Al- Caresh

## City Description

One of the oldest places of Ellarith, the city of Al- Caresh is one of the more visually stunning, with huge beautifully crafted statues, awesome buildings and stunning's views of the the desert. However laying at the foundations are the bodies of generations of slaves who build them. The city is infamous for its buying and selling of slaves and it relays on them for nearly everything. Due to the city being so old there are ruins all around the city and even built on top of older ruins. Sadly Al- Caresh is the only place left in Ellarith where slavery is still legal. The city is controlled by a number of family's however even they are under the rule of the supreme leader Settra. There is also a secret society within the city called the order of the pale serpent who's plan is to bring an Anathema into the world and lead them to a new age of glory.

### **Districts**

As you could tell the people of Al Caresh are divided and nowhere is it more clear than the districts people live in.

***The Serpents Mouth*** - A district where the 3 main family and the supreme leader himself lives. It's also off limits to slaves expect ones that have had 'The Serpents bite'. The district also holds the Supreme leaders palace/ temple who many call The Shrine of Ssesh,

***The Ruby Gates*** - A district where a lot of the upper middle to high class members of the city lives. It's a walled community which hold some private taverns and brothel in only for the members of the community.

'*Sorrows corner'* is also placed within the Ruby gates. It's a place where some of the slaves the family's deem more useful live so they dont have to travel all the way to the slums and if needed are only a short distance away. Some slaves wish to live in this part of this small community but some hold grudges towards the people that live there.

***The Bloodstone Bazaar -*** Although 70% of the trade in Al Caresh happens at Slavers Bay the city still had its own market district however its more specialist, items and objects that you cant find anywhere, as in Slavers Bay. The shops sell higher priced and more sort after possessions.

***The Slums and Slavers Shantytown* -** The largest district in which its name was given by its residents. A place for members of the lowest part of society and further down unshackled slaves (Unshackled slaves are people who are owned by a master but aren't kept close by and can walk around the city freely) to live. The condition are extremely poor as it cost nothing to live in the shanty town. It's more of a case of being placed there by your master or moving there because no where else to go. The slums however are a residential district that doesn't cost too much to live in.

### **Geography**

Surrounding the city is nothing but deadly barren deserts, which is a reason more slaves don’t run away. Slavers bay is by the ocean and there are a number of ruins around but apart from that Al Caresh is a massive lone city. Kelabi is the closest cluster of towns but they are a weeks travel away. They aren't owned by the family's but they do pay the tribe leaders of Kelabi in an arrangement. The master make them rich and happy if they guard the entrance to the desert and capture and send back anyone trying to escape.

### **Weather**

Due to geological location the weather is most times quite hot. It can be cold at night due to the winds but mostly just heat beaming down everyday. Also not too much water around which isn't owned by a family so in droughts in can become dangerous for everyone who isn't a member of a master family's.

### **Gods**

Sseth, God of the serpents is worshiped by the Yuan ti. It's worshiped in secret but not that well kept. A common god that is worshiped more in slavers bay than Al Caresh is Waukeen goddess of trade. Avandra Goddess of Change, Luck and Travel, although a god mainly for halflings the slaves and poorer members of the city have taken this deity as their own in hopes one day their luck may change.

## City Life

Life in Al- Caresh is polar opposite depending who you are. If you're part of a family that poses a but of money then life can be great, if your born into one of the 3 main families your life is filled with luxury's and you can have anything you desire. If not then it can be vastly different, You probably live in the Slavers shanty town and if you're lucky your free. Most people who live in Al Caresh are slaves own by a family. A small number of the citizens can make it out of slavery however. There are three ways out, you're released, which is technically a way out however it is known to never happen. You become a fighter in the pits, win enough fights on behalf of your family to be put forward into the grand freedom tournament or take part yourself. A lot of fights are none deadly but the grand freedom tournament is to the death and the only way and your freedom is to well win. The last way to gain your freedom is to die, which sadly happens a lot. Day to day life as a slave consists of working. If you're lucky you will get picked for servants task and get to live in sorrows corner. However most are not and forced into manual labor for new structures or repairs. There are three types of slaves.

1. Unchained - Slaves who are owned by one of the families but allowed to walk partially freely, they make up a lot of the cities workforce and are identified by branding or emblems on their clothes relating to the family they work for.
2. Chained - For the slaves who have dared to step out of line but are strong or smart enough to not just kill and carry on using, you dont normally see these slaves as they are kept away or forced into the worst jobs.
3. Serpents bite - A slave who has been rewarded, depending on who you ask. Serpent bitten slaves are people who have the honer of being slaves to the Supreme leader himself or one of the main 3 families. However you have to go through a ritual that ends in 3 ways depending on which job you will end up doing. 1) If you are tasked with serving the supreme leader both of your eyes have to be removed as someone of your position is forbidden from seeing them. 2) Your ears chopped off, due to working for one of the three family a lot of important information is discussed day to day and now you can no longer hear what is going on. Lasted 3) your tongue being cut out, for a job where you dont need to communicate just work.

### **Demographic**

The population of Al Caresh is currently unknown due to the amount of slaves the high society family possess but it was probably around 15,000 - 18,000. Even though the Yuan ti (30%) run the city they only populated a surprisingly small percentage of the population. Dragonborn (9%), lizardfolk (6%) and Orcs (5%) also make up a high number of the people however the remaining races (50%) arnt very well documented due to being slaves they are counted or taken much notice of.

## Notable Locations

*Shop*

**Roc's feather**: A tailor and clothing store.

**Cinder Scars**: A blacksmith.

**The Voodoo Dol**l: A shop of magical items.

**The Glass Pen**: A general good store.

 The Merky Mud Pub
 Every Man's Wish

*Locations*

**Shrine to Ssesh**: The grand temple for people to come to pray to, its also attached to the palace of the supreme leader however the palace if behind the temple.

**The Obelisk Of Auvius**: A lone mysterious tower with strange markings, some think its the source of Ssesh's power, some say its a lookout tower for the city and others thing its an ancient artifact left by an unknown being and the reason the city is here is because they wanted to study it.

**Prism Library**: One of the oldest libraries in Ellarith however it doesn't hold much information expect propaganda and events that have only really happened it Al Caresh. Al Slaves aren't allowed in without permission.

**The King Corba Amphitheater**: A huge arena where gladiatorial fights and battle take place for all the people of Al Caresh to come watch.

**Mudstone Market**: Secret to the scale-men and people who dont reside in the Slavers Shantytown, Mudstone is an underground market for contraband goods or thing stolen from Slavers Bay or the Bloodstone Bazar.

**Carcus Catercombs**: A vase underground network of tunnel where the bones of slaves are put to rest.

## Military

Al Caresh doesn't need much use for an army nowdays after finding the hard way they cant really break into new land outside the barren wasteland and due to their geological location a lot of armies aren't use to fighting in such heat and by the time get to the city the scale guards can quickly deal with them. Also if worse comes to worst they can use hundreds of slaves as cannon fodder. Al Caresh is also one of the richest cities in Ellarith and if they were in need of an army hiring bands of mercenary is a very real option.

*The Scale Guard -* Commonly called the scale-men they make predominately make up the cities guards and even when need be an army, a lot of Lizards men, Dragonborns and Yuan Ti make up the division. They wear a red dyed hide armour and are armed with a a spear, sickle and a sling.

*Howling Hunters* - A specialist Gnoll unit thats main purpose is to track and hunt escaped slaves who ran into the barren wasteland, either to bring them back or make an example of. They arn't heavy armoured as a result of needing to move fast.

*The Toxicant* – Yuan-Ti Purebloods, Lizardfolk, Tortles make up the bulk of this spy network. They trade in poisons and secrets. Their negotiations start with offering you a drink, and ends when they decide to give you the antidote.

## History

**The tribal wars and the war in the dry sea**

 Al Caresh wasn't always like this, in its most early days there was no city at all. Just a number of tribes, most human but some Yuan ti, Hobgoblin, Kobolds and Gnoll. Constantly at war with each-other. Over time however it was clear to the other tribes that the different human tribes will soon outnumber the rest of them and if decided to band together could wipe them all out. So the Yuan Ti decided to make peace with the other races and if preposed if they momentarily joined together they could destroy the humans and once it was over go back to their ways. The tribes agreed and so started the 'war in the dry sea'. The humans quickly worked out what was happening and the 4 main tribes joined together. The war lasted a lot longer than the beasts were expected and instead of just wiping them out in a raid like they though it turned into a draw out war. Over time the land to the east was occupied by the beasts and west by the humans. They fought for almost a 3 decades and although it seemed the beasts were winning the war could've raged on forever. However one day it all changed, The beasts, but mainly the Yuan ti tribes met in secret with the Annoo (One of human tribes). To change sides and sabotage the human armies, they would be rewarded by not being wiped out. Seeing the odds weren't in their favour the Annoo betrayed the rest of their species. The war was over within a year at the battle of Tlukahr, once the rest of the humans knew what was happening it was too late. The beasts kept their end of the bargain and let the Annoo live, the beast tribe then also disbanded. the remaining humans were either killed, taken as slaves or if they got lucky were able to run away.

**The rise of the Yuan Ti**

After the war of the dry sea and the tribes dismemberment the races went back to how they use to be and it stayed that way for a few years, petty arguments started to arise again and all memory of working together was forgotten. Expect the Annoo and Yuan Ti, they became close, and by close I mean not killing each-other instantly. The Annoo were still a small number of people after the war but the Yuan Ti came to them again this time they could have a place in their new world if they joined them. Annoo once again said yes and together they slowly crushed or absorbed anyone that got in their way. They subdued the gnoll tribe quickly but instead of killing them like they did most of the kobolds they took them in and made them scouts for their armies. They only had the hobgoblins left however there is a reason they left them last, their military strength was far superior but now gaining the slaves from the kobold tribes and the gnoll warriors they had enough to challenge them. And so the Yuan ti did. The pure number of people overcame the hobgoblins and given the choice of bowing down to the supreme leader or dying. The hobgoblins having too much pride decided to go out fighting and were destroyed and every one of them eradicated from the barren wasteland. Now the Yuan ti had control over the whole region. They had the Annoo with them, gnolls as their foot soliders and thousands of slaves at their disposal. They put them to use by founding and building the city of Al Carsh.

F**ailure of the serpent war and the the battle of old front**

 After a century of building up their empire the Yuan ti wanted more, they wanted to expand out of the barren wasteland and so built an army fit to conquer more of Ellarith. The Holy City of Actus being the closest place they first tried to conquer the impenetrable city. It quite obviously failed the cities defences, Knights Templar and the gods were too much for them. This then gave warning to every other major kingdom and realm in Ellarith, the Yuan ti want to expand so be ready. As a result the King of Knightsdale destroyed the land connecting them to him (which is now know as Perils Pinch) so if they wanted to march to him they would have to go past Actus and through the mountain valley,. The Elves of Ezleases created a magical protection around their already extremely secret forrest so anyone trying to enter it would loose themselves. And Broadcove was too cold for the Yuan Ti. After a failed attempt to even find Ezleases there was only 1 place left, the kingdom of Knightsdale. The armies of the Yuan Ti marched through the barren wasteland and past Actus now due to the Perils Pinch being too small to pass an army through it. They marched up to the empty valley and so started 'The serpent war'. The war lasted about 3 years land but was lost, they gained small land all the way up to Gaterlin. However the war ended at the battle of Oldfront. The Yuan ti couldn't keep up on both fronts, the war effort was costing too much money and due to the lesser military, rebellions started arising in Al Caresh. so they retreated back to the wasteland. The king sent a small army to follow them try to see if they could gain any ground in their land however the heat and unfamiliar territory were too much and the army was quickly erased. Knowing there was no way to fight them on their own land Knightsdale ended the war there. Thus the Yuan ti's expansion failed.