by Carteeg Struve

Megalopolis: Conventional; AL LN; 100,000 stl limit; Assets 4,246,500 stl; Population 106,574; Mixed (Human 70%, Coin Dwarves 18%, Gildanesti 8%, Gnome 2%, Others 2%)
Authority Figures: Presider Gardel Legna, LG male human; Great Sovereign Lord Montegron, LE male human.
Important Characters: Second Protector Noragaen Veliya, LN female human.
Government: Monarchy (Midlands), Republic (FyxZharar and Karsuhon)
Religion: Not Prevalent
Trade: metal, minting coins, weaponsmithing
Alignment: LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE

The capital of Karsuhon (Kahr-soo’-hon) is the center of power for all of the Midlands. Dignitaries from all over Adlatum come here to be represented along with those of the Midland Nations. The city is also a major center of learning and research into the arts of both magic and sword. The Pinnacle City of the Midlandsdeserves its name for several reasons. Not only is it high up above the rest of the Midlands, it is the center of power and knowledge for much of Adlatum as well.

Life and Society

Many in the city have faith in the security bestowed upon them by the Sovereign Lord, and so far nothing has happened to give the general populous much doubt. Even with one of the Elder Dragon’s only fifty miles away, the city is content in their faith of their Lord. Most who live in the city are common urbanites that wake up, go to work for the day in the bustle of a large city, return home, sleep, and repeat. The fact they live in the center of the Midland power is a point of pride, but unless they work for the nation directly, most don’t concern themselves with it.

Others come to the capital to gain knowledge in several of the city’s schools. Others also come to lend their services to the Midland’s military forces. Some more also hope to sneak and explore into the vast caverns beneath the mountains hoping to find some ancient artifact of power. In a city of such vast population, just about any sort can be found. However that doesn’t mean that all sorts are popular. The faithful of the Elder Dragon’s and the Tashrama are generally disliked, but it is known some are operating quietly in the city. No doubt the Lord’s forces are attempting to rout them out.

Although the Midlands is run by the Great Lord Sovereign, Karsuhon elects its representative to the FyxZharar Senate and its City Manager through city-wide elections. All property owners who have not been blacklisted are allowed to vote. The national leader, the Presider, is elected by the Senate.

Major Features

Karsuhon is a city with many styles mixed together as one. Originally it was constructed as part of Gnomorrah when the Talker Gnomes controlled the region. After the other races moved in from the low lands, many places were rebuilt to accommodate the taller peoples. Eventually dwarven architects used their skills to strength the bridges and buildings from the cold winds that sometimes whip through the roads and across the arches over the chasms. Upon the growth of Montegron’s empire, sculptors were brought in to make the mountain city a place of great beauty.

Like several cities in FyxZharar, Karsuhon is broken up into many sections on various cliff sides making up the Ransharl Canyons. The white and blue stones making up the higher altitudes have been used to make the streets, bridges, buildings, stairs, and ramps of Karsuhon. Far beneath the steep cliffs of the city, the canyons are filled with mist that blocks the view of the darkness far below. The gnomes who originally built Karsuhon measured the depths of Ransharl to be around 2000 feet. After the mountains rumbled and the rocks shattered as the water slammed after the chain was struck with the force of the great wave of the Drowning, the Ransharl changed from a single canyon into a branching collection of chasms cutting through the mountains. The depths deepened, and the mist rolled in. How far the bottom truly lies is unknown.

Although many sections are stacked onto each other, the break up of the populous across canyons and through thin passes resulted in the city taking over a vast amount of area. If one could move the largest four of the other Midland capitals to FyxZharar, area-wise they would fit within the border defined by Karsuhon.

Karsuhon’s layers is inconsistent from road to road based on where was safest and most prudent to construct the roads on the mountainsides. Lately more roads were built out of tunnels drilled into the rock faces to expand the growing capital underneath the summits. Expansion of the city along the canyon has no longer become feasible. Roads were already curling around shearing rock that are unsuitable for being used for more buildings. Many blocks of the city are sectioned off from the rest by a single roadway that winds for a half-mile before joining up with the bulk of the city.

In other places there are buildings interconnect with other structures built directly above them. A number of buildings on lower levels also have major roadways laid out directly across their roofs. From a newcomer’s standpoint the city may be beautiful, but it is also a mish-mash or roads, bridges, ramps, and other structures. Yet with homes and businesses similarly spread out around the mountains, none of the residents need to go too far for many of their needs.

Important Sites

Adlemount – The highest point in Karsuhon, Adlemount is several hundred yards higher and was deemed too unstable for construction. Only a few roads approach the area beneath that top, yet many places within the city can see the peak rising up around the lesser mountains. Ancient mythologies say that the old gods use Adlemount as a stepping place when transversing from the Higher Planes down onto Krynn.

College of Arcanus – Of the three universities in Karsuhon, Arcanus is devoted entirely to the study of magic, especially the arcane. Although it is initially questioned if the magic of the Elder Dragons would be included as a topic of study, if not practice, the school came to the conclusion that gaining knowledge in the art one’s enemy uses is a benefit far more than a bane. Several of the school’s elite have gone on to work for the betterment of the Midland’s under the Great Sovereign Lord, and the school prides itself on sticking to high standards when it comes to student admittance.

The college itself is located in a bowled out mountaintop near the Ransharl canyons. Heat vents from underneath Mount Nadnok warms the ground and air. The campus grounds are covered in green grass and trees that would not survive easily elsewhere in Karsuhon. The university also contains a number of gardens tended to be arcane casting ground keepers.

The Palsidion (Pal-sihd’-ee-on) – When Montegron chose FyxZharar as the center of the Midland Sovereignties, he had no intension of having his seat of power to be easily exposed to strikes from the nearby White Elder. He had ordered the construction of his own palace, the Palsidion, to be built underground. Atop one of the roadways, a facade of a grand palace stretched across much of the side of one of Ransharl’s smaller branches. Once inside the doors however, the true of the matter is obvious. There is nothing but tunnels leading in from the main gates. The tunnels twist and turn, heading deep within the mountains of FyxZharar before reaching the true grand palace of the Midlands.

Within the Palsidion, Montegron rules the Midlands in the greatest of luxury. Styles of art from all across Adlatum are included in the main halls, including from the lands that are ‘not yet’ under the caring hand of the Great Sovereign Lord. Since the rule of Montegron began, the Palsidion has grown into a small city of its own. The Midland Guard also has its headquarters here, along with the many of the secretive mages loyal to Sovereign. It is said the tunnels from the Palsidion reach to many points within the city, known only by the Lord. Others think this is only rumor since no path could cut across the chasms. Exactly how many entrances and exits go in and out of the Grand Palace is only known by a selected few. The number of passages that connect into the tunnels that head deeper into the unknown bowels of FyxZharar is likely known by even less.

The Pavillion – The capital of the FyxZharar Republic has its government centered in the Pavilion, a large palace located just below the second tallest summit in the immediate area, Draydleton Peak. The Pavilion’s exterior is a columned structure of beauty, however the inside was constructed more for functionality. There are several floors worth of offices, meeting halls, and archives taking up most of Draydleton Peak. The Presider, who is the leader chosen by the elected Senate of FyxZharar, also makes his home here during his or her seven-year term.