World of Samardan: Kolgrat, City of Marble...

Greetings, All:

This is my eleventh post of this year's A to Z Challenge series, in which I describe 26 different locations in the World of Samardan campaign setting, one for each letter of the alphabet. Today, the letter K is for Kolgrat, City of Marble.

(Hex) Kolgrat, City of Marble

Population: 8,000 (65% Human, 30% Rakran, 5% Other). Ruler: Raganu Buro Ranaminan (7th Level Human Expert[Diplomat]). Resources: Marble, Ore.

Ambiance: A walled city built into the mountainside, Kolgrat is every bit a frontier mining town. Statues and other works of art crafted in Kolgratan marble are quite common, as are establishments designed to take money from miners in the more enjoyable manners possible. By day, the Raganu maintains peace through diplomacy and persuasion; at night, organized crime controls the city, protecting its interests through more forceful methods.

History: Kolgrat began as a walled mining town, providing a protective base of operations for various mining concerns in a predator-rich environment. When a rich vein of Kolgratan marble (a deep emerald stone with golden striations) was discovered in the nearby mountains, Kolgrat's economy boomed. Although Kolgrat has been raided on occasion by sky-pirates, it is very rarely the target of armies or aerial navies of other cities or tribes.

Encounters: Organized crime is highly prevalent in Kolgrat, and criminals of all kinds can be found in the dark alleys of the lower districts. Beyond the walls, great mountainous predators hunt their prey, particularly the top-level predator of the region, the nengarsari (huge nine-headed saurian creatures with virulent poison spittle and an extreme fear of fire). Common hazards and encounters include landslides, sahani, hatagati and kandori beyond the walls, and thugs, assassins and miners inside the walls of Kolgrat.

Treasure: A number of artists living in Kolgrat have crafted exquisite masterpieces in the local marble. Of particular note is the statue of the Gran Sumaran, a legendary warrior of the past famous for his honor and skill at arms, which resides in the courtyard of the Raganu's palatial estate. Yaranu Moro, Master of Assassins for the court of Kolgrat and the representative of the Crime Lords of the city in the Raganu's courtly affairs, is said to possess the Heart of Blood, the largest ruby in the world. According to rumor, he keeps it locked away in a trapped vault deep in the earth beneath his villa.

Adventure Hooks: Adventure hooks for this site could include the following:

• Bamo Sadaloban, a young rogue with high aspirations, clandestinely seeks experiences thieves to assist him in retrieving the Heart of Blood from under the protection of Yaranu Moro, Master of Assassins.
• Kudiso Sanayatan, a local artist, is soliciting bounty hunters for a special mission. Sky-pirates have recently raided the city and made off with his most prized piece of art, a statuette of the Raganu carved from Kolgratan marble and inlaid with gold, and Kudiso wants it back.
• Local merchants are hiring mercenaries to defend caravans bearing Kolgratan marble out of the mountains. Nengarsari have been seen in greater numbers recently.
• Mudo Pekaran, a master avian trainer from Pordel, seeks adventurers to locate and retrieve the gorbani eggs stolen from his airship after he arrived in Kolgrat.
• Tamo Gonsanan, a mountain-warden, seeks experienced hunters to accompany him on a hunt for a wounded nengarsar. The poison of the beast sells for high prices in the black markets of Kolgrat.

Every setting needs a city of rogues and vagabonds, where the worst elements of criminal society thrive openly. In the World of Samardan, Kolgrat is that place. Ultimately, if someone wants something that can't be found anywhere else, Kolgrat is likely the place to at least find information about its location, if not purchase the item outright. I imagine a great number of adventures of an illicit nature can be found, if one chooses to look in the right places.

Standard Disclaimer: As I have not yet decided where to set this particular location on the map as yet, I've left a placeholder to remind me to come back to this in the future. Later on, I'll replace (Hex) with the actual hex location, when I put all of this together into a single document.

Enjoy,
Flynn