Sunken Taymora
by Senarch from Threshold Magazine issue 31 "1750 BC: After many years of war between those who had remained loyal to Nyx and those who had turned to the ways of Thanatos (a battle between nosferatu and vampires), the core of the Taymoran Empire sinks beneath the waves. Geological disasters—volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, enhanced by the massive magical energies invoked by the warring sorcerers—sink most of the remaining Taymoran lands into the sea, and splinter off much of the rest south of the modern-day Five Shires and the Atruaghin Clans.This cataclysm marks the end of the Taymoran culture."
—Taymora Land of the Dead by Giampaolo Agosta from THRESHOLD Magazine issue #12
Little is known of Taymora and its fall by most of the peoples around the Sunlit Sea. The elves have stories, and scholars and wizards have an interest, ranging from the purely academic to the thirst for power and immortal life. On land Taymoran ruins are either still firmly buried, or long-plundered, and few adventurers are also historians and archeologists, many being more concerned with loot than the lives of the now-robbed dead. Under the waters the story is quite different. Taymoran ruins litter the seafloor, from villages to cities, arranged around a central conical tower or set of towers. It is often these towers that remain, ugly fingers of stone clawing at the waters. The ruins are mostly infested with undead, and the inhabitants of Undersea know to avoid them; though the waters, like the surface, have their share of adventurers who seek riches or the powerful items which the larger ruins often hold. Overall, the opinions of the inhabitants of the Sunlit Seas can be summarised thus:
"Yes, yes, the fall of Ta-moree we know. Humans blow up their cities and the land, make them sink, make shallow sunlit sea, our home, stupid surface-dwellers. Their poison still harms our home. Stay away from those ruins, you idiots, danger and death only, there. Those in our waters we guard, horror lurks within. Bad, bad, now go away."
—Guthk' Kssk' Nakarr, Kna Shaman
On the surface, there is one source of knowledge on Taymora, one great summation, to be found, though very few know of it...
The Map and the Book
The "Mad Ylari" Abdel ibn Hakim Alzrudha was a little-known scholar whose two main works are now highly sought after. These were Behemoths and sea monsters of the Sunlit Sea, a commission for a rich patron and keen seafarer from Darokin, and the legendary and dread tome The Book of the Dead. While several copies of Behemoths can be found in Darokin, Glantri and Ylaruam, no trace remains of the Book of the Dead, though it is bloodily hunted by necromancers and cultists. A large book with a cover said to be made of blackened human skin, it was purported to be the definitive study of ancient Taymora, its necromantic practices and other dark magics, the cults of Tanyt (Nyx) and Sarrattalu (Thanatos), and the devastating wars that brought on the Cataclysm. The horrors contained therein were said to have driven many of its readers mad.
Some scholars consider these stories to be much exaggerated, since contemporary accounts describe Abdel as an affable and confused little man, with a knack for getting people to tell him stories. Nonetheless Behemoths would indicate he was a competent and thorough scholar, as well as a passable dabbler in magic. All that can be said for certain is that Abdel and his brother Faisal travelled extensively in the known world and the Sunlit Sea, researching for their works. That is, until the brutal dismemberment of Abdel in a hovel near the docks of Athenos, and the subsequent complete disappearance of Faisal a few days later.
Of particular interest to scholars and treasure hunters is the rumoured Map of Sunken Taymora, which Abdel was working on before his murder. Said to be uncannily accurate, if found it would open the door to the vast treasures of ancient Taymora to its fortunate owner. It is said by some that the key to the map is to find Abdel's diary, which has been quoted in other minor works, but which is also lost. Others claim that it is the trail of Faisal that must be followed. Most consider these mad, and likely to find only deeper madness and death if they follow this road of inquiry.
The Sunken Cities
"By the Abyss Tamoraz the mightiest of cities lies,
In its dark deep waters only dread abides."
—From a pamphlet on the rumoured sea elves and their legends.
Tamoraz was the primary city-state of the Taymoran Empire, and home to the oldest of the nosferatu sorcerer kings. The city is slowly collapsing into the Abyss and is in the hunting grounds of a kraken. It was once known for its vast libraries and archives, and advanced magical knowledge. The ruins may well contain some of the most powerful magical artefacts and secrets of the Taymoran civilization but remains, as far as anyone knows, undiscovered. As well as the kraken's occasional visits, it is infested by undead and devilfish.
"Great was the palace of Colhador, tallest of the towers of Taymora,
Riches incalculable its treasure stores contained."
—Fragment from a lost historical text found in a Darokinian library.
Colhador was once a prosperous and mighty city. It was known for the significant number of Albarendi living within its walls, whose descendants now inhabit Utter Island nearby. Half of it now lies scattered on the seabed, empty except for some sea life, and the rest has fallen off the sea-shelf to destruction. The palace of Colhador still stands, and the velya Hadric1 now resides in an undercity lair, accessible through the well of Hador.
"I bought five gladiators in Hushu and was not disappointed, though Arz Abulon is a wicked and shrewd bargainer; he charged an outrageous..."
—Clay tablet fragment from a Glantrian museum.
Hushu was a small city-state with a population of around 8,000. It was known for its thriving markets and trade due to being placed in the quadrant including Tamoraz, Gader, and Sutzi. It now lies halfway down the terraces amongst mountains and broken lands, known to, but avoided by, the sea giants.
"Blessed Barummi at rivers' meet, how I have loved thy waterways,
Long summer evenings spent with my love..."
—From a poem among the scrolls of the wizard Gygar, gifted to the bard Valiar and found inside his last surviving book in the library of the Patriarch of Threshold.
Barumini was a major city with a population of 9,000. Its ruins have mostly been covered by coral and are home to a small community of sea elves. There are still some structures that can be explored, but the ruins have been plundered by treasure hunters due to the relative proximity to Ierendi, Minrothad and Karameikos and the shallow depths within which they lie. The elves discreetly guard some of the more dangerous or unexplored structures.
"Sulqi on the lake has the best freshwater fish markets in Taymora"
—Graffiti in the ruins of Tursh, translated by the elven sage Galathran, memoirs of Sir Kratos, Thyatian adventurer, who transcribed it because he found it amusing in its blandness and failure to point to treasure.
Sulqi was a city-state with a population of around 7,000. It was a major centre for the fishing industry and was known for its distinctive fishing boats. The nosferatu Sorcerer here was very powerful, and his enemies banded together to destroy him in the days before the Cataclysm. It is said the city burned with magical purple fire for three days, before the ground began to shake, and the sea swallowed it. Its secrets are jealously guarded by the kna, who make sure no interlopers come near the ruins. Whatever magical atrocity occurred, it has left flora and fauna mutated, and even before one gets to whatever abominations lie within, the waters and seabed around the city are plagued by oozes, jellies, and slimes.
"Suthus, oh Suthus, how the seas echo with its song"
—Statement to Abdel by a triton met off the coast of Utter Island.
Sutzu is now the triton city of Suthus2, built from the coral accumulated over the ruins long ago. The tritons are mostly unaware of what might still lie under their city, though rare construction work at the city's base sometimes uncovers passageways that are quickly filled in and forgotten.
"On the third day the fleet of Bythia arrived, routing the already harassed fleet of the necromancer king of Amarshish, ending the sixth war and placing the defender under the yoke of Bythia for a hundred years"
—Inscription accompanying a fresco, from a ruined shrine in the volcanic heights of Roister Island.
Bythia was a city-state with a population of around 8,500, and was known for its military harbour and vast fleet. Little is known of the state of its ruins due to the proximity of large numbers of shark-kin and the dangers of the waters.
"I have still found nothing on Tzur or the House of Sethlanis, it is unbelievably frustrating. Also, I am sick and stupid and hate everything and everyone today."
—Abdel, letter to Faisal.
Tzur, centre of the bronzesmith caste, had a population of 6,750. Little is known of it except its proximity to the religious centre called the House of Sethlanis, the location of which remains lost. It is possible both were destroyed by volcanic activity caused by dark magic during the cataclysm, but few but perhaps the kopru would know.
"Do not speak of Sarroch the holy city again, human, for I like you and don't want to have to eat you."
—Spoken by a lizardman chieftain, diary of Abdel.
Sarroch was a city-state with a population of around 8,500. It was once home to a significant population of lizardmen, whose descendants still sing of the city. The ruins of Sarroch are mostly covered by sand, but there are still structures that can be explored. It is one of the few ruined cities that was close enough to land to ensure that rumours of it, and the powerful artefacts and treasures buried there, were frequent and relatively well known. The lizardmen of the southern Malpheggi Swamp, who dive there for religious reasons, as well as the tortles of the Tortles Tears, who avoid it, are well aware of the city and its dangers. Due to the shallow waters, it has been extensively plundered over the long years, and if anything remains it is buried deep, and remains very dangerous, since it is claimed that the ghosts of Sarroch's former inhabitants still haunt the city, and that sirens are known to sing in the waters around it.
"Serpitaz went to Tarshiz and got the spear-pox!"
—Graffiti in the ruins of Tursh, translated by the elven sage Galathran, memoirs of Sir Kratos, Thyatian adventurer.
Tarshiz was a city-state with a population of around 10,000, and considered a northern backwater by many Taymorans. Nevertheless its necromancer kings were powerful and their armies feared. It was blasted over by great magical explosions nearby during the cataclysm so the ruins of Tarshiz lay covered in a thick layer of sediment, making exploration difficult. Despite its proximity to Karameikos the city has largely been forgotten. The waters around Tarshiz are home to schools of sharks and barracuda.
"Jest not, we still mourn Nan-in-Edhil and the Shrine of Urtni, for our memories are long." —Said to Abdel by an elf in Alfeisle, diary of Abdel.
Nan-in-Edhil was once the forested capital of the southern Sheyallia elves, and part of the Taymoran empire where the elves frequently served as mercenaries. It was famous for its advanced mage-craft and its majestic architecture. The ruins of Nan-in-Edhil lie hidden under vast kelp forests, thriving environments for all kinds of sea-life, and are largely untouched by outsiders. The remnants of the Shrine of their Immortal Urtni are said to be near Alfeisle but are lost in a kelp forest of their own. The Aquarendi sea elves may well know more, but they are most certainly not telling outsiders.
"My lover, the cloak you bought me from the works of Amuraz has made me the envy of the court; I must reward you on your return."
—Love note on a clay tablet, Museum of Glantri.
Amuraz was once a centre of craftsmanship and commerce, particularly well-known for its textiles and clothing and its skilled craftsmen and artisans. It is likely the vast warehouses of goods and the museums filled with the masterworks of great artisans were shattered in the earthquakes, and their fragments swept to sea. Now the ruins of Amuraz have mostly collapsed down the sides of the terraces and are home to giant octopuses and squid.
"If I could only find the library of Amarshish, think of the knowledge, Faisal, think of the gold the astronomers would pay in Ylaruam! Mind you, I doubt a single Taymoran library remains dry, the loss, Faisal, the terrible loss of past civilisations."
—Abdel, letter to Faisal.
"I have grown convinced that the dark man of the sea that my brother wished to meet that fateful night was the vessel or mind-bonded slave of the last unliving Taymoran vampire queen, Ariasha. His notes and diary hinted at a great power trapped beneath rock and waves and speculated it was her, the last survivor of the war and cataclysm, trapped and buried in Amarshish. She plagued his dreams, and now mine too, hungering for release... I fear he refused her and paid the price..."
—Faisal, last letter to cousin Waleed ibn Aziz Alzrudha, who threw it in a chest along with the others since he thought both his kin utterly mad.
Amarshish was a minor city-state with a population of around 2,000 and a centre for the study of astrology and the stars. It lies untouched, since reaching the ruins is an insanely dangerous journey, traversing through a huge underwater crevasse poked with caverns home to large sea monsters. The city itself is buried under tons of rock, though it might be possible to reach it through the caverns. What is certain is that nothing can come out, for now...
"I buried you in Gader, my love, for it was in its gardens our love flourished, and it is where I plan to lie beside you for all eternity."
—Clay tablet, Museum of Glantri.
Gader was a quiet city known for its gardens and green spaces. The ruins of Gader are scattered down the terraces in a deep-sea canyon system, and while some of the structures are still recognizable, they are crooked and jumbled together at an angle. The ruins are unexplored since the canyons, like huge downward tears in the terraces, create strong currents and swirling eddies that can trap and sweep away even the strongest swimmers, through the broken lands, and towards the Abyss.
Sinister Cults, Worthy Adversaries, and Bumbling Fools Seeking the Map and the Book
There are a few who seek the book and map. The table below is offered as mere suggestions.
d8 - choose or roll 4 times, repetition increases power |
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1 |
The Cult of the Dark One of the Deep A shadowy and sinister group of undersea creatures and their human allies who worship Thanatos through his servant, an ancient, eldritch power from the depths, perhaps the last vampire queen of Taymora. They seek the map to the sunken cities of Taymora to locate a powerful artefact that, they believe, will allow them to awaken their dark mistress. Their leader, High Priestess Mara, is a strikingly beautiful triton woman with a hypnotic voice and piercing gaze. A magnetic presence and a skilled sorceress, she uses her powers to charm and manipulate anyone who stands in her way. Prone to violent rages, she does not take well to being challenged or refused. |
2 |
The Night Pearl Society A group of cutthroat sailors and ruthless pirates who have banded together to seek the riches of Taymora. They are brutal and unsubtle in imposing their will. Their leader, Captain Cyprak, is a stout, muscular man with a thick beard and wild eyes. He is a zealous believer in the riches of the Taymoran ruins and the secrets they hold. He bears the Night Pearl, an artefact he recovered as a youth from a dive in Sarroch. Attuned to the holy places of Nyx, it grants him visions of the cities as they were, under the night sky, when he sails close to a ruin of a city-state that served Night.
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3 |
The Order of the Black Star This secret organisation of wizards, from various nations, is fanatically focused on dark magic and necromancy. They believe, rightly or wrongly, that the Book of the Dead and its map hold the key to unlocking ancient powers that have long been forgotten. The leader of the Order is an enigmatic figure known only as the Black Star. Rumours of connections to the Black Eagle Barony and the slavers of the Iron Ring, through wizards in their leadership or employ, may be just that. The order is secretive to the point of total paranoia. |
4 |
The Arcane Academy of Alchemos Despite its distance from the Sunlit Sea, this small but powerful organisation of Alphatian wizards is seeking the book and map for research purposes, and to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The head of the academy, Archmage Althadak, a mage of the school of Water, is a stoic and kindly figure who values knowledge above all else. He believes Taymora and its secrets are best left alone, to be studied by a select and elite few in the confines of his library in the University of Alchemos. They have a "research institute" in Seahome on Alfeisle. |
5 |
The Company of the Crimson Tide This pirate company with connections to Jaibul is involved in providing transport for the slavers in Karameikos. Unknown to even these associates, the ships are captained by vampires, progeny of Lady Eris Sanguinantis, the head of the group. The vampire leader is obsessed with power and control and wants nothing more than to be a great vampire queen ruling over the seas and island nations, like those of ancient Taymora. The map and book are for her tools to gain more power. Lady Eris is a master manipulator and is aware of several of the other groups, and can often be found playing one side against the other. |
6 |
The Society of the Nightblades A group of assassins, worshippers of Nyx who believe that the map, if found, will release a powerful servant of their enemy Thanatos. They are the rabid foes of the Cult of the Dark One of the Deep, and murder anyone who gets too close to them as colourfully as possible. The group is led by an ancient Nosferatu. |
7 |
The Darokinian College of Cartographers This group of academics working out of Athenos specialises in creating and studying maps, and they are desperate to get their hands on the map to sunken Taymora, for mundane reasons of academic prestige. The head of the college, Professor Belinda Eronica, is a scatterbrained and absent-minded scholar who is convinced that the map will salvage her failing career and give her an eternal reputation as the discoverer of a lost civilisation. Ironically, she has the best clue to the book and map's whereabouts but has misfiled it in a romantic novel she never finished reading. She has enlisted the help of a group of adventurous students to retrieve the map for her, whose life expectancy now finds itself radically shortened. |
8 |
The Children of the Sun-blessed Waters A fraternity of undersea dwellers of all species, and a few surface-dwelling allies, who are aware that the book and map exist and would very much like to see them destroyed. They are deeply worried about the Cult of the Dark One of the Deep and the spread of its power that they perceive. Their leader is Gorthan, a sea giant from the Royster Trench who is plagued by nightmares of the vampire queen. |
Where Are the Map and the Book?
Once again these are only suggestions.
d8 Roll twice, first is a decoy. |
|
1 |
Thalkor's Lair, amongst his hoard, in the Malpheggi Swamp. |
2 |
In a chest in a dead assassin's hideout in Athenos. |
3 |
Buried in a pirates' treasure chest in the Tortles' Tears. |
4 |
Forgotten in the storeroom of a halfling bookdealer in Shireton. |
5 |
In the heavily guarded vault of a Thyatian nobleman in Thyatis city. |
6 |
In the White Eagle, flying ship of a reclusive Alphatian archmage. |
7 |
In transit, soon to be delivered to one Lord Bargle in the Black Eagle Barony. |
8 |
In a shipwreck, lost in the Darkweeds between Honor and Utter Islands. |
I hope this gives you enough to start the search for the sunken ruins of Taymora.
The Map
Image: Map http://pandius.com/TaymoranMap.png
1See "Hadric's Realm of Colhador", in X7, The War Rafts of Kron, pp. 16-28
2See "Suthus", in X7, The War Rafts of Kron, pp. 07-10