Characters looking to peruse the black market of magic goods, spices, and lost lore can find Majirah a welcoming place. It inhabits a realm of desert mysticism that lies mainly untouched by the Celestial Court.
CITIES
Majirah: The capital and major urban point, the grand city of Majirah sits on an oasis. It is overseen by the Shah, KHALID.
The-Bin: A mid-sized town, linked to the city of Cairona via the underground RIGUN PASS. [See Adventure 7).
Rhotas:A small town that raises livestock in the hills of the mountains. The underground cistern was plagued by goblins before the arrival of the party (see Adventure 1).
Mohr-Mer: A temple-city devoted to the teachings of Annayur, the gold dragon (see Adventure 7).
Koso-Mehr: A temple-city devoted to the ways of the silver dragon AMUN-BAL. The party's paladin, ARDESHIR ROUHANI, is from Koso-Mehr.
Garm: The western dwarf citadel.
Adanir: The hidden city of the Elder Elves (see Adventure 11).
DANGEROUS PLACES
Al-Duram: An old trade-city now in ruins. Beneath it lay a spear that RUSTAM took (see Adventure 2).
Nemburu: An old fort-city, it is now the home of the hyena-like KAFTAR peoples. The Kaftar raid desert caravans. (See Creatures: KAFTAR)
Denkri Cataract: A ruin built around a waterfall from the eastern mountains.
Pharat: A temple in the Pharon Woods, Pharat is home to the monkey-sage RAJASARU (see Adventure 2).
GEOGRAPHY
The ASTARA DESERT is surrounded mostly by the tall SACANNO MOUNTAINS, which are fairly steep and treacherous (see adventures 8-11).
The northern range, around Garm, houses an old citadel called GHABRIN, where AMUN-BAL, the silver dragon, reigns. Deep underdark caverns lead to ruins of the Second Age, and some go even into the SCAR, which was created when the best LEVIATHAN was killed.
POLITICS
SHAH KHALID rules over Majirah, taking council with the various sheiks of the tribes who subsist in the desert. Three Emirs also help run the districts of Majirah, acting as a city council of sorts.
Organized groups, called tanzims, act as guilds and organizations to oversee other elements of the city. Some tanzims are good or innocuous (like the Gardening tanzim, or the Librarian tanzim), while many more are gangs that work in the shadows of the city. These tanzims are often made up of bandits and thieves who operate organized crime and "down-to-earth" protection of the people and city.
RELIGION
Much of Majirah still follows its Old Ways, an animistic tradition around the life of the desert and unhindered by interference from the Celestial Court.
Temples to Phoenos, El-Ahrairah, and Zu are mainstays in the peoples' lives, who view prayers to each spirit as necessary depending on the situation. Most often the gods of the Fox and Tabin are seen as cults, operating in the darker corners of the city. Buud especially is seen as taboo, given his prominence with the Kaftar.
THE UNDERGROUND
Much of Majirah is in the shade: tanzims help coordinate and move goods to and from the city, and a black market has sprung from this. Called the SINDHURIS, the "Goods-River," the black market is a staple for those wishing to find rare or secretive items or works.
Rumor and bribery run amok among the tanzims who operate in this underground world, and it is said even the Shah has sources within the underworld to help maintain his stake in the information and secrecy that exists beneath Majirah's main streets.
No comments:
Post a Comment