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Kothian
"The army was on the move at last. There were the knights, gleaming in richly wrought plate-armor, colored plumes
waving above their burnished sallets. (...) [The spearmen], like the knights, were of ancient Kothic blood -- sons of
ruined families, broken men, penniless youths, who could not afford horses and plate-armor, five hundred of them."
- Robert E. Howard: "Black Colossus"
Kothian Warriors
Koth is one of the oldest countries of the
West, pre-dating the Hyborian invasions.
Despite its landlocked status, Koth is among
the greates commercial nations of the age,
dominating much of the overland trade route.
The land of Koth includes meadows in the
west and farms to the east, and at least one
thousand miles of hills seperating the Kothian
Uplands from the pastoral lands of Shem. The
Flaming Mountains, an impenetrable volcanic
range, lie in these hills. Shamla Pass to the east
is the most important break in the extensive
Kothian Hills and Escarpment, though a second
pass is thought to exist near Eruk in Shem.
The Capital of Koth is Khorshemish, a walled
city of spires, minareted mosques, markets and
broad white streets. It is dubbed The Queen of
the South.
The Kothians are a mixed people of Hyborian
and Shemitish strains, with a touch of Stygian
blood. They are of medium height and build,
although they tend to be overweight. Their
people are much like those in other Hyborian
nations, albeit more heavily taxed.
The current King of Koth, Strabonus, is notable for several reasons. He has repeatedly broken treaties
with Ophir, Shem, Corinthia and Nemedia; he has invaded Argos twice, and Shem and Ophir once each.
Most serious, however, is his association with the sorcerer Tsotha-Lanthi. This secretive being inhabits the
Scarlet Citadel, which adjoins Strabonus' palace in Khorshemish. Tsotha-lanthi's citadel contains horrors
that those few who have entered and returned only hint at.
Kothians worship the gods of Shem, and chiefly the cult of Ishtar. This worship, however, is still tainted
with the beliefs of the ancient kingdom of Acheron, giving Kothian religion a Stygian cast. Mitra is not
popular in Koth.
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