Adventures and Dungeons around Cinsa-Men-Noo

Based on original map by Thorfinn Tait, source

The town of Cinsa-Men-Noo, in the western part of the Emirate of Nithia, northern Ylaruam, is close to a number of places adventurers may be interested in exploring, and is well-suited as a base from which expeditions can be launched. Adventures within the town are certainly possible, with traders, the local garrison, the local thieves, adventurers, rival religions and the like all rubbing shoulders in a small town.

Then there are the ruins underneath the town, which is built on top of the old Nithian settlement of Cinz-Amen. Crypts, cellars, passageways and the like buried for over a thousand years still contain the possessions and the bodies of the ancient Nithians themselves (both dead and undead), as well as numerous vermin. Dealing with these when they are encountered by construction workers and the like is one way of introducing the ancient Nithians to novice adventurers. 

The Ruins of Allaktos are described here. They sit among the dry rocky cliffs of the escarpment where the Great Salt Basin meets the Northern Highlands of Nithia. 

The Shrine of the Dervishes is a spiritual centre for the dervishes of Ylaruam. It is a simple village and stronghold set against the escarpment of where the desert meets the hills. It is not exactly home to the dervishes because they are nomadic, but they view this as a holy place and will visit when in need of guidance, meditation or  discussing matters with their fellow dervishes. As well as the desert druids themselves there are also bands of fanatical nomadic fighters, the Followers of the Dervishes. These are sometimes mistakenly called dervishes themselves. These  Followers of the Dervishes both protect the druidic dervishes themselves and also carry out missions and tasks ordained by the dervishes. 

The Pleasure Palace of Kithannis is described here. 

The Citadel of the Bleeding Blade is the headquarters of the dreaded Holy Killers of the Eternal Secret. 

The Temple of Thanoth-Ra is an ancient Nithian temple complex, with about 10 actual temples and numerous dwellings, storerooms, mastaba tombs, offices and workshops within the complex. It dates back to the same time as Allaktos but is mostly above ground whereas Allaktos is much more of an underground dungeon. It has only recently been discovered by dwarven prospectors and has not been plundered yet. But there are those who warn against such rash greed - these Nithian sites are often cursed and nobody now knows what sort of deities were worshipped, or what guardians remain to watch over the Temple of Thanoth-Ra. 

Shaddranath Silver Mine is ancient, at least as old as the ancient Nithian Empire, and some sages speculate it may go back to the Mogreth lizardmen. It is very extensive, with many chambers, passageways, shafts and junctions going miles underground. Yet it keeps yielding enough silver for it to be worthwhile. The really odd thing is that new silver veins sometimes appear in old chambers and faces that were supposedly exhausted - it is as if the silver keeps growing back. A company of 70 dwarves currently holds the entrance and upper levels and will send weekly caravans of pack mules with silver to Cinsa-Men-Noo. But the lower levels are not claimed by civilized folk and are far more dangerous. Yet the temptation to explore further and deeper is strong, especially since those dwarven explorers who have survived the deepest levels believe they have seen veins of Mithril in the walls. 

Ya'argrakk, the Fortress of the Gnolls, is still very much in use by gnolls and their kobold slaves. Gnolls are not very good at recording history, but it seems that this was originally a Nithian border fort that was then taken over and improved by a mad mage. Gnolls took over about 100 years ago and they have held onto it ever since. The surface structures are quite impressive though not in good repair - one can only speculate what underground levels may be like. Ylari scouts who have returned to tell their tales say that about 900 gnolls and perhaps the same number of kobolds live there, including leaders, shamans and specialist troops, including hyaenodon riders who charge into battle on giant prehistoric hyenas. What nobody outside the fortress knows is that the gnolls are coordinated and assisted by a small cabal of 20 hutaakans, all of whom have strong clerical powers. The gnolls are ostensibly led by the gnoll king Rathnaguul but the hutaakans are the power behind the throne. 

Image by postapodcast, source

The Mogreth Sites date back to even before the rise of Nithian civilization when a culture of reptilian humanoids dominated the area when it was lush and verdant. These were predominantly an advanced form of lizardman, though their mages and leaders were serpentine. The Mogreth ruins near Cinsa-Men-Noo are mainly towards the west, and include Ithkesp, Akil and Akha-Sstalazhat. However, known to very few still alive, Cinz-Amen, the Nithian city that Cinsa-Men-Noo is built on, is itself built on top of primordial Mogreth ruins. No living human has ventured that for into the dungeons and returned to tell the tale. 

Beyond these major sites there are other forms of adventure:

Humanoid tribes, including gnolls, kobolds and ogres, live in the Nithian hills, preying on isolated farmsteads and unwary travellers. Prospectors, traders and missionary clerics could all ask adventurers for protection as they go on their various journeys. Some of the gnolls will have set out from Ya'argrakk but others are based in smaller lairs dotted around the hills. 

Desert Rakastas are sometimes seen wandering the wastes. They are dressed in a way similar to human desert nomads, and are distinct from other rakastas by their slender builds, long limbs and cheetah-like markings, with golden-yellow fur with black spots and distinctive "tear marks" from the inner corner of their eyes down to their mouths. Although generally shy and reclusive around humans and demihumans, they can be fierce if provoked. Even worse are rumours that some desert rakastas have been seduced by the forces of Chaos and have become man-eaters, preying on travellers in the wastelands.  

The Nithian folk are not the most friendly or outward-looking of humans. Banditry, worship of ancient Nithian idols and even the worship of Chaos all occur among them. Outsiders and even government officials need to be careful when dealing with them. Even dervishes are cautious around Nithians, and some will only travel here with a squad of the Followers of the Dervishes. They are only barely part of the Emirates.

Centaurs dwell in the hills - They have respect for the dervishes and their followers, but contempt for the greedier, less honourable humans found in towns and cities. The Tharaddi tribe is the biggest and strongest with 60 members - their warriors prefer skirmish tactics using shortbows to harass slower opponents while using their speed to keep a safe distance. Most of the time they just avoid civilized humans but occasionally they retaliate if they feel wronged, or even ask for help when facing a threat they cannot handle by themselves.

There are stories of a floating castle on a massive cloud island that moves around northern Ylaruam. It is believed to be inhabited by a trio of cloud giants who have also come to an agreement with a band of djinn. The djinn share the castle, and in return assist the cloud giants. It is also believed that one of the giants occasionally uses a giant-sized Censer of Air Elemental control so there is often at least 1 (12HD) air elemental on the cloud island as well. 

There are known to be at least 6 blue dragons around western Nithia and in the nearby mountains. One of these is the large blue male Razzlask the Magnificent. He has kept his lair well-hidden as a precaution against thieves and adventurers wanting to make a name for themselves. He is a spell-caster and will often fly around with an invisibility spell active. He does not often resort to violence, but may demand tribute in the form of gold and livestock. He has even visited Cinsa-Men-Noo to exact vengeance on a trio of human adventurers who had slain his mate - he slew each of the three but killed no townsfolk or soldiers, and then explained to terrified townsfolk why he had killed these adventurers, and that he had no grudge against the rest of them, and then he turned invisible and flew off.