as quickly as she appeared.

War for Sovereignty

As of 713 AR, the Nyx are engaged in war with both the Eshai Caliphate and Kar-Thonis. They are attempting to reclaim old territorial lands while righting ancestral wrongs. The Signoria has made better progress against Kar-Thonis as they’ve surged out of the Pallid Desert destroying small forts and villages. Eshai, specifically the Bank of Salt, has posed a greater threat to the Nyx. Their Gold Swords, while poorly trained, are well funded and organized behind the scenes. The Nyx routinely find themselves outmaneuvered and forced to rely on superior technique to win the day. Yet, with each passing battle, the Gold Swords grow in their capabilities.

Culture

Being the first inhabitants of the Dark Ring, the Sabian culture has evolved into something all its own. With limited influence from the other Rings, the Sabians are often looked at as alien to the others on the Dark Ring. In reality, the Sabians know, the other nations are the aliens.

Sabian People

The Signoria of the Nyx really encompasses all the Sabian people. Sabians are the native born of the Dark Ring who embrace the nature of the Ring, its connection to low magic, and seek to live in harmony with its natural cycles according to the Signoria. Many scholars understand it is a blanket term for the citizens of the nation and is probably rooted in a tribalistic mindset. There was once a time when the Signoria petitioned other towns, cities, and even nations to join the Sabian people but they were rebuffed. Now the Signoria does not ask. Their empathy and patience only extends so far.

Beneath the Sands

Traditionally, the Sabian people have made their homes underground. It is more resistant to the intense cold that a night on the Dark Ring brings. Additionally, Mind Flayers have a significantly harder time assaulting a well defended set of warrens than a lone town sitting isolated on the surface. This is why the Sabians cannot understand why the other nations insist on keeping their settlements above ground.

Over the centuries the Nyx have perfected living below ground. Their intricate, uniform, tunnel systems have been known to easily support upwards of ten-thousand individuals while being unobserved on the surface. The city of Mo’ack was only discovered by the other nations on the Dark Ring in 640 AR when it already contained sixty-thousand citizens. This caused a slight panic as the other countries began to worry about whether there were more hidden cities they did not know about under their feet.

Sai and Kunai

The Nyx adopted the sai and kunai during their wars against the Ruvor and the Arnyr. A sai’s defensive capabilities paired with their lethal quickness made them the ideal weapons for cutting through the Ruvor in their tunnels underground. On the other hand, the kunai were perfect for picking off the Arnyr as they flew above the battlefield. To this day the Nyx still revere their ancient weapons, further iterating on their old techniques as they have clashed with mind flayers and other races.

Custom Item: The Sai

Name	Cost	Damage	Weight	Properties
Sai	15 gp	1d4 piercing	1 lb	Finesse, Light, Special

Special. While wielding the sai, you gain an extra +1 to your AC.

Language Barrier

The Signoria often encounters a language barrier when interacting with other groups. Common is not spoken in Signoria nor abyssal, infernal, elvish, or undercommon. This is partially due to the fact the Nyx cannot speak common and do not want to speak the other languages. According to the Signoria’s chronicle, common as a language was a gift from Sin. The High God gave it to the sentient races as a poisoned gift. He wove within the language malicious words and concepts designed to sow discord. Since the Nyx unlinked themselves from the corruption of Sin, they cannot speak common without growing incredibly ill. Other Sabians, out of principle, do not use common or the other languages. However, due to the language barrier, they have a hard time explaining why to the other nations.

With the very words necessary being fraught with Sin’s influence combined with active aggression against Signoria, the Sabian people have stopped attempting to warn others. They simply do not speak the language and live with the barrier.

Burning the Dead

Unlike other cultures on the Dark Ring, the Sabian do not mummify their dead. Instead they burn their dead leaving not one bone remaining. While the Sabian people believe in the Day of Final Mourning, they see it as an apocalypse. The idea of the dead walking again reminds them of old wars. Nyx in particular see the souls being trapped within their bodies again, taken away from paradise, as terrifying. Therefore they destroy the bodies of their loved ones after death to prevent this.

Stolen Design

It was actually the Nyx who made the first Astral Lighthouse design. They built the first 2000 years ago to chase the Arnyr through space. It was destroyed by war. Copied. The other nations of the Dark Ring keep stealing the material the Nyx need to make another.

When the Arnyr fled into the stars, the Nyx worked tirelessly to find a way to chase after their old enemies. Eventually the surviving Nyx were able to construct the first Astral Lighthouse. This lighthouse was small, capable of only launching small ships beyond the Rings, but it was enough to send the first Astral Ships to chase the Arnyr.

However, over the years, the lighthouse fell into disrepair after many mind flayer attacks. Yet the plans remained. Travelers from the Prime Ring stole the plans and eventually copied them to create the first Astral Lighthouse on the Prime Ring.

Since then the Nyx have wanted to build more Astral Lighthouses but consistent encroachment from other nations have made it difficult. The lands of the Eshai Caliphate are rich with the necessary materials needed to build Astral Lighthouses. These resources, which the Sabians believe to be rightfully theirs, are not sold to the Signoria. Thus, the creators of the Astral Lighthouse design cannot build one for themselves.

Survivors

At the core of the Sabian society is the fact they are survivors. No matter how bleak the situation, they always fight to live. They have a motto: krach tak zy. In common, the phrase roughly translates to “just live baby.” In times of great struggle it is a rallying cry for all the Sabian people. As long as they live everything will be fine.

The Signoria

Everything in this section is speculation on the part of scholars over the past three-hundred years. The Sabians call their government a Signoria. It is a de facto governing body according to them but its actual functioning mechanics remain a mystery.

Possible Monarch

There might be a monarch as part of the Signoria.

Signoria

Scholars have worked out that the Signoria is a governing body resembling a Senate. The leading theory is that the Signoria creates laws and edicts which are followed by the rest of the nation. Whether or not the people within the Signoria are elected is hotly contested. This led to the Great Brawl of the Beards in 689 AR as eighty-two professors at the Siyar of Knowledge in Daratu engaged in a fist fight over this topic. Nobody was killed but Professor Amut Alshood got his nose broken by Professor Kathy Plucker. They would eventually be married in 693 AR which gives this story a happy ending but does explain the inner workings of the Signoria at all! Perhaps one of the five Alshood-Plucker children can solve this mystery.

United Against the Invaders

While there is room for many political parties in the Signoria there appears to be only one party in power as of 713 AR: the Terul. They stand on a platform of reclaiming old Sabian land while driving out the invaders. However, rumors say that a second party, the Oniem, is beginning to gain power.

The Oniem want peace on the Dark Ring. They believe that the centuries of war have stunted the development of the Sabian people. While they hold no active positions, the Oniem have begun to negotiate with Doud and the displaced Hyksosians.

Eld

On the edge between the Pallid Desert and the Red Forest lies Eld. Sitting above the Lake of Tears, this is the only above ground city within the Signoria. The Sabians agree it is the nerve center of their nation but, to the surprise of scholars, the Nyx say their heart is elsewhere.

Capital City

Eld is likely the capital city of the Signoria. They have not confirmed or denied this to scholars. However, diplomats are received in Eld which is the only clue outsiders have to it most likely being the capital.

Lake of Tears

Stories told by the Nyx say that after the defeat of the Ruvor and the retreat of the Arnyr, the Nyx looked upon their dead. The destruction was so vast, so unending, that they wept for days. These tears created the lake that Eld is built next to. While scholars believe this to only be legend, the Sabian people are adamant that this really occurred.

The Chronicle and the Chronicler

In the Eld, beneath a pyramid plated with silver and adored with carvings of the past, lies the Chronicle. This ancient series of books details the history of the Nyx from before the wars with the Titan races. The Nyx have maintained the Chronicle ever since, documenting the happenings of the world as they occurred for them. It is how they remember when others have forgotten.

A Chronicler and their apprentice live inside the pyramid at all times. It is their life’s work to write the true history of the Nyx. So far the line has been unbroken for more than four-thousand years.

Edge of the Red

North of Eld lies the Red Forest. Standing at the edge of the forest allows Eld and its inhabitants to harvest the wood from trees. However, the roving tabaxi that live within the forest make for dangerous work. It is unknown how many Sabians lose their lives each year to tabaxi attacks.

Pallid Cities

The cities within the Pallid Desert, known as the pallid cities, were the majority of Signoria land before Hyksos fell in the war. However, despite massive swaths of land being added in the last century, the Pallid cities remain the bedrock of the Signoria.

Uninvadable

No army has ever successfully attacked and held a pallid city. This is because the Sadians do not fight. They simply enter the tunnel systems around their city, collapse the way behind them, and then leave. Invading forces must dig their way into the city only to realize that it is abandoned. Many leave the abandoned city after destroying it. Others attempt to hold the city only for the Nyx to burrow inside in the night and launch a surprise attack.

The best example of this is when the Nomarch Rahem Sadek led an army of ten-thousand Karians into Neath. They took the city without incident and set up encampments. Three days later a terrible sandstorm blew through the area causing them to be unable to escape the catacombs. The sandstorm, known now as the Grim Gale, broke after two days. When it did, a little more than three thousand beleaguered Karians ran from Neath. Over those three days the Nyx tore through their defenses and made the streets of Neath run red with Karian blood. Many agree that if the storm hadn’t broken that day, the Karians would have been wiped out by the next morning.

It is for this reason that despite their exposed nature, the other nations around the Sea of Screams refuse to attack the pallid cities.

Mo’ack

This recently discovered city is home to sixty-thousand people. From reports, Mo’ack specializes in food production. They have vast underground farming tunnels that help to feed the rest of the Sadian people.

Neath

Site of the greatest massacre in Kar-Thonis history, Neath is the military might of the Sadians to the South. They launch attacks on Kar-Thonis from their tunnels that spiral from their central hub. There might be a thriving smithing economy in Neath but those reports are without evidence to validate the testimony.

Chepstow

The furthest city to the East that is known to scholars, Chepstow is thought to be a large trading hub for other Signoria towns beyond the Sea of Screams. This might also be a religious center for the Nyx as some speak of temples within the city’s tunnels.

Hyksos Provinces

Brecon

The transition from Hyksos to Signoria rule has not always been the smoothest. Brecons were forced to stop speaking common and instead many switched to dwarvish. There were also a few cultural hurdles to overcome with the Sadians, like the burning of the dead. However, over the past few decades, Brecon has been assimilated into the Signoria.

Now most Brecons do not want to go back to Hyksosian rule. They pay fewer taxes, are afforded more freedoms, and the Sadians happily allow them to worship any gods they choose. However, more importantly, the Nyx greatly fear the mind flayers and set to work building a better series of defenses against mind flayer raids.

During some attempts to invade Brecon by the Kar-Thonians, native Brecons helped engage in the city’s defenses. They were crucial in holding the main gate during the second battle of Brecon in 698 AR. It is likely that Brecon is happy to stay within Sadian influence.

Halkyn

Once the Zahran Dynasty managed the city of Halkyn. The sister city of Zosul was a trading hub, milling station, and ore refinery. When the city fell to the Signoria, its ports were closed. However, with new trade routes across the Signoria opened, Halkyn is now bigger than ever.

The average observer would not know this because many of the trading routes run underground before popping up near Brecon or Dark Burrow. This limits the amount of time merchants must move across open ground which is subject to weather delays, bandits, or mind flayer raids.

Dark Burrow

This city was once an old Hyksosian fort at the edge of the Red Forest. However, once the Signoria took control of it, they realized it could be used as a trading stop from Halkyn to Eld and the greater Signoria. Dark Burrow is now the fastest growing city in the Signoria with more than a mile of new tunnel being dug every day.

Outpost Cities

Before the rise of the caliphate, the creation of Kar-Thonis, and the tyranny of Soris and the Qis, the Signoria controlled almost the entirety of the land around the Sea of Screams. Most of that land has been lost but there are a few remnants of the old empire that remain. These are the outpost cities. They stand alone, isolated, against the other nations. However despite the immense pressure put upon them, they have not fallen.

Quay

Sitting at the mouth of two tributary rivers to the Sea of Screams is Quay. The city sits below a massive five pyramids that reside on a tiny peninsula below the Veld Gale mountains. From observation it appears like the people of Quay tend the rivers. They keep the rivers flowing, maintain their ecosystem, and sometimes fish them. Quay shows no intentions of expansion or violence. Qis sees little problem with their existence and offered a peace treaty in 544 AR. Quay did not respond to the treaty however that has not changed Qis’ peaceful policy.

Wrexim

Nestled into the mountains of the Veld Gale is the fortress of Wrexim. Home to twenty-thousand Nyx, Wrexim is a hermit kingdom. The Nyx bore into the mountains, extract vast quantities of natural resources, and keep to themselves. Sometimes they hunt the creatures south of Bakar for food. However, the Eshai Caliphate has never tried to attack Wrexim. Its defenses rival those of any fortress on the Dark Ring. Any operation would result in the loss of thousands of soldiers and the near destruction of the fortress.

Erb

Erb guards the Nasr Pass which leads to the Ash Desert and the City of Bones. The people of Erb are the guardians of this pass. Any group that attempts to make their way through is attacked or taken prisoner. As of yet, there has been no documented conflict between Erb and the Doud.

Eastern Wilds

Little is known about the Eastern Wilds as no scholar has ever ventured that far into the Pallid Desert. The Sadians discuss a vast country with countless cities beyond. Astral Ships have attempted to sail over the desert but have all not returned. Wreckage near Chepstow showed massive bite marks along the hull of a ship called the Phoenix’s Wake. Many believe the skies over the Eastern Wilds to be dangerous. With so many explorers having gone missing, many have judged the Eastern Wilds not worth the effort of exploration. There is obviously nothing out in the Eastern Wilds worth dying for.

Doud, the City of Bones [needs updating]

Once home to Fenrir the Invincible, the City of Bones was once located on the Prime Ring. Teleported to the Dark Ring after it became a swarming hive of undead, Doud is now a scar on the surface of its new home. With buildings made of femurs and swirling with dark magic, woe be to any traveler who loses their way in the Desert of Ash and comes too close to Fenrir’s domain.

History

A terrible necromancer named Fenrir was killed in a great battle in the region that would one day become Doz. For decades he had been posing as a regular person beneath the unsuspecting eyes of the Genasi who ruled the land. When the Genasi learned that Fenrir was a practitioner of low magic and that he was spreading his knowledge to other races, they attacked. The Genasi burnt and pillaged the surrounding villages, killing any allies of Fenrir they could find. In the end, the final straw came when the Genasi destroyed a small medusai village and slew Fenrir’s beloved medusai partner, Asphyxia.

Her death sent Fenrir into a rage. From that moment he fought any Genasi that he could find. The necromancer swore war and vengeance upon all the Genasi. He said that the gods themselves would burn for the crimes of their chosen race. Eventually Fenrir, exhausted from constant fighting, was defeated. He was executed in the city square before thousands of people.

Upon his death, his body was buried beneath the city of Tramidoz. However, his body was so filled with low magic, undead for miles rose under his command from beyond the grave. Fenrir reanimated then annihilated the city and turned it into a kingdom of the dead. This is the City of Bones.

As Fenrir’s power grew the Genasi realized they could not stop the mad necromancer. Instead a group of powerful druids unite their powers and abilities. They gathered a book, The Vault of Echoing Scales, brought to them by the dwarven monks of the local monastery. At the cost of releasing Hysma’zym’tererrock, a powerful proxy of the Titan of Echoing Scales, the progenitor of the Slaad, the Druids teleported the city of Tramidoz. By random chance the city crashed into the Desert of Ash on the Dark Ring.

Upon arriving, Fenrir changed the city’s name to that of Doud. In elder ubaric, the symbol of Doud represents a spider and its web. Many ancient builders used it to single trapped buildings or haunted tombs that travelers should not enter.

Since that fateful day hundreds of years ago, the City of Bones has remained in the Desert of Ash. It has grown in the wasteland, adding any travelers who wander past to its undead hordes, and followed the will of Fenrir.

Fenrir

Many believe that Fenrir rose from the dead due to him being so full of low magic. This is only partially true. In actuality, Fenrir used his great powers to defeat one of the five Aether Eaters, Calamity the Merciless Wolf. The fourth child of Xix and Zolona began to wreak havoc upon the peoples of the Prime Ring. With the Genasi, the gods, and their Saints being unwilling to fight Calamity, Fenrir decided to duel the beast himself.

Many thought defeating Calamity was impossible. Calamity was the size of a mountain with jaws that could crush adamantine. Being a child of a titan, Calamity was immortal and not able to die since Death possessed no power over him. It was an impossible challenge. Yet, using ancient techniques, Fenrir combined primordial magic and low magic to shatter Calamity and merge the wolf’s spirit with his own.

For the rest of his days, Fenrir dedicated himself to learning more about the Aether Eaters as he would attempt to seal each one. However, Calamity’s spirit was in constant danger of taking control. He retreated to live with the medusai and teach them about magic. It was his goal to spend the remainder of his life in peace.

However, one day during an attack from Slaad on the Genasi, Fenrir used his powers to save the Genasi army from certain defeat. This revealed himself as a reviled low magic mage. What came next is a known story.

What is unknown is what happened after Fenrir’s death. Since the spirit of Calamity was inside Fenrir, it kicked and thrashed against the cold embrace of death. Originally, it was Fenrir’s intent to drag all the Aether Eaters to the High God when he died. But there was vengeance to be had. At the crossroads between life and death, Fenrir confronted Calamity and Death itself. Fenrir asked for his beloved and all the souls of the fallen to be returned in exchange for Calamity. Death refused Fenrir’s offer saying that his tithe was non-negotiable. He would not make a deal with Fenrir no matter what. It was Death’s nature to be absolute.

Next Fenrir asked Calamity what he would provide. The Merciless Wolf said he could bring Asphyxia back from the brink of death and allow Fenrir to exact his vengeance. Calamity promised Fenrir power unlike anything the necromancer could ever imagine. But Fenrir was not a fool. He knew that no mortal could remain sane when faced with the madness of the titans. What would come next was bloodshed that the mage would not be able to control. Therefore, Fenrir requested one-hundred tombs be built and packed with those killed by the Genasi. If he regained his consciousness or was killed, the tombs would open and allow his loved ones to go free. Until that time, those of titan blood would never be able to cross the threshold or harm the people inside. Calamity agreed to this and the deal was struck.

Asphyxia and the other fallen were revived before their bodies were placed within chrysalises. The tombs were sealed as Fenrir rose. His mind was warped by Calamity’s power as the undead began to walk the Prime Ring. Now mad, Fenrir commanded them to slaughter the Genasi. He adopted the mission of the titans to wipe out the protectors of the Prime Ring. Eventually the mage would have succeeded if the power of the titans wouldn’t have been turned against him.

Now Fenrir sits on the Dark Ring in his palace of bones waiting. His mind is fractured between the man he was and the monster he has become. This stalemate in his mind keeps him idle. If provoked the necromancer will attack, Calamity’s nature coming to bear, but that is infrequent. However, with each passing decade, Fenrir descends further and further into darkness. He will eventually merge with Calamity completely and become an Aether Eater with unrivaled power. When this happens Fenrir will launch forth from Doud and begin his mission to destroy every last remnant of the Genasi, their gods, and the power they protected.

Marching Dead

Doud has expanded since it was teleported into the Desert of Ash. Fenrir has constructed great towers made of rock and bone. The streets of the city are filled with skeletons, their flesh long having rotten away, as they continue building their legions. Divination experts who have often spied on the city estimate there are between two-hundred and four-hundred thousand undead within the city. Their numbers dwarf any other army found on the Dark Ring. It is often thought that if Doud’s dead began to march to war that every nation around the Sea of Screams would need to unite to survive.

Sometimes the sky around Doud will flash with color. Fenrir has woven deep magic into the land causing any person who dies near Doud to immediately revive as two separate undead. The body becomes a zombie, which is added to the endless hordes, as the soul becomes a specter, ghost, or wraith. For every fallen mortal, Doud gains two more to its number.

The Cork

The location of the city is actually no accident. When druids used the power of the titans to send Fenrir away, it was the titans who allowed the action to occur. The City of Bones sits on a device called the Cork. This device, created by the Nyx, is designed to drain the Sea of Screams within hours. For the moment both Fenrir and Calamity wish to keep water within the sea. However, should this alliance within the mage falter, it is unknown how long Fenrir can keep the will of the wolf at bay.

Tower of the Twisted Staff

Over the millennia, Fenrir completed his magnum opus: the Tower of the Twisted Staff. This tower stands a quarter of a mile tall and is made out of bone. At the top of this power is a device which siphons the magical energy of the Dark Ring. Using the power contained within the tower, a mage can perform incredible feats of low magic. They can create new spells, forge legendary items, and even bend aether itself. Any novice mage can wield the power of a lich with the tower under their control.