Ysawis was a ruined city found buried in the heart of the Grey Jungle within the Ruined Kingdoms of east Zakhara in 1367 DR.[note 1][1][2]
Description
Ysawis was a shadow of its former self in 1367, despite the efforts of its rulers and their horde of undead workers to restore the city to a glorified state.[4]
Strangely enough, the most striking feature of the city was not a piece of architecture, but the hordes of undead who constantly roamed the city in morose silence performing tasks given to them by their superiors. These undead workers halted their tasks every day at sundown and moved into the nearest building to lay down for the night. This seemingly strange behavior served not to allow the undead to rest, but to make them more efficient at their tasks for their necromancer masters quickly learned that they were not nearly as effective in darkness.[3]
The most impressive physical structure found within Ysawis was the Jade Palace of the Necromancers.[3] This white sandstone building served as the personal quarters of Ysawis' rulers.[5]
Even after Ysawis' fall, several grand mosques still stood including those to Kiga and Ragarra as well as a shrine to Shajar.[3]
Inhabitants
An estimated 5,000 undead inhabited Ysawis, with the vast majority of these creatures being skeletons and zombies. It was believed that the necromancers who ruled the city added to their grisly population on a daily basis.[3]
Leadership
Sumulael and Kazerabet, a pair of skilled necromancers, ruled the ruins of Ysawis. Their prime goal was to return the ruins into a fully rebuilt city for them to lord over.[4]
The Court
Though not a permanent inhabitant of the city, one of Ysawis' most influential residents was a mysterious merchant named Barak al-Gani because he provided the city with everything they needed to grow and rebuild.[4]
The necromancers were aided in their administrative tasks by a lich named Shalmaneser. Shalmaneser oversaw the daily routines the city required.[6]
Netocris bin Shalah served as an emissary of the yuan-ti population found in the Grey Jungle. This pureblood often masqueraded as a human merchant.[3]
Trade
Though Ysawis did not produce goods of any kind, the rulers of the city often traded in slaves and antiquities in order to procure amenities.[3]
Defenses
Before even dreaming of attacking Ysawis, any invading force first needed to successfully navigate their way through the dense jungle surrounding the city. Along the way they would encounter carnivorous jungle giants, yuan-ti, and many soldiers risked falling to the dreaded Grey Fever known to plague the region.[3]
Hundreds of juju zombies and other elite undead guarded the Jade Palace, but the entire poplulation of Ysawis could be called upon to protect the city during an attack.[3]
Rumors & Legends
Despite the physical isolation of Ysawis from the outside world, Sumalael and Kazerabet enjoyed exerting their influence over Dihliz and Kadarasto through an extensive spy network.[5]
Appendix
Notes
- ↑ Canon material does not provide dating for the Al-Qadim campaign setting. For the purposes of this wiki only, the current date for Al-Qadim products is assumed to be 1367 DR.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Steve Kurtz (1994). Cities of Bone (Cardsheets). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 1-56076-847.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Steve Kurtz (1994). Al-Qadim: Cities of Bone: Campaign Guide. (TSR, Inc), pp. 16–19. ISBN 1-56076-847.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Steve Kurtz (1994). Al-Qadim: Cities of Bone: Campaign Guide. (TSR, Inc), p. 17. ISBN 1-56076-847.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Steve Kurtz (1994). Al-Qadim: Cities of Bone: Campaign Guide. (TSR, Inc), p. 16. ISBN 1-56076-847.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Steve Kurtz (1994). Al-Qadim: Cities of Bone: Campaign Guide. (TSR, Inc), p. 18. ISBN 1-56076-847.
- ↑ Steve Kurtz (1994). Al-Qadim: Cities of Bone: Campaign Guide. (TSR, Inc), pp. 16–17. ISBN 1-56076-847.