Qohor

Qohor is the easternmost of the Free Cities, and considered by many to have the most exotic and ill-mannered residents of the nine cities. As such, many compare it to Asshai-by-the-Shadow, in the far east.

## Location

Standing on the banks of the river Qhoyne, a tributary of the Rhoyne, on the western edge of the Forest of Qohor, the city is seen as a gateway to the east. Qohor is surrounded by strong stone walls.

Northwest of Qohor is Norvos and to the south Volantis. The Qohorik rule the Qhoyne north of the ruins of Ar Noy and the eastern bank of the Darkwash, although that river's western bank is within the domains of Norvos, but following recent events, the land is largely shared between the two.

## Layout

The city initially started as a lumber camp upon the major trading route between Andalos and the Dothraki Sea and Bone Mountains, and much of the city still reflects this origin. Foresters and hunters remain two of the most popular occupations within the Free City, but a great wealth of other talents, skills and past-times have been brought with the wealth of the peoples passing through. The other art that has made the Qohorik famous across the Known World is their skills with hammer and anvil, as products of the forges of Qohor are considered to be rivaled only by the surviving artefacts from Valyria.

* The Forest Palace - Home of the Eranel Family, the greatest and most prosperous of all the families made rich by the wealth of woods within the Forest of Qohor, the Forest Palace is a sprawling construction of wood and pale stone. Surrounded by walls populated with towers shaped to resemble Sentinel trees, the residency houses all the members of the Eranel family, as well as their servants, soldiers and lumberworkers. Also contained within the walls are the barracks of the guardsmen that patrol the Palace, and just to the north the largest timberyard in the Known World can be found. Members of the Eranel Family title themselves 'The First Woodsmen of Qohor.'
* The Steel Hold - Home of the Mott Family, the most famed and skilled of all the families that heat and shape steel and other metals into keen blades, steadfast shields and a myriad of other items, the Steel Hold is a colossal monolith of dark stone and metal. It is protected by two concentric rings of high walls upon which guardsmen in fanciful armour patrol. It is said that the very dirt around the Steel Hold is warm to touch from the never-ceasing forges found at the heart of the construction. Members of the Mott Family title themselves 'The Master Forgelords of Qohor.'
* The Iron Street - Sitting between the Steel Hold and the third gate of the city, near the tall stone walls, sits the Iron Street. The street is littered with blacksmiths and minor Forgelords, from back-alley smiths to large businesses, the Iron Street has them all. At the mouth of the street sits a large gate of black steel and iron, forged in intricate ruins. Leading in is the massive Forge of Yarn, the largest of the smithies in the Iron Street. Along the street is the Fiery Tavern, a place where customers, workers and smith-owners alike come together for food and drink. The further one goes along the Iron Street, the cheaper the products get, although as the coin demanded drops, so does the quality. Many of the disgraced or small smiths are consigned to working down the street, having to be content with the down-flow of coin coming from the bigger sellers.
* The Horned Lord’s Temple - At the heart of the city and surrounded by two concentric rings of walls lies the rebuilt Horned Lord’s Temple, repairs and additions made after the r'hllorite attack of 300 AC. Defenses were bolstered, the wall system taking inspiration from the Steel Hold of the Motts. Six towers line the inside of these walls, manned all hours of the day with shift changing Unsullied temple guardsmen. Inside the second wall many trees native to the Great Forests of Qohor are planted surrounding the temple. Various rituals are often conducted out in this large grove; it is not unusual to see idols of the Black Goat hanging about or other ceremonial decor adorning the trees. The Temple itself is constructed of a sturdy dark stone as well as iron beams and bindings; a measure taken to rely less on the lumber they have in such stores. Built in a square formation with a courtyard at its center, it contains a large hall for each side of the building- each one dedicated to a specific purpose. Within the courtyard is an enormous black iron statue of the Black Goat, under which all sacrifices in Qohor are performed. The statue sits upon a large stone platform and overlooks a ritualistic deas. At the ends of the courtyard are seats arranged not unlike an amphitheater for observing the most holy of rites.

## History

Come 301 AC Qohor, while wealthy at the time, experienced economic hardship as three of its larger trading partners experienced dramatic shifts in power and regimes. These of course were Volantis, Pentos, and Braavos respectively. For a number of years their wealth suffered and their coffers started to run dry. Life became difficult for the middle and lower classes of society especially, as with the lack of income from other cities the oligarchical families of Qohor looked further inward for every coin they could find. The Temple of the Black Goat, referred to as “The Temple” by the folk within the city and members of the faith, provided much for the needy and suffering at the time. Fervor in faith to the Black Goat was spurred to grow by the love and care provided by the hooded-priests of The Temple. This along with the r'hllorite attack on their place of worship by the followers of the Red God in 300 AC had the faithful of Qohor particularly invested in the protection granted by their God. The Speaker of the Black Goat, realizing the situation, used the opportunity to sway the minds of the masses to rely upon his guidance. During this time the Speaker saw to it that the rule of The Temple was greatly expanded. The Horned Ones, an order of secret inquisitors was established by hand-picked hooded priests of the Order during this time.

The hard times didn’t last forever though. Come 315 AC further trade relations were established with the newly formed Triarchy of the Three Daughters. They proved to be a much more lucrative trading partner than Volantis or Pentos had ever been, though not quite enough to completely make up for their loss as the distance of Lys and Tyrosh was an expensive one to cover. Even still, a heavy influx of Qohorik trade flowed into the Three Daughters through Myr. Over the course of the next sixteen years, ties were also once again established with Braavos despite being ruled by the Targaryens. By 331 AC Qohor had recovered all the status that was lost and then some with its newfound trading partners. Further, at the year’s end a new High Priest took power. A young man of Pentos and a convert from the Faith of the Seven. While he was a highly controversial choice, his charisma won him the hearts of the hooded-priests just as well as the people.

Ever thankful for the recovery from their fall, the faithful of Qohor began to bring their religious philosophies with them where they could; from small communes of worshippers, priests and missionaries travelling with merchants, and others. The encouragement of the newly chosen High Priest to go forth and bring others the fulfillment of their faith’s message greatly assisted this. In the city of Myr a temple to the Black Goat sprouted in 349 AC, the first to be founded outside of Qohor in ages. Several years later in 357 AC another sprouted up in Lys. Both temples were not built to be large or fanciful and even were established in locales off the beaten path within their respective cities. In 366 AC another such temple was founded in Braavos, and while a few requests had been made to the Emperor Belicho of Volantis to establish a Temple of the Black Goat in their city, they were all at the time refused.

As the reach of the Black Goat’s influence expanded the High Priest, also called The Guide of the Lost, began to burn out. The years and decades slid by and followers joined the faith in what seemed like droves. Many among them came to Qohor in pilgrimage to seek the bestowal of his blessing in blood. Qohor prospered and yet The Guide didn’t care; he was passionless. Continue as he did to practice the religion, his own faith faded away. This fall of his spirit over the years was noted by the priesthood, who eventually grew to resent him for it. Some even mocked him behind his back with the title The Lost Guide.

By the year 383 AC, The High Priest resolved to atone for his years of what he came to perceive as murder and return to Pentos to seek justice against himself. While he attempted to do so in secret, six inquisitors of the Order trailed him from Qohor. The Diplomatic One of Pentos welcomed The Guide back into the city where they kept him sequestered away to await his atonement; joining up with the Poor Fellows. Though before the judgement of the Seven could reach the former High Priest he was spirited away in the night. A fire was started near where he was being held and amidst all of the commotion he disappeared, never to be seen in Pentos again.

The Horned Ones retreated with the captive away from Pentos and began back towards Qohor. Once they were a few days travel outside Pentos, one among their number proposed the ritualistic sacrifice of the Guide of the Lost to the Black Goat while they traveled instead of waiting. The intention of the ritual was not only to forcibly atone him, but also to call down disaster upon Pentos in vengeance. He convinced his fellow inquisitors to attempt the dark ritual, but it did not go quite as planned. They would only achieve the first among their goals, with the power of the ritual backfiring and killing three of the inquisitors and Pentos remaining unharmed. After the disaster they’d quietly return to Qohor with the exception of one among them, and in the wake of the mysterious disappearance of The Guide tensions ran high between the two cities. Despite this, they remain strong trading partners and on friendly terms with Volantis, the Triarchy, and Braavos in the years of late.

The current ruler of Qohor is Reaper of the Harvests, the Speaker of the Black Goat.