Pathfinder Chronicles - Gazetteer - Asamnet

Pathfinder Chronicles
48
This destiny brought the sun-focused religion of
Sarenrae to Osirion, whose own religious traditions had
always centered strongly upon the movements of heavenly
bodies. As the cult of the Dawnf lower achieved greater
popularity among Keleshite and Garundi alike it became
a threat to the satrap, who banished the dervishes to the
deserts of Thuvia.
Members of the Dawnf lower cult murdered the Satrap
of Osirion in 2253, establishing the first in a long series
of independent Keleshite sultans who ruled from Sothis.
The last of these dictators fell to rebellion exactly 100 years
ago, handing the nation to Khemet I, a Garundi prince
who traced his lineage back to the Azghaadi Dynasty of
Osirion’s First Age. Thousands of years of oppression and
decline made the people eager for a savior, and Prince
Khemet offered them hope. Today, Khemet’s grandson
rules Osirion, calling himself the Ruby Prince. Some say
he might one day change this title to pharaoh, but such a
shift would surely trouble the desert nation’s neighbors.
The youthful Prince Khemet III has opened the borders
of Osirion to treasure seekers from around the world,
offering a high bounty to those who uncover the hidden
wonders of the past. As a result, Sothis is filled with
treasure hunters of all shades. While the guards are keen
to watch for anyone stealing the heritage of Osirion, there
are plenty of ways to smuggle these ancient artifacts out
of the country, and Osirian relics have become a valuable
commodity in markets across Avistan.
Qadira
DESERT FRONTIER KINGDOM
Alignment: N
Capital: Katheer (132,450)
Notable Settlements: Gurat (8,490), Sedeq (89,760)
Ruler: Xerbystes II, Satrap of Qadira
Government: Satrapy of the Keleshite Empire of the East
Languages: Kelish
Religion: Sarenrae, Rovagug, Irori
Qadira lies upon the Inner Sea and thus is counted as
part of Avistan, but in spirit and character the nation
belongs to central Casmaron. An ancient kingdom of arid
deserts and exotic cities, Qadira is the westernmost satrap
state of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, a great empire
of the distant east. Ethnic Keleshite humans make up a
significant majority of the nation’s inhabitants, but along
the hard-fought ancient border with Taldor there are signs
of greater mixing with Avistani stock.
Xerbystes II, the ambitious young ruler of Qadira, is a
viceroy of Kelesh’s emperor, paying him an annual tribute
of 13 golden bulls and 300 concubines for the vast pleasure
palaces of the imperial heartland. Although the emperor
allows Xerbystes near-autonomy regarding issues of
domestic rule, Qadira’s strategic importance as a window
into Garund and Avistan means that the young sovereign
has little control over international affairs, deferring
in these matters to his vizier Hebizid Vraj, who serves
unknown masters in the east. The generals of Qadira’s
armies likewise follow orders from Kelesh, although
they show deference to the satrap when doing so does not
jeopardize their secret orders.
Xerbystes is served by an immense court of landed
nobles, promoted military veterans, famed explorers, and
wizened advisers known as the Peerless—a body that sees
to the day-to-day administration of justice within the
nation and that generally supports the satrap in political
matters. Several aligned tribes of nomadic horse and
camel riders from Qadira’s coastal deserts also swear fealty
to Xerbystes.
The powerful cult of Sarenrae enjoys great status in
Qadira, and its scimitar-wielding dervishes comprise a
significant portion of the nation’s military. The zealous
adherents of the Dawnf lower have long guided affairs in
the region, famously inspiring the invasion of Osirion that
brought that ancient nation under the sway of Kelesh in
the middle years of the Age of Enthronement. Indeed, the
meddling of Keleshite zealots of Sarenrae in part triggered
the disastrous Oath Wars of Rahadoum that reshaped
much of northern Garund some two millennia ago.
Despite widespread gains in the southern continent and
an undeniable cultural inf luence upon the whole of the
Inner Sea, Qadira is best known for its endless rivalry with
Taldor, a struggle that dates to before recorded history.
Taldor itself formed in response to Keleshite movement
into the region deep in the Age of Destiny, and open
warfare between the two nations has defined most of
modern history. The old enemies have engaged in a tense
peace for more than a century, but memories in Taldor still
linger upon the Qadiri invasion of 4079 that enabled the
Even-Tongued Conquest of Cheliax and forever shattered
Taldor’s imperial ambitions.
The eternal conf lict with Taldor defines the local
geography, with strings of ruined fortresses and sturdy
modern castles littering the borderlands of both nations.
Along the central coast, Qadira’s capital, Katheer, ref lects
the long wars with Taldor, sheltering the nation’s vast
navy within its well-defended canyon-like harbor. The
white-sailed dhows of the Qadiri f leet keep the peace
along Garund’s east coast in the sunlit waters of the
Obari Ocean, and often dock in such ports as Quantium,
Katapesh, and Absalom.
Qadira’s capital city is also a stronghold of philosophy,
mathematics, and astrological science, a point from which
the challenging ideas of the distant east filter through
to the eager minds of the western world. Students from
throughout Avistan f lock to Katheer’s colleges, libraries,