Adventures
What Is It?
Kyr Is a DungeonWorld module, set in a distant Eastern region
of sandy deserts, dusty ruins, giants and Djinn!
Kyr is an enormous empire. It is reckoned by some to be nearly twice the size of Bereny. However, it is nowhere near as densely populated and features huge regions which are completely devoid of civilised life.
The majority of Kyr is dry and hot, with large areas of desert. There is some steppe, particularly in the North, and flat grasslands in the South-East. Most cities in Kyr are built on or near one of the major rivers. In the center of Kyr, the desert of Endless Peril and Misery (often known simply as Misery) is named thus to reflect its deadly nature.
Mountains
There are three huge mountain ranges; The Thousand
and One Mountains which run along the Northern edge
of the empire, Vulture Peaks which sit at the top of
the Land of the Giants; and the Tainted Mountains in
the far South-Western corner of the empire, which are
said to be the home of evil Djinn and dark spirits.
Water
The Karim-Asalah River is the longest and most powerful
river in the empire. It originates somewhere high in
the Thousand and one mountains and runs diagonally across
Kyr, cutting across the top of the Misery and travelling
to join the Great Lake of Pleasurable Dreams in the
South-West. The other major waterway is the Vulture-Khorsin
river which is an offshoot of the Karin-Asalah. Both
rivers feed minor streams and brooks in many directions.
The rivers of Kyr are bursting with life and source
of much food. They are also heavily used for trade and
travel.
Wastes
Wastes in Kyr are simply deserts without sand. Usually,
a waste is mostly hard flat featureless land, cracked
mud, thorny bushes and weeds. Most of the nomadic tribes
of Kyr live in the Wastes, although a very few tribes
do make a life in the forbidding terrain of Misery.
The Western Wastes are actually in the North-East of
the Kingdom, but their name was coined by the people
of the city of Big Fish, to whom they were indeed in
the West.
Cities
There are two types of City in Kyr; Emperors Cities
and Trade Cities. The first type are cities where the
emperor actually owns a palace and are usually important
centers of government. These are the largest cities
because they are in particular favour with the emperor.
Trade cities are simply cities with no palace which
have sprung up usually around some vital trade.
The Emperor’s Cities in order of size and important from largest to smallest are;
City Of Splendours, capital city, the home of the emperor and his army and the largest city in Kyr.
Rasiaid (pronounced Rar-Say-Eed), the chief hub of commerce from Bereny; Asalah,
Asalah, the largest trade center in Kyr, where the majority of trade goods pass through.
Big Fish, an enormous sprawling city which serves as a hub for the fishing trade of most of the Eastern Coast and is also the home of all the major boat-building companies.
Mordash, the chief hub of commerce with the Islands across the Shimmering Ocean.
The Opal City, famous for its “free” spirit (or perhaps for its depravity, crime and rebellious nature.) Equalled only by Rasiaid for its diversity of races and professions.
The Trade cities and their principle trades are;-
Karim, Mining ; Khorsin, Fishing ; Luluk, River Trade ; Sunder, Farming & Mining ; Harkan-Adib, Farming ; Wondrous Majik, Sorcery ; Djar, River Trade ; Hopeless, Hunting ; Chain, Slave Trade
Settlements
There are a great many small, isolated settlements
scattered across Kyr. They are seldom mapped in any
official journal with the exception of the infamous
“Emperor’s Book” which is produced magically
by the djinn on behalf of the Empress each year, to
allow the collection of taxes and other tributes. The
outlook and manner of a settlement can vary greatly
where strangers are concerned.
The forbidden lands
In the far North lie the forbidden lands. None may
pass, by decree of the first emperor. Death, and worse,
is the penalty for any foolish enough to do so. This
is the place of spirits, where the holy and the noble
pass on their way to the Land of the Dead. A sacred
place.
Shandalla Jungles
The lush Shandalla Jungles in the far South, where
the climate begins to give way to vaste areas of hot
fetid swampland beyond the border, are a place shrouded
in mystery and folklore. Strange and wondrous animals
make their home there. Little is known of this strange
place, except perhaps by the people of Hopeless who
hunt the lands for trade.
The Fetid Swamp
The Fetid swamp is rumoured to be larger than the Empire
of Kyr and the Kingdom of Bereny combined. Thousands
of square miles of torturous, ghastly, endless swampland.
This forms a safe Southern border for Kyr since the
only people who travel this way are Slavers, who use
secret routes to transport slaves from the far jungles
of the Frontier to Kyr..
Land of the giants
The giants are folk who, for the most part, do not
enjoy the company of the small people. Their immense
size and power makes them formidable enemies and they
would very much like to spread their domination over
the whole of the empire and beyond. They do not fear
the small people nor their armies, but they are greatly
afraid of the powers of the Djinn, many of whom serve
the empire. It is for this reason alone they remain
in their dusty home and fight amongst their own kind.
THE BERENIAN TRADE PASS
The Kingdom Of Bereny, sometimes a foe, sometimes an
ally, presently the latter it seems, lies some 150 miles
to the North-West along a dangerous and difficult pass.
Travel to Bereny is relatively easy with the aid of
Djinn, but only the Empress or her servants (and sometimes
armies) can afford such luxury. For normal folk, it
may take many months to cross the route and much danger
lies in their path. Few make such a journey, for the
people of Bereny are pale and wan, their lives lacking
the sun’s hot touch and their ways foreign and
strange. They bathe too much and dance too little, dress
too heavy and marry too light. Their manner is cold
and their lives are rigid. A strange land and a stranger
people.
Berenians in Kyr
Since Kyr broke the shackles of the monstrous invaders
known as the Jenna, and marched into Bereny to help
them do the same (Berenians tell the story differently,
uninformed as they are) the path was laid to allow trade
to begin again between the two lands. Now, adventurers
and traders from Bereny march regularly into Kyr and
their people have become a slightly more common sight.