Archive for March, 2025
Road to Sardar
Monday, March 17th, 2025
“The road to the fair is our depiction of the hazards and risks of traveling to the fair. We have built a 3 sim wide area traveling from docks on the river near the Last Stop Inn up through hills and into the Sardar Mountains. As depicted in the books, there are dangers to be found along the road as outlaws, panthers, and even warriors seek to capture unsuspecting travelers. In the books, men were killed and women enslaved to be sold at the fair. In our depiction of the road to the fair, no one will be killed, but both men and women can be captured and potentially sold at auction at the fair or kept by their captors.”
Rescue Mission
Monday, March 17th, 2025
Caravan leaders had reported that an accident had occurred near the ruins of the Oasis of Mandara: One of the Guards of the Dunes, who protect the caravans to and from the Oasis of Klima, had fallen into a deep hole that had suddenly opened in the ground. A group of armed men gathered at the Oasis of Lame Kaiila to rescue the warrior.
The hole was found. They lowered themselves down using ropes they had brought with them. Hidden beneath the desert sand was a kind of labyrinth, which, judging by its construction, must have been very complex.
As they penetrated deeper into the facility, they heard the injured man’s cries. After a while, they found him. Although he could no longer walk, he had dragged himself into a room where a narrow trickle of water dripped from above.
He was taken upstairs on a stretcher and transported to the infirmary of the Oasis of Klima. There, two physicians from the Oasis of Two Scimitars treated him. His leg was put in a splint, and he was given crutches.
The rescuers refreshed themselves at the T’Zshal Inn and refreshed themselves before the long return march.
The Kasbah
Sunday, March 16th, 2025
The support of the kasbah of the Salt Ubar comes from fees supplied by high salt merchants, the measure of which fees, of course, they include in their wholesale pricing to lesser distributors. The function of the kasbah of the Salt Ubar, thus, officially, is to administer and control the salt districts, on behalf of the Tahari salt merchants, primarily by regulating access to the districts, checking the papers and the credentials of merchants, inspecting caravans between Red Rock, and certain other oases, and the salt districts, will travel under an escort of the Guard of the Dunes. (Sim: Oasis of Red Rock)
Village of Skali
Sunday, March 16th, 2025
Torvaldsland ends near the frozen sea areas, at the lands of the Red Hunters. The men of Torvaldsland though sometimes have different ideas concerning the boundaries of Torvaldsland. They like to claim that their boundary encompasses anywhere that their ships land. Their ships have been known to journey as far south as Schendi and Bazi and as far west as Tyros and Cos.
Torvaldsland itself is a harsh and rocky land with many cliffs, inlets and mountains. Its geography resembles the Scandanavian countries of Earth. Arable soil is rare, found in thin patches and extremely valuable. Thus, most of their farms are very small. Due to the rarity of good land, communication between these isolated farms is often by sea in small boats.
The raiders of Torvaldsland often live within the hall of their Jarl. There are true halls and common halls, the former being for the wealthiest of Jarls such as Svein Blue Tooth. The primary difference between the halls is that the true hall is made of wood, a valuable commodity in the north. Timber is more often used to construct ships rather than halls. Thus, there are few true halls in Torvaldsland. One common custom, for both types of halls, is the greeting of a guest to the hall. The master of hall, garbed in his finery, will stand at the doorway into the hall holding a bowl of water and a towel. The guest will then wash his hand and face.
The common hall is a longhouse, about 125 feet long. Instead of being made of wood, the walls are made of turf and stone. The walls may be up to eight or more feet thick. The hall is oriented north to south so as to reduce the exposure to the biting north wind. At the center of the hall will be a rounded pit for a fire. Ventilation is supplied by narrow holes in the roof so the hall is often smoky. The hall is essentially a single room that serves as residence, dining room and sleeping area. The kitchen area is separated from this main room by a wooden partition. The roof is only about six feet high so most of the men must bend and stoop to walk around.
Down the length of the hall, in the center, there is a trench dug about a foot deep and twelve feet wide. In this trench are set tables and benches. There are also wooden posts here that help support the roof. The edges of the hall are the sleeping areas and stones mark off each person’s area. Each area is about eight feet long. At the edge of the sleeping area some logs that have iron bands around them. The bands have chains and iron fetters, used to secure female slaves. Windows are rare in these halls. If they do exist, they use the dried afterbirth membrane of a bosk fetus to cover the window.