Karthain
"You think you know magic, huh?" The man spoke Aragonian, but it was heavily accented. He looked a rough sort; one of his ears was missing, and a scar ran from above his left eye to the right side of his mouth. His moustache suffered because of it. "Then get that pastry-softened arse of yours over to Karthain. Those bloody sorcerer's'll show you exactly how much you Cetoilais know about magic. It isn't love that makes magic -- it's greed."Karthain was once a part of Alramal Alkhafiya. At some point in history, somehow, the ability to use magic was introduced to the Karthani peninsula. For a time, this caused few problems. There were rogue magi now and then, but the magi of the peninsula were content to lend their abilities to their motherland. This changed when Yahalom the Elder began recruiting magi into his brotherhood. This brotherhood eventually became powerful enough to seize control of the peninsula and form its own State. Karthain is primarily a city-state, with the city of Karthain the prominent settlement within its borders.
-- Overheard in an Urdenais tavern.
History
The above writing does little to capture the flair for the dramatic Yahalom the Elder had. When Karthain ceded from Alramal Akhafiya, the nation tried twice to force the Karthani to rejoin the nation. The first was unsuccessful, and the Alkhafi army, following orders, lingered merely on the border for a month. The second campaign was more aggressive. The combined might of four hundred magi destroyed the Alkhafi army utterly. Within three hours, the Karthani magi had halved the Alkafi army's numbers. Within one day, the Karthani magi had killed two hundred thousand Alkhafi.Karthani Society
Honour
For many Karthani, a personal contradiction exists between what they 'want' to do and what they are 'permitted' to do. At first glance, a Karthani will seem honourable and upright. It is uncommon for Karthani to express themselves overtly or publicly display thoughts and practices deemed dishonourable. Karthani refer to this as the 'surface' culture in which people act as their 'zaaher' (visible) identity. In public, people will behave in a manner that will avoid attracting attention. However, individuals may not believe in these actions and instead fake them for the sake of their safety and reputation.Small sects of Karthani culture refer to themselves as living 'underground'. This means behaving in a way true to oneself, relaxing codes of moral behaviour. This is the way most people act at home or with their inner circle, where they can reveal their 'baaten' (inside or true) identity without risk of punishment.
People’s perceptions of pride and dignity have a profound effect on Karthani behaviour. Like Alkhafi, most Karthani believe that people should protect their personal and family honour by giving a public impression of dignity and integrity. People adhere to social expectations to avoid the risk of doing something shameful. If faced with criticism, Karthani will probably deny any fault to avoid dishonour.
Order & Position
Karthani society is predicated on the relations between the people within it. A strict hierarchy defines these relationships, with archmagi at its peak and slaves at its base. Between the two extremes exist everyone else. Reagents required by the magi of the Sable Tower are the unpredictable, unstable cornerstone of Karthain’s economy. The whims of an unstable market have exacerbated significant class differences. . Karthani bureaucrats and magi are likely to employ servants and slaves. The same are likely to have several wives or husbands. Those in the lower levels of the class system, such as physical labourers, are likely to struggle to put food on the table. Social mobility is rare, achieved through marriage or the birth of a child with the ability to use magic.Largely, a Karthani's family is the biggest social indicator of status. Education, wealth and Alkhafi heritage can all affect a person's social standing. Magical and political power, and access to either or both, have become two of the largest social advantages and indications of privilege. Those families that have connections to the Sable Tower and its magi are sometimes afforded latitude to deviate from strict rules, or may receive more lenient consequences for their actions.
Subtlety
Karthani society is rigid, and gaps in its bases of power can shake it to its core. Changes must be intricately planned for, causing no public insult that is not muffled. To a Karthani, subtlety is a sign of intelligence. The law may be broken in Karthain, but if the crime goes unnoticed or does not affect the public order, the Tower ignores it. The most subtle actions leave the victim questioning whether they brought misfortune on themselves and society silently applauds the sleight. Foolish is the unsubtle person who relies on their subtlety for power, but to an intelligent and intuitive schemer, Karthani society offers many opportunities.Magic
Karthain has the highest concentration of magic users in known Ealam. This is because of its recruitment strategies, which may be politely described as aggressive. Only registered Magi of the Sable Tower Brotherhood may vote. The Karthani version of magic utilises Names and Foci to achieve power. The Sable Tower Brotherhood marks its magi with ring-like tattoos about their thumbs. A single ring represents an initiate, five rings a master of magecraft.The magic of the Karthani is in some ways similar to the wild magic of the Fae and dragons, and the intuitive talent of the small Cetoilais schools. In other ways, it is very different. The 'external' sources, the manipulation of elements by interfacing with the building blocks of the world is essentially the same as Cetoilais Numerology in theory. Naming the essence and branding that name into the conscious so thoroughly that the very utterance of the name subdues the power in question is the basis of the Karthani manipulation of elements. For sentient creatures, the knowledge of their True Name is much more dangerous to a person than a fireball. The Karthani magi are distinct in their use of Names to empower their sorcery. In the hands of a Karthani mage, the Name is a weapon, so much so that in Karthain, parents give children two names at birth, and a third given if a person joins the Tower.
Magic is not a hereditary trait in Karthain, unless there is Cetoilais blood in the family. Rather, there is an odd property of the atmosphere or land in the area that causes some children to be born with the ability to use magic. A child's true name is known only to the person who gives it. If one of a child's parents is a magus, the other will name the child to protect it. If both a child's parents are magi, a trusted friend or third party will usually give the child their name.
Some Cetoilais or fey-touched people attract familiars. Karthani magi use the true names of creatures to press them into service. To assume that all the Tower's research and learning is of a purely arcane nature is folly; the Sable Tower has several laboratories, seeking to claim the secrets of the Alkhamysts and improve them. Many of the bizarre monsters found in Alramal Alkhafiya, Lymia and the nearby ocean have their origins in the Tower's laboratories.
The Sable Tower
Jutting from the Karthani peninsula is a tall, tapering tower that looks to be shaped of a single piece of black glass that cuts at the sky. This is the Sable Tower, impenetrable by mortals until Yahalom and his coven of magi combined the power of their magic. Since that day, it has been the primary institution of magic in the world, and its magehunters wander Ereb and Auritio, offering membership to anyone with the potential for magic. With the exception of some lucky Cetoilais, membership is not to be refused. There are ongoing debates over which was the progenitor -- the Sable Tower Brotherhood or the Alkhafi guild of Alkhamysts. What is certain is that both base their recruitment strategies on a loose sense of mutual benefit and a strong desire to consolidate power.The magi of the Tower serve as the military, judiciary and legislative bodies of Karthain. It is also the primary economic power of the nation. From the moment a magus' first tattoo is bound to their skin, they are bound to certain promises. Among these is the promise to abide by any contract they sign. Because of this restriction, magi are sometimes employed as mercenaries, though they do not come cheaply. Any employer seeking to shortchange a magus meets a slow and painful end.
Another famous promise of the ink is to stand united with the Tower. Part of this is the avenging of any magus killed. Magus-investigators will spend years hunting down the murderers of magi. Tales of what befall these murderers when the investigators drag them back to the Tower are the stuff of whispered, gruesome rumour.
Economy
The Sable Tower and its mercenary magi are central to Karthain’s economy. Gold flows outward from the Tower. The development of the State is primarily in the tattooed hands of the magi and their families. As a coastal state, Karthain's food largely comes from the surrounding ocean. Some land in Karthain has been given over to farming, but the soil is often too salty to cultivate. Even with alchemical concoctions from the Alkhafi to the north, Karthani land rarely works for anything less hardy than olives, chilli and eggplant. Cattle and sheep are bred on some farms. Other animals are bred within the Tower, sometimes subjected to alchemical and magical breeding programs. Finally, slavery is legal in Karthain, and there is a thriving slave trade. Often, merfolk are caught in trawling nets and finned to bolster the population of slaves. The Tower sometimes claims as slaves those people who could not afford to pay their contracts.Employment in Karthain
The magi and their families live comfortably. The magi find employment in the Tower, as bureaucrats, researchers, planners or teachers, and outside it, as spies or mercenaries. Propping the Tower up are a vast number of service people. The people who serve in the Tower proper are often from the families of magi. Outside the Tower, Karthani-born citizens are primarily employed. The bureaucratic and political positions remain firmly under the Tower's thumb, with the families of magi employed in these well-paid positions.The usual array of stores and services are found in Karthain. Restaurants, clothiers, some artificers, cleaners, cobblers, carpenters and the like all find a place along the streets of Karthain. There is a particular trade in bizarre magical catalysts, and a number of businesses import and sell these, squabbling to have their particular efforts noticed solely by the Sable Tower.
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