Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
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The History <strong>of</strong> <strong>Karameikos</strong>substantially unhurt - thanks to its regularlinks with the Hutaaka and the NithianEmpire - by the hardships that reduced theTraldar settlers to the south to little morethan hunter-gatherers savages. With thepassing <strong>of</strong> years its relationship with nearbyHutaaka grew into a strong alliance, whichallowed in Tuma the birth <strong>of</strong> an advancedtradition <strong>of</strong> arcane studies centered onearth, metal and rock. When the Traldarsmanaged to rise again under the protection<strong>of</strong> the Hutaaka, Tuma benefited from thisfact, establishing a lucrative trade with theTraldar kingdoms – while keeping fromthem iron technology and the mostpowerful arcane secrets, like what theHutaaka did. In this age, Tuma rose tobecome the foremost power <strong>of</strong> the region.The town grew into a powerful city, and itsdomains extended both to the north and tothe south <strong>of</strong> the Black Peaks range.When the Great Beastmen Invasion hit theTraldar lands, the Tumans were shocked bythe Hutaaka’s choice to abandon thehumans to their fate. At the start <strong>of</strong> the warthe Tumans sent contingents <strong>of</strong> theirsoldiers to fight alongside the Traldars, butthey preferred to retreat from theirsouthern holds when the fight seemed lost.Only after the worst <strong>of</strong> the gnolls’ invasionwas fought back by the Traldars did theTumans expand again southward, takingadvantage <strong>of</strong> the weakness <strong>of</strong> the Traldarsand taking part to the wars between thegnolls, the Traldars and the Vandars in the10 th century BC.During this age, Tuma was still a majorplayer <strong>of</strong> the area, but the decline <strong>of</strong> theTraldar kingdoms and the disappearance <strong>of</strong>the Hutaaka deprived the city <strong>of</strong> a large part<strong>of</strong> its wealthy trade. The decline in whichthe Tuman royal court fell in this centurystirred up dissension among the city’spopulace, who rose against the king aroundBC 900; the monarchy was overthrown andthe powerful magic-users <strong>of</strong> the cityestablished an oligarchic rule. They usedtheir rock- and metal-melding magic tochange the face <strong>of</strong> the city, which assumeda nearly-alien appearance in regards toother contemporary human settlements -hundreds-<strong>of</strong>-feet high buildings made <strong>of</strong>metal were raised, streets were paved withmetal as well, filled with magical constructs,and so on. But the wizards’ reserved andalo<strong>of</strong> attitude slowly isolated Tuma from theouter world; the city withdrew from majorconflicts, only fighting to defend itselfagainst new enemies, like the Vandars orthe humanoid hordes. With time, most <strong>of</strong>Tuma’s outlying possessions were lost.Nevertheless, thanks to the wizards’ magic,the population within city walls lived well.After BC 700 Tuma, left more and moreisolated, then become a target <strong>of</strong> powerfulNithian lords devoted to Entropy, whocoveted the ancient arcane secrets the city’swizards kept. They launched a series <strong>of</strong>attacks on Tuma, supported by their armies<strong>of</strong> mercenaries, humanoid slaves, andundead. After a century-long and valiantresistance, the Nithians and the darkpowers with which they had allied decidedthat if they were not to grasp those secrets,no one will ever had: they casted a powerfulcurse on the city, which removed it from thePrime Material Plane and imprisoned it andits inhabitants in another plane. Thus, thecity, its people, and its secrets disappearedfrom the face <strong>of</strong> the Known World in BC 600.47THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1