Difference between revisions of "Ka'thalar"

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image_map = map_kathalar.gif|
 
image_map = map_kathalar.gif|
 
official_languages = |
 
official_languages = |
capital = Nilah (drow), Ka'Isil (drow), New Nekonia (Palonia) Inan (Reywa)|
+
capital = Nilah (drow)<br>
 +
Ka'Isil (drow)<br>
 +
New Nekonia (Palonia)<br>
 +
Inan (Reywa)|
 
largest_city = Inan (Reywan capitol) |
 
largest_city = Inan (Reywan capitol) |
government_type = Matriarchical theocracy (Lolthite drow), oligarchy (Nikumian drow), monarchy (Reywa), parliamentary monarchy (Palonia) |
+
government_type = Matriarchical theocracy (Lolthite drow)<br>
 +
oligarchy (Nikumian drow)<br>
 +
monarchy (Reywa)<br>
 +
parliamentary monarchy (Palonia) |
 
leader_titles = --|
 
leader_titles = --|
 
leader_names = --|
 
leader_names = --|

Revision as of 12:15, 20 March 2006

--
Expert {{{expert}}}
Flag of Ka'thalar
Flag
Map of Ka'thalar
Capital Nilah (drow)

Ka'Isil (drow)
New Nekonia (Palonia)
Inan (Reywa)

Largest city Inan (Reywan capitol)
Government
--
Matriarchical theocracy (Lolthite drow)

oligarchy (Nikumian drow)
monarchy (Reywa)
parliamentary monarchy (Palonia)
--

Settlement
-- BT
Official Language(s)
Official Religion no official religion; see background
Currency delat (drow); Reywan gil (human surface settlement, Reywa); Lune (non-human surface settlement, Palonia)
Originally created and maintained by Archmage.

Overview

Ka'thalar is a mountainous continent that is home to many species that prefer to live underground. Being the original homeland of the blue-skinned drow that are most common througout Gaera, Ka'thalar's mountains are filled with tunnels, warrens, caverns and underground cities. The sleepy hillsides conceal a menagerie of races and creatures that exist beneath them. Aside from the drow, illithids, grimlocks, gnolls, kobolds, beholders and even nastier creatures have settled, finding permanent or temporary residence deep within the network of caverns.

The above ground portions of Ka'thalar are covered in patches by plains and forests. Here, settlements of humans, wood elves, inujin, nekojin and other non-drow races make up a minority population. Aboveworlders organize themselves into cities and smaller villages or trade outposts, largely ignored by the drow, as the plains are seen to be unfavorable territory--but those who stray too far into the mountains or near the great cavern networks are often lost to the might of the well-organized drow living underground.

Population and Politics

The primary drow capital is located on the northern part of the continent, and is known as Nilah. Nilah is a Lolthite city, meaning that its society is matriarchical and house-based. Most, if not all, female drow in Lolthite societies become priestesses of Lolth (see Jak's overview of drow/Lolthite society). Pockets of Nikumian hate-worshippers exist, with the majority of them being concentrated in the west, and the primary Nikumian city is known as Ka'isil (great moon).

Human and other non-drow settlements primarily exist in the southern part of the continent, on the plains or nearer to the coastline. A large portion of non-drow on Ka'thalar are merchants, explorers, adventurers, refugees, or escaped criminals, most of which come in through the primary port town of Inan (ee-nan). Inan is also the capital city for the province of Reywa, which is largely human-controlled. Other races friendly to humans are generally treated with respect--an elf or inujin wandering the streets of Inan will be treated with as much courtesy as a human. Larger non-human settlements are found slightly farther north--the primary one being New Nekonian, found in the province of Palonia.

Ka'thalarian foreigners number their years, officially, by the Igalan system of B.T. and E.P., in addition to using the Igalan day/month naming system. Drow number their years from when they believe the world began, and use their own day/month system.

Religion

The drow, primarily, as previously mentioned, are Lolthites, with Nikumans organized into pockets. Non-drow peoples of the continent have a wide variety of faiths imported from across Gaera.

Culture

Lolthite culture is matriarchal. The clerics are at the top, with each house being headed up by a noble family. The "family" itself is all female, with males being a very minor part. Any males involved in producing the next generation are usually discarded when the female gets bored. All girls become clerics (except in VERY rare cases), and all males become fighters or wizards. Both are used as assets by the Matron Mother (the one in charge of the house), especially the later.

Also, siblings will happily murder each other to advance themselves. Getting caught blatantly is a bad thing though. Doing it discreetly wins brownie points.

Each house has slaves, soldiers etc. They'd also have some tutors for various things, although official training for drow happens at schools in the city, clerical, martial and arcane.

Besides the noble houses, there are also far less politically important merchant houses. In these, males can rise to the top, even if it is unlikely. They generally tend to escape the tight stranglehold of Lolth that the noble houses are under, although they're still watched carefully. There might also be a council of the top 8 noble houses of Lolth in the city, for the big decisions.

Economy

Ka'thalar's drow cities largely keep to themselves, being as self reliant as possible. Rich mineral resources make it entirely possible for the drow and other races within the mountains to amass large fortunes without ever leaving their homelands. These mineral deposits are, in some places, contested--skirmishes between drow and non-drow are frequent in the southern ends of the mountain ranges, usually over mineral claims. The primary drow currency is the delat, which comes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. Delats are silver coins with numbers stamped on them--their value is determined by their weight. A 100 delat coin is a much larger piece of silver than a 1 delat coin.

The non-human economy is a cosmopolitan mixture of cultures, dealing in both foreign goods and various local specialties, some of which are exported. Skilled craftsmen and merchants alike seek to make a profit in Ka'thalar, peddling their wares to adventurers and explorers. Farmers in the countryside work to provide food for themselves and their families, selling the extras on the side. In addition, large amounts of non-perishable foods are imported. In order to simplify internal trade, the main government in Reywa has issued the Reywan gil, which is modeled after the Doman gil and comes in the same denominations. The largely non-human province of Palonia makes use of the Lune (pronounced "loo-nay"). Lunes are copper, silver, or gold coins with various phases of the moon stamped on their backs--a Cresent Lune is made of copper and is worth 1/8 of a Full Lune, which is made of gold. Quarter Lunes are copper and worth 1/4 of a Full Lune, Half Lunes are made of silver and worth 1/2 of a Full Lune, and Gibbous Lunes are also silver and worth 3/4 of a Full Lune. A Full Lune is worth 20 Reywan gil."

-- Archmage

Druid Population

Tuatha writeup.

-- Kai