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Krusad is a somewhat desolate land known for
its rich deposits of red sands that hide under the usual amber colored
sand. A bulk of the sands that make up
the colored in series of red. From
bright red of the sand near the rivers to the dull reddish brown closer to the
mountains. It may not look like it, but it is a rich land. Close to the mountains the sand is made up of
iron ore, the red becoming rust. Along
the rivers, rich veins of hematite and corundum. Because of the riches are heavier than the
normal sands that blow in the region, often the rich deposits are lost only to
be found again when the wind blows. It
is hot, the temperatures can range up a hundred and forty degrees during the
day and freezing at night. Krusad is
known for their amazing steel of their weapons, their incredible glassworks and
their use of slaves to create their incredible domes that they use on all of
their major buildings. The domes are
white and the color white appears in the sheer, white cloaks that are prevalent
to keep the sun off during the day and keep a body warm at night.
Krusad is ruled by a
mighty Caliphar Saik, Penwar saik'Amelhute. The most powerful wizard, he controls the
rivers from the coastal city of Bagrhamdi,
the largest city in Krusad. He rules the
other cities that lie long the coast and up the Elin'sora
River with armies that mainly consist of
light cavalry mounted on war camels, archers and mounted giant vultures. The most fearsome of the Krusad troops
however are his Elementals. Around two-hundred years ago, there was the
wizard by the name of Elhian Amelhute. Looking around he foresaw the destruction of
the Nerath Empire. Already there was fighting among the Empire
that extended into Krusad. Elhain and
all the wizards in the court of Aklar saik'Rama,
struggled with the problem to keep Krusad safe.
Through great efforts he battled and bound the four great genies of the Elemental Saiks inside four magic rings of Elemental Command. Using the Elemental Saiks, he would be able
to stave off the destruction that was facing Nerath and the entirety of the two
continents. He returned the Bagrhamdi to
coo about his success for Krusad would be safe with the four great Elemental
Saiks at his side. He returned to find
Bagrhamdi in a civil war for saik'Rama was dead. Dead for a week along with his entire family
of two-hundred thirty six men, woman and children. There were nine pretenders to the
throne. The damage that he feared, the
destruction of Nerath had come to Krusadi shores. It was then that he could hear the genies
laughing at him. One genie, the efreet Paas saik'al-Khatan, whispered something else
in his ears. Why not take control and
become a Saik himself. The Caliphar Saik
and save Krusad. That is what he
did. Along with efreet, the dao Gemmolad saik'al-Remlah, the djinn Veriti saik'al-Quarash and the marid Jurjun saik'al-Faroush, the took the Red Cathedra of Krusad himself. They brought forth their mighty genasi legions from the elemental plains and
placed them under Elhian's control, all bound to the rings that once bound
them. Their vows kept, they were
freed. All except for Paas. He saw an opportunity and a new deal was
struck. He would keep supplying him with
troops and all it would cost him is ten-thousand gold, a thousand slaves and a
child of his line every ten years. Paas
would supply Elhian additional genasi troops, salamanders
and elementals. Elhian was no fool and insisted on a hostage of Paas' own line. Pass gave to him his most trusted daughter, Arosha
al-Khatan. She was not a mere
hostage, but soon became one of Elhian's most trusted generals. Penwar keeps the Ring of Fire Elemental Command, but offers the other three to
his most trusted generals. The magic
ring gives him the ability to control even the efreet's daughter. The Ring of
Water Elemental Command belongs to Saif
el-Idrid, the Admiral of Krusad's small but potent navy. Saif is a tall and handsome man of middle
years with a well-maintained mustache and beard. He usually goes about shirtless and is the
envy of men and the fantasy of women. He
is happily married however. The Ring of Earth Elemental Command is given to
the earth genasi General Marük, a
dragonborn warrior who guards the western borders along the Lavacrown Mountains with his genasi and
Krusadi legions. Loyal to the Caliphar
Saik and keeps the borders well-guarded from aarakocra
wingraiders, halfling headhunters from The Jungles of Tanno and bandits in the
lowlands. The Ring if Air Elemental Command was given to the halfling woman General Kaih Skygreen el-Maan. She leads the Vata
with arrow and lance from atop hippogriffs.
She is totally free atop her mount, raining death upon the sands. Of the generals that command the rings, Kaih
has been contacted by her elemental patron.
Veriti has been watching and she is saddened by the deal they have
struck two-hundred years ago when she gave up control of her legions to a man
clearly listening to machinations of Paas.
She has asked Kaih to keep watch and try to determine what Paas is up
to. Whether Kiah does as Veriti asks is
another question. What Paas is doing is
setting up his own dynasty to take over Krusad if and when he line of
saik'Amelhute would die out, become weak or fail. He has been siring children with the scions
of Amelhute and keeping meticulous records of the deeds. Penwar suspects something though and has
elven wives and countless children. He
is a powerful wizard like his predecessor and plays a game of cat and mouse with
Paas for the control of Krusad. Veriti
suspects something and is trying to prepare for the coming civil war.
Ever since the pact
Elhian made with the genies over two centuries ago, the study of the elements
have gone more mainstream in the wizarding realm. There are four great wizards, each
specializing in a particular element. Josol el-Marik leads the fire mages in
Bagrhamdi. Fire has become very
important to the Krusadi and to be taken in by el-Marik is a badge of great
honor, even if he is a pompous ass. As
such, he is enchanted by Arosha al-Khatan and would do just about anything for
her. The water mages are led by water
genasi by the name of Dulcina the Undine. Their school is located on a series of barges
on the Elin'sora River and floats up or down stream as dictated by
Dulcina. She is beautiful but a little
vapid when it comes to matters that do not deal with her pleasure. Grombur,
just Grombur is a short, squat man, more akin to a dwarf than a man. With an oiled mustache and beard, he is
always covered in soot and rock dust.
Besides being a master wizard, he is also the administrator of the town
and penal colony of Kumata'sor, the
seeming endless deposits of the red sand and iron ore that lies in Lavacrown
Mountains. He is a cruel master but
should he take you on, you can be assured a first rate education in earth
magic. The penal colony has prisoners
enough for experimentation. Finally, the
master of air magic is a man not much older than a boy by the name of Ishra.
He became high wizard at the behest of the djinn and while he lacks
power now, the djinn who guard him expect great things of him. His school is located near the city Dol'alor the last city along the Elin'sora
River before it turns to a series of rapids that last for twenty miles before
it runs into a waterfall. The Steps to Heaven are a series of seven
earth motes that go up into the sky.
They are the real floating garden as green cascades down along with the
water gated in, that keeps it so verdant.
Djinn live freely among the Steps, including the Air Saik Viriti. The djinn teach Ishra as well as the air
mages. Dol'alor's mayor is a fat man by
the name of Pashi. Once a (in-)famous desert raider he is now
cowed by the troops of fire genasi from the capital and their leader Vala Firehair, so name for her mane of red hair
looks always to be aflame. Dol'alor is
so far from the capitol, that there is a large collection of fire genasi troops
there.
But Krusad is not a
safe country outside the cities and the verdant grain belt that lies within the
banks of the Elin'sora, it is a blasted wasteland of sand and rock. The merchant caravans that travel the desert
are a brave sort as they face packs of vicious gnoll brigands that patrol the
wastes, sand krakens that live in the
deep desert, demi-human cutthroats that traverse the roads, bands of cyclopes
and the occasional lamia that lives in the various ruins that are uncovered
when the sand dunes shift on the winds.
The various citystates, eleven to be exact, that remain Krusadi, do so
out of fear of the Saik's Elementals.
The marid, Jurjun saik'al-Faroush returned to the ruins of Calispee, a city that sank below the waves
when the Great Earthquake remade the world millennia ago. Gemmolad saik'al-Remlah, the dao, curses the
efreet for his foresightedness an is slowly rebuilding in secret to one day
take over and enslave all of Krusad for the .
He has taken over a rocky plateau in that lies in the deep desert as his
base. The base is a secret as many dao,
elementals and genasi train there in preparation for when they will kill the
line of the Amelhutes. If Paas new about
this, he would probably let Gemmolad go along with his plan. After all, he has near two-hundred years of
Amelhute's heirs to call upon. Of the
sand krakens there are four that live only in the deserts of Krusad. The largest and most cruel one is known as
the Demon of Krusad. Even the elemental saiks fear him for his
regional effects on his lair are huge and can expand to eighteen miles. The Demon of Krusad is very old and very
crafty and extremely powerful and he plots something in the depths of his
cave. The gnoll marauders are crafty
bunch and as such, a constant thorn in the side of the Krusadi military. The most fearsome band is the one that is led
by Vash the Ravenous. Vash is a scrawny gnoll but makes up for
being scrawny in guts and intelligence.
He has one of the largest packs and is looking at attacking one of
cities along the Elin'sora. The greatest
of the lamia is the one they call the Lamia
Queen, Ill'vae'naas. She controls
a magical Crown of the Red Sands, that
lets her control the sand and has built up the ruins of an ancient Krusadi
city.
Besides Bagrhamdi,
Dol'alor and Kumata'sor, Krusad has eight more grand cities and countless
smaller settlements. Kob'kit lies along the shores of the Morning
Sea and is known for the incredible fishing along with the Krusadi navy. There is Theles,
a city that lies in the desert and is a waystation for caravans travelling from
the river cities of Rehket to Kumata'sor
and Su'baki. Mosuul
is another city that lies on the Elin'sora River along the confluence of the Te'hemat River. Along the western cities, besides Kumata'sor
there is the city of Su'baki. That city lies along the top of the Jek Plateau and the Te'hemat River flows over
the cliffs in a large waterfall. It
guards Jek Plateau which is the low-land entrance between Krusad and the Tanno
Jungles. They have a few settlements
along the river that goes into the jungle.
The Crimson Whip, a large slaving
group operates in this area. Tek'reet is desert city that is centered on a
large oasis and is the home to many ruins.
The city is built upon the sand covered ruins of ancient times including
the . The eastern cities of Bondbai is the farthest east and there is Mubassa that is located on the Dry Steppes
when the sand where the sand give way to endless rolling hills. Mubassa is important to the Kruasdi for it is
the only city that lies on the Great Yota
Ocean.
NOTES
- Saik, leader, ruler
- Caliphar Saik, great ruler of Krusad
- el- noble affectation among the mortals
- al- noble affectation among the genies
- Elementalist archetypes for the wizard (coming soon)
- Elementalist archetype for the cleric (coming soon)
- Elementalist archetype for the sorcerer (coming soon)
- Red Sand Steel
- Red Sand Glass
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