What cities can be found on Alph are usually on the coast, despite the dangers of the Sea of Monsters, as the interior can be worse. Dinosaurs, savage tribes of humans, trolls, lizard men and degenerate Scro (normal Orcs, really) roam the interior, along with every form of plant monster known to scholarship (as well as some entirely unknown). The jungle is valuable however, as many potion and magical components grow there, and valuable metals and raw gems can be mined in the interior. However, attempts to establish civilized dominance of the interior have always failed, and in a few years the jungle reclaims the remains of the cities. Only those willing to live in harmony with the jungle seem to thrive. Druids of the interior speak of the Unnamed Gods of the jungle who want no worship, but tolerate no cities. Only the coastal strip is free of their influence.
Well away from the city of Pahara, using one of the best sheltered natural harbours on Alph, is Akra, a young, small, but rapidly growing city of Scro, with a large proportion of Nalta slaves. This is the main foothold of the Near Empire on Alph, and is their route to the riches of the interior. One of the main reasons that the Scro city exists is that Alph is the only known source of black mithral, a metal much like mithral except it is black in colour, and greatly favoured by the Scro for the making of arms and armour. It is said that for every ten pounds of black mithral the jungle claims the life of ten Nalta slaves, and one Scro.
The largest coastal city on Alph is Pahara.
This is the immense sea of the northern hemisphere of Isis. It stretches from the Flamebelt, North to the northern ice cap. Roughly oval in shape, it is about 3700 miles north to south, and averages about 1350 miles east to west; five million square miles. At the southern end is a boiling zone, but the steam and heat from this seems to be, for some reason, localised.
The Sea of Monsters has monstrous weather, as well. In storm season not only are there tropical monsoons but terrible storms and true hurricanes, and the only half-way safe action is to run before the winds, or hide below the surface. Even though it is a coastal city Pahara is ready to handle all these, with immense breakwaters, and cunning engineering, which shelters all but the highest parts of the city.
All kinds of aquatic monsters (with the exception of abominations like the Aboleth) are present, but the most common sorts are Sea Trolls, Giant Squid, Giant Octopi, Kraken and Dragon Turtles. If a GM is using "Stormwrack" then they are encouraged to use the aquatic dinosaurs detailed in here, as well.
As well as the monsters many more normal fish are found, almost all brightly-coloured, and these include 'flying' fish, some of which are several feet long, as well as immense shoals of silver, yellow, and golden fish swimming below the surface. Brilliantly-coloured coral reefs can be found in the shallower parts of the seas, with all sort of strange creatures living among them.
In the depths of the Sea of Monsters lives a mighty human civilization, the Caen. These were originally Nalta brought from Maj by the scro, and included scholars and bards intended to be slaves. These bided their time in the confusion as the elves abandoned their scro students, and escaped with much of the elven magical arts, hiding themselves in air-filled underwater domed cities, built by those very elven arts.
While they hid from the scro for many generations, themselves being a mostly peacful people, some centuries ago they built the city of Pahara, partly below the surface for continued protection from the scro, partly above to allow commerce with other peoples. Unfortunately, with the influx of peoples from all over the Island of Alph, and beyond, into this new trade city, they lost political control of it. But, they are quite happy with this, as long as the rulers are wise enough not to attempt taxing their trade too much.
In some respects the surface city of Pahara is 'bait', to see if the scro take interest in a people using the 'lost' arts of the elves, bait that the scro, so far, seem to be ignoring. The fact that the storms and monsters, and maybe other less obvious things, tend to keep the scro away probably helps, but if they ever turn their full attention this way...
Other intelligent races below the Sea of Monsters include some moderately civilized merfolk living in some sizable cities, some of whom are mighty sorcerers, a few reclusive tribes of aquatic elves, and tritons, in a hunter-gatherer society.
In the jungles of the Isisian lowlands, in the interior of the large Island of Alph, on the northern hemisphere, are found a mysterious group of temples to the Lion-headed God. The temples are simple granite buildings with three rooms each (two above ground and one below), and are furnished with a plain stone altar and a stone statue of an armed and armored man with the head of a lion. They wouldn't be very interesting, except for the following facts:
1) They seem to be completely and totally indestructible. Neither spells nor smokepowder nor any physical attack harms them in the slightest.
2) Any attempt to use them to worship any other god causes the worshippers to quietly vanish. No one has been able to determine where they vanish to.
3) They appear to be of incredible antiquity -- several thousand years old in the very least. Much older than any known Isisian civilization (except, possibly, the southern elves).
There are three Lion Temples whose location currently are known, but there are legends of two more, including the "Mother" temple where once upon a time the Lion-headed God's avatar on Isis dwelled. According to legend you must visit all four of the lesser temples before you can enter the mother temple.
The Lion-headed God is not much worshipped these days, so the temples lie abandoned. However, they are clean and well maintained despite that.
The Lion-headed God is a minor Lawful/Neutral deity limited to Maj Space. His domains are War, Law and Time.
(The Lion-headed God was once a mortal who figured out somehow a way to link the collective unconscious and the underlying elements of the Prime Material Plane to "hardwire" himself and his temples into existence, making them permanent elements of reality. The secrets of how to do this might be found in the lost mother temple.)
GM Notes: These were used in a third-level adventure, and the PCs were escorting a scholar from the GLU's department of Arcane Mathematics (see Selene) through the jungle from temple to temple. This also led to the creation of an Epic-level evil mathematician as the expedition sponsor ...
Pahara is the largest city on the Island of Alph, on the northern hemisphere of Isis. Pahara acts as a trade point between the jungles of the interior and the ocean-dwelling inhabitants of the Sea of Monsters. It is also a minor spelljammer port, receiving visits from one to three spelljammers a month.
Pahara is called "The Double City" as it is indeed two cities in one: a surface city and an underwater city. Built on several small islands in the coastal shallows, the waters surrounding the islands are full of underwater dwellings. The whole city is contained within a massive, golem-built (and maintained) stone wall and connected to the mainland by a heavily fortified causeway. Bridges and water taxis connect the islands.
Magical undersea boats, and those that float in the air above the surface of the water, exist and are used in the area around Pahara. It is not clear exactly how these work, but scholars believe they somehow tap the magneto-etheric fields of Isis, maybe using something in the submerged part of the city, as they cease to work more than a few hundred miles at most from the city. Also of note about the city is a suburb that floats in the air over (a sheltered part of) the sea, bridges with no visible means of support, and many more conventional buildings, all in bright colours.
Pahara is ruled by an oligarchy called the 'Council of Seventeen'. The council consists of the city's greatest merchants and wizards, and the heads of some of the major religions. The membership of the council is officially secret, but mostly an open one. Members serve for three years at a time, and replacements chosen by lot from a group of seventy candidates selected by the body of electors each year. The electors in turn are chosen by popular vote of the populace, but only citizens with over 1,000 gp in property can vote, and only those with over 10,000 gp in property can be elected.
The religions of Pahara are varied, there being nothing like a state religion. The ancient Greek gods, with Poseidon rather than Zeus as chief god, are probably most worshipped. There are some renegade scro who worship the elven gods, and even in very rare cases their ancient tribal gods. Then there is the Lion-headed God, and the ancient and mysterious cult of the Lady Isis, after which the world is named.
Pahara is a tolerant city (tolerance being good for business) where all races and alignments are welcome as long as they keep the peace. Weapons must be peace-bonded, and offensive spells cause automatic eldritch damage to the caster (1d6/level of spell, no save). Pahara is not overly concerned with other nations' import/export laws as long as their tariffs are paid. This makes them something of a minor center for smuggling. They are very unhappy about the barrier that the scro of the Near Empire have recently raised.
Some People of Pahara
Diamonte Vandomenti, Triarch of Pahara's Surface Police
Alignment: Lawful/Good
Class: Ranger 5/Wizard 5/Eldrich Knight 5
Race: Human
Str 14, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 11
As Triarch of the Surface Police, Diamonte Vandomenti is in charge of all regular police operations in the above water portions of Pahara. He reports directly to the Council of Seventeen, and is additionally considered to have a Colonel's rank in the Pahara's militia.
Vandomenti comes from a respectable middle-class Paharan family. He started his career in the Jungle Guard, but after poachers ambushed a patrol he was leading and left him for dead, he decided it was time for a career change. He joined the police, and began to study magic. He proved very able at his new job, and rapidly rose through the ranks.
Vandomenti has a reputation as being tough but fair, and the surface police have a good reputation with both the citizens and visitors. (They are considered somewhat biased in favor of business, but that is a common Paharan bias.) Vandomenti does not ever try to influence the courts -- probably the only Triarch of which that could be said. He has been a candidate for the Council of Seventeen twice, but has never been selected as a member.
Vandomenti gets along fairly well with Sophia Tomaza, the Triarch of the Underwater Police. He does not get along at all well with Michael Palogenes, the Triarch of the Special Police, whom Vandomenti considers a corrupt politician. As a result, the Surface Police and the Special Police do not cooperate well. Vandomenti maintains a good relationship with Eldera di Verde, the commander of the Jungle Guard.
Vandomenti is married with four children, and by all reports is a devoted husband and father. While he works long hours, his time with his family is sacred to him. There is no better way to annoy him than to intrude on his family time unnecessarily.
Sophia Tomaza, Triarch of the Underwater Police for Pahara
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Cleric (of Neptune/Poseidon) 14
Race: Human
Str 11, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 20, Cha 14
As Triarch of the Underwater Police, Sophia Tomaza is responsible for Police operations in the underwater portions of Pahara. She reports directly to the Council of Seventeen (and has been a member twice), and is additionally considered to have a Colonel's rank in the Pahara's militia.
Tomaza is an escaped Nalta slave from the Near Empire and hates the Scro with the burning heat of a 1000 suns. This probably explains why she was forced to accept the post of Triarch of the Underwater Police instead of Triarch of the Special Police, as she would have preferred (the factor that she's a priestess of a water god and married into an important Caen family may also be factors). While in general she is fair in the execution of her duties, woe betides a Scro who falls into the hands of the Underwater Police!
Tomaza is politically adept and gets along with both of her fellow triarchs, the Jungle Guard, the military and the Council of Seventeen. This gives her influence all out of proportion with her official position. However, her extreme anti-Scro positions scare some of Pahara's movers and shakers who highly prefer not to attract the Near Empire's attention.
Her personal life is quiet and very, very private.
Michael Palogenes, Triarch of Pahara's Special Police
Alignment: Neutral/Evil
Class: Sorcerer 7/Rogue 4/Arcane Trickster 5
Race: Human
Str 11, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 17
As Triarch of the Special Police, Palogenes is responsible for enforcing the will of the Council of Seventeen by any means necessary ("special police" is an euphemism for secret police). Additionally, he is responsible for counter-intelligence, police cases involving diplomatic personnel, extraordinary investigations of all kinds, and the security of Pahara's walls. This odd portfolio gives him a great deal of power, and he enjoys it. Palogenes is one of the most feared men in the city.
Palogenes is a native born Paharan of obscure birth. There are rumors he got his start in life as the house sorcerer for the Kaledis crime syndicate. It is certain that once he joined the Special Police, he oversaw Kaledis' destruction, which some people see as awfully convenient. Certainly, he has not been so zealous about destroying Pahara's other crime syndicates -- usually he prefers to squeeze them for money, and even uses them occasionally as Special Police auxiliaries. Ordinary citizens and foreigners, on the other hand, are best warned to stay out of the hands of the Special Police at all costs.
Palogenes and Vandomenti hate each other with a great passion, and their respective organizations feel the same way. Palogenes and Tomaza get along reasonably well, but do not trust each other; still, the Underwater Police and the Special Police and cooperate when necessary.
No one knows anything about Palogenes private life, if he has one. He is rumored to sleep in a room in his offices.
Eldera di Verde, Commander of the Jungle Guard
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Ranger 1/Druid 14
Race: Human
Str 11, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 18, Cha 10
As Commander of Pahara's Jungle Guard, Eldera di Verde is responsible for the safety and security of Pahara's landward side, the safety of the coastal roads, the security of Pahara's trading posts in the interior of Alph and the enforcement of Pahara's treaties with the jungle dwellers. The last is particularly important, as Pahara cannot afford to offend the Jungle Gods. Commander di Verde ranks the same as the Triarchs of Police, and like them reports directly to the Council of Seventeen. She also ranks as a Colonel in Pahara's regular army (not the militia like the triarchs).
Commander di Verde was found as a baby in an abandoned jungle trading post, guarded by a large, mysterious jungle cat. She was adopted by a Jungle Guardsman, and half-raised in the jungle. As soon as she was old enough, she joined the Jungle Guard as a junior patroller. On her first deep jungle patrol, she spent several hours "talking" to the jungle, and emerged with a new mystical worldview and an even stronger determination to protect the jungle and the treaties. She rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming the youngest field captain in the guard's history. When the previous commander retired, she was the obvious candidate to replace him. She has been guard commander for 25 years now.
Depending on how you look at it, di Verde either is above politics or plays them so well that no one dares challenge her. It is a constant in Paharan politics that you don't mess with the Jungle Guard. It is the same in the jungle -- the rules will be enforced, and smugglers and poachers get short shrift if caught, and they are mostly caught quickly, as the rangers, druids and mages of the Jungle Guard are highly effective.
Commander di Verde's private life is the same as her public life: the Jungle Guard. There is no room for anything else for her.
Mandalar Mahoon, Shop Keeper and Wizard
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Wizard 18
Race: Half-Elf
Str 8, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 23, Wis 14, Cha 14
Master Mahoon is the proprietor of "Mahoon's Magical Oddities, Curiosities, Books of all Kinds and Confectionary Shoppe", and Pahara's most powerful politically unaligned wizard. If his citizenship status weren't somewhat ambiguous (apparently by his own choice), he would be a regular candidate for membership in the Council of Seventeen.
Master Mahoon is known as the man to go if you want an unusual magical item made or identified, a rare or magical book found, or simply the best seaweed candy or imported chocolates in town. He deals with all comers and all factions, and it has been found over the years ill-advised to attempt to prevent anyone from consulting him who wants to.
Master Mahoon's origins are unclear. He's been around for several human generations, and must be fairly old, even for a half-elf, and looks it. It is rumored that his father was an Oreth elf who shadow-walked or teleported past the Flamebelt to visit Pahara, and his mother was a disgraced daughter of a major Paharan merchant house. Mahoon doesn't answer questions on the subject.
At this point in his life, Master Mahoon is rich enough not to need to work. He keeps the shop because it is a source of interesting intellectual challenges; that, and because he enjoys the candy-making for some reason.
Master Mahoon is a widower, with no surviving children, one surviving granddaughter, and a handful of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, some of who occasionally help out at the shop.
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