The City of Karse
This port city as figured prominently in 17th century history, having been
the target for Lunar ambition since Fazzur's raid in 1605. While the raid
stopped short of Karse, the idea of getting access to the Homeward Ocean
this near to Tarsh remained central to Lunar Tarshite policy.
More on this in my History of Karse page;
this page is concerned with the adaption of existing sources.
Like others before (e.g. Tom Zunder
on the RQ-Daily, and to my knowledge
the Chaosium house campaign) I use the Midkemia Press publication "City
of Carse" for Gloranthan Karse. Unlike Tom's version, my campaign started
before the Lunar conquest, and from Aeolian
Heortland (unheard of in 1993...). To make
things worse, my Karse activities stretch over about 30 years of Gloranthan
history, so I have to keep track of the NPCs over this time, introduce
new ones and kill off old ones. On the other hand, this will give me extensive
NPC background descriptions I hope to develop - mainly as part of my Freca
Tales.
Prominent Features of Karse:
The Gouvernment
I prefer to regard the situation presented in the book as true before the
Lunar invasion of 1619, so that all the characters presented in the book
are natives of Karse. I guess that the arduous siege and assault will have
cost quite a few lives on the side of the defenders, especially among the
fighting people. I think that the Baron (Bogardis) will survive the
assault, and most of the leading politicians as well. I doubt that their
offices will survive unharmed, though.
For the Lunar occupation forces, one might use one or two of the characters
from Tarsh War. In my campaign, the Karse city garrison will consist mostly
of Tarshite Provincial troopers rather than imperials, although there will
be the usual number of officials with imperial loyalties to keep acocunt
of the activities there.
The Castle
The main change here will be to reduce the numbers of guards.
The Temples
Midkemia has a very small set of 12 lesser gods and one greater god; the
Midkemian city of Carse is richly equipped with two major temples (Kilian,
Goddess of the Forests, and the Sea, worshipped by the Old Race (D-10),
and Astalon, the Sky God, worshipped by the Kingdom invaders (C-18)) and
a minor one in Tedman's Inn (D-11) (unspecified, might be a monk of Dala).
It is quite difficult to translate this to the multitude of deities worshipped
in Kethaela.
Tom Zunder made the natives of Karse straight Orlanthi with a Lunar occupation
force, but things are more complex than that. The conquest of the Old Race
people of Kethaela by the Hendriki nobility who re-founded the abandoned
City of Karse lies about 250 years in the past, during the great civil
war of Heortland which also led to the waves of immigration to Dragon Pass.
The Old Race of Karse consists of Pelaskite fisherfolk, but there is a
strong Esrolian element in Karse likely also treated as conquered by the
Hendriki.
The Secret Societies
In pre-Lunar conquest Karse, there are three major societies apart from
the criminal underground: the Sharwen, the Iron Fist, and the Brotherhood
of Dalshra.
The Magicians
Unlike Midkemia, which has magicians independent from the major religions,
in Glorantha most magicians belong to a major religion, which often dictates
their magic and their relation to other magicians. However, there are (God
Forgot-trained or renegade) independent sorcerers in Glorantha, and I suppose
that magicians far away from their home culture might group together for
mutual protection. However, with the Aeolian Church of Heortland there
is a native wizardous tradition which is unlikely to share with independents.
The Port
Kethaelan Karse is a river port on the lower Marzeel River, which now occupies
the former Creek-Stream River mouth like a kid in oversized shoes. Thus,
the shore line will run mostly north to south, with only slight bays and
a number of undeeps providing anchorage off the docks and the shipyards.
I'll try to provide a map.
The Garrison
The Midkemian city of Carse rules over a sizeable barony on the Bitter
Sea coast, with a monster-ridden forest (the "Green Heart") in its hinterland.
The river-valley barony of Karse has the Shadow Plateau in its neighbourhood,
IMO a suitable excuse to maintain a fairly sizeable garrison in and around
the city - 200 men of the city guard, plus another 100 for the castle guard.
While the numbers of guards in the city seem exaggerated to me, I can accept
them for the entire barony. (For a comparison: a force of less than twenty
men-at-arms held the (unfinished) real world version of the castle - Caernarfon
- against a major Welsh uprising (which managed to take the city).
In Kethaela, the Barony of Karse rules over a stretch of river valley between
the Shadow Plateau to the west (rising over 1000 m above the sea) and the
Heortland plateau (rising about 300 metres above the sea shore). 300 able-bodied
men permanently in military service (in addition to the mercenaries) seem
too many for such a small region, even considering the additional revenue
and danger from maintaining peace among the sailors. IMG, the castle guard
is reduced to 40 men of the "Baron's Hand" and 12 Aeolian knights of "The
White Wing" with their squires, and the city watch to 100 men (including
a very few fighting women) - simply halve each barrack's contingent.
The Thieves
I found the Mockers suitable for adaption to the Lanbril cult. Since in
my Heortland Lanbril has an important function as opponent of the Krarshti
criminal underworld, this makes them the "good guys" among the criminal
scum.
The Brothels
While Gods
of Glorantha and the cult
write-up in DW 38 describes Uleria as the goddess of love and sex in
all aspects, also the so-called love for sale, I doubt very strongly that
there are many full Uleria priestesses or genuine initiates around anywhere,
and less so in portside brothels. "Margala's" (J-6) probably is run by
Ulerians, Laticia's (A-10) most likely not, although one or the other of
the unfortunate maids there might have been Ulerians fallen into hard times.
The Willow Tree (E-11) seems to serve bodies rather than entertainment,
so even while it is one of the likelier candidates quite likely not, either,
and the Graceful Lily (F-2) doesn't even pretend to. Mama Grock's (Q-3)
(who might be a magisaur possessed by either very strange notions
or otherwise some variant of succubus or enslavement spirit, although this
stretches imagination; or it might be some newtling bachelor stuck in its
asexual phase - a bit more likely around Kethaela, with a tail magically
regrown after taken for food), an establishment keeping a dryad slave is
quite anathema to Uleria. Aunt May's (S-25) sells life mattresses rather
than anything close to Ulerian workmanship. The Golden Lady (WW-3) might
be a Lunar-run brothel including genuine Uleria services in a Lunarized
way...
While not listed among the brothels, Beth's Baths II (H-13) does offer
all the services the Uleria cult is reputed for, and does maintain the
standards to be expected by an Ulerian-run establishment, too.
The Merchants
Unlike merchants in Midkemia, the Gloranthan merchants are quite firmly
tied into cults. In Kethaela after 1605, three major merchant cults exist:
Issaries, Argan Argar, and as a recent addition Etyries sifting in from
Tarsh and occupied Sartar. Issaries exists both as the western, malkionized
form and as the classical theist Orlanthi form, without much doctrine to
separate this very mundane cult. Argan Argar is not as strong in eastern
Kethaela as in Esrolia or the troll-dominated lands, but the closeness
of the Kitori will give some incentive to merchants to follow this cult.
Before 1619, the cult of Etyries is restricted to the Caravanserai (W-8
to W-18, opposite to the Teelo Norri commune in W-5).
Gunnar Halfstead (R-5), richest commoner in town, was of Jonstown origin
in Jeff's campaign.
The Caravanserai
Unlike Tom Zunder's transformation of the Keshian (bedouin) Hazara Khan
traders into troll Argan Argar traders (or Kitori human Argan Argar traders,
as I have seen in a non-canonical write-up of a player character Sam Sanuel
in Charlie Krank's campaign), Jeff Richard and I agreed that since 1602
or 1605, Lunar Etyries merchants might be a likely addition to the native
traders - and have a damn good reason for staying apart from the native
merchants. To keep the exotic animals, Jeff and I made them members of
the Kostaddi Sable people, and even kept the name.
The Mercenaries
The Warrior's Guild (K-29) is the closest thing to a shrine (or chapterhouse)
to Humakt in the city, apart from the city guard's barracks (where I favour
the barracks of A-1, a church in real-world Caernarfon).
The Fisherfolk
Apart from eleven fishermen's residences in the walled part of the city
(AA-1 to AA-4, G-2 to G-4 and G-6 to G-9) and a half a dozen of fishmongers,
there has to be another place where there are fishermen settled together
- a village right outside the city walls.
The Captains
There are a few ship-captains mentioned among the residents of Karse. A
priesthood of Dormal will have to be separate from the women's temple (D-11)
for practical as well as political reasons, and I'd place it on the external
docks hinted at on the overview map, next to shipyards (another province
of Dormal).
Strangers in Karse
The most prominent strangers in Karse are the members of the Magicians
Guild, the Hazara Khan family of the Caravanserai and Mama Grock. Generally,
a sea-port attracts foreigners and scum (like Brown Vadeli).
IMO there is a small Vadeli ghetto somewhere along the river shore, separate
from either the fisherfolk and the shipyards, probably right behind the
warehouses of the docks.
Then there are bound to be a fair number of Kethaelan foreigners, i.e.
from Shadow Plateau - trolls (outside of the city proper, except Mama Grock's
staff) - Caladraland or God Forgot (e.g. Aristotle Vederche, A-7, Rhamotep
the Clockmaker, B-12), the rest of the Sixths making up the basic populace
in Karse, plus westerners from Slontos, Nolos, Pasos and Ralios.
Finally, a few "colonials", people from Teshnos, and beyond, like Sun Long
the carpetmaker (B-8, Kralori?), Sadu the Grocer (D-9, likely from Teshnos),
Papa Loo (Q-6, likely a priest of Solf) or Ishi the Bouncer (A-10, a Vormaini).
Religions
The main male religion of Karse is that of Orlanth in the Hendriki fashion
(mixing Aeolian and traditional Heortling worship), with a fair number
of Old Race males worshipping their main deities (Pelaskos, Choralinthor),
and the usual high number of specialist cultists in cities.
The Old Race religion is something of a problem. IMO the best candidate
for the mother goddess of the land and the Mirrorsea would Esrola, a quite
variant form of Ernalda worship emphasizing the Islanders' creed but supporting
Esrolian ideas as well. The temple to Orlanth will contain a traditional
Heortling/Hendriki Ernalda shrine, whereas the Old Race temple will be
dedicated to Ernalda and Esrola with a major shrine to Triolina (amounting
to minor temple status).
Specialist religions include Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Chalana Arroy, Humakt,
Argan Argar, Dormal, Arkat, Lanbril, Krarsht, Uleria, Ancestor Worship,
and Citizen Worship of the Founding Spirit(s), most in both traditional
theist and westernized henotheist forms.
Resident foreigners worship their own cultures' deities; formost among
these are Etyries and the Seven Mothers. Notable are Solf, Aptanace, Calyz,
pure Malkionism, and the atheist religions of God Forgot and the Vadeli.