Katapesh

Katapesh is a nation of trade located on the eastern coast of Garund that sells all conceivable goods, no matter how mundane or bizarre. Traders converge on the nation's bazaars from around the world, even from other planes. Flesh is among its major exports, Karapesh is the #1 market place for slaves.

Pactmasters

The Pactmasters are a coalition of five witchwyrds who rule over Katapesh. They are known as Angruul, Jinvar, Krimiltuk, Morvithis, and Tzandarkon.

The Pactmasters stand 7 feet tall, and are covered in layered robes, to hide bodies that seem unnaturally thin. Topping all of this is a mask of gold, silver, or other precious metals and gemstones. No one can say for certain what the Pactmasters look like under their masks and robes, or even if they look like any other creatures in Golarion. Rumors abound that one would be driven mad to look upon a Pactmaster's face. Despite their great height, their form and speech are clearly humanoid.

History

In 1425 AR, having determined Golarion as a good place to establish a mercantile empire, five witchwyrds took over Katapesh City and dubbed themselves the Pactmasters. Their sudden appearance is widely speculated upon. Some say the Pactmasters marched into the city by night, at the head of an army of soldiers, and crushed the leaders of the various bandit gangs occupying the city. Others say they arrived in airships—perhaps starships, though accounts of the events conflict too much to confirm—that terrified the bandits such that they fled into the desert. Using ruthless tactics over a 100-year period, the Pactmasters molded Katapesh into a large market country.

Opposition

The Pactmasters' rule has been viewed as fair but harsh, which has inspired opposition. As of 1719 AR, the Unseen Hand network and its anonymous leader was the most prominent of these groups.

Geography

Katapesh encompasses many different land types and climates. To the north the Brazen Peaks mountains block the way to Osirion. Foothills and mountain passes offer passage to the northern country but, because of the ferocious kholo of the Brazen Peaks, most travelers prefer to reach Osirion by ship. South of the mountains, warm green savannas stretch for miles where tall trees offer moderate shade. Thin rivers and still pools provide water for the animals like camelopards, Katapeshi lions, gazelles, and more. Around a few hot spots where there are underground heat vents, the water turns murky and sulfurous, fostering small jungles.

Farther south still, the plains dry up into arid stretches of desert. This area is considered the breadbasket of Katapesh from which its citizens' livelihoods spring. The farmers there use the bulbous, spiny cacti to produce pesh, a pleasantly euphoric, mildly addictive drug. To the west, the deserts shift to rocky flatland that rises to become the Barrier Wall mountains. The eastern jagged coastline of Katapesh along the Obari Ocean creates numerous natural harbors for the ships. The satellite island in the Obari Ocean holds the second-most important city of the nation of Katapesh, Okeno.

Most settlements and inland trade routes are around the edge of Katapesh.

Climate

The weather in Katapesh tends to be fairly stable and dry year-round. The western and northern mountains push any moisture south, leaving the north of the country much drier than the southern savannah. Twice a year, the prevailing winds off the Obari Ocean collide with warm, moisture-filled fronts from the Mwangi Expanse, creating fierce thunderstorms throughout the land, which can last for several weeks. These rains provide the majority of precipitation for the year and fill small endorheic lakes throughout the drier lands, creating small, temporary oases.

Inhabitants

Katapesh's inhabitants are a diverse lot, dominated by Keleshite humans but intermixed with traders from across Golarion. The most common human ethnicities found in Katapesh are Garundi, Keleshite, and Vudrani. The Badawi, the desert natives in Katapesh, are nearly all Keleshites.

Many dwarven settlements, abandoned or still occupied, are located on the Barrier Wall mountains. Local halflings command good wages as hired servants to traders and merchants. Most of the gnomes in present-day Katapesh live in the city of Katapesh, and the town of Finderplain has stood for 300 years as a waypoint for gnomes traveling south of the Inner Sea. The ratfolk known as Drumish Dashers live within and around Katapesh's markets, caravanserais, and any other centers of trade.

Div-blooded cambions, commonly known as spitespawn, also live in Katapesh and are most often found peddling false friendships that eventually enable them to destroy the happiness of those closest to them.