Ideas about Cinsa-Men-Noo

Image by lathander1987, source

Cinsa-Men-Noo is a town in the Emirate of Nithia in Ylaruam. It has a population of 4100 and sits on the inland trade route through the mountains between the Emirates and the Soderfjord Jarldoms.  Its main source of water is the cluster of oases that well up from below the desert - Cinsa-Men-Noo is at the north-east end of this cluster and the town of Tel Al Kebir is at the south-west end. Although governed by different Emirs (Tel Al Kebir is in the Emirate of Alasiya ) the two towns generally cooperate and get along, particularly in matters of defence and security - in matters of trade and commerce they can afford to be a bit more competitive.   

The Emirate of Nithia is dotted with the ruins of ancient Nithia, including the Ruins of Allaktos . As such, some adventurers use Cinsa-Men-Noo as a base from which to launch expeditions into the Nithian hinterlands. Although the sea-port of Surra-Man-Raa is more accessible, it has a problem in the form of a buried artifact (the Obelisk of Ancient Oblivion, which contains the Bead of Oblivion) placed by concerned immortals that wipes the memories of Nithia from anyone passing through. Adventurers and explorers arrive at Surra-Man-Raa with intentions of plundering ancient pyramids and end up wandering around the desert for a few days, returning back to Surra-Man-Raa and leaving empty handed and confused. Cinsa-Men-Noo has no such problematic artifact. However the authorities disapprove of disturbing the sites of the ancient Nithians - they have some inkling of the evil and power that is contained within the crumbling ruins and they have no wish to see it unleashed by careless tomb-robbers. Anyone trying to openly sell ancient Nithian treasures will have such items confiscated by the town authorities. There are, however, some shady merchants willing to relieve the finders of such awkward goods, for a reduced price of course. 

Nonetheless there is one ancient Nithian ruin that the townsfolk would like to see cleared out - the one directly underneath their feet. Cinsa-Men-Noo is built on the old site of the Nithian city of Cinz-Amen. Although the upper structures of Cinz-Amen have been razed, there are still extensive passageways, chambers, tombs and cellars underneath the town. This is occasionally brought to the town's attention when a new construction project breaks into one of these chambers and undead monstrosities crawl out and attack the construction workers. In such cases, adventurers are more than welcome to deal with the problem - they may keep any harmless treasure such as coins and gems but anything that radiates evil (from a Detect Evil spell) will be safely destroyed by town authorities. 

Image by Charles Robertson, source

Cinsa-Men-Noo is both on a busy trade route and also the hub of a number of mining operations. The Nithian Hills are rich with minerals and prospectors will often set out from this town to find new deposits. The hills are dangerous, however, and prospectors and miners are often attacked by monsters, humanoid tribes and human bandits. Adventurers may be called on to help clear away these enemies from a rich deposit the prospector thinks is worth the trouble. In return, the prospector could point the adventurers in the direction of some Nithian ruins he has encountered. Ores are usually processed close to where they are mined and the refined metals are then transported to town and then onto the trade route. 

Cinsa-Men-Noo has a substantial population of dwarves (15%, or about 620), many of whom are involved in the mining and prospecting described above. This includes two small shrines kept by dwarven clerics - one is dedicated to Kagyar, the immortal patron of dwarves, and the other is to the Eternal Truth and Al-Kalim. The members of these two shrines are wary of each other - although they acknowledge each other, there is a certain rivalry and disagreement about who Ylari dwarves ought to follow. The dwarven quarter has a substantial number of blacksmiths, armourers and workshops and these certainly help Cinsa-Men-Noo's economy. 

Cinsa-Men-Noo has some agriculture around the oases, with wheat, dates, oranges and the like all growing nearby. The town does also trade extensively with Tel-Al-Kebir, with Cinsa-Men-Noo providing metals and minerals, and Tel-Al-Kebir providing food, horses and wine. 

In terms of defence, Cinsa-Men-Noo has a garrison of 100 professional troops (all 2nd level fighters or dwarf warriors or higher) who also act as the town guard, but there is also a militia system and in an emergency about 1 in 10 of the townsfolk can drop their day job and don armour and weapons - about 400 militiamen, mostly normal men though a few 1st level fighters among them). 

Some of the characters found in Cinsa-Men-Noo include:

• Sheik Aldar Allarn (human male, 9th level fighter, Lawful) is the appointed governor of Cinsa-Men-Noo on behalf of the Emir in Surra-Man-Raa. Sheik Aldar is a cautious ruler, and knows he has a good thing here, and doesn't want to mess anything up. He also has genuine concern for the well-being of his citizens and will swiftly react if anything disturbs the peace of his town. 
• Mufti Karrishi Jullana (human female, 10th level fighter, Lawful) is the captain of the town garrison and effectively the chief of police. She gets on well with Sheik Aldar and together they do their best to protect the town from raiders and miscreants. She is cautious around adventurers, and has many different encounters with them, some good, some bad. If adventurers prove trustworthy and reliable, she may have a few jobs for them. But woe betide anyone questioning why the captain of the guard is a woman...
• Iman Nizzar ibd-Dalnari (human male, 10th level cleric, Lawful) is the senior cleric in town and the local leader of the faithful in the Eternal Truth of Al-Kalim. Iman Nizzar is the most knowledgeable person in town regarding ancient Nithia, but he is very closed-mouth and cautious about telling people these secrets. He knows both from stories he has heard and also his own occasional experiences that what lies beneath the sands of Nithia should not lightly be disturbed. But when the problem is already in view (such as undead emerging from beneath the town), he is willing to help resolve the situation.
• Iman Duernor Ironshield (dwarf male, 6th level dwarf cleric,  Neutral) is the chief cleric of the small shrine to the Eternal Truth in the dwarven quarter. His main concern is the well-being of the dwarves in Cinsa-Men-Noo and he will sometimes act as their unofficial spokesman. He is quite relaxed around other races and is even cordial with elves, but he is quite defensive about his faith and does not take kindly to those questioning whether the Eternal Truth is any better than other faiths (particularly dwarf clerics who worship Kagyar). 
• Maerell Dhambor (human female, 6th level fighter/3rd level Darokin merchant, Neutral) is originally from Darokin but she has moved here because of the trade opportunities. and has adopted many of the customs and styles of Ylaruam. She trades across all the emirates and also into Rockhome and the Northern Reaches, and occasionally all the way to Selenica. She is a useful source of all sorts of items and services that can be traded - if she cannot get it herself, she knows a fellow merchant who can. She also knows members of the Selenica Cooperative. 
• Zai'rir the Enchanter (human male, 7th level magic user, Neutral) is the court mage. He may not be the most powerful but he is the one the town government calls on. He encourages all mages to register with him at the Office of the Vouchery of Sorcery and also wear a red sash across their torso that townsfolk knows is a sign of a magic-user. He is also interested in what lies beneath Ylaruman, and he is considering hiring adventurers to explore the bottom of the local oasis to see if there is a vertical shaft through which water upwells from the buried Nithian river. 
• Sharreem Al-Kirkuk (human male, 8th level thief, Neutral) is the landlord of a local inn, the Thirsty Camel, which caters to travellers from outside the Emirates. He is also the leader of an informal network of thieves and robbers. He will often gather information from drunk patrons while serving behind the bar, and pass the information to his partners in crime (for a share of the loot). Any adventurers returning with lots of valuable Nithian loot will definitely attract his attention, and it is not as if they can complain to the authorities...