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Posted by : LeonDelgado viernes, 31 de mayo de 2019


North of Sethra, close to the border with the Dite empire, sprawling across a valley of blazing-hot sand, is one of the most incredible and wondrous cities in all of Arcadia: the great desert metropolis of Katapesh. Within its sandstone walls, anything one wishes can be bought, sold, or traded—for the right price. Katapesh is a city of organized chaos where cash is king and commerce is the highest god.

Through all of the trials and tribulations Katapesh has weathered, from its beginnings as the “Golden City” to the bustling metropolis of today, it has retained its mercantile importance no matter who or what has occupied it. Some believe that it is Katapesh’s divine purpose to one day become the greatest center of commerce in all of Arcadia.

The city holds more than 200,000 souls, and each one wants to sell you something. At first glance it appears there are more businesses than residences in Katapesh, because so many merchants sleep in their shops, as they are there most hours of the day anyway, and it provides a deterrent to thieves.

Thievery isn’t as big a problem as one might expect in Katapesh. Crammed full of stores, stalls, tents, warehouses, hawkers, and purchasers as it is, the teeming city seems a thieves’ paradise. The edicts of the Pactmasters, however, make it clear that anyone interfering with trade in the city faces death—or worse. While the occasional petty theft is to be expected, organized or chronic crime threatens to disrupt a merchant’s everyday business. The Pactmasters come down hard on those who endanger the city’s economy (sometimes using constructs powered by the souls of slaves, called aluum, when necessary), and ignore everyone else.



While the Pactmasters maintain control over the city, day-to-day business and governance is left to Pactbroker Hashim ibn Sayyid. Ibn Sayyid has a reputation for upholding the Pactmasters’ judgments and enacting their laws, whatever his personal feelings. Some suspect ibn Sayyid has a personal agenda that will someday come to light, but for now he enjoys a stable and respected position. Ibn Sayyid also presides over the merchant council, which makes decisions about Katapesh’s trade policies and ensures the market remains free. In practice, the merchant council rarely interferes in citizens’ daily lives; their attitude is laissez-faire, if not downright apathetic. The Nightstalls garner the most attention in Katapesh. The bazaars there sell items that are more than unusual— they’re immoral, addictive, or ephemeral. The Nightstalls is where one can buy a dragon’s tongue, feathers from a couatl’s wing, drugs and poisons of all kinds, or a devil’s regret.


Crime and Punishment in Katapesh
Before considering breaking any of the laws of Katapesh, one should be familiar with the penalties. Of course, with the right attitude and a handful of coins, the Zephyr Guard may just let the offending party off with a warning.

Murder of guild member, Zephyr Guard, or government official: Execution

Murder of unaffiliated person: 6 months imprisonment, 100 gp fine, and official warning

Assault of guild member, Zephyr Guard, or government official: 1 year imprisonment

Assault of unaffiliated person: 1 gp

Destruction of Property: Fine equal to the value of the property, or slavery (time varies)

Tax Evasion: Fine equal to the unpaid taxes and 6 months imprisonment

Theft: Loss of a hand, branding, and 25 gp fine, or death (second offense)

Unsanctioned sale prices: Fine equal to the value of the item, official warning, and/or loss of guild membership

Disorderly conduct: 5 gp
  
Recent rumors of Katapesh

- During a clear and cold night, many people witnessed a star falling from the sky and landing in the nearby desert.

- The nearby tombs of the city have been looted by Grave Robbers. Family members of the deceased are asking for help to stop them.

- The water in a well in the slum district have turned blood red.

- The people of the northern mountains have been peaceful towards the caravan traders for a long time. Recently however, they have blocked the mountain pass. Now the traders have to travel through new and dangerous parts of the wastelands to find a new route to the west.

- Some children and young boys had gone missing in the slums, close to the old house of a fallen merchant.

- Some claim that a new group of criminals (theft and assassins) are forming under the old tunnels below the city, and their leader is called "the red cloak".



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