Kartakass

Kartakass is a vast stage that serenades the ambitious with promises of fame. Performance is a way of life in this forested domain, with everyone from the bards of Skald to the actors of Emherst pursuing dazzling dreams. Here, the people live by a simple rule: never let the audience grow bored.
To outsiders, life feels staged and surreal in Kartakass, as every plant and beast, every peasant and performer strives to prove their greatness. Trees and flowers burst into bloom and then wither after their extended spring, while songbirds sing themselves hoarse. And every local, from the youngest child to the most venerable elder, knows that dreams, fame, and immortal adulation are theirs for the taking - if they prove worthy.
In Kartakass, individuals strive for glory. Where talent and expertise fail, obsession and duplicity reign, leading to repeating cycles of triumph, betrayal, and despair. Predators of all sorts flourish in this land of consuming passions and vicious secrets.

Kartakass is a gentle land of rolling hills, light forests, and clear lakes. The domain welcomes strangers given its proximity to the Border Kingdoms. Small bands of merchants roam along the Lost Chord road or visit the quay at Point Hallucination in hopes of welcoming visitors and directing them to the realm's festively decorated communities.

Emherst

Upon the cave-threaded, wooded rise known as the Fox's Theater stands the idyllic village of Emherst. The village is an elaborate, immersive stage. Every "resident" is an in-character actor who is a student of the Emherst School of Living Theater.

Harmonia

Among the oldest settlements in Kartakass, Harmonia is considered the heart of the land's musical traditions. Entertainers pursuing the "true" music of Kartakass train and perform in the town's numerous venues, such as the Harmonic Hall School of Music and the acoustically complex Ampitheater of Harmonia, which projects whispers in areas and silences screams in others.

Medria

The fishing village of Medria sits on the southern shore of Tragedy's Stage, a lake known for its notoriously choppy waters. The community's residents are uniquely inured to apocalypse scenarios since early morning sound blasts, wandering puppets, and lurid but heartless explosions regularly emanate from the studios of local dramatic effects artists and their apprentices.

Point Hallucination

As the only port in Kartakass, Point Hallucination sees many travelers from far and wide. The town prides itself on its dance recitals that are paired with hallucinogenic potions to enhance the unique experience. Point Hallucination also provides aquatic-based performances, training dolphins and seals to work with oceanic humanoid races.

Skald

The largest community in Kartakass, Skald presents itself as a bustling hub of commerce and creativity that boasts the best of everything in the land. The lure of overnight celebrity, glowing marquees, and fawning crowds attracts the ambitious to Skald, aspiring to the fame of stars such as the renowned bard Akriel Lukas.

Capital: None
Government: The Meistersingers
Hallmarks: The performance arts, etherealness, wolves

Interesting Things About Kartakass

• Kartakass has no unifying government. Instead, each settlement is governed by a meistersinger, who is acknowledged as the mayor and embodiment of local art. Meistersingers maintain creative rivalries with each other, largely for show.
• Settlements pride themselves on performative traditions, such as distinctive dress or song stylings. 
• Wolves are extremely common in Kartakass. Few venture outside during the full moon in fear of werewolves. 
• A sourceless song whispers through the mystical Wildersung Wood, always fading before it ends. Although no one knows its conclusion, all Kartakans know the beginning: "Sing of the trees, give voice to the breeze, and stave off the bloom of doom. While the wise sing their song, guilty necks stretch long, and ..."

Akriel Lukas, Bard of Skald