TEXT: T
  E
  The
  Jonathan Drake
  askan
  mpire
  
  The
  Taskan
  Empire
  A Thennla Sourcebook for RuneQuest
  By
  Jonathan Drake
  The Taskan Empire, Shores of Korantia, Korantia and Thennla copyright © 2014 by Jonathan Drake and Used by  
  Design Mechanism with Permission
  RuneQuest is a trademark of Moon Design Publications LLC. Used under License by The Design Mechanism.  
  All rights reserved. This edition of The Taskan Empire is copyright © 2015. 
  ISBN 978-0-9877259-8-1
  This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without permission from The Design Mechanism, except 
  as quoted for purposes of illustration, discussion and game play. Reproduction of the material in this book for the purposes of 
  personal or corporate profit, by photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval is strictly prohibited.
  
  Credits
  the taskan empire
  Created, Developed and Written By
  Jonathan Drake
  Editing
  Lisa Tyler
  Proof Reading
  Carol Johnson
  Design and Layout
  Alexandra James
  Artists
  Eric Lofgren, Lee Smith, Mark Stacey
  Cover by Steve Maher
  Some artwork © 2013 Eric Lofgren, used with permission. All rights reserved.
  Cartography
  Colin Driver and Rick Lawrence
  Special Thanks
  John Hutchinson, Pete Nash and Lawrence Whitaker. 
  Credits
  
  Contents
  the taskan empire
  Contents
  Introduction 
  4
  Taskan History and Culture 
  7
  The Imperial Court 
  14
  Cities and Provinces 
  21
  Economy 
  28
  Beyond the Empire 
  40
  Taskan Characters 
  55
  Taskan Magic 
  63
  Cults 
  71
  Index 
  103
  
  4
  The Taskan empire
  Introduction
  T
  he Taskan Empire is a place where everyone can count 
  themselves free. Slavery is no more. Aristocratic priv-
  ilege is abolished. A citizen of the Taskan Empire can 
  hold his head up high wherever he may go, knowing that any-
  one intent on doing them harm must reckon with the swift and 
  terrible retribution of the Emperor. The Taskan Empire only 
  occupies a fraction of the surface of the earth; it does not even 
  reach to the shores of the Inner Ocean. And yet it comprises so 
  large a part of humanity that no other nation can be its rival. 
  About this book
  This is a companion volume to Shores of Korantia and 
  details the Taskan Empire, the most powerful of the Thennlan 
  imperial nations. The material presented here first appeared in 
  Age of Treason: The Iron Simulacrum published by Mongoose 
  Publishing. It has been adapted to RuneQuest and its structure 
  revised.
  thennlA
  Like Shores of Korantia, the Taskan Empire is set in the world 
  of Thennla. Thennla is detailed more fully both in Shores of 
  Korantia and also in the free PDF book World of Thennla, 
  available separately from The Design Mechanism.
  stRuctuRe of this book
  The book is arranged into the following chapters.
  Taskan History and Culture
  An overview of the Taskans, how they came to be, the nature 
  of the Iron Simulacrum, and the empire’s customs, ways and 
  traditions.
  The Imperial Court
  Important information concerning the governance of the 
  empire.
  Cities and Provinces
  Detailing the regions and communities of the Taskan Empire, 
  and how they deal with those beyond their borders.
  Economy
  Money, equipment and the cost of living is described in this 
  chapter.
  Beyond the Empire
  Regarding travel, encounters in transit and the wider world 
  beyond the Taskan borders.
  Taskan Characters
  Rules for creating Taskan characters. If you are keen to start 
  creating a character, jump to page 55.
  
  intRoduction
  5
  Taskan Magic
  How magic works in the Taskan Empire, and how it shapes 
  daily life.
  Cults
  Taskan religion, cults, orders and brotherhoods.
  Rules conventions
  Although the RuneQuest 6th edition rules are used for this 
  supplement, there are some changes made to how certain things 
  work. A brief summary of these changes follows. You can, of 
  course, ignore these and use the RuneQuest rules as written.
  Characteristics
  Humans have a maximum score in any Characteristic of 21, and 
  if this is ever exceeded it denotes that the character concerned 
  has undergone some sort of change in their nature – becoming 
  god-like. Likewise a character with a Characteristic less than 3 
  suffers from a serious affliction or disability that should have an 
  effect in play, while a score of zero is a cause (or consequence) 
  of death.
  Skills
  Skills are capped at a level of five times a character’s Basic Per-
  centage, and this level is referred to as a character’s Aptitude. This 
  can be exceeded by the application of magical enhancements.
  Magic Skills
  Every culture has its own Rites skill, and this is used instead of 
  a Folk Magic skill to trigger Folk Magic spells or even to invoke 
  spirit effects when they are provided by entities that are part of 
  the character’s cultural traditions. It can also be used to augment 
  other spell casting roles when the casting is ritualised by taking 
  more time in casting.
  Devotions and Pacts
  It is possible to have a magical bond with a deity, demon and 
  even some types of spirit in which the mortal puts magic points 
  at the disposal of the supernatural entity and receives some sort 
  of magical benefit in return. In most cases a Devotional Pool is 
  created (even though the Character does not hold rank within 
  a formal cult), and the devotee makes use of Devotion and 
  Exhortation skills to call upon miracles provided by the object 
  of their devotion just as if an initiate of a Theist Cult - but with 
  significant limitations on which miracles can be accessed and 
  how, and when a devotional pool can be renewed. A Pact is 
  similar but provides a ‘boon’ (see page 65) – usually a gift such 
  as a magical enhancement secret knowledge or skills or a the 
  service of a supernatural being. The Magic Points allocated to a 
  Devotion or Pact cannot be regained until such time as those in 
  the pool are expended or whatever terms were agreed between 
  mortal and immortal have expired or been terminated.
  Enchantments and Charms
  Sorcerers can use the Enchant spell combined with another to 
  create a Charm, which is not a permanent enchantment but a 
  spell with extended duration that no longer depends on a mul-
  tiple of the caster’s POW but is taken from the following table:
  A year and a day is the maximum duration for a charm; to cre-
  ate a permanent enchantment requires a permanent sacrifice, 
  often in the form of Characteristic Points – either those of the 
  enchanter or some victim sacrificed for the purpose. 
  Magic Point Recovery
  Magic points are recovered at a character’s Healing Rate, per 
  day. Magic points that have been spent on any magical effect 
  that remains active cannot be recovered – the spell or enchant-
  ment must be terminated or expire before the magic points 
  begin to regenerate.
  Spirit Manifestation 
  and Spirit Combat
  In the Thennla setting Discorporation (including using the 
  Trance skill) is a rare ability, but conversely many spirits have 
  the Manifestion ability that allows them to cause some effect in 
  Game World Time
  Shaping Cost
  1 hour
  1
  2 hours
  2
  3 hours
  3
  Until Sunset (Or Sunrise)
  4
  One Day (24 hrs)
  5
  One Week (7 days)
  6
  Waxing or Waning Moon (14 Days)
  7
  One Month (28 days)
  8
  One Season (3-4 months)
  9
  A Year and a Day (365 days)
  10
  
  6
  The Taskan empire
  the material world. Those spirits who have the Manifestation 
  ability can in some circumstances force a corporeal being into 
  spirit combat. When this happens the corporeal being is playing 
  ‘at home’, so it can resists the attack using its Willpower skill at 
  Standard difficulty. If the manifested spirit faces a character who 
  has the Binding skill it is the spirit that suffers a Formidable 
  grade of difficulty.
  Manifestation is based on the Spirit’s POW+CHA and a typ-
  ical skill level can be determined by Basic Percentage x3 or  
  POW x 5 at the Games Master’s discretion.
  
  tAskAn histoRy And cultuRe 
  7
  Taskan  
  History and 
  Culture
  T
  he heartland of the Taskan Empire is the famous land of 
  Tarsenia. Over two centuries ago Zygas Taga intervened 
  in the region’s endemic wars between its rival city-states, 
  and ultimately unified the land with Taskay as his capital. Since 
  that time the Taskan Empire has expanded into other lands car-
  rying Tarsenian customs and language with it. For the most part 
  the terms Taskan and Tarsenian are interchangeable.
  Tarsenia is a heavily cultivated and densely populated region 
  blessed with a pleasant climate that turns hotter and drier the 
  further South and East you travel from the Gulf of Taskay, until 
  you reach the White Hills beyond which lies the Korazoon 
  Desert. East Tarsenia is the largest part, containing the cities of 
  Zarina, Taskay, Merat, Tarsang and Pryjarna; Western Tarsenia 
  contains the cities of Sorandib, Felsang and Ashkor.  On the 
  north side of the Gulf and bounded by the mountains that form 
  the rampart of the Kitan Plateau is to be found Further Tarse-
  nia. Here was planted the city of Ralmyra, a colonial expansion 
  into lands cleared of its barbarian inhabitants to make way for 
  settlers from the crowded cities of Tarsang and Zarina, as well 
  as foreigners who wished to take Taskan citizenship and people 
  displaced during the troubled period following the loss of the 
  Marble Simulacrum. 
  histoRy
  In ancient times the region was inhabited by scattered tribes 
  and peoples ruled by lords who owned the horses and the herds, 
  while the commoners tilled the soil or served as craftsmen and 
  herders. The ancient names of these tribes are largely lost, but 
  some of the earliest records refer to the Golden Poppy Folk, 
  the Lucheks, Winter Swallows People, Taskush, White Lizard 
  Walkers and the Sangramansi as occupiers of various territories 
  in what is now Tarsenia, and these are presumed to be archaic 
  tribal names.
  The land is now named for its folk hero, Tarsen, a man who 
  went abroad in search of knowledge and who brought back the 
  art of writing and secrets of sorcery he had learned; who was 
  himself a master of many magical arts and even claimed to have 
  studied with the mystics of Shuja. 
  Tarsen devised an alphabet suited to his native tongue and edu-
  cated those who had the will to learn and the leisure to listen. 
  Warlike chieftains who measured their wealth in horses and 
  cattle, and who celebrated their own martial prowess in song, 
  begat sons who put faith in accounts and records and composed 
  complex literary poems about their genealogies and virtues. The 
  aristocracy used their new-found literacy and lores as a com-
  mon medium to define their class. With it they assembled the 
  disparate customs observed across the region and decided what 
  was worthy of recording and sharing. As trend-setters for their 
  more humble followers, a sense of common identity took hold 
  that stretched from the Briga River in the West to the Straits of 
  Mysher in the East. 
  In the later years of his long life Tarsen codified the protocols by 
  which his adherents would deal with the divine and supernat-
  ural, completing the creation of a nation by uniting the many 
  gods worshipped throughout the region into a single pantheon 
  and bringing people and gods together into a covenant; for this 
  reason, when he finally died at the respectable age of 92, it was 
  immediately found that he had not passed on to the Many Hells 
  
  8
  The Taskan empire
  but instead joined the pantheon of Tarsenian Gods that he had 
  formulated.   
  Armed with the civilized arts that Tarsen had bestowed upon 
  them, the Tarsenians became an urban people and their cities 
  were famous throughout the East. Yet they were ever at odds 
  with one another, competing for land, treasure and honours, 
  frequently by the clash of spears. In due course a tradition of 
  warfare between cities became a war for supremacy, in which 
  the intervention of the Jekkarene-born mercenary Zygas Taga 
  was decisive. Over a period of 20 years, generations of conflict 
  was resolved through the unification of Tarsen’s people into a 
  single community – with Zygas Taga at its head. 
  The Imperial Age
  Ever since Zygas Taga became Emperor, the cities of Tarsenia 
  have each paid over a share of their taxes, supplied his army 
  with troops and maintained a cult to honour and worship him. 
  All, that is, except Sorandib, ruled by a royal dynasty that was 
  guaranteed its independence under an ancient pact concluded 
  between Zygas Taga and King Basgerik III of Sorandib and 
  remains in force today. Zygas Taga withdrew from public life, 
  and ruled his empire through a magical viceroy, the Marble 
  Simulacrum. When the Marble Simulacrum was destroyed at 
  Araxa along with most of its army, some cities sought to reassert 
  their independence and even those that did not were beset by 
  internal struggle between loyalists and separatists.  A group of 
  army officers headed by general Sharfang took the loyalist path, 
  and after a brutal campaign in the East to punish the empire’s 
  enemies returned to Tarsenia and quelled any remaining sepa-
  ratist sympathies with equal brutality. After a period of martial 
  law in which Sharfang made himself somewhat unpopular with 
  his harsh methods of control, the emperor intervened. A new 
  viceroy was put in place - the Iron Simulacrum – and Sharfang 
  forcibly retired to Further Tarsenia. His brother officers were 
  obliged to make their oath to this new commander in chief. 
  The Simulacrum then turned on the Emperor cult itself; he 
  dispensed with many of its incumbent priests and enrolled 
  replacements who better suited his plans for the future. When 
  he lifted martial law in the penultimate day of the year 1137, 
  the Simulacrum handed every city of Tarsenia a new constitu-
  tion – one that was entirely subsumed within the structures of 
  the Emperor cult.
  The Age of the Iron Simulacrum has lasted for nearly 80 years, 
  during which time the Taskan Empire has conquered the Eskar 
  horse-people and the Thennalt land of Camtri; seized Timo-
  lay and made the king of the Marangians who resided there an 
  imperial subject; forced Morkesh into a one-sided alliance; and 
  built its first ocean-going naval flotilla based at the Jekkarene 
  port of Lyortha. All of this has brought wealth and opportu-
  nity to the people of Tarsenia. Only one great reverse has been 
  suffered in the current era: barbaric Sheng warriors invaded 
  Further Tarsenia and burnt the city of Ralmyra to the ground. 
  Thousands of the Emperor’s citizens were killed or carried off as 
  slaves. Revenge was swift and terrible, yet perhaps not complete. 
  The army found that the enemy’s leading war-chiefs had largely 
  dispersed and could not pursue them into the distant and rug-
  ged lands where many former citizens now languish as slaves to 
  barbarian masters. Ralmyra was rebuilt and new settlers found 
  to replace those whom the imperial army had come too late to 
  rescue. 
  The Empire is now at a turning point; its expansion has brought 
  it ever more distant and longer borders in need of defence, yet it 
  is still vigorous and capable of further conquests. It has no direct 
  access to the Inner Ocean and however much Taskan merchants 
  have the run of ports such as Lyortha in the Jekkarid, and Largil 
  in Morkesh, it is not the same as having your own merchant 
  fleet to hunt down the riches of the fabled occident. Many now 
  think that conflict is inevitable with the city-states of Koran-
  tia, even the smallest of which routinely fail to appreciate their 
  weakness in the face of Taskan power. With the blessing of their 
  ineffectual emperor, the Korantine city-states have formed a 
  league that threatens war on any state that falters in its rejection 
  of Taskan hegemony. 
  society And 
  GoveRnment
  Taskan society has developed in ways that are radically different 
  than most of its neighbours, because the emperor has regularly 
  engaged in making laws that have had a deep and enduring 
  effect on society. 
  Zygas Taga took the unprecedented step of abolishing slavery in 
  his empire; all that a slave had to do was to declare his obedience 
  to the immortal Emperor, and no mortal man could claim title 
  over his soul. In doing so he found a ready source of adherents 
  to his cult, first from Tarsenian slaves wishing to be free of their 
  masters, and subsequently from foreign slaves who found that 
  if they could escape to Taskan lands they could claim an asylum 
  that no power on earth could break. 
  The Emperor also gradually eliminated hereditary power and 
  privilege from Tarsenian society. High birth still has its advan-
  tages, but any good citizen who manages to win fame and 
  
  tAskAn histoRy And cultuRe 
  9
  Year
  Event
  465
  Apotheosis of Tarsen, founder-hero of the Tarsenian race.
  514
  The Sorantine Apostacy: King Ostrik denies the divinity of Tarsen. Sorandib is henceforth considered an outsider 
  to the community of Tarsenian city-states.
  882
  Foundation of the cult of Basat at Pryjarna.
  964
  Birth of Zygas Taga.
  987
  Outbreak of the Unification Wars in Tarsenia which rage on and off for the next 30 years.
  991
  The sack of Ashkor. Sorandib’s last intervention in the Tarsenian wars.
  1002
  Zygas Taga makes a pact with the Muttine dynasty of Sorandib, guaranteeing their independence for as long as 
  they hold the crown.
  1003
  Fall of Taskay; Zygas Taga declared a god; foundation of the cult in his honour.
  1019
  Fall of Zarina; Unification of Tarsenia completed. 
  1020
  Zygas Taga retires behind the walls of his palace. Appearance of the Marble Simulacrum.
  1055
  The Inundation of Korantis.
  1057
  Marriage of Zygas Taga to the Moon-Goddess Jekkara.
  1114
  Sheng raids; a large force of barbarians thought to number over 40,000 ravages parts of Eastern Tarsenia until 
  defeated by the Sorantines on the banks of the Briga River
  1120
  Settlement of ‘Further Tarsenia’ and the foundation of the city of Ralmyra.
  1122
  Submission of Yegusai. Its people are granted partial independence in return for an unequal alliance in perpetuity.
  1134
  Marble Simulacrum destroyed at the Battle of Araxa.
  1134
  Burning of Haran by loyalist army under General Sharfang, which is later resettled by Tarsenian colonists.
  1137
  Appearance of the Iron Simulacrum. The cult of Zygas Taga assumes full control of the reins of state.
  1141
  The abolition of slavery. Owners are compensated from the proceeds of those estates confiscated from separatists 
  during the troubles of the previous 7 years.
  1160-63
  Camtric War, in which the Taskans and Korantines take opposite sides in an internal struggle; the Korantines are 
  forced to withdraw 
  1170
  Annexation of Camtri, whose people take citizenship en masse.
  1195
  Further Tarsenia invaded by the Sheng and their allies, Ralmyra sacked.
  1200
  Capture of Bandaknar and submission of the Eskars.
  1202
  Relics of the Marble Simulacrum recovered by the young hero Balthus, who is soon after admitted to the ranks of 
  the Iron Companions.
  1207
  Submission of the Marangian king Arkenson the Portly at Timolay.
  1213
  Tursiba, Queen of Morkesh, acknowledges Taskan primacy and grants Taskan merchants favoured nations access to 
  her country’s ports.
  1214
  Current date.
  histoRicAl timeline foR  
  the tAskAn empiRe
  
  10
  The Taskan empire
  fortune may elevate himself to high office through his own 
  efforts; only rank bestowed by the Emperor-cult actually mat-
  ters. Real or imagined attempts by members of the old ruling 
  class to stand in the way of progress are regular themes in theat-
  rical comedy, political hustings and even the law courts. 
  Finally, Zygas Taga set womankind free of their husbands and 
  fathers, insisting that no role or station in society be denied 
  them based on their sex alone. Women would enter into con-
  tracts in their own name and hold property in their own right. 
  While this has not dissolved the traditional roles assigned to 
  each gender, some women do cross the line into traditionally 
  male occupations and the Emperor has encouraged this pro-
  cess by admitting women into the ranks of that most male 
  institution of the all, the military. A few volunteer to join the 
  professional army, rather more find themselves bound to put 
  themselves forward for selection into the militia for lack of any 
  suitable male candidates among their local community.
  cities
  Each of Tarsenia’s cities has a character of its own, in part based 
  on heritage and in part derived from the special niche each has 
  carved within the economy of the Empire. A typical Tarsenian 
  city is divided into several quarters with their own wardens - 
  administrators and public servants, responsible for regulating 
  construction and demolition work, sanitation, water supply and 
  local bye-laws. As officials who have experience of serving in this 
  capacity may one day have the chance to secure a priesthood 
  within the Emperor-cult, wardenships are much sought-after. 
  Candidates purchase the right to stand for election from the 
  Emperor cult, and are chosen by ballot of the local residents. 
  Every city has public temples to several deities in addition to 
  its temple and altar to Zygas Taga. The temples house a dei-
  ty’s statue or sacred symbols, its cult paraphernalia and treasure. 
  Public ritual takes place outside, usually in connected colon-
  naded courts or plazas. At other times these areas are used for 
  civic activities such as trade fairs, courts and tribunals, electoral 
  ballots or as places where schoolmasters and teachers gather 
  their students for teaching and instruction. The most import-
  ant open space is Emperor’s Court, always adjacent to the Zygas 
  Taga temple, the place where the Emperor-cult priests conduct 
  their business in the open air, perhaps shielded from the ele-
  ments by awnings and pavilions. Some cities also have a theatre, 
  a rectangular arena with tiered seating where entertainments 
  are provided on festival days. At other times it is available for 
  hire by performing companies as a venue for their productions. 
  Those cities lacking this facility generally put up temporary 
  seating in a public space as and when required.
  tARseniAn ReliGion
  The Tarsenians have a pantheon of gods and demigods which 
  are in character like human beings writ large - less abstract than 
  the civic gods of the Korantines, for example. This may be why 
  they have proved so accepting of a human being who has laid 
  claim to divinity. 
  There are a multitude of small cults even for individual deities, 
  which may be informal associations or highly regulated reli-
  gious hierarchies. There is no one rule about how such things 
  are done. The objective of most private ceremonies is simply 
  prayer and observance, which over time is intended to improve 
  the participants’ Devotion and Rites skills, with the more expe-
  rienced and knowledgeable members of the group acting as 
  mentors. Sometimes the worshippers seek a blessing, favour or 
  miracle from their god. There are no legal restrictions on private 
  worship, although from time to time in the Empire’s history a 
  particular cult may be declared outlaw due to its subversive or 
  anti- social activities. 
  Most simple acts of piety and worship take place in private. 
  Any space that is purified prior to the rite by a Folk Magic spell, 
  Sanctify will serve. The place of worship could be a niche by the 
  fire in the home used by the family, a room hired for the day 
  at a local inn or a purpose-built structure to which the owner 
  invites friends or fellow cultists to come and worship with him. 
  Public worship takes place on each god’s annual holy day. Every 
  city has its own selection of gods that are the object of a major 
  festival each year, and some gods are worshipped this way in 
  several different cities. Holy day festivals are almost always con-
  ducted in the open an altar set up in a public court serving as 
  the principal focus rather than the temple. The deity is called 
  upon to make an epiphany, usually by inhabiting the body of 
  a devotee or perhaps a cult statue, and paraded in front of the 
  crowd who will use the occasion to seek a blessing, renew their 
  devotions, acquire access to new miracles, or simply just rein-
  force the Devotion or Passion skill that relates to the god.
  A provincial citizen from Bandaknar, Yegusai or Torestal prob-
  ably clings to the gods of their own culture and traditions, and 
  the empire puts no barriers in their way unless there is some 
  reason to believe these local cults are being used to orchestrate 
  opposition to imperial control. Increasingly however these peo-
  ple also look to the gods of the imperial heartland as an alter-
  native or additional source of religious devotions, as this allows 
  
  tAskAn histoRy And cultuRe 
  11
  them to participate more fully in the dominant culture of the 
  Empire.
  Death and Burial
  A proper funeral ensures the deceased will find his way to an 
  appropriate part of the Many Hells and will not be left wan-
  dering as a lost spirit, probably to fall prey to the god of death 
  himself, or trapped in the material world as a ghost. Tarsenians, 
  like most people, go to great lengths to make sure this is done 
  properly. Their solution to the problem, the creation of Funeral 
  Clubs, has become one of the fundamental forms of social net-
  work in their society. 
  Tarsenians generally cremate their dead. The ashes are gathered 
  up and placed in a pottery urn or stone casket, which is itself 
  then interred in a tomb owned the dead person’s family, guild, 
  regiment, cult or funeral club. Tombs are grouped together into 
  a Necropolis. Only worshippers of the god Basat are interred 
  intact without cremation, as a symbol that those not immedi-
  ately restored to life are spared permanent incarceration in the 
  realm of the death god Gomorg and will one day be resurrected. 
  There are cults that offer the promise of immortality but they 
  are without exception considered treasonous and stamped out 
  by the authorities wherever discovered.
  Pilgrimage
  Pilgrimage is the act of attending a festival or visiting a Sacred 
  Site dedicated to your god beyond the territory of your home 
  town. It is a popular and widespread practice. So much so, in 
  fact, that it is at least equal to commercial and military traffic 
  on the roads and waterways of the Empire. Characters may well 
  find themselves travelling with pilgrims, who gather in numbers 
  to travel in safety. There is always the chance to get work pro-
  tecting or serving wealthy pilgrims.
  customs
  People from all levels of society join cults and associations that 
  are a key part of Tarsenian society. These may be dining or 
  drinking clubs, small cults, guilds, funerary associations, veter-
  ans’ groups or a combination of any of these elements, and a cit-
  izen may belong to several such societies meeting anything from 
  once per week to once per year. They reflect not just a sense 
  of equality under the laws but also the Tarsenian passion for 
  cooperative action and mutual support, for building networks 
  of information and influence, and above all for rituals, however 
  informal those rituals might be. 
  the ARts
  Tarsenian decorative arts are rather formal and Korantines in 
  particular tend to regard Tarsenian works as dull and brutish. 
  Tarsenians themselves tend to prize imported wares - exuberant 
  barbarian metalwork from Thafna or woodwork from Bandak-
  nar, woven textiles from the South, fine Korantine or Jekkarene 
  pottery. 
  Performing arts, in particular poetry recited over musical 
  accompaniment, are popular at all levels of society. The city of 
  Merat fosters poets, choristers and musicians and actors and its 
  artistic fashion shape Tarsenian high culture. The highest artis-
  tic honours are for poetry including the composition of choral 
  works, followed by dance, and finally drama which is thought a 
  rather vulgar entertainment. 
  militARy
  Every citizen of the Empire must be prepared to do militia ser-
  vice between the ages of 17 and 40.  The annual levy is held at 
  a meeting of all able-bodied souls on Army Day, which takes 
  place in the spring. Militiamen serve for two years, and after 
  that time are only eligible for compulsory mobilization in times 
  of emergency and by special decree, although they must report 
  each Army Day for review and for occasional training.  Militia 
  units serve right across the Empire, often on garrison duty, but 
  also to bolster the field army when it is operating in the same 
  region.
  The Taskan field army is made up of professional soldiers who 
  have signed up for a 20 year term, and mercenary units con-
  tracted for shorter periods. It is led by the Iron Companions, 
  the college of Emperor- cult priests in attendance upon the 
  Iron Simulacrum, who is the commander-in-chief. The Pikes of 
  Ashkor, heavy-armoured troops armed with long two-handed 
  spears, comprise 20 regiments each one thousand strong; there 
  are four regiments of the Imperial Light Infantry, popularly 
  known as The Brigands, and for cavalry there is an elite regi-
  ment of 1000 heavily armoured horsemen known as The Furies. 
  A Praetorian Guard is provided by a regiment native to Tas-
  kay comprised of devotees to the fire-god, Thesh, entitled The 
  Unconquerable Heroes. Three hundred picked men form an 
  honour guard to the Simulacrum and are armed with muskets, 
  
  12
  The Taskan empire
  the latest innovation from the Artificers of Sorandib. A further 
  80 serve as specialists in artillery and siege warfare.  
  The field army is backed up by mercenary troops recruited from 
  within the Empire, of which the most important and numerous 
  are Eska cavalry recruited at Bandaknar and Thennalt footmen 
  from Camtri. 
  tRAde And cuRRency
  The official currency of the Empire is the Taskeen. The obverse 
  shows the Simulacrum seated on a military stool, the reverse 
  shows the emblem of whichever city minted it. The Taskeen is 
  a nominally silver piece, although silver content varies with the 
  date and place struck. A copper penny or ‘bit’ is used for smaller 
  transactions, of which there are five to the Taskeen.
  the tAskAn cAlendAR
  The Tarsenian year has 366 days, 13 lunar months and 2 inter-
  calated days on which the Emperor-cult festival takes place. 
  There are no weeks in the Taskan Calendar, although the idea 
  is known as a foreign practice used by the Korantines. Instead 
  the month is punctuated by market days, traditionally held on 
  the 9th and 18th days of the month, a two day ‘holiday’ at the 
  end of every month and the festival days of the various gods as 
  celebrated in each city.
  This map shows the extent of the Taskan Empire. A more detailed map of the empire and its neighbours can be found on page 25.
  
  tAskAn histoRy And cultuRe 
  13
  Month
  Event
  Season
  Sheroth
  New Year; First Shoots Of Spring; Early 
  Rains
  Spring
  Iroth
  Late Rains
  Kamay
  Lambing; Spring Barley Harvest
  Shamseroth
  Late Grains Harvest
  Summer
  Gameroth
  Summer Fruits
  Damais
  Drought
  Brenai
  Winter Barley Harvest; Orchard And Vine
  Jaroth
  Pickling, Milling, Brewing
  Autumn
  Molkert
  Flocks Brought Down From The Hills
  Arkay
  Slaughtering, Salting; Winter Barley 
  Planting
  Heroth
  Spring Barley Planting
  Winter
  Venafer
  Midwinter
  Taguth
  Elections And Public Appointments
  Emperor 
  Days
  2 Day Intercalation
  the tAskAn 
  cAlendAR
  
  14
  The Taskan empire
  The Imperial 
  Court
  Z
  ygas Taga is the undisputed master of the Taskan 
  Empire and the Iron Simulacrum the instrument of 
  his divine will. Nevertheless most of the day to day 
  business of state is conducted by senior figures in the cult of 
  emperor-worship that has grown up around him. The cult has 
  evolved and adapted to the events of 200 years of conquests 
  and expansion, triumph and disaster, politics, intrigue and the 
  emperor’s own unfolding destiny. The rules and structures of 
  the emperor cult are in effect the constitution of the Taskan 
  state. If it has endured and made itself fit for purpose, it has 
  not done so without also creating some internal inconsistencies, 
  rivalries and redundancies; it is not a perfect machine nor is it 
  immune to the poison of faction and intrigue.
  the divine empeRoR
  The divine emperor Zygas Taga was an outcast who first made 
  himself a bandit king, then a powerful warlord, a conqueror of 
  many cities and finally a god. 
  Origins
  He was born 252 years ago, the illegitimate son of Maslaskore, 
  a Jekkarene moon-priestess who fell pregnant in circumstances 
  that contravened her cult vows. To escape punishment and in 
  fear for the unborn child she fled into exile where her son was 
  born. Zygas Taga was raised in a shanty-town that also served as 
  an outlaw stronghold. Clever, strong and talented, he grew up 
  to become a chieftain of these outlaws and, due to his remark-
  able successes over several years, the numbers of his band even-
  tually swelled to thousands. In time the fruits of his plunder 
  allowed him to equip his followers to match any standing army 
  of the day. His fame was such that kings and chieftains would 
  send emissaries to him bringing gifts, offers of friendship and 
  requests for military assistance. One day Zygas Taga accepted an 
  invitation from the Tarsenian city of Zarina to aid them in their 
  war against the powerful neighbouring state of Taskay, and in 
  doing so set upon the path to an extraordinary destiny. 
  Setting out overland from the badlands of Methalea and brush-
  ing aside the Jekkarene forces who attempted to stand in his 
  way, Zygas Taga and his brigands soon found themselves in the 
  Vale of Middra in Western Tarsenia, where the famous city of 
  Sorandib controlled the principal crossings of the Briga river. 
  He briefly invested the city in order to have its spoils and sup-
  plies but the Sorantines bought him off. Aside from the usual 
  quantities of gold, grain and livestock, he was presented with 
  arcane secrets through which it was promised he would become 
  the first human in 500 years to achieve godhood.
  Immortality
  Zygas Taga’s apotheosis came one year later when he entered 
  city of Taskay at the head of his army and the conquered inhab-
  itants begged for his protection and offered sacrifice to his 
  name. Zygas Taga acceded to their wishes and in the following 
  days his deification was made official at a ritual held in the pre-
  cincts of Thesh, the patron god of the city. The year in standard 
  reckoning was 1003 and Zygas Taga was approaching his 40th 
  birthday. 
  Over the next 17 years Zygas Taga campaigned continuously 
  until he had brought all the other Tarsenian city-states under 
  his rule, including the huge metropolis of Zarina that had first 
  
  the impeRiAl couRt
  15
  called upon his services. Yet all the while his deification was 
  taking a steady toll.  He was showing signs that the divine power 
  contained within was too much for his mortal frame as he began 
  to experience lesions, eruptions, violent fits and involuntary, 
  and sometimes explosive, emissions. A favourite concubine was 
  hideously burned by his divine ‘presence’. After a particularly 
  ugly convulsion in which his limbs seemed temporarily turned 
  inside out and his hair spontaneously combusted, Zygas Taga 
  realised he must retire from public view before his loyal follow-
  ers came to the conclusion that he was some sort of monster. 
  All of this had come as a surprise; the chance for immortality 
  handed to him by king Basgerik III of Sorandib came with a 
  health warning but no clear instructions as to what to expect, 
  other than the fact that becoming an immortal and receiving 
  the veneration of others was only the first step on the way to 
  finding a permanent place in the heavens. To actually cast aside 
  any physical form for good, escaping the gravitational pull of 
  the flesh – and do so without risk of being dragged down to 
  the Many Hells – would require an astonishing accumulation 
  of magical power.  
  So Zygas Taga hurried along work to build a massive palace at 
  Taskay, the city he had decided to make his capital. This pal-
  ace would be surrounded by the sea except for a narrow neck 
  of land that connected it to the rest of the city. He contrived 
  that it would also hold some 2,000 ‘body-slaves’ – a term that 
  persists still, despite the abolition of slavery within the Empire 
  – all of whom would be constrained to stay there with him for 
  life and never breathe a word to the outside world of the terri-
  ble, tortured and twisted abomination that he had become. A 
  small elite group of acolyte-priests known as The Seated Coun-
  cil would act as intermediaries between the palace and the city. 
  The Marble Simulacrum
  The Emperor left in his place a magical creature fashioned in 
  his likeness by the Artificers of Sorandib from pure white mar-
  ble, in the idealised image of Zygas Taga when he was young 
  and in the prime of life. This statue was animated with a frag-
  ment of his own soul, and was sent out to be the unchanging, 
  ever-beautiful and indestructible instrument of the Emperor’s 
  will: to lead his armies and hear petitions from his subjects. For 
  more than a century this proved an effective means of control. 
  The Marble Simulacrum sent Taskan armies to the conquest of 
  Yegusai and oversaw the settlement of Ralmyra and the creation 
  of Further Tarsenia on the north side of the Gulf of Taskay. 
  During its regency Korantis was swallowed by the ocean and 
  the new ‘Taskan’ Empire became the world’s paramount power. 
  Hence in 1057, during the chaotic period ushered in by the 
  loss of Korantis and the subsequent fracturing of the Koran-
  tine Empire, Zygas Taga was declared consort to the Jekkarene 
  moon-goddess, an event through which the Jekkarenes won the 
  protection of the Taskan army without submitting to direct Tas-
  kan rule.
  However the Marble Simulacrum harboured a desire to claim 
  some military glory in order to prove his credentials as a ruler 
  and insisted on personally achieving a conquest of his own 
  devising. Zygas Taga indulged his factotum’s ambitions. The 
  Simulacrum found adequate pretext to invade Djesmirket and 
  marched South via the Korazoon desert. However once in the 
  desert the army was led astray by treacherous guides. Relent-
  lessly driven on by a commander with no ability to empathise 
  with his men’s suffering, the Taskan expedition was exhausted 
  and demoralised when eventually pounced upon near the oasis 
  of Araxa by the combined forces of Djesmir, Harran and the 
  Soribisi. The Simulacrum was lost, his army routed, his body-
  guard slaughtered, his pristine marble flesh broken into pieces 
  and shared out among the victors for trophies. 
  Perhaps worse, the reputation of the Empire lay in ruins and 
  widespread revolts broke out, even in the heartlands. A small 
  cadre of generals held things together while everyone awaited 
  the return of the divine Emperor to public life that never came. 
  Within three years Zygas Taga presented the Empire with a sec-
  ond regent, this one made of iron. Radical changes were made 
  to the ruling structures of the Empire to ensure that no similar 
  disaster could bring it to the point of ruin again. Since that date 
  the Emperor’s followers have swelled in number with every year 
  and every new conquest, and the Emperor’s power has increased 
  accordingly. The sacking of Ralmyra by Sheng horse nomads, 
  which might have shaken the people’s faith in their Emperor 
  as much as did the defeat at Araxa, was soon consigned to an 
  unfortunate episode of history and spurred only further expan-
  sion to expunge the shame. Within five years the Iron Simula-
  crum had subjected the Escars, the Sheng tribe whose territory 
  lay closest to the Empire’s borders, to the imperial yoke.  
  The Emperor’s Path to Heaven
  Few people know whether Zygas Taga has yet accumulated the 
  raw power required to achieve his ascension. At some point the 
  immortal emperor will at last take his leave of his people but, 
  despite the wretched state of his existence, he must not rush 
  things. After all, there is no point being a god if no one wor-
  ships you when you are gone and if all the other gods despise 
  you for being weak. Zygas Taga knows that he is playing for 
  eternity and will delay the day until he is convinced there is not 
  even the remotest chance of error. He can afford no mistakes, 
  
  16
  The Taskan empire
  either in the transformation that must take place in himself, or 
  in the creation of an enduring Empire to provide a stable pool 
  of adherents to his worship for as long as any mortal society can 
  be expected to. 
  The Iron Simulacrum 
  Emperor’s familiar, Viceroy of the Empire, Patriarch of the Emperor 
  cult. 
  The Simulacrum is the apogee of the enchanter’s art, con-
  structed through both artifice and magic. He is brought to life 
  with a little fragment of the Emperor’s soul that makes him 
  Zygas Taga’s familiar as well as his factotum, and entitled to 
  call himself ‘Son of the Divine Emperor’. He rules the Empire 
  not from Taskay but from the fortress-city of Ashkor, the head-
  quarters of the Taskan army, or from the elaborate pavilion that 
  serves as his command tent when he is on campaign. A jugger-
  naut, a massive wagon pulled by 24 oxen, carries the pavilion 
  and the wooden structure that forms the consecrated temple at 
  its heart, and the Simulacrum himself, when he is on the move.
  The Simulacrum’s body was made in Sorandib, an articu-
  lated golem with toughened iron shell, and then enchanted to 
  become a fully aware creature capable of learning and improv-
  ing its knowledge and skills. It is further enhanced by sorcery 
  charms provided each year during the Emperor Days festivities 
  by Maresh Martek, high priest of Thesh and Exarch of Taskay. 
  The Simulacrum stands almost eight feet high. His iron skin is 
  dotted with rivets and traced by seams where the metal has been 
  joined in a crazy patchwork of plates to render the human form 
  as closely as can be. His face is a grim and hollow mask – a far 
  cry from the serene, beautiful and beneficent image with which 
  its predecessor, the Marble Simulacrum, was carved. When he 
  speaks his face remains motionless; only the occasional tilt of 
  his head serves to add emphasise or convey the emotion that is 
  intended with the words he projects.
  The Iron Simulacrum is jealous of the human condition and 
  nurtures an ambition to one day be truly human. He sees his 
  closest followers endure love, pain, grief and joy – and all these 
  things are emotions he barely understands. Having no sense of 
  touch, smell or taste he is curious to enjoy the same senses as 
  a natural creature does. He does not want to die before he has 
  lived. It is only apparent to his closest advisors that the Simula-
  crum has personal goals and objectives rather than simply being 
  the mouthpiece of the Emperor – perhaps because of a peculiar 
  chance remark, or because from time to time the Simulacrum 
  requires some task be done which is somewhat obscure in pur-
  pose and causes them to question the motivation behind it. 
  He seeks the means to persist in the world even after the 
  Emperor has ascended to heaven. He senses that time may be 
  near, and fears what will become of him. He takes a great inter-
  est in magic that appears to prevent death, deliver immortality, 
  or achieve a transfer of a soul from one body to another. These 
  magical practices are generally regarded as treasonous and are 
  proscribed under the law; so the Simulacrum disguises his own 
  interest in them by the zeal with which he pursues the perpetra-
  tors. Whenever a likely case comes to his attention he dispatches 
  an inquisitor to investigate and has the suspect brought to the 
  dungeons of his own palace at Ashkor where they are interro-
  gated by whatever means will best reveal the truth behind their 
  
  the impeRiAl couRt
  17
  magical arts. If he discovers they have something he wants, they 
  are detained indefinitely for future use.
  The empire has enemies both within and without its borders, 
  and for them the Simulacrum is a monster. To destroy him 
  would be a decisive act in any plan to change or bring down 
  the Empire. He knows just enough about human nature to 
  realise that even for his loyal followers and citizens he could in 
  a moment become the monstrous enemy rather than the icon 
  of the Emperor. The Simulacrum has weaknesses – not least 
  its dependence on the spells furnished by Maresh Martek each 
  year. His Insight and Deceit skills are limited by a fundamental 
  alienation from the human condition that is as much because 
  he is his father’s son, created when the Emperor’s mind had long 
  since forgotten what it is to be a frail mortal, as because he is an 
  artificial construct. 
  the couRts
  There are three ‘courts’ at the top of the imperial hierarchy, each 
  of which enjoys access to the Emperor in some way:
  The Seated Council
  This body of priests, supported by a small army of officials, tech-
  nicians and servants, run the Emperor’s household. Responsible 
  for upkeep and victualing of the palace, a significant proportion 
  are shut up within the palace and forbidden to leave its con-
  fines. Formally known as the Curules, the Seated Council is the 
  remnant of the cult’s early leadership, and so called because its 
  members were entitled to sit in the Emperor’s presence. 
  Garan Varsang, the Seated Council’s chairman, is allowed to 
  freely move in and out of the confines of the palace - so he is 
  the only man outside the palace walls who has actually set eyes 
  on the Emperor and is aware of the true horror of his condition. 
  The Curules have no authority in the wider cult, and no direct 
  control over any military or security personnel. Nevertheless 
  the Curules claim their access gives them direct knowledge of 
  the emperor’s true thoughts and desires and the fact that they 
  must defer to the Simulacrum’s authority is a matter of great 
  irritation.
  Garan Varsang
  Chairmen of the Seated Council, Garan Varsang is responsi-
  ble for relations between the community within the walls of 
  the Emperor’s palace and the outside world. Garan Varsang is 
  widely known to be an ambitious schemer. His responsibility is 
  for the Emperor’s Palace and the Zygas Taga temple precincts at 
  Taskay, which gives him access to a great many secrets and the 
  ability to manipulate the allocation of jobs and sinecures within 
  certain parts of the imperial court.
  The Emperor’s Body Slaves
  Once admitted within the walls of the palace, these people are 
  never seen again. Their numbers are replenished by new admis-
  sions, almost always orphaned youngsters below the age of 12, 
  their acceptance into the ranks of the Emperor’s Body Slaves is 
  both a charity and an honour. Depite the fact that both girls 
  and boys are taken, so far as is known to any outsider they never 
  marry, never procreate – and are burned and buried within the 
  palace grounds when they die
  The Exarchy
  These political heads of each diocese are the exarchs, high priests 
  of the Emperor cult, hand-picked by the Emperor to rule over 
  one of the cities or provinces of the Empire. 
  The dioceses are: Ashkor, Taskay, Pryjarna, Ralmyra, Tarsang, Fel-
  sang, Zarina, Merat, Torestal, Bandaknar and the Taskan Army.
  Only the Simulacrum, who heads the Military Diocese, can call 
  a conclave of the exarchs, so they have no independent existence 
  as a corporate body.  Each has his own relationship with the 
  Emperor established through magical means of communication 
  installed in each temple. 
  An exarch chairs a college of Emperor-cult priests all recruited 
  locally; this body has full tax raising and judicial powers, and 
  control of the militia forces in their locale. Upon the death, or 
  more rarely the retirement or dismissal of an exarch, his office is 
  filled by the promotion of one of the priests of the college. The 
  emperor’s choice has often shown favour towards candidates 
  who are accomplished sorcerers.
  Maresh Martek
  Martek is the most important person in Taskay after the 
  Emperor himself. He is a crotchety and bilious old man, for 
  which he might be forgiven given that he is 132 years of age. 
  What most people have forgotten, but Martek still remembers, 
  is that 60 years ago many of his family and friends were put 
  to death on charges of treason while he stood by and did not 
  intervene. Not because he was afraid, nor because he was not 
  sympathetic to their cause - but because this intensely calculat-
  ing conspirator thought the time not yet right for action and 
  their treason doomed to failure. Martek is extremely influential 
  - and by virtue of the fact he conducts the spell casting rituals 
  
  18
  The Taskan empire
  every year that renew the Simulacrum’s magical defences and 
  enhancements, his powers are vital to the Empire’s security. 
  Maresh Martek was one of the individuals responsible for the 
  Iron Simulacrum’s creation - and ever since that day he has 
  regretted his involvement in an act that successfully brought 
  peace and stability to the Empire at a time of great turmoil 
  and unrest. In Martek’s view the price of peace has been an 
  indefinite postponement of the day when the cult of Taskan 
  Thesh replaces the Emperor cult at helm of the empire, and his 
  beloved home city of Taskay becomes not just the Emperor’s 
  place of residence, but a true imperial capital.
  Morshek Musabis
  Morshek is the Exarch of Zarina.  He is probably one of the 
  three most powerful sorcerers in the enormous city that he 
  rules.  While he cannot match Maresh Martek in years he has 
  held his current job for a generation, which means he is thought 
  to be more than 90 years old.  Morshek appears to be failing in 
  health and he is carried most places by a team of litter-bearers. 
  He may often be found in the library, where it is his pleasure to 
  test young students on their studies, and impress the assembled 
  company with the breadth of his knowledge.
  Nysim Dal
  Nysim is the Exarch of Tarsang.  He is only 43 years of age, 
  having won his position due to the lack of competitors who had 
  knowledge both of politics and of the sorcerous arts. Nysim’s 
  family is very famous in the city.  His grandfather gave the city 
  her walls and his father built the theatre.  His shame is to have 
  failed to father any offspring to inherit the family’s considerable 
  fortune.
  Jerenk Sandarin
  Jerenk Sandarin is the Exarch of Pryjarna and patriarch of 
  Basat’s cult, Originally from Ralmyra, he served his time as 
  a soldier stationed in Pryjarna where he became a devotee of 
  Basat.  His family were killed when the Sheng sacked Ralmyra, 
  so he decided to adopt Pryjarna as his native town and upon 
  mustering out of the army he gave himself over to serving the 
  god.  Sandarin is now 52 years old, but still strong and quite 
  handsome.  He is a highly respected statesman and a popular 
  leader.
  Gortim Zubast
  Gortim Zubast is Exarch of Merat.  He finds government work 
  terribly dull, a drain on his time which keeps him from honing 
  his sorcery skills and enjoying the civilised lifestyle that Merat 
  has to offer.  Luckily for him Merat is sufficiently isolated from 
  what is going on in the Empire at large that the Emperor and 
  his minions rarely impose upon him. His occasional journeys 
  to the capital or to Ashkor always involve a retinue of the finest 
  poets and performers his city has to offer, and serve as an adver-
  tisement for Merat as the destination of choice for the cultured 
  traveller. He is grooming his son for high station; his son has 
  great interest in the good life but no interest in sorcery, which 
  may prove career limiting
  Sula Sonzush
  Sula Sonzush is Exarch of Ashkor, and currently the only 
  (although not the first) woman to serve as an exarch over a 
  Tarsenian diocese. Her chief concern is management of a city 
  where the population swells significantly during winter months 
  when the imperial army settles into cantonments around its 
  margins, and the fact the Simulacrum is so often near at hand 
  to scrutinize how well she performs in her role.  Sonzush is a 
  grumbler, famously stressed about the pressure of work and can 
  be counted on to enumerate how hard is her lot compared to 
  that of her fellow exarchs.
  Anthul Marsin
  Anthul Marsin is Exarch of Ralmyra. His sorcery skills are 
  regarded as well below par by the other exarchs, but Marsin 
  is nevertheless the most capable in Further Tarsenia where 
  such skills are rare. He has proven himself a popular and capa-
  ble leader in difficult circumstances. He takes care to set aside 
  the trappings of the sorcerer and politician and show himself 
  an active participant in public business. He can often be seen 
  working with architects and builders engaged to improve upon 
  the city’s earlier works that were razed by Sheng invaders a gen-
  eration ago. 
  Thulvel Thulzek
  The Exarch of Felsang rules a city famous for the Empire’s only 
  state-sponsored school of magic – run by his elder brother Enek. 
  The peak of Thulvel’s skill with the magical arts is well behind 
  him. An encounter with demons he inadvertantly conjured 
  during a magical rite resulted in his retirement from actively 
  practising magic outside the demands placed upon him by his 
  office. The same event left his hair white and his teeth quite 
  black, and for some reason short of two toes and a ring finger. 
  Thulvel now prefers to spend time in the religious sphere, both 
  as head of the local Emperor cult and as a devotee of at least 
  seven deities. He is regarded as an expert in matters of ritual.
  Orivastus
  The Exarch of Torestal is a local Thennalt from the wealthiest 
  family in Camtri, who owe their station to lands confiscated 
  
  the impeRiAl couRt
  19
  from Korantine-sympathisers and other anti-Taskans after the 
  recent war. He relies on the magical support of colleagues with 
  traditional Thennalt priesthoods and from a Tarsenian appoin-
  tee to his college of Emperor-Cult priests. 
  Rusasma Horsetooth
  The Exarch of Bandaknar is the daughter of an Eskar merce-
  nary who served in the Taskan army and had his children sent 
  to Zarina to be educated. Rusasma nevertheless leans towards 
  her barbarian roots and has few graces; but she is smart and 
  tough and has made herself quite at home in the brutal politics 
  between prominent Eskar families.
  The Iron Companions
  The twelve most senior generals in the Empire, the Iron Com-
  panions form a college of priests attending the Simulacrum as 
  Military Exarch whose diocese consists of the army and those 
  lands and territories under direct military control.  Iron Com-
  panions technically do not outrank the Exarchs, but in practice 
  they are likely to have the authority of the Simulacrum behind 
  them which trumps all.
  Count Balthus 
  Born into slavery in Korantia from which he escaped as a boy 
  of 12, famous for the deed of recovering fragments of the Mar-
  ble Simulacrum from the deserts of the Korazoon in his young 
  adventuring days. Count Balthus has no specific office but is 
  often sent where the Simulacrum sees the need for decisive 
  intervention by a senior commander.
  Count Bunais
  The Commander of the Pikes of Ashkor is Count Narkot 
  Bunais of Tarsang, a 40-year old general of the Iron Compan-
  ions. Narkot is a lover of wealth and all the pleasures it can buy 
  and spends what spare time he has drinking and feasting with 
  his crowd of hangers-on and lavishing his considerable share of 
  booty on new estates, fine clothes, works of art and personal 
  adornment. This strutting peacock is nevertheless an efficient 
  commander and a strict disciplinarian
  Countess Kedsinka
  Originally from the city of Jostarl in the land of Thafna, Count-
  ess Kedsinka is now Commander of the Northern Frontier. 
  Her attention is mostly absorbed by business in Timolay, only 
  recently occupied by Taskan forces and still surrounded by hos-
  tile Marangians. However she is also charged with preventing 
  any new incursion by Sheng tribesmen from beyond the Ten-
  gissian Gates.  Kedsinka is a handsome woman, but her facial 
  tattoos that are a feature of high status Thafneving women and 
  her severe cut black hair give her a terrifying aspect.
  Count Sarastil
  The Thennalt-born Commander of the Mercenaries, count 
  Sarastil, comes from Camtri where his family can claim a long 
  and illustrious history. For the last three generations this has 
  been intertwined with Taskan interests. Sarastil’s father distin-
  guished himself in battle against the Korantines fighting for the 
  Taskan cause, and his uncle was a highly respected priest and 
  a political operator who ensured many important families and 
  tribes sympathised with Taskan rather than Korantine inter-
  ests. Sarastil wears traditional Camtric whiskers, but otherwise 
  dresses as a Taskan soldier.
  Count Maranis
  Maranis is the Iron Companion who commands the cavalry. 
  At 33 years of age he is the youngest of the Simulacrum’s gen-
  erals and a handsome, dashing character to boot. He frequently 
  puts himself at the head of his men in battle, wishing to set an 
  example in coming to blows with the enemy. Maranis is from a 
  wealthy family in Zarina and he returns there at the end of each 
  campaigning season to winter with them.
  Count Toramsor 
  Commander of the Southern Frontier, Toramsor is in charge 
  of the forces stationed at Pryjana and the associated forts and 
  outposts.  At 35 years old, Toramsor is an active commander, 
  and often accompanies his men on patrol. However he is also a 
  cautious individual who puts a high value on planning, train-
  ing and logistics - all qualities that are very useful on a desert 
  frontier. 
  Count Ranksum
  The military Governor of Haran presides over a Taskan enclave 
  surrounded by a subjugated native population who have good 
  reason to hate their overlords. Ranksum and his people are tough 
  and sometimes brutal oppressors.  He has been in post for seven 
  years, has survived eleven assassination attempts, and seems to 
  enjoy it. None of his colleagues are in a hurry to replace him.
  Countess Kashalla
  The Resident of Yegusai. At 63 the oldest of the Iron Com-
  panions, and generally thought the wisest. She is long past her 
  fighting days but has become a consummate diplomat. Her 
  position in Yegusai is to manage relations with the king, provide 
  support and encouragement to those local people who decide to 
  take Taskan citizenship and to report on any threats or hostility 
  towards Taskan interests. 
  
  20
  The Taskan empire
  Count Zamasin
  Commander of the West, Zamasin is based at Ashkor and his 
  responsibilities include the politically sensitive border regions 
  with Sorandib, Jekkarene Ramassa and Hilanistra. Despite this 
  it is often said Zamasin has been chosen for this brief because 
  he is famously simple in his outlook, asking few questions and 
  usually failing, or refusing, to see any complexity in what is 
  going on. 
  Count Arrak
  The Imperial Light Infantry, known as The Brigands, are com-
  manded by Count Arrak. For historic reasons this is a higher 
  prestige role than that of commanding the cavalry. Arrak is him-
  self from an old family of aristocratic lineage, although he has a 
  down-to-earth manner that makes him popular with the troops.
  Count Farchang 
  Farchang is Aide De Camp to the Simulacrum and commander 
  of the Unconquerable Heroes of Taskay, the Emperor’s Prae-
  torian Guard.  Count Farchang is a senior member of the cult 
  of Taskan Thesh and some suspect his loyalties lie more with 
  Maresh Martek, the Exarch of Taskay, than with his fellow Iron 
  Companions.
  Count Kemur
  Sharustang Kemur is a bald, bear-like 50-year-old. A very sea-
  soned soldier now suffering from chronic joint pain, he has 
  effectively retired from active service, bought a fine house in 
  Zarina, and settled down to write a treatise on military affairs.  
  In view of his illustrious background the Zarinian Emperor-cult 
  had no hesitation in co-opting him into their ranks, conferring 
  on him the largely honorary role of commander of the Zarinian 
  militia.
  
  cities And pRovinces  
  21
  Cities  
  and  
  Provinces
  E
  ach city of Tarsenia with its territory, and the imperial 
  provinces centred on the barbarian cities of Torestal and 
  Bandaknar forms a self-contained administrative region 
  termed a diocese. 
  tAskAy: the cApitAl
  For over 200 years Taskay has been the home of Zygas Taga, 
  the man become God. The Emperor lives in a great palace sur-
  rounded by high walls of red stone, on a rock at the end of a 
  promontory that stretches out into the gulf of Taskay. Supplies 
  are brought to the palace gates in great quantities every day but 
  no human being from the outside is allowed entry and the sup-
  plies are handed over to palace staff to be carried into the inner 
  precincts.
  Taskay’s other famous features include the Temple of Thesh, 
  which sits on a hill facing the palace across the harbour. Out-
  side this temple is a great bronze dish supported by a tripod six 
  metres high, in which flames of a dozen elementals leap and 
  dance. Also well known are the Wall of Tears, which stretches 
  eight kilometres across the width of the peninsula on which the 
  city stands and is its only major defence-work; and the royal 
  cranes, birds sacred to Thesh that inhabit a small island some 
  200 yards off the shore. Taga’s Court is the paved and clois-
  tered area at the foot of Temple Hill where Zygas Taga first 
  held court upon capturing the city and where the first formal 
  rites of Emperor-worship were performed. Here now stands 
  an unprepossessing altar to the Emperor and it is here that the 
  notables of enemy nations captured in war are brought to offer 
  sacrifice to his name. It is also here that they die if they refuse 
  the offer of mercy, pardon and citizenship.
  Beyond the suburbs but still within the Wall of Tears there is 
  pasture and parkland and several cemeteries where the city’s 
  dead are housed in family or communal mortuary structures, 
  built to hold large numbers of funerary urns, some of which are 
  impressive monuments several stories high. Abutting the Wall 
  of Tears is the Fortress of the Unconquerable Heroes (popu-
  larly known as the Fire-Eaters), the barracks for a regiment of 
  1,100 men, devotees of Thesh, who form the Imperial Guard. 
  At any one time about one third of the regiment’s manpower is 
  in barracks, while another third is on active duty with the Iron 
  Simulacrum and the remainder are on courier duties or special 
  missions.
  Outside the wall is a ramshackle but extensive collection of 
  fire-hazardous dwellings, where those who have not been 
  granted a right to live within the walls are forced to stay. Here 
  too are animal pens, unlicensed trading stalls and usually dozens 
  of tents and temporary shelters for those travellers who cannot 
  afford or find a bed in one of the city’s inns.
  ZARinA: the metRopolis
  Before Zygas Taga made Taskay his capital, Zarina was the most 
  powerful city of the Tarsenians. It is still to this day the most 
  populous, its inhabitants said to number more than 200,000. 
  It is the seat of much of Tarsenian culture and learning and 
  Zarinian society often sets the fashions which become accepted 
  throughout the heartland.
  
  22
  The Taskan empire
  Zarina is blessed by an excellent location, on the shores of the 
  gulf of Taskay and close by the mouth of the Siskil River. There 
  are a total of 11 distinct suburbs, of which only four are encom-
  passed within the walls. The remainder spill out onto the plain 
  apart from the necropolis, which is built on a river island con-
  nected to the shore by a bridge. Each quarter and suburb is 
  named after a celebrated hero from the city’s past.
  The Old City
  Dimarnis is a residential quarter of Zarina-within-the-walls, or 
  the ‘Old City’. This is where the wealthy citizens live in a sub-
  urb that preserves its class distinctions from pre-imperial times. 
  The inhabitants of this district no longer have legal privileges 
  but they retain their ancient obligation to present themselves 
  for militia service equipped with a horse and cuirass. Busatis 
  is the administrative quarter of Zarina and the location of the 
  Zygas Taga temple with its open court, where the priests sit in 
  session. Close by is Nysim Quarter, which features many shops, 
  the city’s largest market and the Great Library, which is the most 
  famous seat of learning in the Empire, said to hold more than 
  10,000 books in over 50 languages. The fourth quarter within 
  the walls is the Sutermin or Temple Quarter, featuring the Great 
  Temple of Tethis. The plaza surrounding this structure, the 
  Court of Tethis, is the territory of prostitutes and entertainers 
  and on Tethis’ high holy day is the scene for a contest of arms 
  between devotees of Basat and Machank in which participants 
  are frequently killed.
  The Suburbs
  Outside of the city’s northern gate is Gortyn Quarter, a district 
  of inns and taverns clustered around the Theatre. Across Gor-
  tyn bridge is the island suburb of Sugartis, which consists in 
  the main of the necropolis, built in streets radiating out from 
  the Gomorg Temple at its centre. Timna and Jumatis Quarters 
  are mostly residential, with a scattering of workshops and busi-
  nesses, sporting tenement blocks of four, five or even six stories. 
  The ground floors of these blocks are usually occupied by the 
  landlord or let out to shopkeepers. Bordering Timna Quarter is 
  Thumastin’s Menagerie, a collection of exotic beasts from many 
  different lands collected and put on display by the eccentric 
  magus Thumastin Thumank. Raheb Quarter is a residential 
  area containing many rich houses with impressive gardens and 
  close by is the outskirt suburb of Kebal, which is mostly inhab-
  ited by agricultural workers, clustered around the impressive 
  Temple of Samanse and Kait. Kebal hosts the city’s main market 
  for agricultural produce.
  The last suburb is Samais Quarter, a sprawling jumble of build-
  ings located the other side of the Siskil river and reached by 
  a ferry, which runs once in the morning and once at night in 
  each direction, carrying passengers and animals at a fixed rate. 
  Wealthy patrons may hire it privately at other times of the day. 
  Samais is the poorest district of the city, inhabited by all sorts 
  of undesirables, excluded from the other side of the river by the 
  militia. Besides these it also has a substantial population of agri-
  cultural labourers, who have no land of their own and can only 
  find work at certain times of the year. Those who are citizens 
  can at least expect handouts from the government to help them 
  through hard times. Samais’ most notable features are a large, 
  secure inn called The Lock Inn, within which travellers failing 
  to make the last ferry can find safe lodgings; and a government 
  office which is at the same time a dole centre and hiring hall for 
  the military.
  AshkoR: the 
  simulAcRum’s cApitAl
  Ashkor is a soldiers’ town, where the Taskan army is assembled, 
  trained and outfitted. A constant traffic of young men and some 
  women converges on the city, who have enrolled with recruit-
  ing sergeants in their home town and have been sent on their 
  way with just enough money in their pockets to live off on the 
  journey. Needless to say this pocket money is often squandered 
  and would-be recruits end up stealing and robbing to provide 
  for themselves, making the roads leading to the city dangerous 
  routes to travel alone. In addition to the army recruits and the 
  regular round of delegations to the court of the Iron Simula-
  crum, a stream of tinkers, entertainers and other purveyors of 
  goods and services to the troops and a constant to-ing and fro-
  ing of official couriers makes the Ashkor Road the most trav-
  elled in all the Empire. 
  Ashkor is an unwalled town, although it is overlooked by a 
  strong fortress set atop a tall natural tumulus, the only high 
  point for miles around, which commands views over both land 
  and sea. This place is the palace of the Iron Simulacrum, a 
  defence work of considerable size approached by a long, wind-
  ing ramp, guarded by all manner of devices manufactured by 
  the Guild of Artificers.
  At the foot of the fortress is the town itself. On one side are 
  the various camps of the regular and mercenary units, of which 
  there are five permanent ones and many more during the winter 
  months when there can be 30,000 troops based here. On the 
  other is a long beach suitable for shallow-draughted warships 
  
  cities And pRovinces  
  23
  and an artificial harbour, which can accommodate the mer-
  chantmen bringing supplies for the troops. During the cam-
  paigning season Ashkor is a fairly quiet place, where the people 
  are a peaceable and law-abiding crowd involved in agriculture, 
  crafts, shipping and services to the many official visitors who 
  come here. During the winter months the bulk of the army 
  is quartered here. The troops, camp-followers and hangers-on 
  then outnumber the townspeople two to one. Foodstalls and 
  wine-shops open up all over, the gaming houses open their 
  doors, entertainers and showmen from all across the Empire 
  bring new and exotic acts to town for the season and Ashkor 
  becomes a very rough place indeed. So much so, in fact, that the 
  wealthier inhabitants retire to the country for the duration and 
  the army’s Enforcer battalion takes over much of the responsi-
  bility for law and order.
  The town’s major features include a Temple of Machank, in 
  which a proportion of the spoils of war are placed as trophies 
  and at which a brave few dedicate themselves to the pursuit of 
  death or glory before setting out on campaign. There is also an 
  arms factory belonging to the Emperor’s estate and employing 
  200 indentured workers in the manufacture of weapons for the 
  army; similar enterprises on a smaller scale belonging to local 
  landowners and businessmen produce shields, helmets, spears, 
  armour, belts and other leatherwork, tools and mess equip-
  ment, rations and hardtack according to regulations laid down 
  by statute.
  Between the town and the village of Kispal, where the Samanse 
  temple stands, are the two military training grounds. The first 
  is the Choosing Ground, which is used by the town’s militia; 
  the second, much larger, is the Field of Machank, where the 
  professional army drills its men and trains new recruits. In one 
  part of this field is an area roped off from the rest, where the 
  portable temple that the army carries with it on campaign is 
  erected during the winter.
  tARsAnG: the 
  tRAde centRe
  The Empire’s key trade hub is Tarsang, and this is a city famous 
  as the headquarters of many of the Empire’s merchants and 
  shippers.  Goods and commodities are traded here before being 
  shipped on to their final destinations.  A network of courts serve 
  as market-places where the bulk trades take place, regulated and 
  taxed by the local Emperor-cult.  A cartel of warehouse owners 
  also profits from the volume of goods passing through the city, 
  and a local thieves’ network is said to steal goods to order for 
  customers all across the Empire.
  Tarsang has a deep-water harbour, and dry docking facilities are 
  available at the shipwrights’ yards a couple of kilometres down 
  the coast.  The harbour is fronted by a line of great warehouses, 
  offering storage space at rates which reflect the conditions of 
  the building and the level of security offered.  Just outside the 
  city walls through Merchant’s Gate is the caravanserai, and an 
  area of inns, hostels and taverns and residences known as the 
  Foreigners’ Quarter.  
  Tarsang is home to Tarsen’ Empty Tomb and the cults that hon-
  our him; his tomb consists of a large lined pit where his body 
  was to have been burned, set before an elaborately carved shrine 
  into which his ashes were to have been received.
  otheR cities 
  of tARseniA
  Merat
  A small city famous as a centre for the arts and favoured play-
  ground and holiday spot for wealthy Tarsenians. The annual 
  festival of Merai, the city’s tutelary deity, is the most important 
  gathering of artists and performers in the world. 
  Ralmyra
  The newest city foundation, is the centre of Further Tarsenia. 
  Ralmyra has undergone substantial rebuilding and resettlement 
  after disastrous barbarian incursions 20 years ago.
  Pryjarna
  A city on the southern frontier famous as the Holy City of 
  Basat, god of truth and life. Pryjarna is the gateway to the car-
  avan routes to Djesmirket and Sharranket across the Korazoon 
  desert; however major commercial traffic to the South tends to 
  use the riverine routes via Morkar in the West and the Beshor 
  Valley in the East.
  Felsang – A small city famous for its schools of sorcery but 
  mostly dependent on its craft industries. Felsang has developed 
  in the shadow of Sorandib and increasingly is a refuge for crafts-
  men trained in Sorantine schools. 
  
  24
  The Taskan empire
  populAtion
  In the Taskan Empire most people do not live in cities, but in 
  small towns and villages at the centre of a network of fields, 
  pastures, forestry and fisheries. The Empire’s most populous 
  diocese, Zarinia, has a total territory of over 2 million Hectares 
  of which some 30% is good arable land, some of it the best in 
  Tarsenia, enabling her citizens to produce cash crops for export 
  as well as to feed themselves.
  The Population Table
  The Population Table sets out the approximate population of 
  each diocese of the Taskan Empire. These figures include all 
  individuals whether citizen or non-citizen. To these figures can 
  be added a large number of citizens resident outside the borders 
  of the Empire, almost all of whom are to be found in one of the 
  protectorates, subject nations, allied and client states, some of 
  them émigrés but most of them indigenous folk who have taken 
  citizenship for their own reasons. 
  Urban Population includes the city proper and its suburbs; all 
  those, in fact, who live within an hour’s walk - roughly 5km - 
  of the city centre. A minority of these people are involved in 
  agriculture - those lucky enough to have fields close to the city. 
  Rural Population comprises everyone else, although they may 
  in fact live in some quite substantial country towns as well as 
  villages and scattered farms. The vast majority of these people 
  are somehow connected to agriculture, and probably work in it 
  on at least a part time basis. 
  Each of the cities and provinces on the table has independent 
  magical support for its agricultural economy, as there is no 
  Empire-wide pact with a deity who can provide such support 
  (which is beyond the divine Emperor’s capability). Tarsenian 
  cities and their regions generally rely on the help of the God-
  desses Samanse and Kait, and the farmer-god Hoonvel. Every 
  major town will have a temple of some description maintained 
  at public expense, and most villages will have their own sites 
  and shrines, possibly including some local nature spirit who it 
  is best to have onside. The provincial emperor-cult ensures that 
  a college of trained priests is available that specialises in agricul-
  tural deities, and that public cults are well supported.
  impeRiAl dominions
  In the provinces and dependencies of the Empire there are many 
  important settlements and a couple of major cities. In reality the 
  Provinces cover lands that are tied to the Empire through a vari-
  ety of different means, ranging from a simple unequal alliance 
  to being under direct military rule. The various categories can 
  be summarised as follows: 
  Subject Nations
  These people have submitted to the Empire following conquest 
  and for some reason have been saddled with a punitive regime. 
  Taskan citizenship is only granted to selected sections of society 
  or those individuals who prove themselves loyal and worthy. A 
  governing body is set over them, which operates under mili-
  tary jurisdiction, reporting to the Simulacrum. Subject status is 
  expected to be an interim stage prior to creation of a Province. 
  At present the Eskars, Haran and Marangia – and in reality only 
  a small part of that land around the main city at Timolay – are 
  Subject Nations.
  Dioceses (Provinces)
  A territory that has accepted Taskan rule and with it a univer-
  sal grant of citizenship and the replacement of their traditional 
  leadership by a college of Emperor-cult priests in the Taskan 
  style – albeit pretty much populated by people from the same 
  ruling class as before.  Camtri and The Little Kitan are Dioceses. 
  Client States
  These lands retain their ancestral traditions and constitutions 
  but have no right to enter independently into foreign relations 
  and must usually supply some sort of tribute, service or resource 
  to the Empire, particularly specialist magical or military ser-
  vices.  The Kingdom of Yegusai is a Client State.
  Diocese
  Urban 
  Population
  Rural 
  Population
  Total
  Ashkor
  32,000
  242,000
  274,000
  Bandaknar
  12,000
  76,000
  88,000
  Camtri
  27,000
  803,000
  830,000
  Felsang
  37,000
  345,000
  382,000
  Merat
  13,000
  164,000
  177,000
  Pryjarna
  21,000
  209,000
  230,000
  Ralmyra
  16,000
  68,000
  84,000
  Tarsang
  56,000
  398,000
  454,000
  Taskay
  71,000
  289,000
  360,000
  Zarina
  230,000
  850,000
  850,000
  Total
  515,000
  3,444,000
  3,959,000
  
  cities And pRovinces  
  25
  
  26
  The Taskan empire
  Protectorates
  Independent states whose constitutions and freedoms are guar-
  anteed by the Taskan military. They enjoy a permanent state 
  of military alliance and usually offer favoured nations terms 
  of trade and exclusive access to certain products and resources 
  in return. Unlike a client state the leaders of a protectorate 
  are granted full honours and technical equality in inter-state 
  relations. Protectorates are free of direct interference and the 
  Emperor cult does not proselytize there, only maintaining such 
  temples and shrines as are required to serve an émigré popula-
  tion. Sorantia and the Jekkarene Theocracy are protectorates. 
  Allies
  Not technically part of the Empire but in fact independent states 
  who have entered into an unequal alliance with the Taskans. 
  This inequality is usually reflected in non-reciprocal guarantees 
  of the treatment of Taskan citizens (in particular of merchants) 
  and the Emperor’s enemies under their legal codes.  Morkesh is 
  an Ally of the Taskans.
  Northern Territories
  While the lands now known as Further Tarsenia were effectively 
  cleared of indigenous people and colonised by Tarsenians, the 
  rest of the Northern territories are inhabited by people thought 
  of as barbarians, who are now under Taskan rule. At its heart is 
  the land of Camtri, shared by a number of related ‘Thennalt’ 
  peoples with a common cult centre at Torestal. Some of them 
  were friendly with the Taskans from early on and frequently 
  provided mercenary troops to the army – while others had tra-
  ditional friendships with the Korantines. At one point the two 
  civilisations found themselves on opposite sides of a civil war, 
  the only time that Taskans and Korantines have ever come to 
  blows in battle. In the end Camtri became united as a Taskan 
  land, the first in which the conquered people were fully assim-
  ilated by adopting Taskan citizenship with their own college of 
  Emperor-cult priests installed at Torestal. Beyond Camtri to the 
  north is the city of Timolay, seat of a king who nominally rules 
  over Marangia but who has been made a subject and now rules 
  only a small territory around his capital with the support and 
  counsel of Taskan agents. The people on its borders are largely 
  hostile. A process of consolidation is under way through the 
  settlement of military veterans and loyal Camtrians on land 
  confiscated from rebels and exiles. 
  Camtri is a pleasant and fertile land but to get there from West-
  ern Tarsenia you have to cross the rather bleaker ‘Little Kitan’, a 
  broad plain some 200 miles across, bisected by the swift-flowing 
  Black River. The southern end provides excellent pasture for the 
  Taskan army’s livestock. The Eastern side is the homeland of the 
  Eskars, a largely nomadic tribe who are now a subject nation 
  and whose sprawling, one-story, wood-built city of Bandaknar 
  is an important centre for trade between the Taskans and the 
  Sheng nations to whom the Eskars belong. The hills that flank 
  the Little Kitan to the East are cut by a pass known as the Ten-
  gissian Gates, which is the most practical route up onto the 
  Kitan plateau where the other Sheng Tribes have their home-
  lands. Some high ranking Eskars have the citizenship already, 
  as do any warriors who have served a five year term as an auxil-
  iary in the Taskan army. Eska communities and their herds are 
  allowed to cross the Black River with their livestock to access 
  the grasslands that fall within their historic ranges but anything 
  that resembles a war party is strictly forbidden and the army has 
  first call on the best pastures.
  Bandaknar 
  There is only one city of any size in which the majority of 
  inhabitants come from nomad stock and that is Bandaknar, 
  which serves as a meeting place and market between Sheng and 
  Taskan lands. Bandaknar is situated on a natural ford across the 
  Black River. It is a notoriously filthy town, the stinking rat-in-
  fested streets and lice-ridden inns are legendary and visitors are 
  advised to only take the water, or bathe, upstream of its sub-
  urbs. Bandaknar is a sprawl of wooden single-story buildings 
  and only the stone-built Taskan temple and watch towers stand 
  out above the crowd. Unsurprisingly it is the most important 
  centre for trade in horses in the known world but this is in all 
  ways a stockman’s town, full of the stench from animal pens 
  and enclosures, home to butchers, tanners, leatherworkers, 
  dairymen, horse-breakers and slaughterers. Almost everyone in 
  Bandaknar has some connection to the raising, consumption 
  or processing of animals. Bandaknar is now the administrative 
  capital of a Taskan province. As a result the vast majority of 
  its inhabitants have been forced to submit to the Emperor and 
  taken citizenship. The city has its own militia, the only formed 
  unit of foot soldiers amongst the Sheng and consequently much 
  derided and despised.  
  Western Territories
  Part of Western Tarsenia is still, strictly speaking, independent of 
  the Empire, albeit under the protection of the Taskan army. Just 
  40 miles West of the city of Felsang flows the Shol River and to 
  the west of that the Taskan army only operates to keep the road 
  between Felsang and Sorandib safe and clear of bandits. The old 
  road further West, from Sorandib to Ramassa, is effectively cut 
  off by the lawless state of the country through which it passes, 
  as the king of Sorandib can barely exercise power within the 
  
  cities And pRovinces  
  27
  walls of his capital, let alone beyond. North of Sorandib is Lake 
  Barur, nestled among unforgiving yet metal-rich hills, choked 
  with weeds which are a highly prized source of healing remedies 
  and also the source of the Briga, a river that flows through three 
  famous cities and acts as a vital trade route for the Empire.
  West of the Badlands around Sorandib is Ramassa, gateway to 
  the Theocracy of the Jekkarenes, which occupies much of the 
  great peninsula that is generally known as the Jekkarid but more 
  properly referred to by scholars as Methalea. These people who 
  are, like Sorandib, under Taskan protection, generally forbid 
  foreigners from entering their lands and so maintain Ramassa 
  in the East and the port city of Lyortha in the South as places 
  where foreigners are welcome and business can be done.
  Eastern Territories
  Tarsang is the most Easterly city that is truly Tarsenian. Beyond 
  that is the land of Haran, formerly part of the Kingdom of 
  Yegusai. When Yegusai submitted to Taskan hegemony Haran 
  became the centre of rebellious conspiracies and eventually 
  the city threw in its lot with an alliance of Djesmir and the 
  Soribisi, which handed the Taskans their first major military 
  defeat at Araxa. As a result Haran was brutally sacked, purged 
  of rebels and settled with Tarsenians to maintain a garrison col-
  ony. The city still has a subject population in servitude to a 
  citizen minority. The remainder of the Kingdom of Yegusai is 
  crowded into the valleys of the Beshor and its tributaries – out-
  side of these valleys the country is rather dry and barren. Yegusai 
  remains a client state of the Empire, one which sends magicians 
  rather than soldiers to contribute to the army. Yegusaian ‘sor-
  cerers’ – are very much in demand in the cities of the heartland 
  because they come from a wholly alien tradition and have arts 
  that are hard to replicate with regular sorcery or Theism – it is 
  said that they have more in common with the wild shamans of 
  Kitan, even though they are a very ancient and literate civilisa-
  tion. Yegusan itself is considered so exotic and ancient that it is 
  a favourite tourist destination for Tarsenia’s educated elite.
  
  28
  The Taskan empire
  Economy
  T
  he Taskeen is the currency introduced by Zygas Taga 
  when he became Emperor over a unified Tarsenia. It 
  takes its name, but not its value, from the old currency 
  of the city of Taskay. As a symbolically democratic gesture Zygas 
  Taga fixed the value of the standard silver coin on the daily wage 
  of an unskilled worker. This is essentially half the value of the 
  old standard unit of exchange, based on the pure silver piece. 
  It also conforms to a traditional measure of value in Tarsenia - 
  which is 1 kilo of Blessed Barley. In order to still keep a coin of 
  acceptable size - although still a little smaller than other silver 
  currencies - the silver is mixed with base metal, and a blanching 
  process ensures the coins still appear to be silver. The actual 
  purity of any Taskeen coins depends on the year of issue and the 
  state of the treasury’s finance at that particular time. Enquiring 
  into the specifics of an issue’s purity is certainly Treasonous.
  Gold Coins
  The Taskan Empire does not mint gold coins; large transactions 
  can be carried out using promissory notes for internal trades, or 
  by weight of bullion in gold or silver for foreign trades.
  Copper Coins
  Smaller copper pieces (pennies) are issued that generally trade 
  at 5 to the Taskeen. These copper pieces have retained the same 
  notional value from pre-Imperial days, so there are many very 
  old, worn coins still in circulation. A healthy economy is one 
  in which you can purchase a loaf of bread using a single penny.
  exchAnGe RAtes
  The international trade economy is still based on bullion coins, 
  and more or less pure silver coins are still issued by mints in 
  Sharranket (the Sharranketan Dinar) and across Korantia by the 
  Syndics of the merchant societies under the tutelage of the trade 
  god Sabateus. The Korantine Emperor also mints gold coins 
  that are little short of 100% purity, and a little larger than most 
  silver coins. Despite the power and reach of the Taskan Empire 
  these high purity foreign coins are still popular because they 
  are easily moved and accepted internationally, without a money 
  changer taking a cut.
  The usual conversion rates are as follows:
  10 pennies = 2 Taskeens = 1 Korantine Silver Piece = 0.05 Koran-
  tine Gold Imperials = 1 Sharranketan Dinar  
  1 Taskeen = 1 Djesmiri Dinar = 1 Morkeshite Dinar = 1 Koran-
  tine State Silver = 0.2 Yegusan Silvers = 5 Jekkarene Iron Bars
  metAls
  The trade in metals is an important one, with vast quantities 
  required for state purposes, particularly outfitting of the army. 
  Rich ore deposits are found in Further Tarsenia; resources in 
  and around Eastern Tarsenia are much depleted, however Merat 
  still produces 19 tons of silver per year, worth over 6 million 
  Taskeens. Merat’s contribution to the exchequer means her 
  (admittedly small) citizen militia is exempt from providing 
  troops for the Empire. 
  
  economy
  29
  Camtri is an important region for iron mining, copper is found 
  in the White Hills near Pryjarna. Some metals, bronze in par-
  ticular, are imported from the Jekkarid, but the Merchants of 
  Sharranket bring substantial quantities from regions such as 
  Thafna and Kitan with which Taskan merchants have few direct 
  connections.  
  The value of precious metals is difficult to set; in reality the 
  value of a weight of pure metal is always greater than the equiv-
  alent in bullion coins as the content of the coins may be suspect.
  WAGes 
  A character may need to know what they can earn by picking 
  up casual work - or alternatively what they need to pay hirelings 
  for their services. The basic service that anyone can offer is their 
  time and energy. An individual of sound body with no skills to 
  offer expects to receive 1 Taskeen for a full day of his labour. 
  An individual with a useful skill in excess of 50% may be able 
  to earn double that - the wage of a skilled worker - as long as 
  there is a demand for what they can do. Certain skills of course 
  attract a premium as sometimes do particularly high (101%+) 
  skill levels. Sample wages by day, month and year are given on 
  the Wages Table. 
  Item
  Description
  Availability
  Cost
  Bronze
  Even though it can be mined in its alloyed state, bronze is more expensive 
  than iron as it is less common and also has useful properties such as being 
  resistant to corrosion and able to be polished up to a shine
  Uncommon
  8 per kg
  Iron
  Desirable as the standard metal for practical use in tools, weapons and 
  construction, iron is quite abundant and therefore relatively cheap
  Common
  5 per kg
  Silver
  Bullion value. 1 kg of silver can make 160 bullion coins (Sharranketan 
  Dinars), and this provides the benchmark market price for the precious 
  metal
  Uncommon
  320 per kg
  Copper
  Less useful than bronze, copper's chief use is for cheap utensils and 
  minting low value coins that have no real bullion value
  Common
  6 per kg
  1 Taskan Talent
  Bullion value of 1 kg of gold, traditionally 12 times the same weight of 
  silver
  3,840 per kg
  1 Korantine Talent
  1.875kg of gold, enough to strike 180 gold Imperials
  7,200
  Metals
  Job
  Daily Rate
  Annual Rate*
  Monthly Rate**
  Skilled worker or craftsman
  2
  520
  40
  Unskilled worker or labourer
  1
  260
  20
  Elite Artisan (e.g. Artist)
  8
  2080
  160
  School Teacher
  2
  520
  40
  Messenger
  1.4
  364
  28
  Clergyman, Praise Singer
  2.2
  572
  44
  Soldier, professional***
  2
  738
  56
  Soldier, militia
  1
  260
  20
  Army Officer
  25
  6,000
  500
  Wages
  * Daily rates are higher than the annual income would suggest – this is because people don’t work every day. Workers generally put in about 260 days per year - the remainder being one 
  sort of holiday or festival or another.
  **A Taskan year has 13 lunar months.
  ***The professional soldier receives 2 Taskeens per day, plus 10 Taskeens bonus for the Emperor Days at the end of the year. The basic cost of feeding them is deducted from their pay when 
  not on campaign. Military rates of pay tend to be high. The income shown here is also expected to be boosted with cash bonuses, booty, and even a grant of land at the end of service. This 
  is because professional soldiers can cause a lot of trouble if they get fed up with their pay. Militia pay shown is net of the cost of rations.
  
  30
  The Taskan empire
  pRice lists
  The following tables provide prices for items that can be bought 
  and sold in the Taskan Empire. Prices provided are those in the 
  major cities, although when shopping in rural areas discounts 
  might be applied to commodities and foodstuffs of anything up 
  to 50%, while similar premiums are paid for luxuries and trade 
  goods if you can find them.
  In general, items noted as being Common can be found almost 
  anywhere in town and country; items noted as Uncommon can 
  be found in outlying towns as well as the key cities; goods that 
  are Rare are only found in the cities, and those that are Very 
  Rare are usually only found in specific cities that are on the 
  right trade routes or that have a specialist outlet. Special Order 
  indicates that no-one actually advertises this service, you have to 
  track down someone who will provide it.
  The prices given in the tables starting on page 33 are market 
  prices in Tarsenia, so do not necessarily apply elsewhere. 
  Food and Drink
  Tarsenians generally consume barley as their staple, although 
  wheat is also known. This sets them and the Jekkarenes apart 
  from the Korantines and Thennalts who prefer wheat and feed 
  barley to horses. The penny price of bread in the cities is a criti-
  cal sign of economic well-being, and the Simulacrum will inter-
  vene if this rises to 2 pennies or more.
  A kilo of flour is enough to bake two and a half 0.5 kg loaves 
  of bread, which means there is a penny margin on the price of 
  flour for every five loaves sold which has to cover labour, addi-
  tional ingredients and fuel for the ovens before paying him any 
  profits. Small wonder many bakeries mill the flour on site for 
  additional margins. A commercial bakery in one of Tarsenia’s 
  cities produces at least 500 loaves per day and typically employ 
  5-10 people all told.
  Meats are rarely consumed by the poor except on feast days, 
  however the military always tries, often unsuccessfully, to ensure 
  its men get a kilo of meat per week - best not to ask what it came 
  from in most cases. Game is hard to come by except in the more 
  out of the way places – only in Further Tarsenia can the locals 
  still assume they can kill game on a regular basis to supplement 
  their needs at minimal cost. The prices here are for flesh with 
  no particular distinction about what part of the animal the flesh 
  comes from. 
  Tarsenia is a land of wine drinkers rather than beer drinkers. 
  Beer is used almost as an alternative to water, and is usually very 
  weak. In Camtri beers are more highly regarded, but even there 
  Tarsenian tastes are starting to take hold and the well-off make 
  a show of consuming the best wines they can get their hands on.
  Livestock
  Taskans make use of a wide variety of animals, and like any 
  other society do so at all stages of the lifecycle. Once a food 
  animal reaches its optimum weight, or when a beast of burden 
  passes the point at which its value as a carcass is greater than 
  its value as a working animal, every part that can be is used or 
  consumed. The poorest peasants often dress in hides because 
  animal skins are a cheap by-product - much cheaper than cloth, 
  which requires significant processing and man-hours to pro-
  duce. Young animals are always less expensive as they have to 
  be cared for and fed, and possibly trained, until they can be put 
  to use. Prices here are for adult animals, ready for exploitation.
  Tools
  These basic tools are manufactured by blacksmiths and carpen-
  ters and do not usually require the work of a specialist. Prices 
  given here are for tools with metal fittings. Significantly cheaper, 
  
  economy
  31
  if less effective, versions can often be made without the benefit 
  of metal parts, and may cost no more than a few pennies.
  War Gear
  The War Gear table on page 35 contains prices quite different 
  from the usual RuneQuest Price list. On the other hand the 
  list of weapons and armour is restricted to those generally avail-
  able. Weapons and amour types not on this list can be imported 
  from where they are made and used.
  These prices are for basic, practical examples without embellish-
  ment. Prices are for iron weapons; bronze weapons may cost a 
  little more due to the higher cost of metal. Prices for items such 
  as swords include furniture, scabbard and hanging strap.
  Land and Property
  Owning land brings respectability and an annual income so 
  long as you work it, rent it out or pay someone else to.
  The prices in the table on page 36 are for good arable land. For 
  marginal land suitable for olive trees and grazing goats multiply 
  price by 0.4, for forestry or uncleared land multiply by 0.25. 
  For unproductive land multiply by 0.01. 
  Proximity to a temple or sacred site that provides reliable divine 
  blessings to agriculture will increase land prices.
  A Hectare of good arable land requires 40 Taskeens’ worth of 
  seed corn and will deliver a yield of six times the seed sown, 
  generating crops worth 240 Taskeens. 
  The Cost of Money
  If a character needs money quickly, he can always try to find someone to lend it to him. Because the Emperor has done 
  away with slavery, and thereby with offering one’s own self as security for debt, the amount of credit available and the rate of 
  interest paid is likely to vary greatly according to your true credit worthiness. Credit worthiness is a governed by a character’s 
  Social Class. 
  A bona fides money lender will extend an unsecured loan to an individual according to their Social Class, and will fix an 
  interest rate according to the same principle. Foreigners and outsiders, even Taskans from a foreign city, will not be given 
  credit unless someone local can stand as guarantor. If offered security on a loan the money lender may extend additional 
  credit up to about half the value of the goods or land put up as collateral. 
  *No legitimate lender will give credit to someone from an Outcast social class; anyone who does will charge enormous rates 
  of interest and then only if they have means – usually hired magic or muscle - to come after a bad debt. 
  Loan terms are fixed and a lender expects to receive repayment plus all interest for the contracted period - there is no saving 
  in repaying a loan earlier than agreed. Loan terms are usually set for a month, a season or a year, with only the state treasur-
  ies borrowing for longer contracts. If you extend a loan beyond the contracted period, interest rates rise sharply, typically 
  doubling each time.
  Funding Ventures and Adventures
  Significantly larger sums may be made available to fund a business venture – including an adventure if the objective is to 
  come back with treasures, trade goods or the spoils of war. In this instance the lender sees himself as an investor, and while 
  taking security over whatever assets the characters are leaving at home, will be looking for a return of at least twice their 
  investment and possibly many times that, depending on how risky the whole thing sounds. Securing an investment is an 
  exercise in Influence and Commerce skills. 
  Social Class
  Unsecured Loan
  Market Rate of Interest
  Outcast
  0
  1000%*
  Freeman
  2d6x50 Taskeens
  15%
  Gentry
  2d6x150 Taskeens
  10%
  Aristocracy
  2d6 x 250 Taskeens
  2%
  
  32
  The Taskan empire
  Rents on land average 15-20% of its produce. If you wish to 
  live comfortably solely off land rentals, you need more than 20 
  Hectares under cultivation to do so.
  Transport and Shipping
  Transporting goods by land is vastly more expensive than doing 
  so by sea. The following costs give an idea of how much a 
  character will have to pay to ship a big load from one place to 
  another - or alternatively, the sort of money he can charge for 
  doing so himself. These costs include all hands required to do 
  the job, as well as the use of the ship, wagon or beast of burden. 
  Guidelines are also provided here for acquiring watercraft and 
  wheeled vehicles.
  Luxuries and Trade Goods
  The following table provides a sample of luxury goods available 
  on the market, and demonstrates how far the Empire’s trad-
  ing connections can stretch. Any of these prices can massively 
  inflated or depressed according to supply. Were even one 
  Sharranketan merchant galley to be lost at sea on the route from 
  Balbufera, you can expect pepper prices to go through the roof 
  until alternative supply or transportation is set in place.
  Magical Services and 
  Enhancements
  The market in spell casting is generally split between priests 
  who see it is their duty (and business) to offer their services to 
  the community, and sorcerers who pretend at least not to be 
  interested in the market and sell their services to well-heeled 
  private clients. 
  Some libraries have magical texts that can be accessed, but will 
  charge an admission price and vet the enquirer for suitability. 
  There is a market in magical literature (including grimoires), 
  the main ones being in a street close to the Great Library of 
  Zarina and by the College of Sorcery in Felsang. 
  
  economy
  33
  Staples
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Loaf of barley bread 
  Common
  0.2
  Wheat
  Uncommon
  0.4 per kg
  Barley
  Common
  0.3 per kg
  Rye
  Common
  0.2 per kg
  Barley flour
  Common
  0.45 per kg
  Wheat flour
  Uncommon
  0.6 per kg
  Salt
  Uncommon
  0.3 per kg
  Olive Oil
  Common
  2 per litre
  pRice lists
  Meat and Fish
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Pork
  Common
  1 per kg
  Mutton
  Common
  1 per kg
  Goat
  Common
  0.8 per kg
  Beef
  Uncommon
  1.2 per kg
  Game bird 
  Duck, partridge, pheasant
  Common
  3 per bird 
  Poultry
  Domesticated fowl such as a 
  duck or chicken
  Common
  2 per bird
  Venison
  Uncommon
  1 per kg
  Crustaceans and Premium Saltwater Fish
  Rare
  1.6 per kg
  Other Saltwater Fish
  Rare
  1 per kg
  Freshwater Fish
  Uncommon
  0.6 per kg
  Preserved (salted) Fish
  Uncommon
  0.4 per kg
  Drink
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Wines, Fine
  Probably from the hill country around Merat in a 
  distinctively shaped jar and consumed by the well to do 
  without the addition of spices or sweeteners. 
  Rare
  2 per litre
  Wine, Good
  Produced across Tarsenia, with the territories of Felsang 
  and Tarsang being the largest producers 
  Uncommon
  1 per litre
  Wine, Basic
  Probably produced from a small vineyard and consumed 
  locally, or mixed with wine from a variety of small 
  producers and probably slightly diluted before it is sold 
  to the market.
  Common
  0.4-0.8 per litre
  Beer, Premium
  A common drink even for the young, the poorer sort 
  may be available at a penny for a large 2L pitcher, or free 
  with food. 
  Common
  0.4 per litre
  
  34
  The Taskan empire
  Livestock
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  “Eska” Riding Horse
  Typical of the horses bought in bulk by the Taskans for 
  training up as cavalry horses. Reared by Sheng tribes for the 
  market, but only used by their nobility.
  Common
  400
  Assabian Racing Horse
  The finest horses are bred on the southern fringes of the 
  Korazoon. The richest races are held each year at Ronispur 
  in Sharranket where enormous sums change hands. 
  Rare
  1500-3000
  Bull
  Usually kept to be rented out to other famers. A Camtric 
  Bull is the gold standard, but rarely seen except on the 
  estates of the wealthy.
  Common
  120
  Camel
  A regular riding camel or beast of burden from the 
  Korazoon. In Rasputana highly prized camels trained for 
  war or for racing can fetch many times this amount
  Common
  130
  Donkey
  The most accessible beast of burden for a farmer, 
  particularly in the South of Tarsenia 
  Common
  80
  Draft Ox
  Oxen are a vital resource for pulling both wagon and 
  plough. 
  Common
  140
  Kitan pony or pack horse
  Tough little horses, although used by the Sheng as mounts 
  others often buy them for burden  
  Common
  200
  Milk Cow
  Tarsenians are not great dairy farmers, but many rural 
  families will keep a cow if they can. The people of Camtri 
  are famous for their love of cattle herds however
  Common
  100
  Mule
  Favoured by the army for beasts of burden, bred mostly 
  around Ashkor
  Common
  240
  Pig
  A young pig may be 60kg when slaughtered, but fully 
  grown they can reach more than twice that weight. A pig 
  provides the best body weight to calorie ratio of any meat 
  animal
  Common
  50-120
  Sheep
  Massive flocks are kept in Eastern Tarsenia, mostly for 
  wool, however mutton is also regularly eaten
  Common
  20-40
  Tools
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Adze or Hoe
  Common
  2
  Axe, Hatchet
  Common
  4
  Axe, Tree Felling
  Common
  6
  Pick
  Common
  6
  Ploughshare and Board
  Common
  15
  Scythe
  Common
  3
  Shovel
  Common
  3
  Work Maul
  Common
  2
  Yoke for Oxen
  Complete with tracers and harness. Can also be hired at a 
  rate of 8 Taskeens per month
  Common
  20
  
  economy
  35
  Wargear
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  "Kitanian" (composite) bow
  Rare
  80
  Arrows
  Common
  0.2 each
  Ashkorian pike
  Uncommon
  24
  Case and quiver for comp.bow
  Rare
  10
  Club
  Common
  1
  Dagger
  Uncommon
  20
  Hunting (flat) bow
  Common
  4
  Javelin or hunting spear
  Common
  8
  Lamellar Armour, bronze or 
  iron, 4AP 3 ENC per Location
  Rare
  30-50 per Location
  Lamellar Armour, Leather or 
  horn 3 AP, 4 ENC per location)
  Rare
  10 per Location
  Mace or Battleaxe
  Uncommon
  12
  Metal helmet, fancy (5 AP)
  Rare
  60
  Metal Helmet, premium, full 
  face (6 AP)
  Rare
  100
  Metal or composite helmet, 
  simple (3-4 AP)
  Uncommon
  30
  Militia shield
  Common
  20
  Padded cloth (1 ENC) or 
  Leather (2 ENC) Armour, 2 AP
  Uncommon
  4 per location, double 
  for Cloth
  Pikeman's Shield
  Rare
  25
  Shortsword or Falchion
  Uncommon
  60
  Simple quiver
  Common
  2
  Tarsenian Dirk
  Uncommon
  50
  Taskan half armour
  As above, leaving arms and legs exposed
  Rare
  60-100 per location
  Taskan Layered Armour
  25-60/location, being composite metal, leather and horn 
  (5 AP 6 ENC) or metal lamellar (5 AP 5 ENC) backed 
  with padding and with overlapping joints. Immune to the 
  Bypass Armour Effect
  Rare
  500-700
  Taskan militia spear
  Common
  6
  War or specialist Arrows, each
  Uncommon
  0.4 each
  War shield
  Uncommon
  30
  Warsword
  Uncommon
  100
  
  36
  The Taskan empire
  Land and Property
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Camtri
  Very rich land and blessed by the ancient Thennalt deities 
  of the earth, the little land that comes on the market is 
  generally freed up by confiscation from rebels or those 
  who die without inheritors. Thennalts, even Taskanised 
  Thennalts, do not like to part with their land.
  Uncommon
  1600-2400 per 
  Hectare
  Eastern Tarsenia
  While land immediately around the capital is prized, that 
  close to the huge and hungry city of Zarina is the highest 
  priced
  Common
  1250-3500 per 
  Hectare
  Fine House
  A house that includes separated rooms for entertaining, 
  cooking and sleeping, servants; area and possibly even 
  plumbing
  Uncommon
  30,000-80,000
  Further Tarsenia
  Always cheap to encourage settlement from other cities 
  in the Empire, this is the price for land in the vicinity of 
  Ralmyra. In the back woods of the region it is possible to 
  actually get a grant to take on virgin territory - sometimes 
  in cash, sometimes in the form of a pair of plough oxen. 
  Common
  600-1200 per Hectare
  Grand House or Palace
  Capable of impressing any visitor, and home to a whole 
  establishment of servants as well as the owner and his 
  family. Expected to have well- tended gardens, and if out of 
  town those gardens may include 'managed wildnerness' in 
  which the owners can pursue their leisure.
  Rare
  150,000-500,000
  House
  An urban house suitable for a family. Probably 2-4 rooms 
  at most, flat or tile-roofed. It may have a very small yard 
  or kitchen garden, and if in the country space for domestic 
  animals
  Common
  6,000-12,000
  Mature Vineyard
  Planting a vineyard costs 5,000T per Hectare, and takes a 
  year to prepare and plant and up to 3 more to be ready for 
  cropping. A mature vineyard is therefor at a premium. Each 
  Hectare should generate 1500-3000 litres of wine per year
  Common
  12,000-15,000 per 
  Hectare
  West Tarsenia
  West Tarsenian land is easier to come by, but not so well 
  suited to arable. Highest prices are near the ready markets 
  of Felsang and Ashkor
  Common
  1200-1600 per 
  Hectare
  
  economy
  37
  Transport and Shipping
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Construction of merchant ship
  To build and outfit a merchant ship, not including magical 
  enhancements. Average vessels carry some 75-100 tons, 
  with the biggest examples being 250-500 tons
  400 per ton of 
  capacity
  Construction of oared warship
  To build and outfit an oared galley, not including magical 
  enhancements.  Taskan galleys rarely come in at more than 
  60 oars; however Korantine examples from before the 
  Cataclysm are said to have sometimes had multiple banks 
  with up to 300 men at the benches.
  400 per rower’s station
  Cost of moving goods by open 
  sea
  Typically by merchantman between major ports, each vessel 
  carrying 75-100 tons
  6 per ton per 100 
  miles
  Cost of moving goods by river 
  or by daylight-only short coastal 
  routes
  Typically by small boat, barge or lighter; often an oared 
  vessel. Capacity of 5-20 tons is typical 
  30 per ton per 100 
  miles
  Cost of moving goods overland
  Typically by ox cart, each cart moving circa half a ton per 
  ox, and some carts are so massive as to have 16 animals 
  to draw them. Cost and including pay for driver and boy, 
  fodder etc. A ton of goods might need a string of 8 or more 
  pack animals to carry it, depending on whether you are 
  using donkeys, horses, mules or camels and how heavily 
  you are prepared to load them.
  160 per ton per 100 
  miles
  Fishing Boat
  Small boat suitable for river, lake and coastal fishing, with a 
  crew of up to 3 men
  350
  Litter
  Used by people of rank in city streets where mounts and 
  carriages are not permitted or not practical
  40
  Ox Wagon or Cart
  A big vehicle with four solid wheels capable of hauling a 
  ton or more of bulk goods, drawn by teams of oxen; assume 
  a ton of capacity per 2-ox team.
  50 per half ton of bulk 
  capacity
  
  38
  The Taskan empire
  Luxury Items
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Assabian crossbow
  An exotic weapon, usually richly decorated with engraved metal or ivory fittings.
  Rare
  120-180
  Assabian Robes
  Lightweight cotton, wool, or linen, full sleeved long robes sporting various degrees 
  of colouring and embellishment. A simple version available for a few SP, this price 
  for a prestige version
  Very Rare
  75-150 per outfit
  Assabian Spell-Slave
  This is the price of purchasing the slave, but as slavery is illegal in the Taskan 
  Empire the transaction involves freeing the slave in return for a contract of 
  indenture, typically for at least 5 years, sometimes as long as 12. 
  Special Order
  5,000 or 1,000 
  per 10% of 
  Spellcraft (Sorcery 
  Manipulation) skill. 
  Beshorite Goatskin
  Fine “kidskin” for the use in luxury shoes, hats and gloves.
  Uncommon
  3 per prepared skin
  Beshorite Honey
  Simply the finest, from bees who enjoy the wild flower gardens of the Beshor Valley 
  delta
  Uncommon
  4 per litre
  Blessed Barley
  Corn crop blessed by the grain goddess. Nutritious and keeps well
  Common
  1 per kg
  Brotomagian Hunting 
  Dog
  Tough but sleek and graceful, these are prized animals for any man of status.
  Uncommon
  400 each
  Camtric Wool
  Regarded as the finest available, therefor priced at twice the going rate for raw wool
  Uncommon
  6 per kg
  Dragoman Riding Cloak
  A fine felt riding cloak with sleeves (usually worn hanging loose) and hood, richly 
  decorated with Kitanian embroidery
  Rare
  120
  Exotic Hides and Pelts
  For use in high status clothing, usually as trim, but occasionally to construct a 
  whole garment. Price for a small (Racoon or Beaver) size pelt
  Rare
  5-50 per pelt
  Fengo, Fresh
  As dragged out of lake Barur and kept packed in lake water until used (Fengo 
  soaked in river water from the Briga comes in a little cheaper). 1kg of fresh packed 
  Fengo delivers 150g of raw Fengo once dried but loses significant value in the 
  process.   
  Special Order
  400 per kg
  Fengo, Raw
  After it is harvested from Lake Barur, most Fengo is dried and hacked into a fibrous 
  litter. There is a readier market for this type because of its narcotic uses. A typical 
  dose for smoking or chewing is 12g and retails at 1 Taskeen.
  Special Order
  65 per kg
  Fengo, Refined, Narcotic
  An expensive refining process involving soaking and mashing in water and stages of 
  drying and grinding, leaving a dun coloured powder. 1kg of raw fengo delivers 100g 
  of refined fengo. One dose = 5g and costs 4 Taskeens.
  Rare
  800 per kg
  Jekkarene Sweetwine
  Perhaps an acquired taste, this honey-sweetened and heavy wine is a growing export 
  for the Jekkarenes
  Uncommon
  6 per litre
  Korantine Shirt
  Fine woollen tunics, with various levels and quality of colour dyes, often decorated 
  with embroidered borders or patches
  Rare
  40-80 per item
  Korantine Wines
  A broad variety of imported wines, from vineyards situated on the ideal sunblessed 
  slopes of Korantia. Morado (from Agissene) and Solarnian (from Himela) are the 
  most celebrated
  Common-Rare
  4-8 per litre
  Marangian War Dog
  A breed that looks like an oversized Rottweiler, famously vicious and used as guard 
  dogs as well as for war
  Rare
  200 each
  Moon Barley
  A special form of barley smuggled out of the Jekkarid and sought after by alchemists
  Special Order
  30 per kg
  Rasputan Pepper
  From the port of Babulfera in the deep south of the continent, a favourite spice
  Rare
  300 per kg
  Silk of Jelhai
  Unimaginably expensive stuff, used by only the richest folk. In Assabia it is 
  commonly illegal for anyone other than the Sultan and members of his household 
  to wear silk.
  Very Rare
  1500 per metre
  Sorandine Brightcrystal
  A lump of this amber crystal will provide the effects of a Light spell if Magic Points 
  are fed to it, at a Magnitude of 1 per 0.25kg
  Very Rare
  0.25kg = 100
  0.5kg = 300
  0.75 = 600
  1kg = 1,000
  Tansoceanic Ivory
  Most likely from the Sharranketan trading colony at Janisdaron in Jandekot, 
  most of which is destined for the small ivory carving industry now established in 
  Homora. This is the cost for the raw material.
  Very Rare
  350 per kg
  Turtleshell from Zarland
  In raw form ready for use in production of combs, knife handles, plaques and boxes
  Very Rare
  160 per kg
  Zagreiot Cloak
  A fine linen cloak, distinctively decorated with patches of colour 
  Uncommon
  64
  
  economy
  39
  Magical Services and 
  Enchantments
  Notes
  Availability
  Price
  Characteristic Point 
  Donations
  A shady business exists in which the poor and desperate submit 
  to characteristic tapping to assist in the creation of an enchanted 
  item. This is regarded as a form of oppression of the poor, and 
  outlawed. The effect has been to drive the price up, which makes 
  it even more attractive a proposition.
  Special Order
  Donated 
  Characteristic Points, 
  squared, x100, or 
  x200 if INT or CHA
  Exorcism of a Person
  Tarsenians often trust in the power of immigrant holy men from 
  the Beshor Valley, who are acknowledged masters of spirit magic. 
  The price for services is high, the premium driven by the cachet 
  enjoyed by these exorcists among the moneyed classes. Some 
  exorcists use these fees to subsidise charitable work.
  Rare
  50 per Intensity of the 
  spirit. 
  Exorcism of a Place
  In most cases Tarsenians turn to specialist priests of their own 
  tradition to have a ghost banished from a haunted site, although 
  if that fails they may turn to a Beshorite for this too
  Uncommon
  5 for the priest and his 
  retinue, plus the cost 
  of any Miracles used
  Grimoire (also 
  Alchemical Manuals)
  The price of an existing, off-the-shelf Grimoire is highly 
  dependent on the rarity of its contents and its length; a Grimoire 
  may contain a single rare spell among many commonplace ones 
  that drives its value. This price as a rule of thumb for Grimoires 
  written in Tarsenian (Taskan)
  Rare-Very Rare
  10-20 per Folk Magic 
  spell or 50-100 
  per sorcery spell 
  contained; add 1000-
  5000 if a very rare 
  or powerful spell is 
  included.  
  Miracles
  Conducted by a devotee of the god whose help is needed. 
  Varies
  25-75 per Miracle 
  according to spell rank
  Sorcery Spell Casting 
  (Augment)
  To have a sorcery spell cast that benefits the buyer
  Rare
  2 per Magic Point cost 
  of spell
  Sorcery Spell Casting 
  (Curse)
  To have a sorcery spell cast on an enemy as a curse - NB this 
  constitutes a criminal assault under the law
  Special Order
  10 per Magic Point 
  cost of spell
  Spell Maintenance 
  Each day of duration maintained beyond the first
  Very Rare
  2 per Magic Point cost 
  of spell
  Summoning
  To summon up an otherworld entity, not including the cost of 
  protective magic or control spells
  Very Rare
  20 per Magic Point 
  required to effect the 
  summons 
  Worship Ceremony
  Conducted by a priest hired for the day to officiate for a 
  congregation
  Common
  1 plus 0.2 per 
  congregation member
  
  40
  The Taskan empire
  Beyond  
  the Empire
  T
  he overland travel routes of Tarsenia are really designed 
  for local use, connecting each city to its outlying towns 
  and villages. Imperial engineers have selected which 
  of these roads are capable of bearing heavy traffic and plotted 
  routes between the major cities that are signposted as highways 
  and provided with milestones. 
  Purpose-built trunk roads connect Pryjarna to Zarina (from 
  where it branches off to the capital), then on to Felsang (from 
  which it branches to Sorandib) then north to Ashkor. These are 
  the only routes that are properly engineered with surfacing and 
  drainage and provided with waystations approximately one day 
  by ox cart (circa 30km) distant from one another. 
  From Ashkor there is a military route more or less following the 
  Black River to Torestal but it is unmetalled for most of its length 
  and simply marks out a broad path that avoids problem terrain 
  or has been driven through it by the military engineers. 
  WeAtheR
  The climate of Tarsenia is generally favourable to overland 
  travel. Temperatures rarely drop below freezing even in winter 
  except in the hill country; extended heavy rainfall that turns 
  the ground to thick mud or washes away road surfaces is fairly 
  unusual. However the summers can be uncomfortably hot, with 
  temperatures averaging over 25 degrees and sometimes peaking 
  over 40. For those exposed on an open road this can be uncom-
  fortable and even dangerous, so it is common to set out while 
  still dark and make camp before the hottest part of the day in 
  the mid afternoon.
  inns And WAystAtions
  A waystation typically provides no more than a collection of 
  stone corrals for animals, a guaranteed source of fresh water and 
  some simple structures that provide enough shelter for travel-
  lers to protect themselves from sun, wind and rain. Most are 
  unmanned except under special circumstances but it will be the 
  responsibility of nearby communities to make sure that they 
  are kept serviceable through the year. However on the plus side 
  they are also planted with trees suitable for shade and some-
  times the shade trees are interspersed with some fruit-bearing 
  types and even some with healing properties. At busy points or 
  times of year when more traffic is on the road, a waystation may 
  also be populated by peddlers, food and drink stalls, entertain-
  ers, beggars and thieves, all of whom pitch their tents and ply 
  their trade until such time as someone in authority decides they 
  should be moved on. 
  Inns are more widely dispersed, generally situated just outside 
  of towns that are more or less a day apart by horse (45–50 km) 
  for a traveller unencumbered by baggage. Inns will usually 
  have a high-walled courtyard, proper stabling, a mix of dor-
  mitory and private rooms and will be compelled to maintain 
  suitable changes of horse for official couriers. The basic prices 
  at these inns are fixed by the government; however anything 
  extra, including private room facilities, is up to the landlord 
  to set his own price for. These inns are not taverns. There is no 
  bar room, just the communal courtyard, some of which may 
  have an awning to keep off the elements and travellers are wel-
  come to prepare their own food here in the courtyard if they do 
  not want to pay the innkeeper’s rates for food. There are often 
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  41
  massive establishments on the approaches to major cities or by 
  an important trade route connection – for example where an 
  interchange between road and river takes place. These ‘super-
  inns’ are known as Caravanserais and are capable of catering 
  for big parties of several hundred people and animals. Some are 
  fortified. 
  Basic tariffs per head per night are:
  encounteRs on 
  the RoAd
  The main reasons people who are not in the adventuring busi-
  ness travel around the Empire are military, commercial and 
  religious. The following section provides some ideas about the 
  kinds of people you will meet on the road; these are specifi-
  cally transients, who stand apart from the locals that you might 
  encounter as you pass through their territory.
  Military
  Encounters with military personnel on the road are usually with 
  a group en route to or from a posting and rarely with a unit on 
  active service or patrol. Soldiers are most obviously identified 
  by the fact they bear arms (except the new recruits) but they 
  will not be wearing armour unless expecting a fight and most 
  of them do not wear recognisable uniforms. To that extent they 
  may be hard to distinguish from bandits (and their behaviour 
  may add to that impression). An Insight roll or a Culture roll 
  may spot that the way they wear their weapons, or particular 
  items or type of clothing or kit, suggest they are bona fide sol-
  diers. They might still rob you, of course. 
  Typical Military Travellers
  Recruits
  A party of 2d10 recruits being forwarded to Ashkor for train-
  ing, 50% chance they are accompanied by a serving soldier or 
  sergeant – apart from whom these men will be in civilian dress.
  Patrol
  1d6+6 Militiamen on foot patrol. They are equipped with 
  light armour and weapons. Patrols are largely uninterested in 
  law-abiding citizens unless they have a mind to extort money 
  but will assume that a band of weapons-toting characters are 
  likely to be robbers unless convinced otherwise. 
  Officer
  A senior officer and entourage of 1d6 men, all mounted. If 
  there are thought to be bandits around, a senior officer party 
  like this will be out hunting them with a militia unit as outlined 
  previously.
  Couriers
  1d3 mounted couriers on a mission.
  Army Unit
  A military unit of 1d4x100 men en route to its next posting, 
  with one large ox cart per 100 men. Most likely a militia unit 
  unless close to Ashkor but 10% of such encounters are with a 
  regular or elite unit.
  Baggage Train 
  A military supply train en route to a base or camp, comprising 
  2d4 wagons, 1d6x10 pack animals, with three men and one 
  guard per wagon and per 10 pack animals.
  Veterans
  A party of 1d6 demobilised veterans on their way home. They 
  are probably in good spirits, have plenty of ready cash and are a 
  tough prospect to take down to relieve them of it.
  Commercial
  Commercial travellers might be plying a trade with a cartload 
  of merchandise, travelling to or from a market, negotiators or 
  businessmen on the way to or from a meeting, or driving a big 
  shipment of goods in caravan. Much of the big scale traffic goes 
  by sea or river, however huge caravans with more than 40 vehi-
  cles and 200–300 staff and co-travellers may be encountered, 
  if rarely. Commercial travellers often accumulate hangers-on 
  who want to travel with safety in numbers. Most times they are 
  encountered they will actually be halted or in camp – a typical 
  day’s progress for an ox cart is not much more than five hours. 
  Room Type/Service
  Price (Taskeens)
  Bath
  2
  Dormitory Room and half board
  2
  Dormitory Room or camping space
  1 
  Other large livestock barn plus fodder
  1
  Stabling per horse plus fodder
  2
  
  42
  The Taskan empire
  Typical Commercial Travellers
  Peddler
  A peddler on a local circuit, possibly with his family, or local 
  craftsmen or farmer heading to market with his produce. 1d3 
  adults, 1d2 small wagons (one for goods one for personal 
  effects).
  Caravan
  A large caravan shipping a commodity from one region to 
  another. 1d4x5 massive ox-wagons each pulled by 1d10+10 
  oxen; three handlers and one armed guard per wagon, plus 1d4 
  merchants and a guard captain. Accompanied by 3d6 travellers.
  Merchant
  A private merchant with his small caravan of mixed goods. 2d4 
  goods wagons, a merchant and his assistants plus staff and hang-
  ers on as previous.
  Agent
  An agent or courier travelling with documents for signature, 
  contracts or hard cash. If the latter, assume 1 professional armed 
  guard per 1,000 Taskeens. An agent may travel by horse-drawn 
  carriage. Couriers will be mounted.
  Entertainers
  A group of entertainers or travelling brothel moving to their 
  next town. 1d3 ox-wagons or horse-drawn carriages, with 
  1d6+6 members of the troupe and their promoter.
  Landowner
  A wealthy citizen on a tour of his estates and properties. 
  Accompanied by a secretary and 2d6 servants. The rich man 
  (or woman) is probably mounted or in a horse drawn carriage, 
  with servants on foot. Servants also act as bodyguards, typically 
  armed with clubs and/or daggers. 
  Pilgrims
  Religious traffic is made up of people travelling to attend festi-
  vals, or on pilgrimage to sacred sites. Pilgrims are quite capable 
  of posing a threat and otherwise behaving in ways they would 
  not do at home. They are often not the best equipped or expe-
  rienced travellers and, like anyone else, can find themselves in 
  need of money or food so turn to robbery of fellow travellers or 
  of homes and villages in their path. They are also quite easily 
  wound up if their particular cult or religious society is belit-
  tled or insulted. The sight of rival cultists devoted to the same 
  deity coming to blows over whose cult is better favoured by the 
  God, or sports more prestigious membership, is not uncom-
  mon. There are dozens of religious festivals worth travelling to 
  throughout the year but the most famous ones are:
   
  ◐ The Festival of Tethis at Zarina, which incorporates 
  bloody duels between devotees of Machank and Basat 
  vying for the goddess’ favour (11th day of Kamay).
   
  ◐ The Festival of Thesh at Taskay, which is the biggest reli-
  gious festival held at the capital (9th Damais).
   
  ◐ The Festival of Basat at Pryjarna, in which prospective 
  devotees can be seen going through a gruelling four day 
  test (15th–20th Damais). 
   
  ◐ The Festival of Music at Merat, famous across the 
  Empire as a nine day celebration of the performing arts. 
  (11th–20th Brenai).
   
  ◐ The Festival of Tarsen at Tarsang, an occasion surrounded 
  by a major annual market and trade fairs (9th Jaroth).
  Typical Pilgrims
  Novice Pilgrims
  A small party of 1d6+6 pilgrims heading for a aacred site on 
  foot. They are respectable types and serious about their reli-
  gion. At least one of their number is intent on making their 
  first devotional pact. They may be embarrassingly deferential to 
  anyone they meet who has serious religious credentials. 
  Family Pilgrimage
  A rich family on their way to a festival in a horse and carriage 
  and probably with an additional cart for baggage. A husband 
  and wife plus their 1d3 children, 2d6 servants and an armed 
  guard. They are more or less on holiday.
  Supplicants
  A small party of 2d4 pilgrims escorting a friend or relative who 
  is sick, grievously injured or under a magical curse – en route to 
  pledge devotion to a deity who they think can help.
  Community Pilgrimage
  A whole community of 1d4 x 100 people on pilgrimage; men, 
  women and children. They all come from the same village, 
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  43
  town or city district or are perhaps a whole cult on the move 
  and are making an important statement both of solidarity and 
  of reliance on the future good will of the deity.
  Militaristic Pilgrims 
  A band of 1d6+6 young yahoos looking for a fight, preferably 
  with followers of the same god from a rival cult – in order to 
  prove their superiority. Armed with clubs, fists and daggers, per-
  haps one real weapon among them, they are not intent on mur-
  der but violence can easily boil over with tragic consequences. 
  Quite likely they are local boys looking to beat up co-religion-
  ists from out of the area.
  Mendicant
  A solitary pilgrim, a devout wanderer who spends his entire 
  life going from festival-to-festival and from one Sacred Site 
  to another. Potentially young and troubled or old and world-
  ly-wise, this character likely has some very high Devotion scores 
  and a fistful of miracles and blessings. 
  Hazards
  The most common threat of violence and robbery when on the 
  road is not from organised bands of heavily armed bandits issu-
  ing from a hidden stronghold in the mountains. Such folk do 
  indeed exist but mostly on the fringes of the Empire, particu-
  larly those provinces that are not fully subdued and border onto 
  hostile territory. As has been suggested in the descriptions of 
  likely encounters when travelling by road, otherwise law-abid-
  ing citizens and soldiery are liable to use a dark night, lonely 
  road and strength in numbers to take advantage of their fellow 
  citizens - particularly if they are hungry and have no money. 
  Of course a well-armed gang of characters has little to fear 
  from such people but that can be its own problem. Even good-
  hearted honest folk are wary of strangers. Adventurers are not 
  a common sight and can look very much like what everyone 
  expects an evil brigand to look like. Armed to the teeth, decked 
  out in armour and other hardware in a peaceful civilian area...it 
  is enough for doors and windows to be bolted, shops closed and 
  shuttered and to send many a villager scurrying off to get the 
  militia. Characters may very easily find themselves ambushed at 
  their camp by the local constabulary.
  As for professional robbers and bandits anyone travelling 
  West of the Shol River is in danger, particularly if leaving 
  the road between Felsang and Sorandib, which is patrolled. 
  Beyond Sorandib you can expect to have to fight or bribe your 
  way through various robber bands on the little used road to 
  Ramassa, since in this region only those who are capable of vio-
  lent action have any chance of scraping a living. In the badlands 
  around Haran there are plenty of escaped peasants at large who 
  have taken up arms rather than serve a Taskan master; and in 
  the Northern Provinces there is always the danger of ‘barbarian’ 
  raiders issuing from the hill country or out of the Kitan Plateau. 
  In the south Soribisi desert raiders continue to be a problem, 
  however the Empire has adopted a strategy of ‘forward’ garri-
  sons, which keep the conflict to the oasis towns and caravan 
  routes across the desert rather than letting the raiders spill into 
  Tarsenia itself.  
  Travel itself can be difficult – weather can make roads impass-
  able with flooding or landslides, wash away bridges, dry up 
  watering holes and blast the traveller and his horse with dust 
  storms. A minor landslide on a narrow road can cause a bottle-
  neck. News of sickness in a town on the road ahead can cause 
  everyone to stay where they are until it is declared safe, or else 
  find a long detour.Inns can be overloaded, wagon wheels and 
  cart axles busted. There are plenty of opportunities for the GM 
  to spend some real narrative time on the road and use it as a 
  context in which to trigger major plot devices and encounters.
  the RiveR Routes
  While the sea and roadways are crucial to trade and travel 
  around the Empire, external trade relies on two other import-
  ant routes. The great river valleys of the Briga and its tributary, 
  the Shol, in the West and the Beshor Valley in the East carry 
  significant quantities of goods and provide the most efficient 
  trade connections between the Empire and the Southern lands 
  of Morkesh, Djesmirket and Sharranket – accounting for over 
  half of external trade .Finally the overland routes to the South 
  from Pryjarna consists of a network of trails across the Korazoon 
  desert that have been traced out over centuries and in which lit-
  tle oasis towns form crucial connections. However these routes 
  are difficult to police and increasingly open to attack from 
  local tribes such as the Soribisi, who sometimes seek to profit 
  from trade across their territories and other times to kill it off 
  by attacking foreign merchants and travellers. The Korazoon 
  remains famous for the massive camel caravans that travel east 
  to west and back again between Yegusai and Morkar (between 
  one and two months in each direction) as well as north to south 
  but these are dwindling in frequency.
  
  44
  The Taskan empire
  tRAvellinG by seA
  Most Taskan sailors have only sailed the Gulf of Taskay. They 
  consequently know this small stretch of sea very well (Locale 
  checks at one grade easier than normal), but if attempting to sail 
  on the open waters of the Inner Ocean a Taskan captain would 
  find all Seamanship tests one grade harder until he has spent a 
  month getting used to the more challenging conditions – and at 
  the additional cost of two Experience Rolls.
  The Gulf of Taskay is ideal water for galleys (oared ships). Apart 
  from some super-expensive private cruisers, the fastest galleys 
  are almost all in the hands of the Taskan navy.
  Merchant galleys, with a smaller rowing crew manning perhaps 
  10 oars to the side and cargo capacity for anything between 200 
  and 400 tons, are commonly used for shipping goods up and 
  down the Beshor River Valley but are also used at sea. They are 
  not capable of the sprint speeds that a war galley or sleek yacht 
  can deliver but have the same advantages when making a voyage 
  in calm weather.
  The highest class vessels may have bound sylphs to fill the sails 
  or undines to drive the hull through the water. 
  Passage on a ship between ports around the Gulf is not nec-
  essarily very expensive and is the most common way to move 
  between them. Passengers who do not require a cabin will pay 
  around five Taskeens per person per day, and another fifteen per 
  large animal (such as a mount or ox). 
  Charters can be had from 30 Taskeens per day for a small vessel 
  with a three man crew and can easily go up to 500 Taskeens per 
  day for a larger vessel with an expert captain and a complement 
  of 25 crew. 
  In some cases a city is some several kilometers inland from its 
  shore – this is true of both Zarina and Ralmyra. At Ralmyra 
  it is necessary to make port at the coastal town of Baleda and 
  transfer to small river transports which can use the Myrsa River 
  to come within a few hundred meters of the walls, or else travel 
  overland, which is preferred by those without cargo; the Siskil 
  River is navigable by larger ships from its mouth all the way to 
  Zarina and another 20km beyond.
  For more information on seafaring see either Shores of Koran-
  tia or the RuneQuest supplement Ships & Shield Walls.
  Sample Sailing Distances 
  and Frequency
  This table provides some idea of the distance between some 
  key Taskan cities and how frequently a character might find a 
  ship that is going that way on which they can get passage. This 
  assumes a fair wind and good sailing conditions.
  KM is the approximate crow-flies distance between the two 
  ports. The optimum speed of a Taskan sailing vessel is approx-
  imately 8-9km per hour, hence under near ideal conditions, 
  a sailing ship should be able to manage 100km in a 12-hour 
  period; with a fair wind it is normally possible to cross the gulf 
  in a single day if travelling in a straight line. In more difficult 
  conditions a journey can take twice as long.  The actual route 
  taken must account for the currents and avoidance of fixed haz-
  ards such as rocks and sandbars. Taskan sailors prefer to make 
  port each night, failing that to beach or anchor somewhere 
  sheltered rather than travel through the night, so even in good 
  sailing conditions the journey from Tarsang to Ashkor routinely 
  takes two days to complete.
  Frequency is a guide to how often there is a ship sailing the route 
  and therefore how long an Character is likely to have to wait to 
  find a ship. This does not mean that he will be able to get a place 
  on it, nor that the ship will sail as scheduled. 
  Sailing Conditions
  Prevailing sailing conditions are checked on the Sailing Condi-
  tions Table with a 1d20 roll against the column for the relevant 
  season. Conditions on the Gulf are by and large more benign 
  than on the Inner Ocean, and even in winter there is plenty of 
  opportunity for seaborne traffic.
  Hazards
  The Gulf of Taskay is generally a gentle sea – but this does not 
  preclude the odd freak storm or unexpected fog that obscures 
  landmarks from view or heavy clouds that deny a sailor sight 
  Route
  KM
  Frequency
  Ashkor to Merat
  140
  2/Month
  Tarsang to Ashkor
  195
  1/2 Days
  Taskay to Ashkor
  85
  2/Day
  Taskay to Ralmyra
  130
  1/5 Days
  Taskay to Tarsang
  145
  1/Day
  Zarina to Ashkor
  115
  1/3 Days
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  45
  of the stars for navigation at night. There are patches of dan-
  gerously rocky coastline and sandbars on which a ship can run 
  aground. Potentially dangerous sea monsters were exterminated 
  long ago, however, once in a generation something big and 
  nasty enters the gulf from the Outer Ocean. The gulf is also safe 
  from pirates – there is no hostile shipping to fear and with the 
  Gulf being effectively a Taskan lake it is unlikely to materialise. 
  On the other hand, there is always a chance that the ship on 
  which your characters take passage is crewed by unscrupulous 
  criminals, who think nothing of robbing their passengers and 
  throwing them overboard – if they think they can get away with 
  it.
  tRAvellinG AbRoAd
  Sooner or later a group of adventurers from Taskan lands will 
  find themselves straying into foreign territory. As soon as they 
  do they will encounter unfamiliar customs and some potentially 
  hostile attitudes. 
  Before You Set Out...
  To head beyond the borders of your homeland is a major under-
  taking. Any traveller is warned to seek advice on the best route 
  and to find out a little about what they might encounter on 
  arrival. Leaning on your community connections can be very 
  helpful and for some travellers this might result in a letter of 
  introduction to someone at their destination who should give 
  them a friendly reception, or at least some recommendations of 
  places to stay and things to do. Travelling in numbers is always 
  safest course and some sort of local guide (someone with a 50% 
  or greater in the appropriate Culture and Locale skills) or even 
  an interpreter is often an absolute necessity. A traveller should 
  always be armed to protect himself from robbers and wild beasts 
  but be careful not to alarm those whom he meets along the way. 
  The recommended routes may well be dull and sometimes not 
  the shortest, but they are by far the safest and there is a reason 
  people use them!  
  Talking to the Locals
  In the Taskan Empire, people speak Taskan – which is the dia-
  lect of Tarsenian spoken in Taskay and taught in the provinces 
  as the lingua franca of the Empire. This dialect is also the one 
  applied to all official records, laws, edicts and communiqués 
  issued by Imperial authorities. Even within the Empire charac-
  ters may encounter whole communities where Taskan is not the 
  mother tongue – for example in the northern territories most 
  people have either Thennalt or Shengen as their first language. 
  So on arrival in a new land, the first thing characters may have 
  to deal with is the language barrier. A character can and should 
  try and get some tuition in a language that will be helpful on 
  their travels before their departure. This can be done in accor-
  dance with the normal rules for acquiring a Professional Skill 
  as provided in the RuneQuest. Receiving teaching or mento-
  ring in a language is also an excellent way to make use of time 
  Spring
  Summer
  Autumn
  Winter
  Conditions
  Modifier to 
  Movement
  Seaworthiness Roll
  01
  01-02
  01
  -
  Dead Calm
  No movement unless 
  under oar
  Easy
  02-04
  03-05
  02-03
  01-02
  Poor Wind
  Reduce movement by 
  half if under sail
  Standard
  05-07
  06-08
  04-05
  03-06
  Contrary Winds 
  Reduce all movement 
  by half
  Standard
  08-13
  09-14
  06-11
  07-09
  Good
  Normal movement
  Easy
  14-16
  15-16
  12-14
  10-12
  Following Wind
  Gain additional 25% 
  Movement if using sail
  Standard
  17
  17-19
  15-18
  13-17
  Heavy Seas, Violent Winds
  Danger of going off 
  course by up to half 
  normal movement 
  per day in a random 
  direction
  Hard
  18-20
  20
  19-20
  18-20
  No Sailing
  Nobody puts to sea on a 
  day like this; those who 
  are at sea are in serious 
  danger of being lost
  Formidable
  Sailing Conditions
  
  46
  The Taskan empire
  in transit, so long as you can secure a native speaker to act as 
  teacher or mentor as you go.
  The Languages and Cultures Table shows what languages are 
  commonly spoken in the territories bordering the Empire, as 
  well as in its provinces and client states. The Primary Language 
  is the mother tongue of the majority of indigenous people. 
  Where it is followed by (d) indicates that the region has its own 
  variant (dialect) of the language and possibly more than one. 
  Dialects typically differ from one another enough by one grade 
  of difficulty to language Skill Tests. Two grades is a more extreme 
  variation, to be found between Thennalt dialects, which are 
  extraordinarily widespread and have no universally recognised 
  pure form. A three grade penalty due to dialect difference is 
  effectively a different language and is the gap that separates the 
  related Jekkarene and Korantine tongues. These differences may 
  also be present in the written form of the language (which is 
  true of Djesmiri) or else the written form may be ‘Classical’ and 
  standardised, which is the case with Korantine. Where a classi-
  cal form exists the upper classes probably also share a common 
  standard form of the language and look down on those who do 
  not.
  Secondary Languages are the native tongue of large minority 
  populations of the region, or those which many of the locals will 
  speak as a second language. 
  The Lore of the Land
  The Locale column on the Languages and Cultures Table shows 
  which Locale skill is relevant. Where the region is particularly 
  diverse there may be more than one. In these cases the Game 
  Master and player should decide which one an character is most 
  familiar with and apply one or more grades of difficulty to the 
  others. 
  Getting to Grips with 
  Local Culture
  Finally, the Culture column provides the specific culture that a 
  native would acquire as a Custom skill or that a foreigner will 
  need to pick up as a Culture skill, in order to get under the skin 
  of the local community. 
  Many people make an effort to assimilate when they get to their 
  destination, by immersing themselves in the local culture and 
  doing their best to communicate with the locals through what-
  ever means they can. A character can thus learn the basics of a 
  foreign language and of the local Culture without a teacher or 
  mentor by spending two Experience Rolls on each, so long as 
  they spend a minimum of one month immersed in the culture. 
  This assumes they are interacting with friendly locals willing to 
  indulge them, otherwise the Game Master should double the 
  Region
  Primary Language
  Secondary 
  Language
  Locale
  Culture
  Brotomagia
  Thennalt (d)
  Korantine
  Brotomagia
  Brotomagian
  Camtri
  Thennalt (d)
  Taskan
  Camtri
  Marangian
  Djesmirket
  Djesmiri (d)
  Soribish
  Assabia
  Djesmiri
  Kingdom of Yegusai
  Beshori
  Taskan, Djesmiri
  Beshor Valley
  Beshor Valley People
  Kitan
  Shengen (d)
  —
  Kitan
  Sheng (Independent Tribes)
  Korantia
  Korantine (d)
  Thennalt
  Korantia; Aspalia; 
  Kipsipsindra
  Korantine
  Korazoon
  Soribish
  Djesmiri, Khazind, 
  Taskan
  Korazoon
  Soribisi
  Little Kitan
  Shengen
  Taskan
  Camtri
  Sheng (Eska)
  Marangia
  Thennalt (d)
  Korantine
  Marangia
  Marangian
  Methalea
  Jekkarene
  —
  Jekkarid; Forest of 
  Sard; Badlands
  Jekkarene
  Morkesh
  Morkeshite
  Taskan, Soribish
  Assabia
  Djesmiri
  Sharranket
  Djesmiri (d)
  —
  Assabia
  Djesmiri
  Sorantia
  Tarsenian (d)
  —
  Sorantia
  Tarsenian
  Thafna
  Thafneving
  Shengen
  Thafna
  Thafneving
  Languages and Culture
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  47
  amount of time it takes or increase the Experience Roll cost to 
  three. 
  What to Take With You
  As has already been mentioned, letters of introduction are a great 
  help, if of course you can find the person they are addressed to. 
  However in all other instances there is no substitute for ready 
  cash to smooth your journey. The Empire’s currency can get you 
  a long way but if people will not take your money and refuse 
  even to exchange it, the best alternative is a quantity of bullion 
  in handy small lumps to trade at their local value by weight or, 
  failing that, some suitable goods for barter. Nobody welcomes 
  foreigners who arrive armed to the teeth but with no visible 
  means of financial support. It will be assumed that they are rob-
  bers and they will be run out of town or worse.
  koRAntiA
  Once the heart of a huge empire with footholds on both sides 
  of the Inner Ocean, Korantia is now carved up between a num-
  ber of independent city states. Korantines live with the painful 
  memory of a catastrophe that wrecked the empire when the 
  island of Korantis, home to the imperial capital, sank beneath 
  the ocean waves in a terrible earthquake. Despite the passage 
  of over 200 years, so ingrained is this disaster in their collec-
  tive memory that they can be a little obsessed with reliving the 
  dreams of past glory – and so they are a somewhat conserva-
  tive people, often preserving archaic forms of dress and speech 
  and preferring traditional conservative social arrangements over 
  anything new. This does not, of course, prevent innovation. 
  The fragmented nature of the Korantine world, with its large 
  number of competing city states, acts as a catalyst to change. 
  Relations
  A Taskan visitor to Korantia is unlikely to encounter outright 
  hostility but he will be regarded by many of the locals as an 
  untrustworthy foreigner. There is a substantial body of opinion 
  that Taskan and Korantine will one day be at war and on both 
  sides there are some people spoiling for a fight. However every-
  one knows that such a war could be immensely destructive and 
  bring terrible tragedies in its wake. What was long regarded as a 
  failing civilisation seems to be entering a new era of confidence 
  thanks to the recent formation of the Korantine League. Taskan 
  hegemony over Korantia no longer seems an inevitable future.
  Getting There
  The most direct route is to set out from Ashkor heading West 
  and skirting the Yellow Hills, then turning Northwest and strik-
  ing out for the Thoraso River. Following this river northward 
  towards its source brings you to the Korantine Emperor’s capital 
  of Hilanistra, which is the gateway to the land of Korantia. A 
  more dangerous route is to make for Timolay and from there 
  head directly West, arriving in the territory of the twin Koran-
  tine cities of Tysil and Nysil – assuming you are not attacked by 
  hostile Marangians on the way.  
  kitAn
  North of the Taskan Empire lies the broad plain known as the 
  Kitan, a great expanse of grassland and patches of desert hedged 
  in by hills and mountains on three sides but to the East spilling 
  into the wet green lowlands of Thafna. To the West a pass called 
  the Tengissian gates debouches into another plain known as the 
  Little Kitan, which is part of the Taskan Empire and sports the 
  only settlement of any size in the region, at Bandaknar. The 
  Little Kitan is well known to Taskan travellers, couriers, soldiers 
  and merchants as it must be crossed in order to travel between 
  Tarsenia and the Empire’s northern possessions of Camtri and 
  Timolay, or to head West towards Korantia and the Jekkarene 
  trading town of Ramassa. Kitan is known to Taskans for all the 
  wrong reasons; thousands of people were carried off there as 
  slaves when its barbarous inhabitants sacked Ralmyra 20 years 
  ago. Despite official efforts and a few intrepid private expedi-
  tions, very few have ever been repatriated and most have prob-
  ably, by now, perished in that bleak and unforgiving country.
  
  48
  The Taskan empire
  This untamed frontier is the haunt of the horse people, known 
  as the Sheng; fierce folk whose monuments of cairns and stand-
  ing stones to honour their ancestors and mark out their Sacred 
  Sites punctuate an otherwise rather featureless landscape. The 
  Sheng are made up of several tribes, of which the Eskars, Tsen-
  girs, Dragomans and Kismeks are the biggest and most well-
  known.  While The Eskars who have their homeland in the Lit-
  tle Kitan are now tame subjects of the Taskan Empire, some of 
  their cousins in the other tribes are the stuff of nightmares and 
  their homeland is a place where a Taskan traveller must think 
  very hard about how much he values his skin before venturing 
  in – for it is quite likely to end up adorning the saddle of a 
  Sheng warrior. 
  Getting There
  Most people who travel to this region are passing through the 
  Little Kitan or travelling to Bandaknar. The closest they get 
  to the high plains is Hamcha, a settlement on the Taskan side 
  of the Tsengissian Gates. This pass provides access to the high 
  plains of the Kitan proper and is therefore a place hotly con-
  tested by rival warlords. This is as far as most foreigners will 
  go, for once beyond the protection of whatever warlord con-
  trols the Gates they are likely to be attacked by the natives. The 
  quietest route onto the high plains is to take a boat to Ralmyra 
  in Further Tarsenia, then spend several days picking your way 
  through the hills – which are infested with dangerous creatures 
  – to arrive on the southern flank of the Kitan. Finally, one can 
  take a sea passage to Zagre and from there travel with Sharran-
  ketan traders across the straits to Abdera. That is a good place to 
  negotiate safe passage up onto the plateau with a representative 
  of the Dragoman tribe, who have a less evil reputation than 
  some of their cousins.
  Relations
  While a Taskan is safe enough in Eskar territory, the high plains 
  are a no-go area to all except those with the most influential 
  local connections, or who are able to put on a sufficient show 
  of force to deter predatory tribesmen. For many people the 
  memories of when the Sheng descended upon further Tarsenia 
  is still very much an open wound. The imperial government 
  has rescued or purchased the freedom of some 2,000 Tarsenian 
  captives; however there are rumoured to still be anything up 
  to another 4,000 Tarsenian-born slaves living in the Kitan and 
  the bones of perhaps 5,000 more. There are hundreds of thou-
  sands of Taskeens’ worth of rewards and ransoms on offer for 
  repatriations, put up by wealthy individuals, cults and funeral 
  clubs – even if just for the bones of the dead in order to provide 
  them with a proper cremation. Nevertheless the size of the task 
  and the danger of the mission have proved too daunting for 
  most. The Taskan Empire has learned that to attack the Sheng 
  requires a formidable army or is to risk disaster; even then the 
  chances are that the Sheng will simply retreat before them and 
  refuse battle. There are always a number of Taskan agents at 
  Hamcha whose purpose is to listen out for rumours of Ralmy-
  ran survivors and be ready to negotiate their purchase if the 
  current owner is ready to sell.
  methAleA
  Methalea is a huge peninsula dominated by what is considered 
  to be the oldest civilisation still in existence, the Theocracy of 
  the Jekkarenes. The Northern part is a wilderness region known 
  as the Forest of Sard and the Eastern part of the peninsula is a 
  rough, almost barren region known simply as the Methalean 
  Badlands. The rest of the peninsula – and indeed sometimes by 
  extension the whole peninsula – is known as The Jekkarid after 
  the secretive and matriarchal society devoted to the night-god-
  dess Jekkara. This goddess manifests as the Moon, usually vis-
  ible by day but at night the biggest and brightest planet in the 
  heavens. The Moon hangs stationary in the sky above the cap-
  ital city, Parlasos.
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  49
  As the birth-place of the divine emperor Zygas Taga, this land 
  has an important place in Taskan tradition. However Methalea 
  is also where the Sun God (Lanis) and Moon Goddess (Jek-
  kara) reigned together over the first human civilisation, until 
  a disastrous separation. When Jekkara threw Lanis out (or was 
  abandoned, depending on who is telling the story), she became 
  a goddess whose full powers could only be manifest on the 
  physical plane at night. This drama was played out not in the 
  heavens but amongst their worshippers on earth; nevertheless it 
  resulted in the diminishing of a goddess as well as the fracture of 
  a society into two opposing factions. The Jekkarenes claim that 
  their goddess was the motivating force that drove the Ocean to 
  destroy Korantis as terrible revenge for the ancient insults she 
  bore. Hence the history of Methalea touches upon all the civili-
  sations of the East, not least that of the Korantines. 
  Getting There
  From the Taskan Empire the direct route is due West from Ash-
  kor to Ramassa, with a significantly more dangerous alterna-
  tive running West from Felsang via Sorandib. Alternatively a 
  traveller might go south into Morkesh and take a ship from 
  Largil to Lyortha. These important towns provide no access to 
  the interior unless you are equipped with a visa that allows pas-
  sage across the interior of the Jekkarid, something that is rarely 
  provided to anyone other than officials representing the Taskan 
  Emperor. Obtaining such a pass requires the patronage of the 
  powerful Baron Solfernoy of Lyortha or Baron Lankermost of 
  Ramassa, the noblemen in charge of inbound traffic through 
  these two points of entry to the country.
  For unofficial and unauthorised visitors, the Northern border is 
  fairly porous. There are ways to cross into the country secretly 
  through the Forest of Sard; however this is a land haunted by 
  beast-men and also favoured hunting grounds for both Jek-
  karene and Brotomagian nobility. The whole Eastern coast of 
  the peninsula is open but the impoverished communities of 
  the Badlands are always on the lookout for ways to supplement 
  their meagre existence with a little brigandage by both land and 
  sea. Once you cross through the Badlands you reach the border 
  with the Jekkarene Theocracy and here you are likely to run 
  into one of the frequent patrols. 
  soRAndib
  Sooner or later every wandering adventurer finds his way to 
  Sorandib, whether the aim is to hide out from authority, find 
  work as a sell-sword or simply to loot its treasures. 
  Sorandib is an ancient city of West Tarsenia in catastrophic 
  decline. The surrounding country has been laid waste by years 
  of banditry and civil strife; the city itself is rife with faction, law-
  lessness and social unrest. Large areas are effectively abandoned 
  or under the control of the local gangs. There are city districts 
  where civilisation and law and order hold sway and these are the 
  places where most people live and do their business. However 
  no single force exercises control over the whole city and outside 
  its walls there is near anarchy to the West, while Taskan soldiers 
  maintain some order in the East to keep the road to the imperial 
  heartlands open. Since its foundation Sorandib has thrived or at 
  least been kept alive by two things: its control over a key river 
  trade route along which passes a drug harvested from the weeds 
  that choke lake Barur to the North; and the creations of the 
  Guild of Artificers, a centuries-old association of sorcerer-sci-
  entists who are famous for their inventions, feats of engineering 
  and practical devices – many of which are built into the very 
  fabric of the city. 
  Getting There
  You only need to head west from Felsang and cross the Shol 
  river to find yourself in Sorantia, the territory of the city of 
  Sorandib. Aside from the main road the countryside here is in 
  a state of ruin, with a few villages and estates near the road still 
  
  50
  The Taskan empire
  occupied but everything beyond in the hands of brigands or left 
  uncultivated. To the East of Sorandib and the Briga river things 
  are even worse as not even the road is kept safe. So anyone cross-
  ing the Shol has one purpose; to make their way to Sorandib 
  itself. The Taskan Empire takes an interest in anyone who is 
  doing so and Taskan soldiers will waylay travellers and ask lots 
  of questions about their business. You can of course approach 
  the city through open country but there is a very high chance 
  that you will encounter bandits and robbers on the way or stray 
  into the territory of some dangerous wizard. 
  Relations
  The Muttine dynasty enjoys a guarantee of independence 
  from the Emperor himself. The current king Shadrian Muttine 
  remains under the Empire’s protection and only when the Mut-
  tine line fails – as now seems imminent – will the Taskans walk 
  in and take over. When they do there will be opposition but 
  this will probably be rather futile as the Taskans cannot afford 
  to allow Sorandib to fall into the hands of anyone else. Sorandib 
  provides firearms to the Taskan army as well as a host of other 
  devices and specialist arcane skills and knowledge that find use 
  in imperial service. The Emperor himself achieved immortality 
  with the help of local sorcery and the Artificers created his latest 
  familiar who now acts as imperial Regent, the Iron Simulacrum. 
  All of these things suggest secrets of Taskan power, hidden in 
  the city, that the Emperor has no desire to see revealed to any-
  one else. 
  the koRAZoon
  This broad desert is certainly not a featureless waste but sports 
  a variety of environments from oasis towns to shifting dunes 
  to immense dried out river valleys and shimmering sun-blasted 
  hills. Temperatures can reach over 40˚ Celsius in the height 
  of summer and at night can plummet to near freeing. In very 
  ancient times more of the Korazoon was cultivable and there 
  are ruined towns in the middle of the desert to prove it. The 
  region is dominated by the Soribisi, a nomadic tribe that moves 
  their goats, camels and horses from place-to-place in pursuit of 
  fodder and water. Soribisi chieftains fight over control of the 
  few oasis towns and the trade routes that connect them. These 
  towns and trade routes are generally populated by people of 
  Assabian descent - from Djesmirket, Morkesh or Sharranket. 
  Another people, the Khazeri, can be found dispersed across the 
  region in small family groups, mostly clinging to the hill coun-
  try, particularly the areas near the Tarsenian border.
  Getting There
  The Taskan city of Pryjarna is not far from the Korazoon and 
  the troops that patrol the desert border are headquartered there. 
  A Taskan traveller would be very unlikely to be heading into the 
  Korazoon for any other reason than to cross it and make use 
  of the old trade routes to reach the lands of Assabia. This is an 
  increasingly dangerous thing to do and the Taskan army has had 
  to push its garrisons further and further down those trade routes 
  to keep them functioning. Besides the potential to encounter 
  hostile natives, the environment is extremely harsh and there 
  are other horrors one might encounter like the Dust Devils, 
  wraiths that haunt the desert and will attack anyone who looks 
  remotely vulnerable.
  AssAbiA
  To the south of the Taskan Empire is a distinct cultural zone 
  known as Assabia that is, in the main, comprised of the lands 
  of Djesmirket, Sharranket and Morkesh. This is a region sand-
  wiched between desert and ocean and both are significant influ-
  ences on the highly developed cultures to which it is home. 
  Rich and varied magical traditions, access to the wider world 
  across the Inner Ocean and a constantly shifting political land-
  scape make Assabia a place where there are many adventures to 
  be found.
  Getting There
  Most Taskans reach Assabia through Morkesh, travelling down 
  the Briga valley to Morkar and beyond. Alternative routes are 
  via the ancient trade routes across the Korazoon and a further 
  route runs South from Yegusan to Djesmir on a road passing 
  through the Hills of Qom. 
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  51
  Relations
  A Taskan visitor is likely to get a mixed reception depending on 
  who and where he visits. Mostly Taskans are treated with the 
  indifference afforded to most foreigners, although the official 
  reception in Morkesh is somewhat warmer as their ruler has a 
  treaty with the Taskan Empire that includes ‘favoured nations’ 
  terms for Taskan merchants. However there are places where 
  people who bear a grudge against the Taskan Empire and ill will 
  towards its people are very influential or even in control and it 
  is best to make proper enquiries when planning an itinerary. 
  Djesmirket
  Djesmir is a huge city that is regarded with a reverence in the 
  region as home to the most ancient and important temples and 
  of the most skilled and powerful sorcerers. In reality it is in a 
  state of decadence and decline – Sharranketan merchants no 
  longer consider the place to be the most prized market for their 
  goods and the Taskan Empire has always been cool towards the 
  Djesmiris since they participated in a war against the Taskans 
  80 years ago. Djesmirket was once synonymous with the whole 
  region of Assabia but is now simply the territory directly to the 
  South of the Korazoon including the cities of Djesmir, Ank-
  war, Perlak and Khorala. These cities are Sultanates, indepen-
  dent monarchies that share the same cultural traditions as one 
  another and both recognise and uphold each other’s’ rights of 
  sovereignty.
  Sharranket
  Sharranket is a small but very wealthy nation famous for its 
  position as the hub of many of the world’s most important trade 
  routes and for being the only nation to have an economy almost 
  exclusively based on trade. The territory consists of two off-shore 
  islands and a small stretch of mainland bordered to the North 
  by Djesmirket. Each of the islands has a city, one the capital of 
  Homora, the other a smaller city named Ronispur, the third 
  and smallest city of Shimir being on the mainland. Formerly a 
  sultanate, Sharranket is now ruled by a council drawn from five 
  families of merchant princes who plant trading enclaves along 
  the major trade routes they operate, which stretch right across 
  the Ocean to distant Jandekot and are serviced by the most 
  advanced fleet of ships in the world.  
  
  52
  The Taskan empire
  Morkesh
  Sitting astride the river Briga, Morkesh is a powerful king-
  dom currently ruled by a feisty Queen, Tursiba the Lioness. Its 
  inhabitants speak a dialect sufficiently different to the Djesmiri 
  of their neighbours to be classed as a language in its own right. 
  The royal dynasty that rules Morkesh was founded by a pirate 
  from across the ocean called Tark the Reaver. The city of Largil 
  in Morkesh is the biggest and most important port for Oceanic 
  trade and travel outside of Sharranket (whose ports are more or 
  less closed to foreign shipping).
  Jelhai
  This Sultanate East of Djesmirket is set apart from the others by 
  an evil reputation for oppression and dark magic. Its Sultan not 
  regarded as one of the brother-kings and nobody willingly offers 
  him a daughter or son for marriage into his family. Neverthe-
  less everyone deals with him, for Sultan Hajil of Jelhai controls 
  access to silk.
  yeGusAi And ZAGRe
  A protectorate of the Taskan Empire for nearly 100 years, the 
  Kingdom of Yegusai is regarded by most Taskans as a land full 
  of mystery and ancient secrets. Its religion is essentially animist 
  in nature and Yegusan shamans are very much sought after by 
  fashionable and wealthy patrons in the cities of the heartland. 
  The Kingdom of Yegusai once had two great cities, Haran and 
  Yegusan, however the people of Haran were foolhardy enough 
  to raise a revolt against the Taskans during the interregnum 
  between the Marble and Iron Simulacra, the result of which 
  was the destruction of the city and its resettlement by Taskan 
  colonists. Haran is therefore no longer a part of the Kingdom 
  of Yegusai and these days the indigenous population is subject 
  to the settlers and are bonded peasants, explicitly excluded from 
  membership of the Emperor-Cult. Those who abscond may 
  attempt to conceal themselves among the free population of 
  Yegusai, or escape across the river into the Kingdom of Zagre. 
  The pursuit and return of these fugitives is a constant source of 
  friction.
  Yegusai is a riverine culture, with the great majority of its pop-
  ulation inhabiting a narrow cultivated zone on the banks of 
  the Beshor River. A highly developed system of irrigation has 
  stretched the available land to its limits. Yegusai competes with 
  the Kingdom of Zagre on the East bank of the river for control 
  of land and farming population, a contest played out through 
  small scale warfare between ruling elites and their henchmen, 
  or through intrigue and skullduggery, that hardly impacts the 
  ordinary people. Yegusai and Zagre are culturally identical; only 
  the river, separate royal establishment and their relationship 
  with the Taskans divides them. All the inhabitants of the region, 
  from either kingdom, can be referred to as Beshor Valley People.
  Getting There
  The route from Tarsenia is well beaten by traders and tourists 
  alike. Most people take a ship to Haran and there transfer to a 
  craft that will provide transport up the river, or more rarely, to 
  an overland road along the Beshor river valley. There is a route 
  into the country from the South via Djesmirket but the whole 
  Western flank of the country gives onto the harshest parts of the 
  Korazoon desert and only the Soribisi desert people have any 
  prospect of entering the Kingdom from that direction. 
  Relations
  Taskans are welcome throughout Yegusai, as whether they are 
  tourists, traders or diplomats they bring money into the local 
  economy. Some visitors do antagonise and baffle the natives 
  with their failure to understand or show proper sensitivity to 
  centuries-old traditions but this rarely results in anything more 
  serious than an embarrassing public altercation or a heavy fine 
  for an attempt to smuggle a sacred artefact home as a souvenir. 
  Across the river in the kingdom of Zagre Taskans are much less 
  welcome, and their failure to observe local custom more easily 
  results in hostility.
  
  beyond the empiRe 
  53
  thennAlts
  Widely considered as barbarians, the Thennalts in reality encom-
  pass a diverse set of cultures at various stages of development 
  and with differing ideas about whether, and how, to embrace 
  the opportunities presented by the civilised lands around them. 
  Some of them are now dutiful citizens of the Empire, others 
  implacable enemies, while an isolated tribe inhabiting the land 
  of Brotomagia are allies and loyal followers of the Korantine 
  Emperor.
  cAmtRi And bRotomAGiA 
  The Southern Thennalts are relatively settled and civilised, 
  having long lived in the orbit of either Korantine or Taskan 
  Empires. Camtri is now embedded within the Taskan Empire as 
  a diocese administered from Torestal, and is a key strategic terri-
  tory for the Taskan army. Step-by-step Taskan culture and cus-
  toms are taking over and those who do not embrace the process 
  generally up sticks and look for hospitality in Korantia or go 
  North to Marangia. Brotomagia remains independent. Famed 
  for its beauty, the wooded hills and green valleys of Brotomagia 
  are home to many a local chieftain who can sport a Korantine 
  education, fluency in several languages and sophisticated tastes. 
  However as Brotomagia is a buffer zone between the Jekkarenes, 
  Taskans and Korantines, there is always a feeling that the good 
  life may one day come to a disastrous end.
  mARAnGiA 
  The Marangians are famously warlike and considered even by 
  other Thennalts to be venal and untrustworthy. The Marang-
  ians have a traditional king, Arkenson the Portly, whose capital 
  is at Timolay, but this is now under Taskan control and the 
  king made their puppet. So the Marangians generally feel rather 
  put upon of late and harbour significant resentment of both 
  the civilisations on their borders. With Timolay under foreign 
  control an ancient cultic centre at Oster is now regarded as their 
  capital. 
  Getting There
  Camtri is a land well within the orbit of the Empire, to get to 
  its chief city of Torestal you need only follow the military road 
  North from Ashkor via Bandaknar. If you are feeling brave you 
  may progress onto Timolay, the chief city of the Marangians, 
  which is under Taskan military occupation but surrounded by 
  country that is still in the hands of hostile natives. Brotoma-
  gia is, for most Taskans, out of reach – no road goes there and 
  very few people have got any business in that part of the world 
  anyway.
  
  54
  The Taskan empire
  Relations
  Camtri has embraced Taskan rule and is beginning to embrace 
  Taskan customs. There are a few people around who dream 
  of independence or who resent that they are now drawn into 
  the orbit of the Taskan Empire and have lost old ties with the 
  Korantines as a result but such people increasingly find it conve-
  nient to keep their ideas to themselves. A visitor from the heart-
  land will generally find nothing other than a friendly reception. 
  Any foreigner who finds themselves in Brotomagia will quickly 
  realise they are something of a curiosity. So long as they are not 
  suspected of being spies for the Jekkarenes, some sort of hospi-
  tality is likely to be on offer. 
  A visit to Timolay in Marangia is a very different experience. A 
  Taskan traveller will be keenly aware that they are on a danger-
  ous frontier. If caught outside the military zone without a sub-
  stantial escort, one may have to hope that the natives are inter-
  ested in ransom money rather than just cutting Taskan throats. 
  The presence in the area of opportunistic Taskan grave robbers, 
  drawn by rumours of fabulously wealthy tombs and cemeteries, 
  increases tensions and makes life more dangerous for everyone. 
  One consolation is that the hostiles tend to reserve their most 
  intense animosity for those of their countrymen who willingly 
  serve the Taskans. 
  thAfnA
  This land situated on the north side of the Gulf of Taskay is 
  a melting pot of influences from nearby cultures. Its port at 
  Abdera is a place where Taskan and Sharranketan, Djesmiri and 
  Beshorite, Faliskan and Sheng can all be found doing business 
  with each other under the watchful eye of Thennalt mercenaries 
  in the king’s service. 
  The King of Thafna rules from Jostarl, a hilltop fortress in the 
  interior of the country. Jostarl is significantly less sophisticated 
  than the kingdom’s commercial centre at Abdera, to the extent 
  that Adberans regard their compatriots in the capital as barbar-
  ians. Anyone who would seek an audience with the king must 
  come here, as he leaves the place only when equipped for war 
  or hunting. Built with little regard for planning of irregular 
  stone masonry, and its houses roofed in thatch or turf, Jostarl is 
  surrounded by a landscape remarkable for its spectacular rock 
  formations, its windswept pastures, and its wealth in sheep and 
  cattle. 
  While there is rarely a formal threat to his realm made by a 
  foreign nation, the unruly tribes to the West and North present 
  a constant source of trouble. Sheng nomads regularly cross the 
  country when moving in and out of the high Plains of Kitan, 
  and every so often some of them will seek to loot and plunder 
  on the way. From time to time Faliskan tribesmen appear on his 
  borders in vast numbers, driven by internal conflict or forced 
  from their homes by one of the catastrophic floods that blight 
  their traditional territory.
  Relations
  Thafna is a traditionally neutral land, where people who may be 
  hostile to one another can meet and trade in peace. It is a route 
  for goods and people to move between the dangerous territory 
  of Kitan, the vast wilderness of Faliskund, and the civilised 
  lands that lie on the southern side of the gulf.  
  Getting There
  Taskans will generally arrive at the port of Abdera, which can be 
  reached by ship from Tarsang. 
  
  tAskAn chARActeRs 
  55
  Taskan  
  Characters
  M
  ost Taskans come from Tarsenia, a civilised land con-
  federated by the emperor Zygas Taga from several 
  substantial city-states that share common language 
  and customs: Taskay itself, Tarsang, Zarina, Ashkor, Felsang, 
  Zarina, Merat, Ralmyra and Pryjarna. Tarsenians are also the 
  ruling class over a subject population in the city of Haran. 
  Provinces include Camtri, a Thennalt land where the people 
  are considered by some still to be barbarians; The Little Kitan, 
  inhabited by the semi-nomadic Eskar horse-people; and Yegu-
  sai, a civilised ancient riverine kingdom which practises ances-
  tor-worship. The Taskans are protectors of the Jekkarene The-
  ocracy, the traditional enemy of the Korantine race, and also of 
  Morkesh. 
  tARseniAns
  These are the people of the Taskan heartland, those who think 
  of Tarsenian and Taskan as essentially the same.
  Culture Type
  Civilised 
  Language
  Taskan 
  Customs
  Taskan
  Standard Skills
  Conceal, Deceit, Drive, Influence, Insight, Locale, Willpower
  Example Combat Styles
  Taskan Citizen Infantry, Zarinian Equestrian Levy, Ralmyran 
  Levy Archer, Tarsangan Levy Slinger, Ashkorite Pikeman
  Professional Skills
  Art (Any), Commerce, Craft (Any), Language (Any), Liter-
  acy (Tarsenian), Lore (Any), Musicianship, Rites (Taskan), 
  Streetwise
  Cultural Passions
  Loyalty (Emperor); many will also have a Loyalty towards (or 
  Love for) for their home city or province and there are times 
  when these things are conflicting drives.
  Magic Type
  Folk Magic, Sorcery, Theism. Taskan citizens have one magic 
  point permanently deducted from their total as a cost of their 
  citizenship, in this case put at the disposal of the divine emperor 
  Zygas Taga. More information can be found in the Magic chap-
  ter and the Cults chapter.
  At Character Creation an adult Taskan with the Rites skill 
  knows 1d3 Folk Magic spells. Subtract or add one Folk Magic 
  spell for each age category younger or older. 
  Those who pursue magical professions also have one appropri-
  ate spell for each 20% of the relevant casting skill.
  Social Class for Taskan Characters
  The Taskan Empire has no slaves and no ruling class is permit-
  ted to assert itself lest that could threaten the pre-eminent posi-
  tion held by senior members of the Emperor cult. For Taskan 
  
  56
  The Taskan empire
  characters a roll of 03-20 on the standard RuneQuest table for 
  Social Class is treated as a Freeman, and 00 is treated as Aristoc-
  racy for the purpose of determining starting money. 
  Taskan citizens are not assessed by wealth or status, and all citi-
  zens, male and female, have the right to vote for their local lead-
  ers and stand for public office… so long as they do so through 
  the auspices of the Emperor-cult.
  Typical Professions
  Any
  Starting Money
  4d6x50 Taskeens. The normal multipliers for Social Class apply.
  eskARs
  The Eskars are one of the major horse tribes of the Sheng nation 
  whose home ranges are East of the high plains of the Kitan, a 
  region known as the Little Kitan, now under Taskan rule. Their 
  one and only city is Bandaknar, and this is now a diocese of the 
  Imperial administration. Many Eskars have taken the citizen-
  ship, and some have been forced to do so because the Empire 
  needed tokens of willing submission. Other Sheng tribes con-
  sequently look upon the Eskars as Taskan slaves, increasingly 
  divorced from the ‘free tribes’ of the High Plains, but then the 
  tribes have always actively embraced reasons to forge enmity 
  towards one another.
  Culture Type
  Nomad
  Language
  Shengen (Eska Dialect)
  Customs
  Sheng (Eska Tradition)
  Standard Skills
  Endurance, Drive, First Aid, Locale, Perception, Ride, Stealth
  Example Combat Styles
  Eskar Scout, Eskar Horse Warrior, Cataphract
  Professional Skills
  Craft (Any), Culture (Taskan, Thennalt), Language (Taskan, 
  Thennalt), Navigate, Rites (Sheng, Taskan), Survival, Track
  Cultural Passions
  Loyalty (Clan Chieftain); Hate (Rival Clan or Tribe); Love 
  (friend, sibling, or lover); Loyalty (Emperor)
  Magic Type 
  Animism, Fetishism*, Folk Magic 
  An Eskar character can at the players option begin play with  1 
  magic point dedicated to the Ancestors to awaken a Clan Fetish 
  and knowledge of one of the clan’s Folk Magic spells per 20% 
  of his rites skill. 
  Eskar Social Class
  A roll of 91-100 on the Nomad Social Class table indicates the 
  character is of Royal Clan status and may become a Shaman. 
  Any character born to this heritage with a POW of 14 or greater 
  is capable of taking the Shaman profession and acquiring the 
  Trance skill. Those who have this ability are intensively trained 
  to make the most of it, using the maximum allowed number 
  of Free Skill Points to awaken and increase it. The prospective 
  Shaman must also dedicate a minimum of 1 Magic Point to the 
  Ancestors in order to create a Soul Fetish. 
  Typical Professions
  Beast Handler, Crafter, Herder, Hunter, Merchant, Scout, War-
  rior. Characters from the Ruling Class can choose the Shaman 
  profession. 
  *Eska magical traditions are rooted in a form ancestor worship 
  shared by all the Sheng nation with slight differences in ritual prac-
  tices from tribe to tribe. Tribesmen create fetishes that invest their 
  magical energies in a life-long Pact with their tribal ancestors, and 
  the benefits of this relationship are manifested through magical aug-
  mentations. More information is provided in the Magic chapter.
  Starting Money
  4d6x20 Taskeens. The normal multipliers for Social Class apply.
  thennAlts
  The Thennalts are a matrix of peoples speaking related lan-
  guages and united by the recognition of the earth goddess 
  Theyna as the paramount deity. Thennalts are spread across an 
  enormous geographical area, and live in communities that show 
  a variety of levels of development and cultural sophistication. 
  Those who inhabit Camtri, a land long celebrated for its rich 
  pastures and fine cattle, are now part of the Taskan Empire and 
  the vast majority have taken the citizenship, providing a huge 
  boost both to the Taskan empire’s citizen roll and to its army. 
  
  tAskAn chARActeRs 
  57
  Gender roles among Thennalts are clearly defined and tradi-
  tional but there is no particular dignity attached to one gender 
  or the other. Thennalt men tend to wear a short tunic, often 
  colourful, gathered at the waist with a broad girdle or belt of 
  leather and adorned with bronze.  The sword is a status sym-
  bol; only married men who are heads of their own household 
  are entitled to use one. Their basic dress is supplemented with 
  cloak, leggings, jerkin and hats according to the clime and sea-
  son. Thennalt women are more likely to exhibit different basic 
  forms of dress from region to region, but the classic form is a 
  dress that is simply a long version of the tunic worn by men 
  pulled tight at the waist with a broad belt or girdle. 
  Culture Type
  Barbarian 
  Language
  Thennalt (regional dialect*)
  Customs 
  Thennalt
  Standard Skills
  Athletics, Brawn, Endurance, First Aid, Locale (Camtri), Per-
  ception; and either Boating, Drive or Ride. 
  Example Combat Styles
  Huntsman, Levy Spearman, Thennalt Levy Skirmisher 
  Professional Skills
  Craft (Any), Language (Any), Lore (Any), Musicianship, Rites 
  (Thennalt and/or Taskan), Survival
  Thennalts from Camtri can take Taskan. Language as a profes-
  sional skill
  Cultural Passions
  Loyalty (Local Warlord, Head Man or Chieftain, or Taskan 
  Empire) 
  Love (Friend, Sibling or Romantic Lover)
  Hate (Rival Community, Enemy Lord)
  Magic Type
  Folk Magic, Theism. There are examples of Animism in Thenn-
  alt lands, generally referred to as Witchcraft. Typical Thennalt 
  deities include Theyna, the all-mother; Thenn, the hunter and 
  civilisation god; Palaskil the storm and sky god; Sheagu goddess 
  of death and burial.
  Magic-using Thennalt characters begin play with one appropri-
  ate spell for each 20% of their casting skills. 
  Typical Professions
  Crafter, Farmer, Herder, Fisher, Merchant, Scout, Warrior. 
  Starting Money
  4d6x30 Taskeens. The normal multipliers for Social Class apply.
  beshoR vAlley people
  Inhabitants of the Beshor River Valley, a green and fertile strip of 
  land snaking through parched deserts on both sides, the Beshor 
  Valley People are divided into three distinct political entities: 
  The Kingdom of Zagre occupies the East bank of the river; the 
  Kingdom of Yegusai, which occupies the West bank and which 
  is a client state of the Taskan Empire; and Haran, a city and 
  district once part of Yegusai but now annexed by the Empire 
  and under direct imperial rule.  The people of Haran live under 
  harsh subjection to Taskan settlers and are even deprived of 
  access to their ancestor worship traditions. 
  Culture Type
  Civilised 
  Language
  Beshorite
  Customs 
  Beshor Valley People
  Standard Skills
  Boating, Conceal, Customs, Influence, Insight, Locale, 
  Willpower 
  Example Combat Styles
  Yegusite Slinger, Yegusite Levy, Zagreiot Camel Lancer 
  Professional Skills
  Art (Any), Commerce, Craft (Any), Language (Any), Lore 
  (Any), Rites (Beshorite and/or Taskan), Survival
  Cultural Passions
  Loyalty (Kingdom) 
  Love (Friend, Sibling or Romantic Lover)
  Hate (Rival Kingdom, Enemy Lord)
  
  58
  The Taskan empire
  Magic Type
  Folk Magic, Animism, Theism. Beshor Valley folk worship 
  their ancestors, but also participate in some Theist cults which 
  have spread to their land from Djesmirket and Tarsenia. Their 
  ancestor-worship is conducted on a national scale by a caste of 
  shaman-priests. People of Yegusai have the option to be wor-
  shippers of the Taskan emperor and acquire Taskan citizenship, 
  however not many do.
  Beshorite Ancestor Worship is described in the Cults chapter.
  Beshorite Social Class
  Use the table for civilized characters, but treat a roll of 11-20 
  as a Haranite serf in thrall to Taskan overlords. A roll of 85-95 
  indicates a character is from the priestly class.
  Typical Professions
  Crafter, Farmer, Herder, Fisher, Merchant, Scout. Characters 
  from the priestly caste can choose Priest as a profession, and 
  aristocrats can choose Warrior
  Starting Money
  4d6x40 Taskeens. The normal multipliers for Social Class apply.
  neW pRofessions
  Taskan Cleric
  Clerics are a class of professional priests whose job is to deal 
  with matters of religious ritual and conduct ceremonies for an 
  appropriate fee. A cleric’s education and religious credentials are 
  suitable for all manner of other tasks, especially the recording of 
  oaths and contracts. These clerics belong to professional asso-
  ciations, family firms and brotherhoods distinguished by often 
  rather idiosyncratic costume. While they attempt to keep as 
  much as possible of their knowledge and skills a trade secret, the 
  increasing availability of published material made accessible to 
  the wider reading public threatens to make them an irrelevance.
  A character with this career background starts play with one 
  Folk Magic spell from the new spells described in the Magic 
  chapter for every 20% of his Rites skill in addition to the allow-
  ance of 1d3 for cultural background.
  Standard Skills 
  Customs, Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale, Sing, Willpower
  Professional Skills  
  Bureaucracy, Commerce, Literacy, Lore (any), Oratory, Rites 
  (Taskan), Streetwise 
  Beshorite Shaman-Priest
  These guardians of Beshorite tradition combine both animist 
  and theist practices, as the Ancestors of the Beshor Valley People 
  are a powerful spirit-world faction capable of powering miracles 
  for their living descendants.
  Standard Skills
  Conceal, Customs, First Aid, Influence, Insight, Locale, 
  Willpower
  Professional Skills
  Binding, Craft (Builder), Devotion (Ancestors), Exhort Ances-
  tors, Lore (Architecture), Lore (Genealogy), Rites (Beshor 
  Valley),
  The Shaman-Priest will have one miracle, spell or one Intensity 
  of spirit per 20% of each relevant magical skill.
  Taskan Spell Slave
  Not a slave but usually indentured into service, a spell-slave 
  also learns some practical skills to enable them to provide sup-
  port to the military unit or private household to which they are 
  attached.
  At the completion of training the Spell Slave knows one Folk 
  Magic spell per 20% of his Rites skill and one Sorcery spell for 
  every 20% of his Sorcery skill.
  Standard Skills
  Customs, First Aid, Influence, Insight, Locale, Perception, 
  Willpower
  Professional Skills
  Healing, Language (any), Literacy, Lore (Mundane Arcana), 
  Rites, Shaping, Taskan Sorcery
  
  tAskAn chARActeRs 
  59
  WhAt my fAtheR told 
  me: A peRsonAl vieW 
  of tAskAn cultuRe
  The following statements reflect common opinions and attitudes of 
  a Taskan from the Empire’s heartlands. Not all the assertions made 
  are true from a strictly factual perspective.
  Who Are We?
  We are the Zarinians, people who live in the diocese of Zarina 
  on the banks of the great Siskil River. We are Tarsenians, named 
  for Tarsen, the hero who united us as a nation, the greatest on 
  earth, and our city is one of many found in the lands that sur-
  round the Taskan Gulf which are named Tarsenia after us. Since 
  we were united into a single realm by Zygas Taga, the Divine 
  Emperor, other people have come to know us as the Taskans 
  after the city that the Emperor chose as his capital, Taskay.
  What Makes Us Great?
  The Tarsenians are blessed to live at the centre of the world, 
  thereby accorded highest honour among men by the gods. Our 
  people were the first to make an alphabet, which Tarsen the 
  Founder gave us. Many years ago a Tarsenian wrote the first 
  poem and put it to music. We are the most civilised of peoples, 
  violent in war and gentle in peace, being neither rough and bar-
  barous nor decadent and effeminate. Most of all we are great 
  because we our powerful; through the leadership of the Divine 
  Emperor we have mastered the known world.
  Among the Tarsenians the people of Zarina are the greatest 
  because our city is the most populous; our territory encom-
  passes the widest extent of fine farming land; more goods and 
  produce flow in and out of our city than any other; we furnish 
  the Empire with its greatest scholars; there are wonders in our 
  city such as the Temple of Tethis and the Menagerie that peo-
  ple come from far and wide to see; and it was our ancestors 
  that brought the Emperor here from his homeland, who then 
  fought with us to conquer and pacify our enemies whereupon 
  he became a god. 
  How Do We Live?
  Although our city holds nearly a quarter of a million people, 
  the bounty of our land is enough to provide. Even close to the 
  city you can find some of the best soil in all Tarsenia, and there 
  is barely anyone in Zarina who neither owns any land nor has 
  a farmer in their family. Even if there is a bad harvest in any 
  year we do not starve like we did in the old days because the 
  Emperor commands our sister cities to send us their spare food. 
  We eat bread and porridge of barley and sometimes einkorn 
  wheat; pork and mutton, sometimes beef and fowl; cheese of 
  many different kinds, vegetables grown in private gardens and 
  fruit from fine country orchards. Exotic foods and spices are 
  imported from around the empire and beyond. Many people 
  keep vineyards, and we drink our wine without water, unlike 
  the effeminate Korantines. Olive trees grow in the harsher soils, 
  and we crush their fruit for oil.
  Our cities and towns are of built of bricks and mortar, often 
  faced with fine dressed stone or rendered in stucco. A tiled roof 
  is the sign of a civilised home, however in the South where it 
  rarely rains many people have flat roofs to their houses.
  How Do We Dress?
  We clothe ourselves in wool or linen, and if you are wealthy 
  might wear cotton from Rasputana or, if you are obscenely 
  rich, silk imported from Jelhai. You can otherwise tell a rich 
  man by how elaborately decorated are his clothes, or if he has a 
  passion for foreign styles – perhaps a long-flowing riding cloak 
  or a Korantine shirt. Both men and women wear long tunics 
  that hang below the knee, but the mens’ can be gathered up 
  about the knees when we practice sports or prepare ourselves 
  for battle. Womens’ clothes often have fancy sleeves or necks. 
  Loose-fitting leggings are also common, and some have adopted 
  the trousers popular with barbarians. In winter we might wear 
  a short quilted jacket over the tunic, woollen stockings and a 
  cloak tied and pinned at the left shoulder. On our feet we wear 
  leather or rope-soled sandals; open toed boots are worn by civil-
  ians, and full boots are preferred by soldiers. In wet weather we 
  tie on a pair of wooden soles to hold our shoes above the mud. 
  Travellers often wear a broad brimmed hat of straw, leather or 
  felt. When at home we go bare-headed except when conducting 
  religious rites, when we wear a fillet or a veil of linen or wool. 
  It is common for men to wear a beard, kept properly trimmed, 
  but hair may be worn short or long, gathered, tied or oiled as 
  fashion dictates. For men and particularly for women an elabo-
  rate hairstyle may be a signal of wealth, as it speaks of the leisure 
  time and hired help required to produce and maintain it. 
  What Is Important in Life?
  When you are 17 years old you become a citizen of the empire. 
  You sacrifice to the Divine Emperor and commend yourself to 
  his safekeeping. Once you have completed these coming of age 
  rites the family is no longer the only circle in which you move. 
  
  60
  The Taskan empire
  You are a public person, and will join one or more of the cults, 
  feasting clubs, guilds and funerary societies through which 
  adults form ties of friendship and loyalty. 
  At this time you also become eligible for selection for a term in 
  the militia. Through military service all citizens have a chance 
  to serve the Emperor, and in so doing to contribute to the peace 
  and security of the realm.  
  Every citizen strives to own something from which they can 
  gain a livelihood. For some this is a patch of farmland or a flock 
  of sheep, others a shop on a busy city street. Only through 
  achieving this goal can a man truly be free, for if one has always 
  to beg another man for paid work then in his heart he will think 
  you his slave. 
  While you might seek love in many quarters, a marriage that is 
  blessed with children is the ambition of all people, so you must 
  work hard to make enough to support a family. You will be paid 
  back in the long run when you have grown children to share 
  your labours, to care for you when worn out, and to mourn at 
  your funeral.
  Death will come to us all eventually. Before it does you should 
  live a little, seek happiness, and above all strive to be best at 
  what you do.  When you pass into the realm of shadows be 
  prepared to spend an eternity of reflection upon what was, not 
  what might have been.  
  Who Rules Us?
  Zygas Taga, the immortal Emperor, rules over us.  For gener-
  ations now he has kept himself locked away in his palace, but 
  his viceroy, the Iron Simulacrum, leads his armies and enforces 
  our laws.  A college of Emperor-cult priests drawn from our 
  leading citizens governs each city of Tarsenia and each province 
  of the Empire.  To become one of them you must first win the 
  approval of your fellow citizens and be elected to serve as a War-
  den over a rural district, town or city suburb.  This path is open 
  to anyone, not like in the old days before the Emperor when 
  only a small class of aristocrats could hold positions of power.   
  What Makes a Man Great?
  Men can be great in many ways. A great man shares whatever 
  his gifts may be with his fellow men by his deeds, generosity, 
  the employment of others, or by service to the Emperor - and 
  through him to all his fellow citizens. By these acts the good for-
  tune of one man is multiplied, and works to the benefit of all.
  It used to be said that, ‘the rich man uses magic to encourage 
  himself to observe a life of virtue, and a stick to encourage the poor 
  man do the same’. 
  The Divine Emperor has dismissed the subjection of the poor 
  by the rich and banished strife among the people; now all cit-
  izens are equally free to make the right moral choices. To this 
  end many rich men have set up public inscriptions that provide 
  spells to the masses with which they can detect malign influ-
  ences at work in others. 
  Now it is said that, ‘The good citizen observes a life of virtue 
  through deed and word, and raises his sword only to compel the 
  barbarian to do the same’.
  Any man who brings favour and benefit to others deserves 
  loyalty and respect. Of all such men our Emperor is the most 
  outstanding, because his favour, his virtue and his generosity 
  touches the entire nation. 
  What Is Virtue?
  Virtue is the abjuration of evil, and the pursuit of a life that 
  brings benefit to the nation, the family and the self. There are 
  many kinds of evil.  The Song of Tarsen is an epic poem that 
  describes the feats of Tarsen the Founder, and it describes the 
  Five Evils thus:
   
  ◐ The first inspires men to covet their neighbours’ land and 
  possessions.  This is Jealousy. 
   
  ◐ The second clouds mens’ judgement so they cannot tell 
  truth from falsehood.  This is Ignorance.  
   
  ◐ The third tells a man to live only for himself and to care 
  nothing for his fellows.  This is Selfishness.  
   
  ◐ The fourth causes men to destroy instead of build, and to 
  desire unjustly to do harm to other men.  This is Malice.  
   
  ◐ The fifth causes men to seek the easiest way, to shun work 
  and avoid responsibility.   This is Sloth. 
  Tarsenians value magic by which these evils are abjured. All the 
  old books of lore have abjuration spells, and the family folk 
  magic of the aristocracy warn of many supplementary evils for 
  which some spell has been made to warn of its presence or as 
  its cure.
  What is Treason?
  Treason is a state of opposition to the things that hold our 
  nation together. Chief among them are: the Emperor and his 
  Simulacrum; the proper exercise of government and justice 
  
  tAskAn chARActeRs 
  61
  through the Emperor’s cult; the security of our nation’s econ-
  omy represented by its currency. Any action that undermines 
  these institutions is in some way an act of treason.
  A man who conceives an act of treason is a danger to all of us 
  because the peace and stability of our nation is put at risk and 
  war, chaos, famine and rebellion are the probable consequences.. 
  The Emperor appoints Inquisitors to root out treasoners, and 
  when found such people are dealt with severely and without 
  undergoing public trial. 
  How Do We Deal 
  With Others?
  Depend first upon your family, but seek the support of loyal 
  friends in all that you do. You will find friends in the various 
  societies, cults and professional brotherhoods that you join in 
  the course of your life because you will be introduced to people 
  who have similar values, goals or interests.  Some of these may 
  be people of status, and you show them respect not because 
  they are better folk but because they have the power to give you 
  work, food and shelter when you are in need. When you come 
  into conflict with a fellow citizen your proper recourse is to take 
  your enemy to court. However you must beware the legions of 
  false accusers and perjurers who attempt to use the courts for 
  dishonest ends.    
  Our tongue is spoken now in many lands, and with it people 
  have adopted our customs. Show these people friendship and 
  tolerance, for they seek to be like us and share in the Divine 
  Emperor’s grace.  Otherwise be suspicious of foreigners, for you 
  do not know their ways nor their intentions.  Many will show 
  you respect because you have the Emperor’s protection, but 
  some will try to trick you, others may rob you, some may even 
  kill you.  If you travel into foreign lands be sure not to travel 
  alone, and find a trustworthy guide.
  Who Are Our gods?
  The Tarsenians have many gods, but there are a dozen or so 
  that you will certainly encounter in the course of your life, 
  and others that you will do well to avoid. To name but a few: 
  Samanse is our mother and goddess of the home; Machank our 
  god of battles; Hamath the defender of the poor; Jarmost god of 
  thinkers and Hoonvel of farmers. They are our chosen partners 
  in life, Gods who care and understand about things that peo-
  ple care about. Those for whom we have particular affection, 
  or can be relied upon to bring the greatest benefit to our city, 
  have temples that are maintained at public expense. In Zarina 
  the temple of Tethis is the greatest. She is worshipped in other 
  cities too, but not in the same way as we do. People come on 
  pilgrimage to Zarina in order to get a glimpse of our Tethis. 
  Other cities are famous for the worship of one god or another 
  too: Tarsang sports the tomb of Tarsen, the founder of our race, 
  which is empty because he ascended to heaven at the moment 
  his pyre was lit; Pryjarna has the great temple to Basat, a god 
  of truth and life; and Taskay is the favourite home of Thesh, a 
  god of fire. 
  Zygas Taga, our Divine Emperor, is a god who has not yet 
  ascended to the heavens. He is the only one whom every Tarse-
  nian worships in the same way, but he stands apart from the 
  others. 
  It is the order of things that we worship the gods, and for as long 
  as we do so everything will happen as Tarsen told our ancestors 
  that it would. But when the gods fail us we are not powerless, 
  for mortals can also work magic. Other people devote them-
  selves to mightier gods, but exist in a lesser state of harmony 
  with them, and so are less mighty people than us.
  What is Magic?
  In ancient times magic was the action of the gods and other 
  supernatural beings in our world. Then as now, those who are 
  devoted to one of the gods may wield a little of their power too. 
  When Tarsen gave his people the power of writing he liberated 
  us from dependency on the gods, because through the power 
  of words men learned to work magic through their own arts, 
  without divine assistance. This is called Sorcery. But we did not 
  forget the gods, merely sought a more balanced relationship 
  with them. The Korantines still are their slaves and reject sor-
  cery; and the peoples of the south hold to sorcery so much that 
  many of them reject the worship of gods altogether. Only we 
  Tarsenians have the balance right.
  What Happens When I Die?
  When you die your body will be burned and your ashes placed 
  in a shrine; your soul will find its way to the afterlife and will 
  be honoured each year on the Day of Ghosts.  All this will be 
  taken care of by your family if it is wealthy enough, otherwise 
  by a funerary cooperative or cult to which you have paid the 
  necessary dues during your lifetime.
  Unless your soul is lost you will pass over to the home of our 
  people in the Many Hells that has been there since the days of 
  Tarsen. Be sure that your heart is not filled with evils when you 
  die, or the Lord of Hell will turn his demons loose upon you to 
  extract them under torture and return them to the Pit whence 
  they came before sending you to your allotted place.
  
  62
  The Taskan empire
  You will call your favourite gods to come to your aid in settling 
  you on land in the afterlife as big and as fertile as you deserve, 
  somewhere among those souls who share bonds of family or 
  community with you. 
  One day Zygas Taga will ascend to heaven, and create a new 
  Empire in the afterlife for his people that is as meritorious as 
  the Empire he has created here, and where the bonds of citi-
  zenship for people of different lands and families and traditions 
  still persist. 
  
  tAskAn mAGic 
  63
  Taskan Magic 
  T
  askans practise Folk Magic, Sorcery and Theism. Of 
  these Folk Magic and Theism are native traditions in 
  the homeland of Tarsenia, whereas sorcery appears to 
  be based on magical lore developed in Djesmirket to the South.
  folk mAGic
  Tarsen created a common set of symbols and protocols for deal-
  ing with the gods and magical traditions of Tarsenia, encap-
  sulated under Tarsenian Rites, now known to most people as 
  Taskan Rites. The skill’s most common use is to cast Folk Magic 
  spells. To fully understand Tarsen’s system requires Literacy at 
  a minimum 26% – Tarsen was nothing if not an elitist - and 
  so its practices do not come easy to someone who lacks basic 
  facility with letters (all skill checks are one grade harder). As a 
  result a clerical class evolved, experts in magic, customs and laws 
  who levied fees for their services in both religious and secular 
  matters. Nevertheless literacy became more widespread under 
  the empire and this reliance on the written word ceased to be a 
  way to restrict magic to an elite, but actually to share it with the 
  whole community. 
  Despite being central to making religious observances, Folk 
  Magic is a diverse corpus of magical knowledge. Many of its 
  spells are little known outside of a specific locale or trade.  Oth-
  ers are actually inscribed in some permanent medium and set 
  up in public places, or recorded in books that are now available 
  to be consulted in the empire’s public libraries enabling anyone 
  who is literate to study and learn them. These are spells that 
  have practical use for domestic and civic community life, such as 
  Cleanse, Cool, Heal, Perfume, Light, Tidy and Polish. Citizens 
  are expected to use them in the public interest, for example to 
  keep public spaces, monuments and shrines in good order. 
  A character’s cult, community or trade association may make 
  Folk Magic available. Trade spells are used to assist in work, and 
  a character might start with a spell that relates to their Profes-
  sional Skills. Appraise, Bladesharp, Calculate, Heat, Magnify, 
  Pierce, Preserve, Repair, Tune, Voice are good examples.
  New Folk Magic Spells
  Knowledge of the right Folk Magic spells to conduct basic reli-
  gious rites is not restricted to the clergy, however it is a require-
  ment for anyone holding themselves out to be a professional 
  and charge a fee, and necessary for anyone who wishes to avoid 
  such fees by managing for themselves. 
  Blessing 
  Trigger, Touch
  This ritual is used by the congregation at a rite of worship and 
  is known by anyone who has the Taskan Rites skill. To acquire 
  the blessing a worshipper must make a prayer and succeed in a 
  Rites roll during the course of an appropriate religious service, 
  expending one Magic Point in the process. If the Rites roll is 
  successful, the Blessing is received and can be triggered at any 
  time.  
  Divine favour is given in the form of an intervention by the 
  deity in some action related to the deity’s sphere of influence, 
  and allows a character to reroll a skill check. The recipient may 
  choose which of the two dice rolls to apply, but the Blessing is 
  expended in the process. 
  
  64
  The Taskan empire
  This Magic Point spent to acquire a Blessing cannot be recov-
  ered until the Blessing has been triggered, however many Taskan 
  deities allow for the cost to be paid through a specific sacrifice, 
  in livestock or goods. As a rule of thumb, the cost of such sacri-
  fice should be no less than 5 Taskeens per Magic Point. A group 
  of worshippers can pool resources to offer a sacrifice capable of 
  providing for all their needs, and it is quite common for the 
  wealthist participant to provide the sacrifice as a benefaction to 
  his fellow worshippers.
  The maximum number of Blessings that a character can retain 
  at any one time is determined as for Luck Points, but uses the 
  CHA characteristic instead of POW. This maximum applies no 
  matter how many different deities are entreated for help.
  Funeral Rites 
  Ritual
  A successful casting means that the deceased is blessed with a 
  Luck Point for use on his journey to The Many Hells. It does 
  not guarantee a happy afterlife but it usually guarantees that 
  the deceased will not fumble in the darkness and so will make 
  the transition without getting lost or being snared in the phys-
  ical world as a ghost - unless a more powerful form of magic 
  intervenes.
  Marriage Rites 
  Ritual
  A successful casting blesses the couple with a group luck point.  
  Sanctify 
  Ritual, Duration Special
  This spell creates a ritually pure area in which religious rites can 
  be properly conducted. The spellcaster marks out an area appro-
  priate to the rite to be conducted, up to his POW in square 
  meters, and may have to perform other rites such as fumigation 
  with burning incense or sprinkling with clean water from a nat-
  ural spring. This spell lasts for the full length of the ritual so 
  long as the ritual is begun within POW minutes of the Sanctify 
  being cast. A sanctified area is neutral, and not tuned to any 
  particular deity. Note that a Sacred Site or area under the effects 
  of a Consecrate spell is considered to be permanently sanctified 
  and this spell is not needed.
  Sense Evil
  This spell alerts the caster to the presence of one of the Five Evils 
  identified by Tarsen as the root of mankind’s sufferings. These 
  evils are Sloth, Malice, Selfishness, Ignorance and Jealousy. The 
  spell can be used one of two ways: either to specifically detect 
  the presence of a relevant Passion in somebody the character 
  is dealing with, or in other circumstances to make an Insight 
  test one grade easier so long as the person whose intentions are 
  under scrutiny are in some way influenced by one of the Five 
  Evils.
  Worship (Specific Deity)
  Ritual
  A Worship (Specific Deity) rite can only be cast in a sanctified 
  area. Separate spells exist for each and every deity of the pan-
  theon and some exist that combine two or more deities into a 
  single rite. The spell can be used to provide potency to a num-
  ber of different sorts of religious service, depending on whether 
  the specific deity is an appropriate object of worship for the 
  occasion. 
  A successful Worship ritual means that the god gathers in all the 
  offerings, whether Magic Points or other form of sacrifice, made 
  during the service and that participants may gain Blessings in 
  return. 
  If the priest has a critical success in the casting roll, the receipt of 
  a Blessing by the entire congregation is automatic, In addition 
  all members of the congregation who have a Devotion to the 
  deity gain 1% to their Devotion skill.
  theism
  Many Taskans seek to deepen their relationship with the gods in 
  ways that will give them access to divine aid in the form of mir-
  acles and gifts. Some take the step to join a formal cult in which 
  the journey is set out for them through cult teachings, duties 
  and obligations and progress through cult ranks. In Tarsenia 
  rather more people embark on a personal journey of faith as a 
  lay devotee, involving pilgrimage and acts of devotion that can 
  also be rewarded with access to theist magic.
  A character can combine personal religious devotions to one or 
  more deities and cult initiation in the service of another so long 
  as they do not have conflicting requirements or obligations; for 
  example Basat’s cult will accept no candidates for initiation who 
  are current devotees of Machank. 
  Calling Upon the Gods
  The Taskan Pantheon comprises many different gods and god-
  desses, some of them very obscure and unknown to all but a 
  few scholars and clergymen. Nevertheless they have all at some 
  
  tAskAn mAGic 
  65
  time subscribed to the pantheon established by the hero Tarsen 
  several hundred years ago.
  Devotion
  A separate Devotion skill is required for each Taskan deity. The 
  skill is often acquired and nurtured by regular observance as 
  part of a congregation of lay worshippers, and by participating 
  in acts such as pilgrimage to a god’s sacred places or holy day 
  festivals.
  Exhortation
  A single exhortation skill can be used to call upon any of the 
  Taskan pantheon of gods except for the Emperor himself. This 
  skill is learned like any other Professional Skill – in practice the 
  most common way to acquire it is to pay for instruction by 
  experts in religion and ritual, or to benefit from the teaching a 
  cult provides to its initiates. 
  Cultists and Devotees
  Those worshippers who become members of a formally consti-
  tuted cult at initiate level or higher can access Miracles and other 
  benefits as described in the RuneQuest rules. More details on 
  the benefits and obligations of Taskan cults are provided in the 
  Cults chapter.
  A lay devotee is a lay worshipper who has developed a direct 
  personal relationship with a deity and has some of the benefits 
  normally restricted to initiates of a theist cult. These benefits 
  include limited access to miracles.
  Miracles and Boons
  The Tarsenian gods offer two types of divine favour to their 
  followers: miracles and boons. Boons are magical benefits and 
  enhancements given in return for a permanent magic point 
  dedication that might increase a characteristic, inspire a talent 
  or replicate the effects of a miracle or spell. 
  Boons
  Any character with a Devotion skill in excess of 50% may ask 
  a boon of his god. The magic points offered in return are set 
  aside for the god’s use and cannot be recovered until the boon 
  is relinquished. Consequently a permanent effect results in a 
  permanent reduction in the character’s Magic Points Attribute. 
  Many lay devotees lack the Exhort skill and consequently a 
  boon is a more accessible form of divine favour than a miracle.
  The maximum number of magic points a character can have 
  dedicated to boons with each deity is based on the character’s 
  Devotion skill.
  The trade of magic points in return for a boon is no different 
  in nature to the Pact described in Shores of Korantia except 
  that the cost in magic points of each favour is fixed rather than 
  negotiable. Nevertheless there may be strings attached – it is not 
  uncommon for the god to require the favoured worshipper to 
  adhere to behaviours or accept a geas, especially if the worship-
  per is a devotee who is not under the rule of a formal theist cult.
  Gifts
  Taskan gods sometimes grant Gifts to their devotees. A Gift 
  is just that – there is no ‘payment’ required in terms of dedi-
  cated Magic Points. A Devotion skill of at least 71% is usually 
  required to receive one unless the god has some special agenda 
  of its own that give it cause to relax the rules.  
  Acquiring a Divine Favour
  Cultists usually benefit from privileged access to temples and 
  holy places where they can acquire miracles and boons, and add 
  to or top up their devotional pools as described in RuneQuest. 
  Lay devotees must work even harder to win their god’s favours. 
  Without the support of a cult it may also be difficult to gain 
  access to the place where the devotee hopes to supplicate them-
  selves before the god – after all cultists tend to jealously guard 
  the inner sanctums where theist magic can be acquired or 
  recharged. Moreover while a particular place of worship may 
  provide a cultist with all the benefits available from the god, it 
  may offer but a single miracle to lay devotees, who consequently 
  have to make pilgrimages around the holy places of Tarsenia if 
  they are to accumulate a store of miracles. Each city of Tarsenia 
  helps the very many lay worshippers seeking to access divine 
  powers by holding public festivals each year that are  designed 
  to make the god available to all the faithful, not just those who 
  are members of theist cults. The central event of these festivals 
  is an Epiphany.
  Epiphany
  Tarsenian deities offer an Epiphany miracle, which is used to 
  invoke the deity’s personal presence at a major religious rite. 
  Devotion %
  Maximum Dedication
  51-70%
  1 Magic Point
  71-90%
  2 Magic Points
  91%+
  3 Magic Points
  
  66
  The Taskan empire
  This miracle is always restricted by the god to their chosen 
  favourites – the ability to access it is a Gift. Much more rarely 
  a god may decide to make an appearance for reasons of its own 
  because it feels compelled to intervene directly in human affairs. 
  An epiphany is a great opportunity for the god’s faithful to 
  deepen their devotion by adding to or topping up their devo-
  tional pools. A devotee who witnesses an epiphany, even if just 
  one voice of prayer among a crowd of worshippers, can also use 
  the opportunity to attempt to beg access to a new miracle, or a 
  boon. The chance of success is equal to the character’s Devotion 
  skill, modified by his Taskan Rites skill. 
  In this instance a fumbled roll results in the god imposing a geas 
  or tabu upon the worshipper while granting no favour. Observ-
  ing this obligation until the next epiphany will be a pre-requi-
  site for the next attempt to be successful
  Vigil
  Vigil is the process by which a worshipper attempts to com-
  mune with a god, top up his devotional pool and acquire access 
  to a new miracle. The character spends time in a temple or 
  other sacred place – or perhaps in the presence of a holy relic 
  - in prayer, contemplation, incubation (sleeping in hope of a 
  vision), and sometimes fasting. The god’s acceptance of a dev-
  otee’s offerings and granting of the benefits requested can be 
  abstracted to a Task, with each round consisting of 24 hours of 
  vigil. At the Games Master’s option, the holiness of the place of 
  worship has an effect on the chance of a positive response – see 
  the section on Places of Worship for more information. 
  If a supplicant cannot maintain a vigil for long enough to secure 
  its success, or one of the rolls is a fumble causing the vigil to be 
  broken and the attempt abandoned, the failed entreaty to the 
  gods cannot be repeated until the supplicant’s Devotion skill 
  has been increased.
  Limitations on 
  Personal Religion
  Arduous pilgrimage and long periods of vigil - and frequent 
  disappointment - are the cost of pursuing personal religion. 
  However if these aspects are not referenced much in play you 
  may feel your players can take too much advantage of the avail-
  ability of miracles without the obligations of cult rank, and 
  consequently unbalance the game. There are several ways to 
  introduce limitations. For example, ruling that a lay devotee’s 
  maximum Devotional Pool is 1/20th of his Devotion skill, and 
  if the character is a devotee or cultist of more than one deity 
  the sum of all Devotional Pools cannot exceed 1/10th of the 
  character’s Taskan Rites skill. An appropriate geas for every gift 
  or miracle granted is another way by which a devotee character 
  might be burdened with obligations that have an effect in play.
  Places of Worship
  Accessing theist magic requires a more potent form of religious 
  observance than that provided by the Folk Magic rites described 
  above. It also requires worship at a sacrosanct location – a sacred 
  site, shrine or temple that has been consecrated to the deity or 
  has acquired a holy aura of its own due to its connection to the 
  deity. 
  The power of a sacrosanct location’s aura limits how many mir-
  acles may be on offer to those worshipping there; see the Places 
  of Worship table, below. The number in brackets is the maxi-
  mum number of miracles that may be available to lay devotees. 
  Note that some locations are sacred to more than one deity, and 
  that even an Awesome temple cannot offer six miracles if the 
  god or gods to whom it is sacred do not have that many mira-
  cles to offer. A specific site may offer a unique miracle, one that 
  cannot be acquired from the god at any other location.
  Devotees who hold a vigil at a sacrosanct location are more or 
  less likely to have their prayers heard depending on the aura of 
  the place. This is reflected in the difficulty grade of the Devo-
  tion roll made to acquire new knowledge of a miracle or peti-
  tion the god for a boon. 
  Sacred Aura
  Equivalent Temple Size
  Available Miracles
  Vigil
  Numinous
  Minor Shrine
  1 (0)
  Herculean
  Holy
  Modest Shrine
  1d3 (1)
  Formidable
  Revered
  Major Shrine, Minor Temple
  1d3+1 (2)
  Hard
  Hallowed
  Modest Temple
  1d3+2 (2)
  Standard
  Awesome
  Major Temple
  1d3+3 (3)
  Easy
  Places of Worship
  
  tAskAn mAGic 
  67
  Sometimes possession of or contact with a holy artefact, or even 
  with an individual who has become a channel for a god’s power, 
  can provide the same benefits as a Sacrosanct Location.
  Shrines
  A shrine is any place, building or altar that is permanently 
  reserved for religious observances. It may be in public or in pri-
  vate, but it is almost always maintained by private individuals 
  or by a local cult or brotherhood at their own expense. Shrines 
  are suitable places for ordinary acts of worship, but unless also 
  consecrated do not offer the ability to add to or replenish a 
  character’s devotional pool of Magic Points or acquire Miracles. 
  Temples
  Taskan temples are the focal point for public worship of the 
  gods to whom they are dedicated, and perhaps the headquarters 
  of a cult organisation. The majority are founded at state expense 
  according to rites conducted under the auspices of the Flamen 
  (priests of the deified Tarsen). However sometimes they are paid 
  for, embellished or restored by wealthy individuals who wish 
  to demonstrate their public spiritedness and piety, or by a cult 
  organisation from its own funds. Temples are consecrated, and 
  some become so steeped in divine energy that they can become 
  permanently so, in effect sacrosanct locations. Nevertheless the 
  consecrated part of a temple is usually off-limits to all but key 
  staff, and it is difficult for a non-initiate to gain access to the god 
  at any other time.
  Sacred Sites
  A sacred site is a place where some part of a god’s essence is 
  thought to be permanently present. The regular appearance at 
  the same spot of a particular god leaves a residue, detectable by 
  Second Sight and Mystic Vision, which can also attract spirits in 
  the service of that god to the area. A sacred site is in effect per-
  manently consecrated by a special connection to a specific god 
  – sometimes to more than one, with the benefits to worshippers 
  of being able to replenish their devotional pools through prayer 
  and observance there. 
  Sacred sites are sometimes under public control like a temple, 
  or at least under some sort of supervision so local communities 
  and cultists do not develop too keen a sense of ownership to the 
  detriment of would-be pilgrims. 
  Pilgrimage
  Pilgrimage is the act of making a journey to visit a place sacred 
  to the god and made holy by its presence, or to encounter the 
  god itself when it makes an epiphany. A pilgrimage may be 
  a short journey to a local shrine or a major undertaking that 
  involves weeks of travel and significant trouble and expense. 
  Pilgrimage is equivalent to time spent in training (see Run-
  eQuest pages 110-111), either to acquire or to gain increases 
  to a character’s Devotion skill. The duration of a pilgrimage is 
  the total time from beginning of the journey until such time as 
  the character leaves their destination to resume normal life or 
  make for home. If the pilgrim sets out in earnest and completes 
  a substantial part of the journey but does not reach his desti-
  nation, the Games Master may allow a partial award of skill 
  points, however this should never exceed the minimum possible 
  gain for a successfully completed pilgrimage. 
  Just as with other forms of training, a character’s Devotion skill 
  cannot be increased through pilgrimage again until it has been 
  increased through the use of one or more Experience Rolls.
  A pilgrimage is more than just a way to increase a character’s 
  Devotion skill; for many pilgrims the purpose is to worship at 
  a place where they can request the god grant them access to a 
  miracle, or even grant a gift.
  soRceRy
  Sorcery is a foreign art that has been embraced by many Tarse-
  nian folk, and by the Emperor Cult in particular. The state pub-
  lishes grimoires to be used by senior members of the Emperor 
  Cult, and also sponsors a school of sorcery established in Fel-
  sang so as to ensure the establishment of a solid home-grown 
  foundation for the magical arts. Tarsen did not import sorcery 
  to Tarsenia, although he understood it and used his knowledge 
  of it in creating the rules of Tarsenian Folk Magic.
  Taskan Sorcery  (INTx2)
  Taskan Sorcery makes use of the same protocols and many of 
  the same signs and sigils derived from Assabian rites with some 
  borrowings from Jekkarene magic, interpolating the Tarsenian 
  language only in so far as mundane instructions are required. 
  Hence it is necessary for a Taskan sorcerer to master unfamil-
  iar and sometimes difficult words and phrases, and often to 
  Pilgrimage Donation
  Devotion Skill Gain
  1 day
  1d3-1
  1 week
  1d4
  1 month
  1d6
  1 season
  1d6+4
  1 year
  2d6+8
  
  68
  The Taskan empire
  dress and accoutre themselves in exotic foreign costume and 
  equipment. Sorcery is therefor a rather specialist art, not easily 
  grasped without dedicated instruction and study. 
  A character’s Taskan Sorcery skill is capped by their Literacy 
  skill. 
  The corpus of spells currently incorporated into the Taskan Sor-
  cery tradition is as follows. Some schools, or individual wizards 
  and sorcerers may have managed to adapt other spells to its pro-
  tocols, but if so keep their knowledge to themselves.
  Abjure, Animate, Banish, Bypass Armoour, Damage Enhance-
  ment, Damage Resistance, Dominate, Enchant, Enhance, 
  Evoke, Haste, Hinder, Holdfast, Intuition, Mark, Mystic 
  Vision, Neutralise Magic, Protective Ward, Project, Regener-
  ate, Sculpt, Sense, Spell Resistance, Spirit Resistance, Summon, 
  Telepathy, Wrack.
  Assabian Sorcery
  A character who is literate in Djesmiri may be able to learn 
  and make use of Assabian sorcery spells.  Their Taskan Sorcery 
  skill is applied at a level at least one grade harder, but even so 
  their chance of success cannot exceed their Literacy skill in the 
  Djesmiri language.  
  Spell Slaves
  While there is no slavery in the Taskan Empire, nevertheless 
  there are people who fulfill the role of ‘spell slaves’, a Southern 
  phenomenon in which a magician lives in thrall to a wealthy 
  family or individual. While chattle ownership is not part of the 
  deal a servant – master relationship may well be. At least in 
  the Taskan Empire a spell-slave who is required to follow their 
  master around covered in Attract (harm) charms is rare.  Spell 
  slaves may be sourced from overseas, may be discharged from 
  the army, or former apprentices who have failed to make their 
  own way as a magician of independent means.
  Sorcery School
  The School of Felsang is a place where candidates with a high 
  aptitude for magical arts (INT+POW of 31 or higher) may be 
  taught the basics of sorcery with a view to service in the Taskan 
  army, where others are trained on a fee-paying basis, and where 
  those who have achieved advancement in the civil administra-
  tion of the Emperor Cult are given the training they need to 
  use the cult’s grimoires. All other sorcerous training is acquired 
  through a master and apprentice system. Sorcerers do not tend 
  to belong to orders or guilds, but some may affiliate themselves 
  with organisations in Morkesh or Djesmirket.
  Wizardry
  Wizardry is a treasonous crime, and is essentially the pursuit or 
  use of antisocial magic. This could be the deployment of sorcery 
  in an assault on another citizen including anything that removes 
  or overrides free will; the conjuration of otherworldly beings 
  that may cause threat or harm if not adequately controlled; or 
  the use of controlled magic such as anagathics (magic that pur-
  sues indefinite extension of the normal lifespan). Anything that 
  involves attempting to discern future destinies or spy upon the 
  current activity of those in government is similarly proscribed.
  Wizardry may be dealt with through the exile or even execution 
  of its perpetrators.
  bARbARiAn mAGic
  Sheng Traditions
  Sheng magic has its roots in Animism, being a distinct form 
  of ancestor worship. The only Traditional Spirits, and the only 
  ones that followers of this tradition control in the standard way, 
  are the Tribal Ancestors. Its main practice is the enchantment 
  of magical tokens known as Fetishes that the Tribal Ancestors 
  invest with magical potency, and that are carried or worn, most 
  commonly in the form of tattoos, by almost all tribespeople.  
  Every Sheng Tribe has its own Rites (Tribal Tradition) as a Stan-
  dard Skill. Each tradition is like a dialect of a common lan-
  guage, and between traditions there may be one or more grades 
  of difficulty applied to skill rolls. 
  The Sheng rely on the services of Wise Men (and women) and 
  Shamans to lend magical support to the clans in time of need. 
  Wise Men can be found in many places and in every clan, and 
  are those who have acquired the Binding skill. These people are 
  the experts in rites and ritual, deal with the day-to-day man-
  agement of the clan’s relationship with its Ancestors and the 
  provision and teaching of the clan’s magical lore to its members. 
  Full shamans are provided by the Royal Clan of each tribe and 
  distinguished by their ability to enter into a trance that proj-
  ects their spirits into the Spirit World. Aside from managing 
  the tribe’s relationship with deceased ancestors and presiding 
  over the major rituals that punctuate the year, the shamans are 
  able to offer individual tribesmen access to the tribe’s magical 
  support and protection through the use of tribal fetishes, of 
  which there are a great variety with many different purposes 
  and powers. 
  
  tAskAn mAGic 
  69
  A Royal Clan is capable of generating new fetishes, or adding or 
  taking away access to a fetish from a clan within the same tribe. 
  This is done using Trance to meet with the tribal ancestors and 
  negotiate a new overall covenant with them. 
  The Ancestral Pact
  A Sheng character can devote one or more Magic Points to a 
  Pact with the Ancestors to lend potency to their fetishes. The 
  magic points are placed at the disposal of the ancestors until 
  the character dies and joins the ancestors himself. A Royal Clan 
  shaman works towards dedicating the vast majority of his Magic 
  Points to the tribal ancestors, however any character who wants 
  to make use of his clan’s Folk Magic must enter into the ances-
  tral pact and is expected to work towards a state in which a 
  quarter or more of his Magic Points are deployed in this way.
  Clan Magic Fetishes
  A tribe has a number of clans, each with their own version of 
  the tribal tradition that includes access to Folk Magic, expressed 
  through a unique pattern of tattoos referred to as the Clan 
  Fetish. Once awakened, a Sheng’s clan tattoo can be continually 
  added to as he increases his access to and knowledge of his clan’s 
  lore. These tattoos are the most common of a host of fetishes 
  employed by the Sheng as almost every adult has them. Some 
  clans have unique elements in their fetishes, perhaps a Pact 
  with a nature spirit that provides a special ability or power or a 
  unique Traditional Spirit, or even access to Miracle provided by 
  a powerful clan ancestor. Clan Fetishes are activated, and Folk 
  Magic cast, using the Rites (Tribal Tradition) skill. Casting time 
  and Magic Point cost is calculated as per the standard rules.
  One or more Folk Magic spells are learned upon initiation into 
  adulthood, more may be added as the tribesman proves his 
  worth. The warrior might perform a deed, but equally could 
  bring some increase of wealth to the community. As a rule of 
  thumb, the standard measure of ‘notable wealth’ that applies 
  in these cases is a ‘fine stallion’, which is equivalent in value 
  to 4–5 ponies or 2 horses (and to some 800–1,000 Taskeens). 
  Learning the new Folk Magic spell requires the usual expendi-
  ture of Experience Rolls, and a new addition to the character’s 
  clan tattoos.
  A clan’s maximum store of Folk Magic is determined on 1d6+4.
  A Sheng passes from one clan to another by marriage or adop-
  tion he carries his heritage with him, and in this case simply 
  begins a new tattoo on some other part of his body to chart his 
  progress in the traditions of the new clan without losing access 
  to the old. 
  Gaining a Clan Fetish
  The process of creating a Clan Fetish takes place within the 
  recipient’s home community, where his kin celebrate with him 
  the rituals associated with some new step forward in a tribes-
  man’s life. Needless to say, the basic requirement to qualify for 
  receiving a Clan Fetish is the support and goodwill of one’s clan. 
  In addition they should be considered ready to be an adult, with 
  the responsibility that entails – and some clans may demand 
  proof in the form of a successful hunt, a contribution to the 
  clan’s efforts in battle, or breaking a spirited horse that will 
  become the first steed the candidate owns. 
  Tribal Fetishes
  There are several types of fetish that are common to all the 
  tribes, with some variation in the physical component used to 
  embody them. Tribal Fetishes are entirely in the gift of the Royal 
  Clan shamans, unless there is some historical idiosyncrasy that 
  has left a clan able to incorporate one into their Clan Fetish. 
  Procedure
  Acquiring a Tribal Fetish inevitably requires a journey to a tribal 
  centre as the Royal Clan Shamans are not in the business of 
  making house calls. The fetish is also prepared for or by the 
  supplicant under the supervision of the Shaman and with the 
  help of the Shaman’s entourage. The Royal Clan Sham expects 
  gifts in return, at least one item of ‘notable wealth’ per Magic 
  Point to be invested in the Tribal Fetish. 
  The shaman enters a trance through which he will learn if the 
  recipient is considered worthy by the Tribal Ancestors. He may 
  return from his ethereal journey with a spirit that wants to 
  challenge the recipient, or a task the Ancestors have given, or a 
  taboo that the Ancestors have set out as a necessary condition 
  for their support. 
  Sample Tribal Fetishes
  Soul Fetish  
  Required by a shaman to gain the Trance ability, and to enable 
  an Ancestor to manifest in the shaman’s body while the shaman 
  ‘hides’ his soul in the fetish. Requires a minimum of two magic 
  points dedicated to the Ancestral Pact.
  Spirit Fetish  
  Typically used for binding spirits of a combined Intensity of 1 
  per Magic Point, used for non-traditional spirits.
  
  70
  The Taskan empire
  Spirit Ward  
  Blocks hostile spirits of 1 Intensity per Magic Point.
  Spell Ward  
  Blocks hostile spells of 3 Magnitude per Magic Point.
  Wound Ward
  Blocks damage after armour and other protection is accounted 
  for at a rate of 1 per Magic Point, or blocks damage of a partic-
  ular type (piercing, crushing, slashing, fire) only at a rate of 3 
  per Magic Point; or negates the ill effects of one combat Special 
  Effect such as Bleed, Stun Location, Impale or Maximise Dam-
  age at a cost of 2 Magic Points. Those who are protected by a 
  Wound Ward may be expected to accept a geas to go into battle 
  without armour or even naked.
  Poison Ward 
  Provides immunity against one type or category of poison 
  (Serpent Venom/Injected, Herbal/Ingested, /Contact etc) per 
  Magic Point. 
  Luck Fetish 
  Provides an additional Luck Point for a cost of 1 Magic Point. 
  This fetish cannot be stacked.
  Some examples of common fetishes and components are in the Fetish 
  table, below.
  Using Fetishes
  Most fetishes only have to be worn or carried to do their work, 
  and are considered “always on”. As they are powered by Magic 
  Points dedicated by the beneficiary, fetishes usually only work 
  for their owner and are not transferable. If the owner dies there 
  is a small chance, equal to the owners POW, that the fetish will 
  retain a potency that can be transferred to a new owner.
  Fetish Type
  Tengir
  Eskar
  Kismek
  Dragoman
  Clan Fetish
  Tattoo
  Tattoo
  Tattoo
  Tattoo
  Soul Fetish
  Horse Tail
  Tattoo
  Tattoo
  Horse Tail
  Spirit Fetish
  Varies
  Varies
  Tattoo
  Varies
  Spirit Ward
  Phylactery
  Headband
  Tattoo
  Phylactery
  Spell Ward
  Piercing
  Torc
  Tattoo
  Amethyst
  Wound Ward
  Tattoo
  Jacket
  Tattoo
  Girdle or belt
  Poison Ward
  Snakeskin
  Snakeskin
  Tattoo
  Piercing
  Luck Fetish
  Finger Bones
  Gopher skull
  Tattoo
  Silver talisman
  Fetishes
  
  cults
  71
  Cults
  F
  or both native Tarsenians and for many foreigners who 
  have taken citizenship by joining the Emperor Cult, par-
  ticipation in worship of one or more of the Tarsenian 
  Gods is an essential part of being Taskan. Many Taskans are 
  members of several cults at the same time – this is a sign both of 
  one’s piety and of one’s commitment to the wider community. 
  In addition, the Emperor-Cult cannot offer any support in the 
  afterlife, at least not until Zygas Taga’s apotheosis is complete, 
  and so the traditional gods provide for the most fundamental 
  concerns of much of humanity.
  The worship of the Taskan Gods has both social and personal, 
  public and private aspects. In reality it is a myriad of small cults 
  each serving a specific community, trade or even family, each 
  maintaining its own rules and patterns of worship. The majority 
  are small in scale and local in character to the extent that in the 
  larger towns and cities there may be several cults even to the 
  same deity, often squabbling between themselves for status and 
  respect.
  the tAskAn pAntheon
  The pantheon of gods assembled by the hero Tarsen has a dis-
  tinctive character and is worshipped in ways that a recognis-
  ably different from the religious practices of surrounding lands 
  and people. Tarsenians do not, as a rule, bother worshipping 
  the impersonal forces of nature or indeed those gods who are 
  so powerful or abstract that they are difficult to relate to on a 
  personal level. Their gods are closer to mankind, each with an 
  interest in some specific aspect of the human condition. The 
  vast majority of people will have as many on their side as they 
  can muster and maybe a clutch of more obscure or purely local 
  deities as well. 
  For each deity the spheres of interest are noted, and the miracles 
  that may be available to a lay devotee. Initiates of formal cults 
  serving the deity will have a wider range of miracles to choose 
  from, and there may be others unique to a specific shrine or holy 
  site available even to devotees who make a pilgrimage there. 
  Tarsen
  Tarsen is the founding father of the Tarsenian race, patron of 
  law, custom and religion. He was once a mortal man who was 
  promoted to godhood to join the pantheon of gods that he him-
  self had assembled. Tarsen’s worshippers and devotees are often 
  clergymen, who officiate at services of worship and provide 
  instruction in religious lore. 
  Sphere: Law, Custom, Religion
  Miracles: Covenant, Tongues
  Thesh
  The Tarsenian fire god is patron of the crafts which fire makes 
  possible. He is also a death god since the Tarsenians almost 
  without exception cremate their dead and so he can therefore 
  be called to preside over the last rites of a corpse before a dead 
  citizen’s spirit is sent on its way to the Many Hells. Thesh is the 
  tutelary god of many guilds of craftsmen, chiefly metalworkers, 
  armourers and blacksmiths. He is the patron god of the city of 
  Taskay, where the aristocracy also worship him and a regiment 
  of warriors, The Unconquerable Heroes of Taskay, made up of 
  
  72
  The Taskan empire
  devotees in his cult, form the Taskan equivalent of the Praeto-
  rian Guard. 
  Sphere: Fire, Metallurgy, War
  Miracles: Dismiss Elemental, Summon Salamander 
  Hoonvel
  Hoonvel is credited with persuading the earth goddess Samanse 
  to part with her daughter Kait, a grain goddess, for two thirds of 
  the year to be his wife. Thus the ancestors learned to till the soil 
  and harvest crops for food. Hoonvel is patron god of farmers 
  as well as labourers, represented as a cheerful and bawdy fellow 
  whose rites are usually drunken, riotous affairs. Hoonvel has no 
  civic temples but is worshipped at rustic altars.
  Sphere: Agriculture, Husbandry, Labour
  Miracles: Fattening, Fecundity, Turn Earth
  Samanse
  This is the Tarsenian version of the eastern earth goddess Tolat. 
  She is one of the few divinities of the Tarsenian pantheon to 
  whom permanently staffed temples are erected. The women 
  of a city elect honoured matrons from among their number to 
  administer the temple, who preside over many of the important 
  festivals in the life of the community and its citizens. There is 
  always an altar to Kait within the precincts of her temple.
  Sphere: Domestic Crafts, Family, Motherhood
  Miracles: Cure Malady
  Kait
  Kait is the barley-goddess of the Tarsenians. She is most com-
  monly represented in the persons of the young virgins who 
  attend upon Samanse’s priestesses and, at the appropriate festi-
  vals, of brides-to-be and expectant mothers. In ritual and myth 
  she is closely tied to the farmer-god Hoonvel.
  Sphere: Barley, Brewing, Crops 
  Miracles: Bless Barley
  Machank
  Machank is the favourite Tarsenian war-god. Only those who 
  are willing to risk mortal danger should devote themselves to 
  him, as he blesses his devotees with a divine madness  that com-
  pels them to seek out the point of maximum danger on the 
  battlefield and never to flee before the enemy while there is still 
  some goal to be achieved. Machank’s military devotees always 
  receive extra pay, along with an extra share of any captured 
  booty and can count five years service for every one they com-
  plete. Those that survive more than a year or two in his service 
  usually feel they have earned their renown and retire from active 
  participation in his cult.
  Sphere: Battle, Conflict, Killing
  Miracles: Berserk, Fear, Seal Wound
  Jarmost
  Jarmost is the patron of seafarers, travellers and astrologers. 
  He taught men how to navigate by the stars and how to use a 
  compass when the stars are not visible. He is also credited with 
  the invention of the wheel, the first boat and the yoke – which 
  Jarmost used to pull a cart but later showed it to his brother 
  Hoonvel who used it to draw a plough. Jarmost is also credited 
  with the invention of numbers, which he placed upon a wheel 
  to measure distance. ‘Jarmost’s Wheels’ refers to an astrologi-
  cal device, which demonstrates the movements of the heavenly 
  bodies and is a useful tool in navigation.
  Sphere: Crafts, Invention, Navigation 
  Miracles: Clear Skies
  Sumis
  Sumis is a goddess of forest, mountain and other wild places 
  of hunting and survival. Her worshippers are often those who 
  wish to explore their primal instincts and understand their place 
  in nature’s grand scheme. Some are hunters and woodsmen by 
  trade. She has no permanently staffed temples but many Sacred 
  Sites inhabited by unpredictable spirit guardians. Sumis can 
  save those whom she loves from the dangers of the wild, or she 
  can unleash those same dangers upon those she despises. Her 
  Chameleon miracle is only useful in a natural environment.
  Sphere: Hunting, Nature, Wild Animals
  Miracles: Chameleon, Growth, Madness, Rejuvenate
  Jezri
  An imported Jekkarene goddess, whose initiates are young 
  maidens dedicated to serve in the temples of Zygas Taga and his 
  consort Jekkara. These girls perform ritual dances at the major 
  festivals and live in strict seclusion overseen by a priestess. Jezri 
  is manifest as the evening star, which accompanies the moon in 
  the night sky. 
  Sphere: Dance, Obedience, Virginity
  Miracles: Harmonize
  
  cults
  73
  Jekkara
  Temples to the night goddess are associated with those of Zygas 
  Taga. Only Jekkarene women of noble birth may serve her and 
  outside the cult’s homeland its only role is to add extra pomp 
  and mythic importance to the rites of Emperor worship. The 
  Goddess is the fount of women’s wisdom and is the patron of 
  secret knowledge and the power that it brings. Jekkara’s Mir-
  acles have a default Magnitude of 1 between dawn and dusk.
  Sphere: Intuition, Magic, Night
  Miracles: Moonbright
  Merai
  Merai is the patron god of the creative arts – music, poetry, 
  drama and dance – and also of the art of healing. He is the 
  tutelary god of the city of Merat, which is the only place a major 
  festival is celebrated in his honour. Merai is usually represented 
  as an adolescent with girlish features. His male devotees often 
  disguise themselves as women and the women as men. Merai 
  can gift his devotees with creative talents.
  Sphere: Performing Arts
  Miracles: Enthrall
  Tethis
  This goddess is the Tarsenian personification of love. She has a 
  famous temple in Zarina, where the temple servants prostitute 
  themselves in its courts. Her devotees are often wealthy urban-
  ites who seek diversion through their sexual liaisons and build 
  up complex social networks through which they indulge their 
  passions. 
  Sphere: Fertility, Erotic Love, Prostitution
  Miracles: Fecundity
  Basat
  Considered an imported deity from Djesmirket, Basat is the 
  Tarsenians’ god of light, healing and selfless devotion. He is the 
  arch-enemy of the death-demon Gomorg, whose underworld 
  minions only dare invade the world of men at night when Basat 
  is at rest. In folklore Basat has courted Tethis with the help of 
  Merai’s poetry and song and fought for her hand against her 
  cruel husband Machank. He has also pursued his sister Sumis 
  for love and rescued Kait from the underworld to restore her to 
  his friend Hoonvel. Basat is a popular cult among soldiers. His 
  great festival is held at the city of Pryjarna.
  Sphere: Companionship, Life, Truth, 
  Miracles: Daybright, Sacred Band
  Gomorg
  Gomorg has first claim to the souls of Tarsenians when they die. 
  While his minions guide a departed soul to whatever destiny 
  awaits them in the Many Hells, Gomorg can collect and dispose 
  of those who have made no proper provision for the afterlife in 
  whatever way he sees fit. Gomorg is a god who is very posses-
  sive of his rights and privileges, among which is entitlement to 
  lost souls. Gomorg’s devotees are often undertakers by trade but 
  he can also count amongst them necromancers and murderers, 
  and condemned criminals are executed under his auspices. The 
  Necropoleis in which the Tarsenians inter their dead usually 
  have a small temple in his name at their heart. 
  Sphere: Afterlife, Death and Burial
  Miracles: Dismiss Ghost
  Hamath
  Hamath is the champion of the poor but because the Empire 
  supports its citizens who have fallen upon hard times Hamath 
  is left with the care of the rootless, the oppressed, the enslaved 
  and the outlawed. Hence he is also a god of thieves. The ‘self 
  help’ groups which form under his patronage are notorious for 
  helping themselves to other peoples’ property. Hamath appears 
  either male or female, usually as a fat wealthy character in the 
  act of giving out donations.
  Sphere: Generosity, Liberty, Thievery
  Miracles: Backlash
  neW theist miRAcles
  Basat’s Daybright Miracle 
  Duration Special, Touch, Rank Initiate
  Daybright is similar to the Extension miracle but affects any 
  form of magic except Theist Miracles. The caster can extend the 
  Duration of any non-instant spells of his own casting up to a 
  combined magnitude of 1 per magnitude of the Daybright mir-
  acle. The spell can only be cast between sunrise and sunset and 
  lasts until sunset the same day and no longer. If the spell being 
  extended is an offensive spell, the target gets to resist that spell a 
  second time at the expiry of its original Duration.
  
  74
  The Taskan empire
  Basat’s Dismiss Ghost Miracle
  Instant, Ranged, Rank Initiate
  Dismiss Ghost banishes the spirits of the dead infesting the 
  physical world to the Many Hells where they belong. Spirits 
  with a POW of no more than three times the Intensity of the 
  Miracle are affected. A ghost gets no resistance roll, however 
  if it is bound by other magic the miracle must have a greater 
  magnitude than the binding to work. 
  Basat’s Lay to Rest Miracle
  Duration Permanent, Touch, Rank Initiate
  This miracle is as described in the RuneQuest rulebook, how-
  ever it is a specific rite used for the devotees of Basat on account 
  of the intact burials employed for members of his cult where 
  most Tarsenians practice cremation and hope for future resur-
  rection in the flesh. Lay to Rest guards against the greater risk 
  of tampering with the spirit of the deceased when remains lie 
  uncremated. Any attempt by a non-Basati to summon the spirit 
  of the deceased or otherwise tamper with the body or departed 
  spirit with magic must overcome the Magnitude of the Lay to 
  Rest Miracle to have any chance of success.
  Basat’s Restore Corpse Miracle 
  Touch, Duration Minutes, Rank Acolyte
  This miracle perfects an imperfect corpse, readying it for resur-
  rection. Any lurking diseases are neutralised, poisons and tox-
  ins are expelled, wounds healed and decomposition reversed. 
  Missing limbs are not restored, and the corpse must possess all 
  vital locations for this miracle to be worthwhile. Even a skeletal 
  corpse can be restored if the magic is powerful enough, how-
  ever it must retain its overall form and if the skeleton is also 
  destroyed through cremation or decomposition the miracle 
  will fail. The required magnitude is dependent on the state of 
  the corpse and the CON of the target when alive, however the 
  miracle is also limited to creatures of a SIZ no greater than 3x 
  the Magnitude:
  If this spell is cast as part of a ritual for the Resurrect or Sum-
  mon Ghost miracle, the Duration is deemed to last until such 
  time as the total ritual is complete. Once the Duration expires 
  the body begins to decompose again as normal if it has not been 
  brought back to life by having a spirit inhabit it.
  Basat’s Resurrect Miracle 
  Ritual, Touch, Rank Priest
  This miracle has the additional trait of Ritual and consequently 
  a casting time of a minimum 1 hour. The ritual needs to take 
  place in a space that is sanctified or consecrated, or in the pres-
  ence of an artefact or holy man. It can only be used on one of 
  Basat’s own devotees whose spirit is in, or en route to, the after-
  life provided for them by the god, and whose corpse is on hand 
  for revival. If the corpse being used is older than the one day 
  per Magnitude permitted by the spell, or in any case if it is in 
  poor condition, this can be overcome by the use of the Restore 
  Corpse miracle. If Resurrect is successfully cast, the deceased 
  returns to life and is expected thenceforward to serve the cult 
  community in some form. 
  An Excommunication spell immediately dispels and reverses 
  the resurrection, and if the target refuses to behave in a fitting 
  manner the priests are entitled to use it.
  Basat’s Summon Ghost Miracle
  Duration minutes, Resist (Willpower), Ritual Summons
  This rite must be deployed to resurrect someone who is not 
  a Basat devotee (hence whose spirit does not reside with the 
  God), or a Basat devotee whose spirit has not found its way 
  to its allotted place in the afterlife. The magician must have 
  the mortal remains to hand of whichever individual they are 
  summoning, and the target must have a POW no greater than 3 
  per Magnitude of the miracle.  If the spirit being summoned is 
  for some reason trapped in its current location the caster must 
  overcome the Magnitude of whatever entity or force is holding 
  it there. If the spirit itself is unwilling to be summoned, the roll 
  is opposed by the spirit’s Willpower.
  The spirit manifests in the corpse it is invited to repossess. An 
  unwilling ghost cannot be forced to remain there beyond the 
  spell’s duration without additional magic. It can now be Domi-
  nated using an appropriate spell (Dominate Human, Or Dom-
  inate Citizen as it is no longer technically a spirit or ghost) to 
  speak, answer the caster’s questions or perform some action, or 
  simply to stay put. A spirit that remains with a viable body after 
  Condition of the Corpse
  Required 
  Magnitude
  Fresh, recently dead or well preserved 
  through refrigeration or pickling, no 
  more than 1 Major and/or 3 Serious 
  Wounds or equivalent
  1 Per 3 CON of 
  deceased person or 
  creature
  Dismembered, decomposing with 
  significant loss of soft tissue, mummified 
  remains of any age
  1 Per 2 CON
  Fully decomposed skeletal, no remaining 
  soft tissue
  1 Per CON
  
  cults
  75
  the Duration of the Summons expires is permanently restored 
  to life.
  Basat’s Turn Undead Miracle
  Instant, Ranged, Resist (Willpower), Rank Acolyte
  Turn Undead sends out a blast of energy in an arc of 90˚ in 
  front of the caster that destroys the creations of necromancy. 
  It affects undead creatures in front of the caster in the order in 
  which the blast hits them – i.e. closest targets first. To destroy 
  a skeleton costs 1 Magnitude, a zombie 2, a wraith or ghoul 3, 
  a Vampire 5. Each creature attacked reduces the Magnitude by 
  this amount, whether or not it is destroyed. Magnitude in excess 
  of this amount passes on to the next target in line.
  Epiphany 
  Duration Special, Rank Acolyte
  For each of the Tarsenian gods there is a special Epiphany mira-
  cle, which is usually only used on the God’s annual High Holy 
  Day – which can vary from city to city even for the same divin-
  ity. Epiphany causes the deity to manifest, often by inhabiting 
  a cult statue, relic or even a worshipper for the Duration. The 
  Miracle is cast in a consecrated area but the purpose is usually 
  to make the god available to the people as a whole, so it should 
  take place in a big open public space, or the focus of the god’s 
  epiphany might be paraded around the city.
  The ability to learn this miracle is a Gift, only ever made avail-
  able to someone with a Devotion of no less than 71%; the local 
  authorities in each city or province will be keen to make sure 
  that the local cults can furnish an individual able and willing to 
  access the miracle in order to properly observe the god’s annual 
  festival. As a result, there is usually at least one cult honouring 
  each important local deity that has official recognition and sup-
  port and is expected to nurture individuals within their ranks 
  who meet this requirement. The Duration of the spell is 15 
  minutes per 10% of the caster’s Devotion and the actual epiph-
  any is the centre-piece of religious observances that can last for 
  several days. 
  Any state-level magics cast in the God’s presence will take their 
  proper effect and everyone else who actively participates and 
  offers up at least 50% of their Magic Points for the day and suc-
  ceeds in a Rites (own) roll, will benefit from the god’s Blessing.
  Such major rites usually take place at the god’s public temples, 
  however sometimes there is a more important Sacred Site or 
  temple outside of the city and everyone goes there instead. Cults 
  may acquire (through their members) the Call (specific deity) 
  Divine spell and call the god forth without state sanction or 
  public access. This is regarded as bad form, probably treasonous 
  and is a politically dangerous thing to do.
  Hoonvel’s Conceal Crops Miracle
  Duration (1 Day); Rank Initiate, Touch, Area (1 Hectare)
  This Miracle hides crops from would-be pillagers. The crops 
  are literally swallowed up by the earth and removed from sight. 
  A field, orchard or similar of 1 Hectare can be affected per 
  Magnitude. 
  This miracle in its various versions came to prominence during 
  the Wars of Unification. In some places it is provided by a local 
  nature spirit or hero. It can be accessed by devotees of Hoonvel 
  who make the pilgrimage to his sacred site at Ushaya, a hill-
  town in the territory of Merat that was a famous place of refuge 
  during the wars. 
  Reports exist of a Thennalt version of this spell in which the 
  crops continue to grow beneath the soil until they ripen, but 
  are not returned to the sunlight until the caster is dead. This 
  can allow a man to go to war out of season, leaving his crops in 
  stasis beneath the soil to be revealed to his family upon his death 
  – but potentially requires the caster make a human sacrifice of 
  himself to properly serve his community.
  Hoonvel’s Fattening
  Duration Special, Rank Initiate, Touch
  This miracle accelerates the growth of a domesticated INS-driv-
  enanimal to make it ready for instant use, usually to slaughter 
  for meat. The effect is achieved during the course of the mira-
  cle’s 15 minutes duration, and is permanent. For every point of 
  magnitude the animal gains 10% in weight, however it cannot 
  exceed the maximum SIZ characteristic for the species.
  An alternative version of this miracle has the target creature sim-
  ply rapidly gain age, at a rate of one month per magnitude, until 
  such time as it reaches its full rolled SIZ score. The creature 
  retains its current condition – hence if this spell is cast on an 
  immature but well fed and healthy beast the result will be an 
  older, larger, healthy specimen.
  Hoonvel’s Turn Earth Miracle
  Duration Special, Rank Acolyte
  This miracle summons one or more gnomes for the sole pur-
  pose of ploughing the earth. One Hectare per Magnitude of the 
  spell can be ploughed in the course of a single day. The caster 
  must mark out the area to be affected, and the means of doing 
  so may vary from place to place. Common approaches include 
  placing boundary markers, making a circuit of leather strips, or 
  
  76
  The Taskan empire
  simply ploughing a furrow the hard way with a team of oxen 
  that encompasses the desired area of affect.
  Jekkara’s Moonbright miracle
  Duration Special, Touch, Rank Initiate
  Moonbright is used as an extension spell, affecting any form of 
  magic except Theist miracles. The caster can extend the Dura-
  tion of any non-instant spells of her own casting up to a com-
  bined Magnitude of 1 per magnitude of the Moonbright spell. 
  The spell can only be cast between sunset and sunrise and lasts 
  until sunrise the same night and no longer. If the spell being 
  extended is an offensive spell, the target gets to resist that spell a 
  second time at the expiry of its original Duration.
  Kait’s Bless Barley Miracle
  Duration Special, Touch, Rank Initiate
  This miracle is used to bless barley after it has been harvested. 
  Each point of Magnitude blesses one large sack (10 ENC) of 
  barley so that it has premium qualities. Blessed Barley is more 
  highly prized and nutritious than wheat and the well-to-do 
  insist that both bread and beer are made from it. If used on seed 
  corn the miracle ensures the seeds have the very best chance of 
  landing in a good spot when sown, of germinating and putting 
  down good roots. As a result it takes only 10 pecks of Blessed 
  Seed to sow a Hectare of land – half the amount of normal seed 
  required.
  Blessed Barley is sold at no less than three times the going rate 
  for regular barley.
  Machank’s Seal Wound Miracle
  Duration Minutes, Touch, Rank Initiate
  The devotee uses this miracle to bless a weapon. For the Dura-
  tion the weapon inflicts damage that cannot be healed by Sor-
  cery or Folk Magic.
  Sumis’ Blast Crops Miracle
  Duration Special, Touch, Area (Square KM), Rank Initiate
  This miracle has the opposite effect to the standard spell Bless 
  Crops. It affects a number of square kilometers equal to the 
  Magnitude of the spell. The target area will be infested with 
  creatures that root out seed corn from the ground and the field 
  itself will be choked with weeds that force out all crops planted 
  by man. Blast Crops and Bless Crops cancel each other out. 
  Each instance of this spell known by a worshipper can be used 
  once per year.
  Tarsen’s Covenant Miracle 
  Duration Special, Enchantment, Rank Initiate
  A Covenant miracle is used to enforce a promise made. The tar-
  get is the individual making the pledge, who must be a willing 
  participant in the process, however begrudgingly. 
  A covenant can be any oath or promise agreed between caster 
  and target. The target speaks or reads aloud the oath that this 
  spell will enforce, and the caster provides the spell, or spells, that 
  will afflict the target should he break his promise. These spells 
  can be of any kind and are fuelled by a ‘devotional pool’ spe-
  cifically created for the Covenant. The target must agree to the 
  number of Magic Points he has to allocate as part of his willing 
  submission to the spell. The caster may have a ‘witness’ present 
  to provide the spells if he desires. The caster or his witness may 
  manipulate any sorcery spells he applies when the covenant is 
  established within his normal limitations. The spells are fuelled 
  by the magic points dedicated to the covenant by the target. 
  No Resistance roll nor any form of counter-magic can defend 
  against the punishment meted out by a broken Covenant.
  The Covenant lasts until any limiting conditions placed upon 
  it are met or the penalty is triggered, but in any event expires 
  after a year and a day. The only way to extricate oneself from a 
  Covenant spell is through expiry, divine intervention or satis-
  faction of its terms and conditions. If the oath expires naturally 
  the spell target recovers the Magic Points they dedicated to it. 
  Tarsen’s Tongues Miracle
  Duration Minutes, Touch, Rank Initiate
  The target of this Miracle can be understood by others as if he 
  were speaking their native language. For each point of Magni-
  tude the caster can nominate one language in which listeners 
  will be able to understand the recipient’s speech. An unwilling 
  recipient may resist the spell using Willpower.
  Tarsen’s Truespeak Miracle 
  Duration Minutes, Touch, Resist (Willpower), Rank Priest
  Truespeak renders the target of the miracle unable to tell a lie. 
  The target can of course say nothing at all, or carefully choose 
  their words. Note that Taskan citizens may not, by law, be sub-
  jected to this magic for the purpose of giving evidence in court 
  except under the auspices of an Inquisitor.
  
  cults
  77
  types of cult
  Many cults are simply the religious aspect of a community that 
  a character already belongs to, whether this is their family, mili-
  tary unit, guild or neighbourhood. In these cases membership is 
  automatic, there is little or no hierarchy and the purpose of the 
  cult is simply to come together for acts of worship. These infor-
  mal cults, which usually involve no theist magic, are known as 
  Congregations. 
  More formal cult structures are set up in order to make sure that 
  a god’s annual festival will be properly observed, or to maintain 
  a sacred site or guard a sacred artefact. Some of these cults have 
  been in existence for many generations and have established 
  rules and hierarchies involving initiations and cult ranks as well 
  as being able to offer easier access to Theistic miracles than a 
  private citizen can secure for themselves through acts of devo-
  tion and pilgrimage. If a cult receives state support it will almost 
  certainly have a public temple or sacred site to look after and 
  will gain some influence, if not direct control, over any local 
  congregations that worship the same deity.
  Congregations (Folk 
  Magic Cults)
  These cults are mostly for the benefit of, and run by, the lay 
  worshippers. The required rituals to conduct ordinary worship 
  services are Folk Magic spells, and so even a lay worshipper 
  might know them. Alternatively there are professional clerics 
  available for hire who can be called in to conduct a service for 
  the cult on a daily or hourly rate.  Congregations usually do 
  not have ranks of acolytes and priests. Individual members may 
  become devotees of their favourite deity, able to call upon mir-
  acles or even be granted divine Gifts, and while this may earn 
  them the respect and admiration of their peers it does not nec-
  essarily grant them higher rank. Nevertheless this is regarded as 
  an admirable purpose in itself, and a community cult usually 
  trues to offer whatever material support they can to devotees 
  and pilgrims in keeping with their means.
  Congregations exist to serve a particular locality or an identifi-
  able community who live in it, such as members of a particular 
  profession, family or ethnic group. The community that a cult 
  serves may be as small as a city block, a trade guild or rural ham-
  let, or as large as a city quarter or township. Community Cults 
  constitute the greatest proportion of cults to be found within 
  the Empire and often act as ‘feeder cults’ to more formal Public 
  Cults that take overall responsibility for ensuring that the key 
  deities are properly honoured.
  Membership
  Anyone who is an active member of the community from which 
  the congregation is drawn is usually welcome to participate. 
  There is no initiation required. Worshippers will be expected to 
  make small voluntary donations of money or time in keeping 
  with their means. Often the hierarchy is simply assumed from 
  the community in which the cult maintains its roots, so that a 
  family head, a guild master or an army officer will lead their 
  dependents or co-workers or soldiers in worship. 
  Devotees
  Congregations will usually support a member who wants to 
  set about becoming the god’s devote. Devotees may in return 
  consider it their duty to volunteer more of their own time and 
  resources to support the cult in return. 
  Objects of Worship
  Congregations can be established to worship any of the pan-
  theon of Tarsenian gods, and sometimes a selected group of up 
  to 6 deities. They often have a charitable purpose, doing their 
  bit to contribute money and time to the annual festivals in hon-
  our of the god and providing support to those who intend to 
  use the festival for an act of devotion.
  Worship
  Congregation members contribute time or resources to the care 
  of any local shrines or temples and typically meet for worship 
  a minimum of once per season and sometimes as often as 2–3 
  times per month. Their places of worship may be an open air 
  shrine in the street, someone’s house or yard or a meeting hall 
  hired for the occasion.
  Benefits
  Membership of a congregation typically benefit from camara-
  derie and moral support, perhaps reflected in acquiring Con-
  tacts and Allies that may be of use in play. A common way of 
  supporting a cult member is in providing funds or logistical 
  help for a pilgrimage, or ensuring a worshipper has the right 
  ritual clothing and equipment to make their act of devotion at 
  a festival. If a player character wants to get the backing of his 
  community for an act of religious devotion, an Influence roll 
  should be made to persuade fellow members or congregation 
  leaders to provide help in money or kind.
  Folk Magic
  Congregations always teach the Blessing, may have knowledge 
  of a further 1d6 folk magic spells including the key Worship 
  
  78
  The Taskan empire
  ritual and other Folk Magic spells appropriate to their purpose 
  and membership. Many communities maintain a grimoire con-
  taining the required knowledge or have them inscribed in stone 
  or bronze and set up in public spaces, or perhaps on the God’s 
  shrine itself.
  These spells may be freely available to all members who will 
  take the time to learn.
  Skills
  A congregation will offer free instruction in Taskan Rites but 
  does not normally offer any other training or magic, except in 
  as much as they may be fully integrated into a professional asso-
  ciation that does. The congregation may assist a prospective pil-
  grim by securing training or instruction in skills and knowledge 
  required for their journey. 
  Theist Cults
  There are organized cult structures through which a worship-
  per’s devotion to a Taskan deity can be channelled and ready 
  access to miracles and gifts acquired. These cults can be divided 
  into Public Cults, which benefit from state support and recog-
  nition, and Mystery Cults, which are private, sometimes even 
  secret organisations.
  Public Cults
  Public cults are mostly specific to individual cities and provinces 
  in the Empire and are those that are supported and encouraged 
  by the local Emperor-cult administration. In order to receive 
  such support they must first be endorsed by the local Flaman, 
  a priest in service to Tarsen the deified founder who acts as the 
  regulator of religious affairs. In the provinces local non-Taskan 
  cults may also benefit from state support, maintaining ancient 
  tradition under imperial patronage.
  Every city has a board of priests – between five and ten in num-
  ber - who are experts in religious matters and devotees of Tarsen, 
  able to access the consecrate and Extension miracles which are 
  essential to establish and maintain a public temple, which it is 
  then up to the cult to manage. However once a temple has been 
  in existence for some time and has been the site of an epiph-
  any it acquires a sacred character of its own, and their work is 
  done unless some disaster occurs which requires the temple be 
  reconstituted. 
  Public cults are entrusted with the maintenance of key religious 
  sites or artefacts and proper orchestration and performance of 
  ritual when a deity is summoned to receive worship in person at 
  his annual public festival. A public cult has overall responsibil-
  ity for the upkeep and management of a god’s public temples. 
  Many of their members are devotee-initiates, there are priest 
  and sometimes acolyte rank members, and theist magic is avail-
  able. The most famous and powerful public cult is the cult of 
  Thesh at Taskay, which not only provides the head priest of 
  the local Emperor-cult but also maintains its own military wing 
  that forms the elite nucleus of the Taskan army.
  Membership
  Those who participate in a Congregation which has an associa-
  tion with a theist cult are considered its lay members, as are cult 
  employees who are also expected to turn up to religious services. 
  A prospective initiate in a public cult must be a locally regis-
  tered citizen of good standing with at least a couple of years’ 
  membership of a congregation associated with the cult. In some 
  cases it is expected they have already made their devotions to 
  the god prior to initiation. The cult’s leader must be someone of 
  status who can manage the relationship with the Emperor-cult 
  and manage the wider public image and influence of the cult. 
  Very often this leader will be a priest of the local Emperor-cult 
  anyway.
  Objects of Worship
  A city or diocese maintains a public cult for every deity for 
  whom they hold a public festival in which the god is invited to 
  make an epiphany. For example in Zarina there are public cults 
  to Tethis, Gomorg, Hoonvel, Tarsen, Samanse and (at a sacred 
  site some distance from the city), Sumis. 
  Worship
  The elite cadre of initiates in a public cult meets for private 
  worship at least once per month. They do not hold open rites 
  of worship that anyone lay worshippers can attend except for 
  the annual public festival. The whole existence of their cult is, 
  however, geared towards the successful management of the fes-
  tival, when the god is called to make an epiphany and taken out 
  of the temple to move among the city crowds so that they can 
  make their acts of devotion or seek the god’s blessing. 
  Benefits 
  Members of a public cult have access to the means to dedicate 
  Magic Points to their devotional pool or to replenish points 
  used. This is a resource that the cult can use to make member-
  ship a privilege and enforce the rules and behaviours on cult 
  members.
  Public cults encourage their initiates to build up their Devo-
  tion and Exhort skills. They also encourage initiates to learn 
  
  cults
  79
  Miracles and accept Gifts where appropriate but often impose 
  rules on which cult ranks  are enititled to access what magi-
  cal privileges. The god itself may be indifferent to these rules; 
  they are simply designed to create a sense of order and hierarchy 
  within the cult itself.
  A public cult expects its initiate members to be aware of the 
  responsibilities of membership and allocate much of their free 
  time to the organisation and certainly not to take on other cul-
  tic obligations if they might impinge upon the time they can 
  devote to cult business. The initiate’s Devotion score should be 
  kept higher than for any other deity.
  Obligations and Compulsions
  Being an initiate in a public cult brings with it significant obli-
  gations. The initiate is regarded as fully engaged with the cult’s 
  business, maintaining the temple and so forth. However it is 
  common for better-off initiates who have private business to 
  attend to, and even for priests, to instead provide funds for the 
  cult’s coffers. The normal form is that the initiate pays over 
  funds equivalent to his own cost of living for the time he wants 
  to reserve for private business. These arrangements are conve-
  nient for both sides, but in no way release the initiate from their 
  formal duties connected to major religious rites and festivals.
  Mystery Cults
  Mystery cults are a tradition independent of Tarsen’s arrange-
  ments of the Tarsenian Pantheon. Some are very ancient, 
  pre-dating Tarsen’s ministry. Others are more recent, sprung up 
  in response to a specific esoteric need or opportunity. The more 
  recent the foundation, the more they may attract suspicion 
  from the official quarters and the wider public. 
  Mystery cults are unusual in that they embody a particular 
  understanding of a deity into the way they worship. Step-by-
  step the worshipper gains a greater understanding of the god’s 
  role in the universe, sometimes by living a life informed by the 
  cult’s principles, sometimes by the revelation of secret meaning 
  in stories told about the god. Mystery cults are usually created 
  around a particular sacred site, artefact or a holy man and are 
  often outside of state control. 
  A mystery cult will teach a unique Exhort skill, which must be 
  used instead of the Exhort (Tarsenian Gods) skill devised by 
  Tarsen.
  Membership
  Mystery Cults are usually open to non-citizens and foreigners. 
  They often proselytize, both looking for converts and sending 
  senior members out to found offshoots of the cult in distant 
  places, however they almost always try to sell themselves by cre-
  ating scarcity and stressing how difficult it is to be admitted as 
  an initiate. 
  Lay members of a mystery cult are essentially preparing them-
  selves for initiation. These cults prefer candidates who have not 
  yet acquired miracles as a lay devotee so that their bond is made 
  through the auspices of the cult. 
  They sometimes have the most elaborate hierarchies in which 
  even the normal cult ranks of initiate, acolyte and priest are 
  divided into sub-groups reflecting variations in cult role or 
  status. 
  Objects of Worship
  The cult of Zygas Taga, the divine emperor, is a mystery cult – so 
  too is that of Basat. Both however have become central pillars of 
  the establishment. Cults are known, or rumoured to exist, that 
  worship obscure deities that Tarsen did not know of or encoun-
  ter, as well as foreign gods such as Shomat, Haliset and Tolat. 
  There are also a few survivals of cults that preserve ancient, pre-
  Tarsen modes of worship even of the standard Tarsenian gods. 
  In such cases there must be a reason for the survival – perhaps 
  guardianship of some sacred site or artefact, or some important 
  miracle that is only available through the ancient cult.
  Worship
  The most obvious difference to normal worship is their ten-
  dency to hold the most important rituals in secret and take great 
  pains to ensure that the profane have no idea what they are 
  up to. In some cases this can be the cause of suspicion, and in 
  some cases the suspicion is merited. The secrecy can even apply 
  within the cult, so that members are not allowed to witness the 
  rites conducted by those of more senior rank.
  Mystery cults sometimes encourage pilgrimage, especially for-
  eign cults that urge their members to go to visit their land of 
  origin. 
  Benefits
  Mystery Cults offer the normal benefits of theist magic, but in 
  addition might offer exotic sorcery and other foreign magic or 
  unique divine gifts. Like a public cult, a mystery cult prom-
  ises access to the god that is regularly available rather than 
  dependent on annual religious festivals or pilgrimages, and a 
  more complete set of Miracles possibly including some that are 
  unique to the cult.  
  
  80
  The Taskan empire
  Obligations and Compulsions
  A cult may impose some strict rules upon its members that they 
  should adhere to in day-to-day behavior, possibly to include 
  taboos and geasa. Sometimes rules do not have magical rewards 
  and punishments associated with them – they are devised and 
  imposed by the cult hierarchy rather than by the god and influ-
  ence the initiate’s standing within the cult and their chances of 
  promotion. 
  Clandestine Mystery Cults
  On the whole mystery cults are recognised as important and 
  relevant parts of the  Taskan society. There are exceptions – cults 
  that have been caught calling up deities in private, entertain-
  ing dangerous ideas and agitating about them, or pursuing 
  socially unhealthy goals in company with socially unacceptable 
  daemons have often been proscribed. Proscription may not be 
  effective; sometimes the effect is to drive the cult underground. 
  Persisting with worship the state disapproves of, and in partic-
  ular calling upon a deity to make an epiphany in private, is 
  definitely treasonous.
  Funeral Clubs
  Funeral clubs are a pervasive feature of Tarsenian culture, and a 
  sort of congregation cult comprising anything from a handful 
  of members to several hundreds. They are based on the sim-
  ple pledge to ensure that each member gets a proper funeral 
  in line with their expectations, a proper place for their ashes 
  to be interred – usually in a communal plot or mausoleum 
  maintained by the club– and continue to be commemorated 
  in the future. A typical funeral club meets at least annually to 
  ensure that a full remembrance ceremony is conducted for all 
  deceased members. There is usually an associated general meet-
  ing at which officers of the club (if any) give an account of 
  their actions and new candidates put themselves up for election. 
  Given the purpose of the clubs, many of them have a legal func-
  tion as guardians not only of their members’ funeral require-
  ments but also of their wills. It is quite common for officers of 
  a deceased person’s funeral club to be named as executors and 
  even for the club to be the beneficiary of an estate if there are no 
  loved ones left to pass it on to. 
  Membership
  Funeral clubs are often formed amongst co-workers, veterans’ 
  groups or extended families. If an character wishes to join a club 
  and they fit the profile of its members and can pay their dues, 
  acceptance should be more or less automatic. There is a small 
  fee to join, which goes towards the club’s running costs and the 
  character must also provide a sum of money to be banked by the 
  club to cover the cost of the funeral they have specified. Only in 
  the case of those clubs with a selective membership should the 
  Games Master call for an Influence test to gain entry, adjusting 
  the roll in accordance with the club’s exclusivity. A minimum 
  Social Class may apply in some cases, backed up with a require-
  ment for higher fees to be paid and an assumption of funeral 
  rites that are a cut above the norm. There is an upper limit 
  – the Emperor has decreed a cap of 5,000 Taskeens on funeral 
  expenditure. The minimum outlay for a traditional Tarsenian 
  cremation ceremony should be:
  Those who do not practise cremation – foreign residents and 
  Basat cultists in particular – often have their own funeral clubs 
  intended to ensure their particular non-standard funerary needs 
  are properly respected. For example those of Sheng stock are 
  often keen that their tattooed skin is properly preserved in order 
  that their clan magics be available to them in death as in life. 
  Basatis are simply concerned with ensuring that their body is 
  not inadvertently cremated and their hope of resurrection in 
  the flesh foiled. They tend to have separate cemeteries in order 
  to accommodate the intact inhumations that their tradition 
  requires and these are usually situated a little way from the tra-
  ditional necropolis.
  Ransoms and Insurance
  Some clubs go a little further than managing funeral arrange-
  ments. It is common to extend the mutual funeral obligations 
  to other things such as ransoms. A ransom is a sum made avail-
  able to secure the freedom of a member if he or she should fall 
  into captivity. A member captured by a bandit, for example, can 
  offer ransom in return for their release; captured soldiers can use 
  it to ensure they are kept as prisoners of war for future exchange 
  rather than immediately killed or enslaved. If the ransom offer 
  is accepted, the association will arrange for the exchange. In 
  these instances the captors have to go to the trouble of contact-
  ing the society and asking for the payment.
  Expense
  Cost in Taskeens
  Preparation of the Corpse
  5t
  Funeral bier, offerings etc
  3t
  Simple cremation urn
  2t
  Fuel for the pyre
  2t
  Professional mourners (each)
  2t
  Officiating Priest
  10t
  Feast for club members
  20t
  Total
  44t
  
  cults
  81
  Fixing a Ransom
  A character’s ransom value is based on what funds they can 
  access as ready cash in times of need; however funeral clubs 
  often run a form of mutual insurance – since ransom situations 
  are rare, those members who wish to be covered by a ransom 
  policy will each entrust a sum to the club in line with what they 
  can afford. The club’s officers will, depending on their rules and 
  policies and the availability of funds, honour ransom demands 
  of up to five times the amount deposited and handle all the 
  associated negotiations and administration. The rules of the 
  club will dictate whether the club can decide to attempt rescue 
  rather than ransom but this is really only an option where larger 
  sums of money are involved and the cost of hiring and outfit-
  ting a posse is substantially less than the cost of paying ransom. 
  Rescue attempts in foreign lands are particularly unusual.
  Buying Freedom
  Other policies are available in the right clubs. For example, if the 
  society becomes aware that a member has fallen into slavery in 
  a foreign land, they may also seek out the unfortunate member 
  and attempt to negotiate his or her release. The member’s ran-
  som value, less costs, is made available as funds with which to 
  purchase their freedom, usually at a premium on market value. 
  sAmple cults
  Taskan Emperor Worship
  Zygas Taga is worshipped at temples in every major city of the 
  Empire. The rites of emperor worship unite the Empire and all 
  who participate are counted among its citizens, deserving of the 
  Emperor’s protection, whatever their race or nationality. 
  Every city and province is constituted as a diocese and has its 
  own college of priests who not only see to the proper obser-
  vance of rites and festivals honouring the deified Emperor but 
  also form the local government administration. Each college is 
  chaired by a chief priest termed an Exarch, usually an accom-
  plished sorcerer, who controls the magical means of communi-
  cating directly with the Emperor. The patriarch of the cult is 
  the Iron Simulacrum. In attendance upon him are a college of 
  priests who general the Taskan army and are known as the Iron 
  Companions. The College of the Iron Companions has as its 
  diocese the Taskan army and its members take precedence over 
  those of all other colleges.  
  The cult hierarchy is also responsible for ensuring that the tra-
  ditional gods receive their proper worship by seeing that the 
  major festivals are observed and temples maintained – and 
  many Emperor-cult priests are also devotees of these other gods. 
  Since the Emperor became husband of the Jekkarene goddess 
  there has been a separate cult of Zygas Taga in the Jekkarid, 
  which stresses his personal feats as a hero, warrior and ruler of 
  men. The devotees of this sub-cult are a military caste of aris-
  tocrats, for whom virtue lies in emulation of Zygas’ life before 
  his apotheosis.
  Public worship is only ever held in the vicinity of consecrated 
  temples and during the Emperor Days, two intercalated days at 
  the end of Winter that end one year and begin the next. At these 
  events new citizens are enrolled and the citizenry are expected to 
  put their Magic Points at the Emperor’s disposal. Only the Iron 
  Simulacrum leads public worship ceremonies outside of this 
  sacred time, having both a portable consecrated temple and, in 
  his own person, a direct channel to the Emperor.    
  Membership
  All those born of citizen parents are expected to become lay 
  worshippers and thereby citizens of the Empire as soon as they 
  come of age. As for outsiders, although individuals often join, 
  most new adherents come via the submission of whole commu-
  nities to Taskan rule; the alternatives for a conquered people are 
  often undesirable. There is technically no slavery in the Taskan 
  Empire so if a slave arrives from abroad, either as a fugitive or 
  accompanying his owner, and takes sanctuary at a Zygas Taga 
  temple, he can secure his freedom by asking for citizenship. Tas-
  kan law will uphold the former slave’s claim to freedom against 
  the slave’s former master.
  To become and citizen requires only that the candidate be freely 
  ‘willing’ to make the required dedication of one Magic Point. 
  The supplicant gains the Passion Loyalty (Emperor), at the fol-
  lowing level:
   
  ◐ Offspring of citizen parents at coming of age: 
  30+POW+INT
   
  ◐ Foreigners seeking citizenship: 30+INT
   
  ◐ Subjected peoples forced to become citizens: INT
   
  ◐ Slaves 
  seeking 
  freedom 
  through 
  citizenship: 
  30+POW+CHA
  This Passion acts in all ways as a Devotion skill at such time as 
  the character achieves higher rank in the cult where he can also 
  access Miracles. 
  The examining priest will most likely also exact a tribute of 
  about 10 Taskeens in money or kind, or as much as he thinks 
  
  82
  The Taskan empire
  the supplicant can afford to cover the paperwork involved in 
  enrolling a new citizen. Some familiarity with the Tarsenian 
  language is usually expected but this is frequently waived in the 
  case of a mass initiation of conquered foreigners.
  Benefits
  The worshipper’s benefits are the privileges of citizenship and 
  his responsibilities are the obligations of a citizen. The ordinary 
  citizen-initiate receives the Emperor’s protection and full rights, 
  whatever his social station, under the Taskan legal system, and 
  is expected to nurture the Loyalty (Emperor) passion for which 
  training is free. Because the Emperor is a living being in the 
  material world, this passion and the Devotion skill are in his 
  case one and the same. No other skills are taught by the cult and 
  none are proscribed. Citizens are not taught any magic by the 
  cult but may learn any magic from other sources, so long as they 
  are not discovered using it for ends that could be considered 
  dangerous or treasonous.   
  Obligations
  A citizen must never act against the interests of the Empire and 
  should always report any threats to the state to his priests. He 
  can be called upon at any time to undertake some service to the 
  state, in keeping with his abilities. The most usual service that is 
  called for is enrolment in the militia but sometimes the govern-
  ment needs to conscript citizens for corvee labour. 
  The Price of Treason
  A failure to observe the cult’s rules can potentially be regarded 
  as treason. Not all acts of treason are punished with hideous tor-
  ture and death. Some just warrant a period of exile, and others 
  little more than a form of re-education and penance resulting in 
  an increase of the culprit’s Loyalty (Emperor) score. 
  Irrespective of whether the Inquisitor finds and punishes you, 
  getting involved in a treasonous plot can have a negative effect 
  on a citizen’s Loyalty (Emperor) score. If this drops to zero with-
  out the intervention of an Excommunication spell (so simply 
  through character actions and choice), the character concerned 
  is considered an Apostate. Apostasy is a treasonous act, and the 
  Inquisitors will busy themselves in otherwise quiet times round-
  ing up such people.
  The actual circumstances and severity of an act of treason will 
  affect the penalties inflicted; use the Treason Table as a guide.
  Penalties 
  An Inquisitor working in the field can usually decide the fate 
  of those he investigates and finds guilty on his own authority. 
  Of course when the object of his investigations is someone of 
  importance and influence, or who enjoys popularity, and in 
  particular when that person holds a more senior rank in the 
  Emperor cult than the Inquisitor himself, there will need to be 
  wider consultation on the matter and politics will play a signif-
  icant part in the outcome. In general, the Inquisitor can be so 
  lenient as to demand an act of contrition or penance resulting 
  in an increase in the traitor’s Loyalty (Emperor) score. However 
  if that is all there is to show for an investigation it suggests that 
  the Inquisitor has been wasting his time with trifles. Most likely 
  such trivial punishments are reserved for those tainted by asso-
  ciation with the true traitor. For such a person, the following 
  punishments are available. 
  Excommunication: A Miracle is used to remove the accused’s 
  connection with the Emperor by severing their connection to the 
  Emperor, and thereby strips them of citizenship. This can have 
  a serious impact on the effects of other forms of punishment.
  An Inquisitor can temporarily suspend the target’s citizenship 
  with this spell in order that he may apply means of interro-
  gation from which is a citizen is protected by law. The spell 
  duration is measured in minutes and can be increased using 
  Extension. An Iron Companion or an Exarch can cast a perma-
  nent Excommunication miracle. 
  Execution: Someone found guilty of Treason and condemned 
  to execution is generally excommunicated first, thus denied any 
  public scrutiny of their fate, and then done away with. The kill-
  ing may be done in private and the body returned to the family 
  for funeral rites, or may be very public, with the victim’s body 
  dragged through the street on hooks, suspended in a cage in a 
  public place or dumped in a river or rubbish heap. There is no 
  set means of execution and disposal where treason is concerned 
  - it is up to the judgement (or whim) of the Inquisitor. 
  Exile: Exile comes in two forms. The lenient kind comes with-
  out Excommunication and simply forces the target to stay away 
  from home, thereby suffering significant inconvenience, but 
  usually accommodates them somewhere in the Empire - per-
  haps one of the newer provinces. The harsher sort is a removal 
  of citizenship via Excommunication, and expulsion from the 
  Empire (sometimes this extends to protectorates as well, and 
  diplomatic treaties give teeth to the Taskan government to 
  ensure their allies enforce the expulsion notice).
  Proscription: A proscribed individual forfeits all of his property 
  to the state. If combined with Execution, it means the state is 
  the inheritor of the condemned man’s property and his family is 
  ruined. If combined with Excommunication, Proscription sub-
  jects its target to the absolute removal of protection under the 
  
  cults
  83
  law, so while the state takes his property, any other citizen may 
  take his life if he so chooses.
  Appeals
  A citizen being investigated by an Inquisitor has the right to 
  appeal to the Iron Simulacrum to intervene or directly judge 
  their case. The appellant needs to make their appeal before they 
  are excommunicated, as it is a call upon their deity for Divine 
  Intervention. 
  The Simulacrum is deemed to be a creature who exercises pure 
  reason, free of prejudice and personal motivation (although this 
  is not entirely true). Likewise his decisions in the realm of pun-
  ishment are considered ‘dispassionate’, which means they may 
  in fact be extremely brutal, should it be his view that the public 
  good is best served by making an example of the perpetrator.
  Initiate Membership
  Those who seek initiation into the Emperor cult are those who 
  seek a career in the Emperor’s service. This includes anyone who 
  wants to achieve officer rank in the army, or to stand for public 
  office in any of the Empire’s dioceses and provinces, and those 
  who want to be directly employed by the imperial administra-
  tion in some capacity that involves exercising state authority.
  A prospective initiate requires a Loyalty (Emperor) skill of 51% 
  or greater, but otherwise all that is required is some competence 
  in the skills of the roll he or she intends to pursue. 
  Initiates have no access to Miracles, nor are they taught any Folk 
  Magic or special skills.
  Acolyte Membership
  Acolytes of the Emperor-cult are devoted citizens who have 
  entered into a special relationship with the Emperor that will 
  last beyond death; instead of passing to one of the traditional 
  hells they will enter a state of limbo in which they will remain 
  until the Emperor ascends to heaven, at which point they will 
  become the first colonists and leading citizens of whatever after-
  life he manages to provide for his followers. In the meantime 
  Act
  Penalty
  Loyalty Loss
  Apostasy
  Immediate performance of an act guaranteed to increase the offender's Pact 
  score to a positive value. If this remedy is declined or failed, Exile.
  N/A
  Counterfeiting
  Assuming the counterfeiting is of official Taskan coinage, then Execution and 
  Proscription. It is not a crime of Treason to counterfeit foreign currency, how-
  ever this is open to civil lawsuits brought by defrauded customers. 
  3d6+6
  Divination
  Divination in respect of the fortunes of the Emperor and the Empire is strictly 
  prohibited. As it is the case that most people’s futures are in some way bound 
  up with these very things, Divination in general is frowned upon and its 
  practitioners frequently purged. Someone who employs a seer from Jelhai to 
  tell them about their love life prospects may get off lightly. In general however 
  Excommunication, Exile and Proscription may be deployed.
  Variable, from 1d6 to 4d6+6 
  depending on the nature of the 
  enquiry.
  Espionage
  Passing information to a potentially hostile power may be punished differ-
  ently according to how hostile the foreign power is and the level or type of 
  information passed. Excommunication, Proscription and Exile are all options, 
  as is Execution.
  Variable, from 1d6 up to 
  2d6+6 in times of peace and 
  perhaps as high as 5d6+6 in 
  times of war.
  Immortality
  Denial of Anagathics and/or Exile; division of property amongst heirs while 
  still living; Execution if any third party has been harmed or exploited in the 
  process (this may mean people who have been magically tapped, but includes 
  those denied an inheritance by the culprit's longevity if they bring a formal 
  complaint!); otherwise Exile and Proscription.
  1 Per Ageing Roll avoided. 
  Full immortality results in an 
  immediate 4d6+6. 
  Rebellion
  Execution and Proscription of the active offenders, Excommunication and 
  Exile of the passive members (the wider family and community) unless their 
  association with the act of Rebellion is such that the remedy for Apostasy may 
  be employed.
  3d6+6
  Tax Evasion
  Exile until the 1d4+1 x the sum evaded is paid. Proscription if the sum is not 
  paid.
  1d6+6
  Treason Table
  
  84
  The Taskan empire
  they provide cult spirits, serving the Emperor and the Empire 
  even in death. Acolytes, identified by a gold ring bearing the 
  Emperor’s seal, are ‘super-citizens’ who exist outside the normal 
  cult hierarchy and can, if seized for a crime, demand trial in 
  front of the Simulacrum himself. They may count themselves 
  as natives of any city of the Empire and participate in its public 
  life, irrespective of their place of birth. An Acolyte is effectively 
  always on duty, expected to undertake any mission emanating 
  from the Emperor or his regent at any time and carry out their 
  orders with the utmost diligence and determination. To be cho-
  sen as an Acolyte usually requires that the candidate has com-
  pleted a minimum of five years loyal service to the state in either 
  military or civilian capacity and distinguished himself through 
  some special service or deed. The Emperor does not like a large 
  number of Acolytes to be in existence at any one time – there 
  are a few dozen at most.
  Those who are considered worthy for this special role in the 
  Emperor’s service will be sent together with prospective priests 
  for instruction in the mysteries of the Emperor’s journey to god-
  hood, gaining the Exhort skill that they will use to request Mir-
  acles and dedicate Magic Points to a Devotional Pool.
  Acolytes are entitled to join the priesthood in communing with 
  the Emperor in the inner sanctum of a Zygas Taga temple, 
  enabling them to increase their dedications and gain access to 
  Miracles and Gifts. This can take place at any time the local 
  college of priests desires (usually on a fixed monthly basis with 
  additional sessions by arrangement), except during the Emperor 
  Days when the entire cult hierarchy is too busy dealing with 
  public matters. 
  Acolytes maintain their own, very exclusive, funeral club. When 
  one of their number dies they are cremated as is normal in 
  Tarsenian custom but their ashes are interred within the Zygas 
  Taga temple precincts rather than outside city limits in the com-
  munal necropolis. The Acolyte’s spirit is bound to their cinerary 
  urn with the condition that only a priest can command it and 
  that it will be released upon the Emperor’s ascension.
  Acolytes sometimes retire from service. From this point the 
  Acolyte can no longer replenish his Devotional Pool, nor learn 
  new Miracles or accept further Gifts. In the unlikely circum-
  stances that an Acolyte abandons Emperor-worship altogether 
  or is excommunicated, all access to Miracles is lost and Gifts 
  withdrawn.
  For any Acolyte the Influence skill is always one grade easier 
  when dealing with Taskan citizens. Acolytes are allied to, rather 
  than subject to, the priests of the cult, receiving their orders 
  from the Simulacrum and sometimes even from the Emperor 
  himself. The responsibilities of priesthood – carrying with it the 
  duties of public office – are usually too onerous to combine the 
  roles; however a lapsed or resigned Acolyte may find themselves 
  in the priesthood if they retain the Emperor’s good favour.
  Acolytes can be Inquisitors, Agents or Companions (soldiers). 
  Magic
  Acolytes can acquire the following Miracles: Absorption, Bind 
  Acolyte, Command Human, Command Salamander, Excom-
  munication*, Extension, Find Citizen, Find Enemy, Shield, 
  True (Weapon). Miracles are called upon using the Exhort 
  (Emperor) skill.
  *Excommunication is only available to Acolytes acting in the capac-
  ity of Inquisitor. 
  Boons
  Acolytes may acquire Zygas Taga’s divine ‘Gifts’, but these 
  are boons that are acquired by devoting Magic Points to the 
  Emperor. These Magic points are allocated from the Acolyte’s 
  devotional pool on a permanent basis and therefore reduce the 
  maximum points available for use in exhorting Miracles.   
  Mastery: For 1 Magic Point the Acolyte can increase a skill in 
  which they already have an ability of 50% or more to 90%, or 
  by 25%, whichever is greater. 
  Enhancement: In return for a dedication of 2 Magic Points 
  the Acolyte receives a Gift of an increase of 1d3 in a chosen 
  Characteristic. 
  In normal circumstances only one of each type of Gift will be 
  granted; however in exceptional circumstances, or in prepa-
  ration for exceptionally difficult or dangerous missions, addi-
  tional Gifts may be permitted.
  Inquisitors
  An Inquisitor is an acolyte who has been detailed to undertake 
  an Inquisition – that is, to investigate a suspected case of Trea-
  son. This horrible crime can take many forms from plotting 
  against the Empire or the Emperor, to indulging in forbidden 
  magics to do with divination or immortality. An Inquisitor is 
  usually appointed for the purpose of a specific investigation or 
  problem and is entitled to access the Excommunication mira-
  cle – not least because it has the effect of stripping an individ-
  ual of their citizenship and rendering them open to forms of 
  interrogation and punishment to which citizens are immune. 
  An Inquisitor has significant powers to requisition the resources 
  he needs to pursue his investigation with the upmost vigour 
  
  cults
  85
  and usually is supported by a small posse of clerks, guards and 
  experts.
  Agents
  An Agent is an acolyte tasked with furthering the interests of the 
  Empire in the border regions and provinces. While installed as 
  administrators or diplomats, their main purpose is to warn of, 
  or prevent, any possible incursion or threat. They usually have 
  access to significant funds in order to build networks of inform-
  ers or simply to buy off potentially hostile tribes. An Agent is 
  looked to for the last word in political advice on matters of secu-
  rity in their area. Agents usually have some military experience 
  and many of them raise small units of local followers to act as a 
  bodyguard. Excellent command of local languages in their area 
  of operations and understanding of local cultures are essential 
  to their effectiveness.
  Companions
  A Companion is a military member of acolyte rank – one of the 
  Emperor’s chosen men. These individuals are entrusted with the 
  most dangerous missions and form small cadres of between four 
  and six warriors willing to undertake daring ambushes, infil-
  trate enemy lines or assassinate enemy leaders. Older members 
  usually take command of an army regiment (a ‘Thousand’) and 
  if necessary will lead their men into battle from the front or 
  stand by them at the last ditch. These acolytes aspire to join the 
  ranks of the Iron Companions one day, should they survive long 
  enough to retire into such a comparatively sedentary life.
  Priesthood
  The priests of the Emperor-cult are the administrators and gov-
  ernors of the empire. In each province or district the priests are 
  organised into a college, which forms both civil and military 
  administration. For a new priest to be appointed there must be 
  a vacancy in the collegiate caused by the death or retirement 
  of a current member or the expansion of its number. A candi-
  date should have previous experience of serving in some public 
  capacity, for example as a judge, priest of a public cult or as 
  an elected magistrate; and must have at least 75% in Loyalty 
  (Emperor), and Influence and 50% in Literacy and Orate, as 
  well as 100% or more in some field of expertise useful to the 
  government. Individual colleges have their own preferences. In 
  Taskay high rank in the local cult of Thesh is a definite advan-
  tage, as is some connection to a family with old aristocratic 
  pedigree even though such people were removed from the auto-
  matic right to rule by Zygas Taga himself; while in Pryjarna 
  devotees of the god Basat are in the majority. 
  Skills
  A prospective priest will be given further instruction in Exhort 
  (Emperor) in preparation for their investiture. Subsequently 
  they have all the resources of state at their disposal, so should 
  they wish to have access to learning of any kind they have the 
  means to acquire it. However priests of the Emperor-cult are 
  very busy people and have precious little time to go to night 
  school. 
  Iron Companion Membership
  Iron Companions are a college of priests chosen by the Simu-
  lacrum himself. If a candidate is to become a member of the 
  Iron Companions an exemplary military record and experience 
  of high command (with a Command skill in excess of 75%) is 
  vital.
  Curule Membership
  The Curules are a college of 11 priests whose members are 
  denied the ability to be promoted either to the Exarchy or to the 
  Iron Companions. They are appointed for life and choose their 
  own chairman. The Curules include some of those who have 
  
  86
  The Taskan empire
  retired from other priestly roles within the cult and many of its 
  members are of quite advanced years. Its principal requirement 
  is a skill in excess of 75% in Exhort (emperor), but those with 
  significant sorcery skills are either excluded from membership 
  or required to take a vow setting their practise of the arts aside.
  High Priest (Exarch) Membership
  The high priest of a diocese is chosen personally by the Emperor, 
  whose preference is often for the most powerful sorcerer in the 
  college. Each high priest serves as Exarch (prime minister) – of 
  a diocese of the Empire. The Iron Simulacrum is Exarch of the 
  Army.
  Miracles
  In addition to those spells available to Acolytes, Zygas Taga’s 
  priests can access the following Miracles: 
  Bind Acolyte, Consecrate, Contact Emperor, Excommunication, 
  Power Sharing.
  Bind Acolyte
  Duration (Months), Touch, Rank variable, Resist (Willpower)
  This miracle binds an acolyte in the cult to service in death 
  as a ghost. The Duration applies to the period in which the 
  target’s spirit can be kept in reserve, dormant and bound to 
  the funerary urn in which his mortal remains are kept. Prior to 
  the expiry of the miracle the priest can transfer the binding to 
  another place and issue instructions for their duties. The bind-
  ing requires a suitably prepared object or structure to act as its 
  focus and if this is destroyed the spirit is released.
  Irrespective of the Duration of the miracle the acolyte must be 
  bound to his new service as a spirit prior to the Emperor Days 
  that mark the transition between one year and the next or the 
  spirit is released to finds its own way in the afterlife.
  Binding the acolyte to a new duty requires a successful Taskan 
  Rites roll; if the roll is failed it can be retried unless a fumble 
  occurs, or the miracle expires.
  The spirit-acolyte has the following ghostly abilities:
  Spirit Manifestation is the ability to appear to, interact with 
  or imprint upon a living creature. It has a starting percentage 
  equal to the acolyte’s Loyalty (Emperor) plus the Intensity of 
  the miracle
  Spectral Combat equal to the acolyte’s Willpower plus the Inten-
  sity of the miracle.
  The acolyte can assume one of the following powers:
  Haunt (Rank: Acolyte)
  The acolyte becomes a Haunt capable of defending an area in a 
  radius of POW meters from their point of binding. Its princi-
  pal means of attack is forcing an intruder into spirit combat to 
  dominantly possess the target. 
  Wraith (Rank: Priest)
  An acolyte may be detailed to behave as a Wraith, serving as a 
  supernatural guardian to a cult object or place and with a range 
  of action of POW meters from its point of binding.
  Guardian (Rank: High Priest)
  The acolyte is detailed to serve as the Guardian Spirit to a cult 
  official, shielding his charge from hostile spells and attacking 
  spirits
  Contact Emperor
  Duration (Minutes), Touch, Rank High Priest
  This miracle requires the use of a sacred mirror of beaten cop-
  per, which is hung in the inner sanctum of every Emperor-cult 
  temple. 
  The miracle gives the user a percentage chance of attracting the 
  Emperor’s attention, equal to his Loyalty (Emperor) score, and 
  if successful direct communication can take place. By speaking 
  to the image of the emperor seen in the mirror and listening to 
  his echoing voice that emanates from it. 
  Cult Sorcery
  The libraries of the Empire have a vast collection of magical 
  literature including many rare and unique spells and once you 
  reach the upper echelons of the Emperor-cult you have ready 
  access to them. Some of this sorcerous lore has been aggregated 
  and compiled for use by officers of the cult, presented in stan-
  dard form across a number of tomes. A single Invoke skill suf-
  fices for all. 
  The Blue Book is the standard Zygas Taga Priest’s Grimoire and 
  a copy typically contains the following spells:
  Banish, Dominate Citizen, Enchant, Mystic Vision, Neutralise 
  Magic, Protective Ward, Spell Resistance, Spirit Resistance, Trap 
  Soul (used under special circumstances)
  The Black Book is the standard Inquisitor’s Grimoire. It usually 
  contains the following Sorcery spells:
  
  cults
  87
  Abjure Mercy, Dominate Citizen, Imprison, Intuition, Mystic 
  Vision, Neutralise Magic, Project Hearing, Project Vision, Wrack 
  (burning) 
  The Red Book is the standard spell grimoire for Agents. It typ-
  ically contains the following Sorcery spells:
  Dominate Non-Citizen*, Enhance CHA, Intuition, Mark, Sense 
  (Assassin); 
  (*a variant of Dominate Human, not effective on Taskan citizens, nor on 
  non-humans, spirits etc)
  The Yellow Book is the standard spell grimoire made available 
  to Companions and typically contains the following spells:
  Abjure Rest; Damage Enhancement; Damage Resistance; Enhance 
  CON; Enhance DEX; Enhance STR; Treat Wounds
  The Cult of Tarsen 
  (Public Cult)
  Tarsen is the legendary father of the Tarsenian people and the 
  last human being known to have become a god before the 
  Emperor Zygas Taga. He is regarded as the founder of Tarsenian 
  civilisation and credited with the giving of laws and the inven-
  tion of trade through which men learn how to live together and 
  get what they need for to survive and to thrive without resorting 
  to violence. Most importantly he is the founder of Tarsenian 
  religion as it is now practiced; he decided which gods would 
  form the pantheon of gods worshipped by his people, and how 
  they would be worshipped. All these things have now become 
  the bedrock of Taskan society in the Imperial Age.
  Tarsen’s congregations are composed of praise singers and cler-
  gymen, scribes and scholars and, because Tarsen is the origin of 
  the traditional forms of contract under Taskan law, merchants 
  and traders. His formal cult however is only for those who wish 
  to steep themselves in the lore and customs of Taskan life and 
  adopt a way of life entirely dictated by concerns of religion and 
  ritual.
  Nature of the Cult
  Tarsen is worshipped through a public cult in every city of 
  Tarsenia except for Sorandib and Pryjarna. His priests are the 
  Flamens, charged with supervising customs, traditions and laws 
  and regulating religious affairs in their dioceses. As the more 
  recent laws and edicts of the divine emperor Zygas Taga take 
  precedence, Tarsen is invoked in support of the laws of custom; 
  that is, anything that has not been specifically legislated for by 
  the Emperor. His patronage over Tarsenian religion is absolute, 
  and only the emperor-cult is free of the authority and influence 
  of the Flamens.
  Tarsen’s priests lay the foundations for each new public temple 
  set up to one of the Taskan pantheon of gods. His Consecrate 
  miracle is used to dedicate a space to any of the deities in the 
  pantheon. 
  The cult’s authority rests upon the knowledge and expertise 
  of its personnel and so membership is highly selective. It also 
  assumes responsibility for the observation of taboo, the propi-
  tiation of hostile deities and the general religious wellbeing of 
  the community; consequently its members are subject to a great 
  many onerous ritual obligations, including idiosyncratic forms 
  of dress so that they are easily recognized in the streets.
  Organisation
  Tarsen’s temples are often tucked away in the shadows of some 
  greater public building. They are meeting places for the priests 
  and their initiates and not open to the wider public. Some of 
  them also hold extensive repositories of ancient texts, inscrip-
  tions and other artefacts relevant to researching the religious 
  traditions of the city and its people. It is widely believed they are 
  also places where artefacts relating to religious traditions consid-
  ered heretical or undesirable by the Flamens are kept away from 
  profane eyes.
  His most holy site is Tarsen’s tomb – which stands empty as a 
  consequence of his apotheosis – situated in Tarsang, the city 
  formerly known as Holasur, renamed for him in his lifetime. 
  An annual festival takes place there attracting pilgrims from all 
  across Tarsenia; however Tarsen does not make epiphanies and 
  lay worshippers attempt to call upon his blessings and make 
  their devotions at the tomb itself.
  The High Flamen of Tarsang is the cult’s most senior figure, 
  even though he does not have direct control over the cult’s 
  local hierarchies in other cities. His pronouncements on reli-
  gious matters and protocols affecting all Tarsenia are regarded as 
  authoritative and it is very difficult to contradict or contravene 
  them without invoking considerable censure.
  Since the creation of the Taskan Empire the cult of Tarsen has 
  been subordinate to the emperor-cult. While generally permit-
  ted to go about its business as it always has, some matters are 
  expected to be referred to the Emperor-cult for decisions or 
  approval, or so that an inquisitor may be sent to look into reli-
  gious irregularities discretely rather than it be left to the flamens 
  whose work is essentially conducted in public.
  
  88
  The Taskan empire
  Membership
  Tarsen’s cult tends to have only as many initiates as are required 
  to be in training for the priesthood.  The cult does not like to 
  recruit the young and inexperienced, and expects candidates to 
  be at least 25 years old. Women are eligible but required to dress 
  and deport themselves as men. A candidate for initiation should 
  have Devotion, Literacy and Locale skills at 50% or greater and 
  Custom and Rites skills at 60% or greater.
  Initiates
  Initiates are fully occupied by their cult duties. They are under-
  studies to the flamens, and required to fulfil both menial house-
  keeping tasks and ritual duties. They may be sent out to make 
  initial enquiries and produce reports if some matter of religious 
  concern is brought to the flamens’ attention. Some initiates find 
  themselves responsible for the maintenance of a propitiation 
  cult that keep some potentially menacing spirit of minor deity 
  in check. Many of them will never progress to the priesthood, as 
  each public cult maintains a fixed number of priests and vacan-
  cies usually arise only upon on the death of an incumbent. 
  Initiates receive free training in cult skills and Exhort. They 
  have access to the god’s miracles.  
  An initiate must observe taboos, the basic ones being to never 
  eat certain types of beans, to never touch a dog nor use one of 
  47 prohibited words in any communication. 
  Priest Rank: the Flamen
  To be elected or appointed to the ranks of the flamens requires 
  a character has considerable knowledge and expertise in the reli-
  gious sphere. This usually translates to knowledge of the cult 
  skills at a level of 75% or higher, however Customs and Rites are 
  expected to be at 90% or more. Sometimes the appointment is 
  highly political as the local firms of clergymen vie to ensure one 
  of their people sits on the college of flamens and so lends lustre 
  and authority to their business.
  Flamens see to the establishment of public temples and ensure 
  that they are properly prepared and equipped to hold the 
  annual festivals in which the gods are called upon to make their 
  epiphanies. 
  The flamens have the right to proscribe or promote local cults, 
  whatever god they worship (excepting of course the cult of the 
  Divine Emperor); proscription censures a cult and denies it 
  access to public temples or a role in public festivals. Promo-
  tion of a local cult does the opposite – grants privileged access 
  to places of worship, or some honourable role in organising or 
  conducting an annual festival. 
  High Flamen
  The High Flamen in each city usually also holds priestly rank 
  in the local Emperor cult, however the post is denied a vote on 
  key political matters and is not eligible to be appointed Exarch. 
  In reality, such are the taboos and geasa borne by men of High 
  Flamen rank that it is almost impossible for such a character to 
  successfully acquire and conduct public office.
  Skills
  The cult skills are Custom, Devotion, Exhort, Influence, Liter-
  acy, Locale, Rites
  Magic
  Tarsen’s initiates are able to access Folk Magic spells relevant to 
  their trade – including Sanctify and Worship (any deity).
  Tarsen’s miracles are Consecrate, Covenant, Extension, Invio-
  late, Propitiate, Tongues
  Tarsenian Propitiation Cults
  When Tarsen set about creating his pantheon many gods and 
  spirits were deliberately excluded or refused to participate. His 
  solution to how such deities would be dealt with was propi-
  tiation, and it fell upon local communities to ensure that the 
  necessary propitiation rites were maintained. These cults have 
  a very specific, and sometimes short term, purpose: to tackle 
  and contain a deity who is either hostile by nature or simply 
  prepared to use its power to make life unpleasant for mortals. 
  Rather than offer a set of benefits, the first thing a Propitiation 
  provides for is that the deity will do no harm.
  Tarsen’s Propitiation Miracle will work on most entities; how-
  ever it only forces the target into some kind of bargain, and the 
  bargain must continue to be upheld. This is the job of propitia-
  tion cults, which are in effect sub-cults of Tarsen’s.
  Membership
  Participation in a propitiation cult is usually obligatory, with 
  a specific congregation dedicated to the deified Tarsen also 
  tasked with the burden of maintaining the propitiation under 
  the supervision of a cult initiate. While the rules are laid out 
  by the flamen, the community at risk will who among them 
  must maintain a devotion to the cause. Usually the choice of 
  dedicators will be of a specific gender and age class, in order to 
  make sure it is not a lifelong commitment and people must take 
  their turn. 
  When the Propitiation rite is enacted the worshippers must 
  pledge to observe whatever other requirements the object of 
  
  cults
  89
  the cult demands in accordance with limitations laid down by 
  Tarsen or one of his later followers in a form of pact. This may 
  be a dedication of Magic Points, or of material sacrifices, or a 
  pledge to certain behaviours in the form of taboos or geasa.
  A propitiation cult usually comes together once per year sim-
  ply in order to renew the Propitiation dedication demanded of 
  it. If the offering is made in Magic Points the cost is variable 
  depending on the scale and kind of disaster and inconvenience 
  to be averted. However as a rule of thumb, divide the number 
  of lives at stake by 10 and that provides the total annual Magic 
  Points that the cult needs to ensure is dedicated to the devotees’ 
  devotional pools in order to fuel the propitiation. For example:
  The Magic Points cost is divided amongst all devotees who 
  make their contribution, either equally or each according to 
  their own ability and desire. They cannot be recovered until 
  such time as the rite is renewed and new pledges replace the old, 
  which usually occurs on an annual basis. A Propitiation is bro-
  ken if the total Magic Points dedicated to the target falls below 
  the agreed number. Typically the god will provide warnings and 
  a short period of forbearance while things are set right.
  The Cult of Basat 
  (Mystery Cult)
  Basat, a god of truth and life, is a peculiar phenomenon in 
  Tarsenian religion. Although considered to be a domestic and 
  not a ‘foreign’ deity, he is a relative newcomer and the origins of 
  his worship seem to be in Djesmirket or Morkesh in the south 
  where he is listed as a junior companion of Shomat, a local 
  sun God. He can be worshipped in accordance with Assabian 
  Rites, yet is equally capable of receiving congregational worship 
  through the medium of Taskan Rites. He is a god who can still 
  effect general changes in the human condition, because his role 
  is still unfolding through the lives and deeds of his followers. 
  Only Basat’s cult has a dualist doctrine of good and evil as two 
  warring forces and in this its teaching is akin to that of some 
  atheist philosophies. 
  Nature of the Cult
  Basat’s cult offers salvation – both in this life and in the next. 
  While concepts of sin and guilt are not very well evolved, the 
  cult preaches that worshippers can relieve themselves of anxiety 
  by the abjuration of lies and confrontation with their misdeeds 
  (harm to those they love, betrayal of trust). A soul that has dealt 
  with these things has emerged from darkness into the light and 
  is free, and in that light can find courage to face anything the 
  world offers. This message has proved very popular, and many 
  have come to embrace the righteous glow of Basat’s teaching.  
  Basat’s cult, which is little more than 300 years old, very much 
  cuts against the grain of normal Tarsenian traditions. He does 
  not respond to the form of Exhortation set out by Tarsen for the 
  pantheon, and so is considered a Mystery Cult. Nevertheless it 
  is the third most important and influential cult in the Empire 
  – after only the Emperor-cult and the Cult of Thesh at Taskay. 
  Organisation
  Basat has only one formal cult, and that has a monopoly on his 
  worship, a universal hierarchy and a common set of rules that 
  apply to all adherents wherever they may be. The chief priest of 
  his temple in Pryjarna is recognised as Patriarch by the priests 
  and congregations of all other temples. This small city was once 
  very much a border town, considered by some not to be prop-
  erly Tarsenian at all. In order to cement the place within the 
  empire, it was necessary for the Emperor-cult to find a place 
  for the city’s major deity in the Taskan firmament, and since 
  then its patriarch has usually also held the title of Exarch in the 
  Diocese of Pryjarna. 
  Jerenk Hasandarin is the current patriarch. Originally from Ral-
  myra, he served as a soldier stationed in Pryjarna and during 
  this time became a devotee of Basat. His family was killed when 
  the Sheng sacked Ralmyra, so he settled permanently in Pry-
  jarna and upon mustering out of the army he gave himself over 
  to serving the god. Hasandarin is now 52 years old but still 
  strong, fit, a respected statesman and a popular leader. Even so 
  there are people who would attempt to secure succession to the 
  patriarchy for someone from outside the Taskan empire – from 
  one of the communities of Assabia where Basat’s worship is said 
  to have originated.
  Membership
  Basat has many lay worshippers who seek his blessings – many 
  are simply travellers passing through his home city but Pryjarna 
  is a favourite destination for pilgrims too. Both men and women 
  worship Basat, however the cult has a visible male bias and the 
  theatrical rites involved with initiation tend to be restricted to 
  Propitiatory Demand
  Pledge (Magic 
  Points)
  Keep blight from a village’s fields
  5
  Prevent a major storm from wrecking 
  the fishing fleet
  40
  Keep plague from a small city
  250
  Keep massive volcano dormant that 
  threatens several towns
  500
  
  90
  The Taskan empire
  men – womens’ initiations take place in private away from the 
  public gaze.
  Lay worshippers receive no benefits other than the chance to be 
  blessed at a worship ceremony.  
  Initiates
  Initiation into his cult is no easy process and is the occasion for 
  an elaborate ritual.
  Only someone who has attended services regularly for a year as a 
  lay member, and who has 50% in five of the cult skills, might be 
  accepted to his following of devotee-initiates. In Pryjarna, the 
  candidates take part in a foot-race that takes them on a circuit 
  of the god’s own city quarter, known as The Holy City of Basat, 
  starting and ending at the temple. Along the way crowds of 
  spectators pelt the runners with garbage, stones and whatever 
  other missiles come to hand and even strike at them as they 
  run by. Although there is a prize for the winner of the race, 
  those who demonstrate selflessness in helping along injured 
  fellow-runners are held in highest esteem by the spectators as 
  much as by the priests, and feasting follows. 
  The next morning begins the greater ordeal, in which the candi-
  dates are shut within the temple of the death god Gomorg with-
  out food and water for a vigil lasting three whole days. During 
  this time they might have many visions and receive visitations 
  from the lands of the dead. At dawn on the third day, the priests 
  break open the seal on the temple and welcome the new ini-
  tiates into the light. A great breakfast is held and the Initiates 
  then receive individual instruction from the priests in the lore, 
  traditions and taboos of the cult. The initiates then participate 
  in the procession around the city which marks the climax of 
  Basat’s five-day festival.
  The initiate is assured that he will be spared an eternity in one 
  of the Many Hells, for one day Basat will defeat death and all 
  his worshippers will be resurrected. To this end it is important 
  that the corpse of an Initiate is interred intact (in contravention 
  of general Tarsenian custom, which is to cremate the dead). If 
  burned or dismembered resurrection in the flesh is made impos-
  sible. Initiates also receive the benefit of membership of a close 
  community, for devotees of Basat are accustomed to extending 
  filial love, respect and hospitality to one another, even if they 
  are strangers. Initiates are commonly asked to tithe 10% of their 
  income to their local temple but in return their funerary needs 
  will be taken care of by their local priest when the time comes.
  Priests
  Priests of Basat are teachers, healers and morticians. Candidates 
  for priesthood within Basat’s cult must be initiates of at least five 
  years standing. There must also be a vacancy in the hierarchy 
  of the local temple, or else the candidate must have sufficient 
  means to provide a meeting place for a congregation of his own, 
  such as a good-sized chamber within his house. 
  A priest of Basat is expected to know sorcery but should not 
  spend his time on offensive or combat oriented magic. A priest 
  may learn Basat’s special miracles which give him the power to 
  restore life to the dead. This is not usually performed on initi-
  ates and priests of the cult, who await resurrection at the hands 
  of the god himself, but serves as a potent demonstration of the 
  god’s power when used on outsiders.
  Skills
  Cult skills are Athletics, Craft (Prepare Corpse), Devotion, 
  Endurance, Exhort Basat, Insight, Healing, 
  Magic
  Initiates may learn the miracles Daybright, Lay to Rest, Shield 
  and Turn Undead.  Miracles available to priests includes those 
  available for initiates plus: Consecrate, Excommunicate, Restore 
  Corpse, Resurrect, Summon Ghost.
  The cult has a sorcery tradition, known as the Living Grimoire, 
  that some initiates may be allowed to study. A complete tome 
  contains: Abjure Lies, Abjure Passions, Mystic Vision, Neu-
  tralise Magic, Protective Ward, Regenerate, Resist Djinn, Spirit 
  Resistance
  Basat’s Army of Light
  The cult’s beliefs include the idea that at some future date Basat 
  will resurrect all its dead who are properly interred, and these 
  people will form his Army of Light who will set out to free the 
  world from corruption and falsehood. Factions within the cult 
  disagree about when this might take place and who is likely to 
  be the target of the Army of Light – and even if it is indeed 
  going to be a military force or some kind of peaceful movement.
  Eternal Brotherhood of the 
  Glorious Dead (Congregation 
  and Funeral Club)
  The Glorious Dead are not the object of this cult but the mem-
  bers themselves, who have committed themselves to a lifestyle 
  that is likely to be glorious...but short. Their god is Machank, 
  Lord of Battles, who is a deity that no sane individual would 
  choose to serve for their entire life. Devotion to him is usually 
  a passing phase that signals that an individual cares little for 
  his own life or rates taking the life of another above preserving 
  
  cults
  91
  their own. While most of his followers are warriors, a minority 
  are individuals who, out of personal motives such as revenge, 
  pledge themselves to him in the hope of receiving help in mak-
  ing a violent end of their enemies. In the old days of aristocratic 
  rule, when feuding was common between the great families 
  of Tarsenia, young nobles would dedicate themselves to him 
  before fighting bloody duels.
  Nature of the Cult
  Machank’s devotees within the Taskan army all meet together 
  as a cult, The Glorious Dead. These men – and occasionally 
  women – are formed into specially created units where their 
  commitment to unfettered violence on the field of battle can 
  be both controlled and exploited. Any army has a minority of 
  natural born killers who can be expected to do the butcher’s 
  work effectively and without compunction, setting an exam-
  ple to their comrades. Machank’s devotees swell this cadre of 
  front line warriors, as they are imbued with a passion that drives 
  them to a fighting fury. They are either dispersed along the first 
  ranks of the army to sharpen its cutting edge, or else brigaded 
  together to use as shock troops sent forward to break the enemy 
  line, storm a breach, or make a stubborn stand that allows the 
  rest of the army to manoeuvre or escape the field
  The cult also acts as a funeral club for its members, serves as 
  arbitrator in matters of pay and benefits and always ensures that 
  enough is put aside from the booty and pay to cover a decent 
  funeral for the casualties. It is extremely keen to ensure that 
  the bodies of its fallen warriors are recovered for cremation. It 
  will not pay ransoms for live members but it will for dead ones. 
  The cult will often mount rescue missions whether the captured 
  member is thought to be dead or alive. 
  The cult selects one of its number every year (often by drawing 
  lots) who will fight a champion from the cult of Basat as part of 
  the annual festival in honour of Tethis held in Zarina.
  Organisation
  The Glorious Dead is officered by men and women elected to 
  their post from the rank and file. One cult officer is elected 
  by the others to be the cult’s leader but can just as quickly be 
  deposed if the membership does not like his style. The whole 
  cult is under the direction of the Iron Companions, who choose 
  when and where to deploy them.
  Membership
  The Glorious Dead are exclusively comprised of devotees of 
  Machank in the service of the Taskan army. If a serving sol-
  dier dedicates himself to the god, dedicating a minimum of one 
  Magic Point to a devotional pool and receiving the god’s gift of 
  Valour, membership is automatic with the briefest of initiation 
  ceremonies. Not all those serving in the Machank battalions are 
  recruited from the regular army; some are civilian volunteers, 
  often escaping from the forces of law and order or perhaps some 
  shameful episode in their past.
  The 20 year term for which the regular soldier enlists in the 
  Taskan army is reduced by four years for every one year spent 
  in the ranks of the Machank fanatics. A member also gets a 
  bigger share of the spoils of war compared to other soldiers in 
  the army. Each man counts for two shares and each man who 
  dies in battle still receives his allocation which is then shared 
  between his fellow Machankites (but not any family or inheri-
  tors back at home). The proportion that lives out their term to 
  enjoy these spoils is often disappointingly low but the potential 
  rewards are consequently quite high. 
  A member will receive the support of his comrades in acquiring 
  the best equipment, weapons and magic to improve his chances 
  on the field of battle.
  Clergy
  Devotees who learn the appropriate rites and spells can lead 
  their comrades in worship and these priests can become the 
  chaplains of their units. A Taskan Rites skill in excess of 50% is 
  usually expected, as well as sufficient literacy to learn the neces-
  sary rituals. The prospective chaplain is selected for their posi-
  tion by a vote among their comrades. 
  Machank’s Gifts
  Every Devotee of Machank takes the gift of Valour in return for 
  the first magic point dedicated to a devotional pool. This magic 
  point counts towards the maximum devotional pool but is not 
  available for use in exhorting miracles.
  Valour
  Valour is a Passion acquired at the rate of 30%+ the charac-
  ter’s POWx2. This passion can augment any Morale check for 
  NPCs; it will also augment Endurance rolls when a character 
  is wounded. If a character at any points considers fleeing or 
  avoiding a fight, or disobeying an order to attack or otherwise 
  put himself into danger in combat, the Valour passion is rolled 
  and if the roll succeeds the character is compelled to take the 
  dangerous course of action he might rather avoid.
  A critical roll results in a violent battle frenzy in which the 
  character will not desist from offensive action until exhausted, 
  unconscious or somehow magically prevented from further 
  action. A character in this state will always seek to kill their 
  opponents without quarter.
  
  92
  The Taskan empire
  Epiphany
  This gift may be bestowed on a devotee who has a Devotion 
  skill of 71% or higher. The devotee is now able to learn the 
  Epiphany miracle, through which the god is called upon to 
  attend a battle.
  Skills
  The brothers of the cult provide free training in Willpower, 
  with the express purpose of helping the devotee to control the 
  onset of battle fury sent by the god, and in Endurance.
  Magic
  The cult does not go out of its way to provide magic or magical 
  training to its members, who are free to become devotees and 
  dedicate Magic Points in return for access to miracles. 
  Machank’s miracles include Berserk, Epiphany, Fear, Seal 
  Wound, True (weapon)
  Members of the cult are free to learn or use whatever magic they 
  have a chance to acquire from sources outside the cult.
  Machank is a greedy, demanding and devouring god. There is 
  usually no shame within the cult in leaving his service unless 
  the apostate has never participated in a battle. In most cases the 
  apostate simply returns to their original unit. However Mach-
  ank craves blood and many devotees find that the Valour pas-
  sion will not leave until they have shed some – making retire-
  ment to civilian life somewhat uncomfortable. 
  Vyako (Brotherhood/
  Demonic Pact)
  The Vyakots are a secret society made up of people with an 
  unhealthy and treasonous desire to achieve immortality. 
  Recruited by word of mouth and lured little by little into the 
  inner workings of the cult, those who commit themselves fully 
  in pursuit of their goal realise there is a significant price to pay. 
  This is a cult of Vampires.
  The cult first appeared in the city of Tarsang, where a leading 
  undertaker who dabbled with necromancy summoned up an 
  unexpected guest to his funeral parlour. The guest was Vyako, a 
  demon in the retinue of the Tarsenian death god Gomorg with 
  an ambitious career agenda involving promotion to deity status. 
  Rather than suffer a horrible and immediate extinction at this 
  demon’s hands, the undertaker Thagrish Martigern was forced 
  to dedicate his very soul (POW) to it in a Pact. The upside to 
  this bargain, as Vyako explained, was that Thagrish should, if 
  he took the right precautions, never die. The downside was if 
  his body were to be destroyed there would be nothing of him to 
  pass into the Many Hells and whatever afterlife he would meet 
  there – he would simply cease to exist.
  Immortality is an act of treason in the Taskan Empire, where 
  only the Emperor is entitled not to die. For Thagrish Marti-
  gern this was soon the least of his crimes, for with his own soul 
  already pledged to another, Thagrish would henceforth have 
  to sustain his own existence by feeding off the souls of others, 
  something the Vyako was pleased to equip him to do. Eventually 
  Thagrish learned how to channel Vyako at will, enabling others 
  to dedicate themselves to the demon and receive his blessings. 
  At this point Thagrish left the lonely life of the Empire’s only 
  vampire behind him and became the founder of a cult – and of 
  a secret tribe.
  Nature of the Cult 
  The cult of Vyako exists to elevate the demon Vyako to god-
  hood. It does so by stealing the POW of cult members and of 
  innocent victims, passing them to Vyako. The cult serves its 
  members by providing them with the means to heighten their 
  own abilities and to prolong life indefinitely if they adhere to 
  the cult’s purpose, by creating a system of mutual dependency 
  on vampiric feeding.
  Organisation
  Vyako’s followers could be anywhere and everywhere. As a 
  secret organization the cult is composed of chapters (cells) that 
  Machank’s Epiphany
  Machank’s Epiphany is called upon just before battle is to be joined – for battle, any battle, is a Festival for Machank. In real 
  terms this is a carefully managed event conducted only when stakes are high, a major battle is in prospect and the Iron Com-
  panions have given their consent to summoning the battle god. Machank’s epiphany results in the automatic (no resistance 
  roll) and immediate berserking (as per the Miracle) of all his devotees in a radius of 1km. On rare occasions it may be that 
  both sides in a battle attempt to call the god. In this case opposed rolls determine on whose side the Machank appears but 
  all devotees on the field go berserk, no matter which side they are on.
  
  cults
  93
  maintain walls of silence between themselves, and some chap-
  ters may also run a ‘front’ organization that to all appearances 
  is legitimate cult or brotherhood with rather demanding rules 
  of membership and secretive rites. This front serves the purpose 
  of recruitment, as from its membership potential initiates are 
  identified and groomed. 
  Each chapter is officered by a cadre of Vampires (acolytes) and 
  headed by a Vampire Lord (priest). Perhaps only the highest 
  ranking members have any idea of its true extent, maintain-
  ing contact with former fellows from the chapter in which they 
  originally acquired their Vampire status. The cult’s most senior 
  vampire lord is Thagrish Martigern himself, presumed still in 
  existence but his whereabouts unknown.
  Vyako is a demon of the darkness and the cult’s secret rites, to 
  which only initiates and higher are admitted (or even aware of) 
  are held on the night of a dark moon, in total secrecy. It is on 
  those night that the Fangs trait is used to feed the cult’s demon 
  master, Vyako.
  Membership
  Lay members of the cult may know of Vyako as any number 
  of things – whatever, in fact is his local disguise. When a new 
  chapter is established in a town or city quarter, the first job is to 
  identify likely targets and attempt to win their trust. This can 
  be supported by some subtle networking, little rumours planted 
  here and there of a new cult that offers wonderful, if dangerous 
  secrets. Once there is a pool of potential converts they are care-
  fully groomed and any that are thought to be a danger are either 
  let go as unworthy of the mysteries on offer before they know 
  too much. If they might be trouble makers, they are quietly 
  disposed of. The remainder are on their way to being initiated 
  into Vyako’s rites.
  Benefits
  ‘Lay worshippers’ who attend meetings or join a congregation 
  are taught the Devotion skill and may also be rewarded with the 
  opportunity to use Folk Magic, training in cult skills or simply 
  finding themselves supported by benevolent companions will-
  ing to use influence on their behalf.  
  Vyako’s Blessing can be invoked in support of a lie, for example 
  to reroll a failed Deceit or Disguise roll, or conversely to force 
  an opponent to reroll their Insight, or for a Seduction. Other 
  Folk Magic spells available will vary from chapter to chapter, a 
  typical list would include: Darkness, Deflect, Glamour, Incog-
  nito and Vigour.
  Eventually a promising Lay Member will be tested – asked 
  to run an errand for one of the inner circle, or tempted to do 
  something bad – perhaps lure an unsuspecting victim to a place 
  where one of the initiates will use their Life Drain on them. 
  Those who show a real appetite to please their superiors are 
  groomed for the next stage of the cult. 
  Initiates (Demi-Vampires)
  To become an Initiate requires a Devotion skill of 50% or 
  higher. The candidate must pass tests that challenge both their 
  loyalty and their morality before they are submitted to initiation 
  in which the candidate enters into a Pact with the demon Vyako 
  – and this involves devoting not mere Magic Points, but a part 
  of the follower’s soul in the form of characteristic POW. The 
  means by which the POW is taken is traumatic, and can even 
  come as a surprise. The candidate must submit to be fed upon 
  by a fanged acolyte, a process in which he loses 1d3 hit Points 
  from the location bitten, and one or more levels of Fatigue in 
  blood which will eventually recover. With each level of fatigue 
  drained in blood a point of characteristic POW is taken that is 
  permanently dedicated to a Pact with Vyako. 
  Demi-Vampires can hide their altered nature with little diffi-
  culty. They are not undead, and magical scrutiny may do no 
  more than reveal a scar upon their souls where the dedicated 
  POW has been ripped away. Demi-Vampires may be a little 
  paler and wan than before, and more prone to sunburn and 
  dazzling by bright sunlight.
  Benefits
  Each time an initiate permits an acolyte to feed they can receive 
  one or more of Vyako’s boons in return. Boons do not have to 
  be taken straight away; the value of the POW dedicated can be 
  redeemed at a later stage of the cultist’s career. The Initiate may 
  choose to allow an acolyte to continue to feed on them as time 
  goes by, thereby sacrificing further POW to a maximum of half 
  their original POW.
  Initiates are deemed worthy to be taught Folk Magic from gri-
  moires held by the chapter. 
  Drawbacks
  Reduction in POW may not immediately affect skills based on 
  the POW characteristic, however the character’s Aptitude (Basic 
  Percentage x5, the maximum natural limit) is now lower and if 
  the character’s skill already greater than that it must be reduced 
  to match.
  
  94
  The Taskan empire
  Acolytes (Vampires)
  Becoming a Vampire is an extreme step and only those Initiates 
  with a Devotion score of 70% or higher will even be consid-
  ered. The process requires the sacrifice all remaining POW to 
  the god, becoming reliant on the Magic Points that the Vam-
  pire can steal from others. This final dedication can only be 
  made through a Vampire Lord, who will feed on the Initiate 
  and drain from them their last POW. This of course means that 
  the prospective vampire must first break or allow to lapse any 
  other religious devotions they have, in order to give himself 
  completely to Vyako.
  Benefits
  Acolytes have achieved true immortality at the expense of their 
  souls and are utterly exterminated if their physical body is 
  destroyed. Acolytes are technically undead in the way that Initi-
  ates are not; the process of becoming a vampire is so exacting as 
  to alter the nature of the worshipper. 
  The final POW dedication is spent on additional boons – 
  including the Fangs ability and further increase to Characteris-
  tics, but those who aspire to become a Vampire Lord will likely 
  keep some of their entitlement in reserve in order to one day be 
  able to select one of the boons available to that status.
  Vampires have no POW therefore their maximum Willpower 
  skill is 0. This is reflected in complete and absolute submission 
  to their vampiric existence, and consequent freedom from the 
  frailties of the human psyche. Conversely, they are immune to 
  the effects of spells and miracles that call for a Willpower resis-
  tance roll.
  Drawbacks
  A full vampire can be detected by magical means as the lack of 
  POW is a glaringly obvious. It is also now vulnerable to direct 
  sunlight. Unless protected by the Abjure Darkness spell or simi-
  lar the Vampire takes damage per round from direct sunlight on 
  exposed skin and flesh. At Games master’s option this may vary 
  with the season and Sun God’s power - 1 point in the Winter, 
  1d4 points in Spring and Autumn, up to 1d6 points in Summer
  Vampire Lord 
  These terrible creatures have advanced to the level of Thagrish 
  Martigern himself, become leaders of the cult, able to directly 
  channel the god using the Fangs trait at any time, and their 
  very presence is a holy place for cult members. Each new Vam-
  pire Lord is sent off with one or two followers to found a new 
  chapter and start the process all over again, although it some-
  times happens that he simply attempts to destroy his creator 
  and usurp their chapter. 
  Magic
  Vyako’s cult has no magic or spells of its own, but each chapter 
  may eventually acquire a collection of magical lore into its own 
  Grimoire containing Folk Magic and Sorcery spells.
  Sorcery: Vampire sorcery is made more difficult by the lack of 
  POW to determine range and duration; once fully a Vampire 
  acolyte a sorcerer’s spells cannot be manipulated beyond Touch 
  and have a default Duration of instant. The only ways for a full 
  Vampire, with 0 POW, to overcome this obstacle is to stack 
  magic points into the spell to serve as the POW from which 
  some of the spell’s traits are calculated; or to combine with use 
  of the Enchant spell, thereby fixing spell duration according to 
  world time rather than a multiple of the Vampire’s POW. Con-
  sequently vampires tend to rely on Folk Magic for everyday use. 
  A typical example of a cult Grimoire is the Book of Enduring 
  Love, which contains:
  Folk Magic: Alarm, Babble, Blessing, Darkness, Glamour, Knock, 
  Praise Vyako, Protection
  Sorcery: Abjure Darkness, Attract Magic, Enchant, Dominate 
  Human, Fly, Intuition, Regenerate
  Skills
  Deceit, Devotion, Disguise, Insight, Seduction, Stealth.
  Vyako’s Boons
  As a cultist’s POW is reduced by vampiric feeding, he can take 
  one or more boons in return. These boons define the cultist’s 
  powers and traits as a vampire.
  Demi-Vampire Boons (1POW each)
  A Talent for Lying 
  For each point of POW consumed by Vyako in payment for this 
  Gift, the character gains an advantage in either Deceit, Disguise 
  or Seduction, making all skill tests one grade easier.
  Darksight
  As per the trait described in RuneQuest.
  Eternal Youth
  All Ageing rolls are one grade easier.
  
  cults
  95
  Life Drain 
  This trait is the ability to steal a part of a victim’s life force and 
  convert it to Magic Points. It is specific to a Characteristic, so 
  while one initiate may steal POW from his victims, another 
  might drain STR or CON. SIZ and INT cannot be drained. 
  It is possible to kill a victim this way but unless this will help 
  prevent detection, it is unusual to do so. The number of char-
  acteristic points drained is one tenth of the initiate’s Devotion 
  score. The trait has a default Magnitude of 1, so simple Folk 
  Magic can frustrate the vampire’s efforts.
  Unnatural Charm 
  Increases the Character’s CHA by 1D6 at night (sunset to sun-
  rise). The enhanced characteristic can exceed species maximum.
  Unnatural Speed 
  Increases the Character’s DEX by 1D6 at night (sunset to sun-
  rise). The enhanced characteristic can exceed species maximum.
  Unnatural Strength 
  Increases the Character’s STR by 1D6 at night (sunset to sun-
  rise). The enhanced characteristic can exceed species maximum.
  Unnatural Vigour 
  Increases the Character’s CON by 1D6 at night (sunset to sun-
  rise). The enhanced characteristic can exceed species maximum.
  Vampire Boons (2 POW each)
  Fangs 
  This boon costs one Magic Point to trigger and produces a 
  transformation in the vampire that takes a combat round to 
  complete. An acolyte vampire can perform this feat on nights of 
  the dark moon. A Vampire Lord can do so at any time. 
  The vampire’s mouth is distorted and stretched to accommo-
  date a mass of fangs and suckers capable of slashing and punc-
  turing flesh and draining blood. If the victim resists the vampire 
  must first grapple his victim and once he has a hold must make 
  a successful bite attack (use Unarmed) to inflict 1d3 damage 
  and subsequently drain one level of blood (Fatigue) per round. 
  At the same time the victim must make a successful Willpower 
  test or the Vampire drains a 1 POW with each level of fatigue, 
  which passes directly and permanently to the Vampire’s demon 
  lord. The victim cannot be reduced to less than one point of 
  POW unless they are a willing participant undergoing transfor-
  mation to Vampire status. They can be killed through simple 
  blood loss.
  Regeneration
  The Vampire recovers from damage one step faster than a mere 
  mortal – minor wounds heal in hours, serious wounds in days 
  and major wounds in months. No Healing roll is required for 
  major wounds to begin healing or prevent maiming. This boon 
  can be taken twice, resulting in a healing rate of minutes, hours 
  and days. 
  Shape Shift
  Shape Shift gives the Vampire the power to turn himself into an 
  animal, retaining his existing INT and Magic Points but redis-
  tributing STR, CON, DEX and SIZ to form the Characteristics 
  of their shape-shifted form. Each Characteristic can be raised or 
  lowered by a maximum of five in this way. This ability costs 1 
  Magic Point to trigger and 1 per hour to maintain the shape-
  shifted form. A Vampire Lord can choose his own alternate 
  form, but his followers always adopt the same.
  Vampire Lord Boons (3POW)
  Domination
  At the cost of one Magic Point the vampire can charm a human 
  or other creature and subject them to his will. The Vampire 
  must use Influence or Seduction, opposed by the victim’s Will-
  power. Once charmed the victim will obey the vampire master’s 
  command so long as the vampire concentrates on the domina-
  tion and so long as they remain in the vampire’s gaze.
  Revenant
  A Vampire Lord can, if killed but his body left intact, attempt 
  to bring himself back to life through Vyako’s Intervention on 
  the following night. A roll against the Vampire’s Devotion is 
  required to succeed. 1d4+1% is deducted from the Vampire’s 
  Devotion skill. Restored to life the Vampire starts with but a 
  single Magic Point and his Fatigue at Debilitated and needs rest 
  before he can take action. 
  Taskan Thesh (Public 
  Cult of Taskay)
  There were once many cults honouring the god of fire, but in 
  Taskay Thesh was always a special deity regarded as the city’s 
  
  96
  The Taskan empire
  main protector. His local cult served as an important prop to the 
  ruling elite – landed aristocrats supported by the army and the 
  propertied classes. The city’s cult extended its reach into other 
  parts of Tarsenia and its influence is now such that all other 
  cults honouring Thesh are encouraged to recognise its seniority 
  or even make themselves subservient to it. Any attempt to pro-
  mote a rival cult will be confronted by the considerable influ-
  ence of its leader, Maresh Martek. 
  Nature of the Cult
  The cult of Thesh is at the heart of the Empire and is inti-
  mately involved with its hierarchy and with the army in par-
  ticular. However it represents a potential challenge to imperial 
  power. Whereas the Emperor-cult is inclusive and welcomes 
  people from newly conquered lands the cult of Thesh at Taskay 
  is unapologetically Tarsenian and even within that community 
  deeply entrenched in Taskay itself. It prepares for the day when 
  the Emperor ascends to heaven and aspires to assume an even 
  greater role at the heart of the Empire and make the city of Tas-
  kay a true imperial capital. Despite the cult’s parochial nature 
  devotees of Thesh from across the Empire come to Taskay to 
  join in worship directed by the cult and witness Thesh’s fiery 
  epiphany each year.
  Organisation
  Lay worshippers are expected to be active members of a congre-
  gation with their own rules and arrangements for worship, usu-
  ally organized through a place of work or perhaps a funeral club. 
  These congregations are expected to recognize the authority of 
  the cult and its officers, and give due respect to any initiates 
  among their ranks. 
  Lay worshippers can come from any walk of society, but initi-
  ates are divided into three sub-cults, each with their own mem-
  bership rules and roles, and based on pre-imperial social divi-
  sions: Soldiers, Artisans and Sorcerers. 
  The cult’s leader is Maresh Martek, who is without doubt the 
  most important person in Taskay after the Emperor himself. He 
  is 132 years of age and well remembers the time of the Marble 
  Simulacrum. Maresh and his cult played a crucial role in the 
  years of crisis that followed the Marble Simulacrum’s destruc-
  tion, and while disappointed to have to bow before the Iron 
  Simulacrum when it appeared, he nevertheless secured a posi-
  tion of power at the heart of the imperial state which includes a 
  monopoly of the Exarchy of Taskay. 
  Maresh Martek’s military experience is both limited and a very 
  long time ago, hence he delegates command of the cult’s mili-
  tary arm to professional officers. The most senior officer of the 
  cult’s military wing is the Iron Companion, Count Farchang. 
  He is the Simulacrum’s confidant and chief agent, entrusted 
  with knowledge of the most secret plans, and often with their 
  execution, and if not on active service is usually based with the 
  Simulacrum at Ashkor.
  Kepil Narmost commands the cult’s troops garrisoned at Tas-
  kay. Kepil is a priest of the Emperor cult belonging to the dio-
  cese of Taskay as well as being an acolyte of Thesh. His ambition 
  is to succeed to command the regiment and thereby to gain a 
  permanent place at the side of the Iron Simulacrum as one of 
  the Iron Companions.
  Membership
  The Cult of Thesh at Taskay welcomes those who have already 
  made their devotions to the God or are prepared to do so at the 
  point of admission. Only those registered as citizens in the city 
  of Taskay itself need apply and a prospective initiate must have 
  minimum Custom, Devotion (Thesh) and Rites (Taskan) skills 
  of 30% in addition to the specific requirements of each branch.
  Soldiers 
  The military arm of the cult admits those from the lower ranks 
  of society if they are fine military-looking specimens. Gaining 
  access to the ranks of the Unconquerable Heroes of Taskay car-
  ries a minimum requirement of STR11, CON 11 DEX 11, 
  INT 12 and SIZ 13 and a minimum commitment of 20 years. 
  A recruit is expected to have at least 30% in Athletics, Endur-
  ance and a Combat Style.
  With a paper strength of just over 1,000 men the ‘Fire-Eaters’, 
  as they are popularly known, are the praetorians of the Tas-
  kan Empire. The main body is stationed at Taskay and has the 
  defence of the capital and the Emperor’s palace as its primary 
  function. 300 of them form an honour guard for the Simula-
  crum and a further 80 form a specialist unit of engineers and 
  artillerists also based with the field army at Ashkor.
  Artisans
  The Artisans represent the respectable civilian body of the cult. 
  The cult admits those who are business owners or individual 
  craftsmen who practice high-status crafts, particularly if the 
  craft requires either an intellectual training or work in high 
  value materials such as gold. Artisan admission to the cult is 
  for those with Literacy of 30% and at least one Lore skill or 
  Commerce and one Craft or Art skill relevant to their trade at 
  no less than 50%. 
  An Artisan is required to diligently pursue their business at the 
  expense of other interests, is exempt from military service, but 
  
  cults
  97
  not exempt from providing financial and administrative sup-
  port to the militia. Fully 10% of their earnings are tithed, and 
  these earnings are accumulated in the cult’s treasury to be at the 
  disposal of the leadership to use for the public good.
  Sorcerers
  The sorcerers represent the intellectual and leadership founda-
  tion of the cult and an initiate of this branch outranks an initi-
  ate from either of the others. Following the practice maintained 
  in Taskay since ancient times, the cult recruits its sorcerers from 
  the upper classes only. A Social Class of Gentry or greater and 
  a Literacy skill of 50% or more are absolute requirements, as 
  well as 50% or more in Sorcery and either Shaping or Alchemy 
  skills. 
  Sorcerer initiates are fully employed in cult business, and this 
  includes providing service as clergymen to the congregations of 
  lay worshippers.
  Acolyte Membership
  Acolytes are the principle agents of the cult. They must have a 
  Devotion of no less than 70%, and three other cult skills rele-
  vant to their branch at the same level. 
  Officers and officials of this highly organised cult are also spe-
  cific to each branch:
   
  ◐ Soldier-Acolytes form an officer class, and while attached 
  to the Unconquerable Heroes often have significant free-
  dom to take extended leaves of absence. 
   
  ◐ Artisan-Acolytes head up the leading guilds in Taskay 
   
  ◐ Sorcerer-Acolytes look after the temple, its property and 
  treasures and its traditions, and after external relations 
  with Thesh cultists in other cities and with the Emperor 
  cult. 
  Perhaps unexpectedly even the Sorcerer-Acolytes are expected 
  to learn martial skills. They are the inheritors of an ancient 
  aristocratic tradition dating back to when aristocrats were 
  not bookish sorts but bloodthirsty warmongers competing to 
  demonstrate their prowess with the horse and bow. Were it ever 
  to come to it, they might appear fully armoured and mounted 
  in front of the Taskay Militia, over which they claim leadership, 
  with the Unconquerable Heroes as their men at arms. That at 
  least is the romantic image attached to notions of an indepen-
  dent city of Taskay under the cult’s guidance. 
  Priesthood
  Priests in the cult of Thesh of Taskay are highly influential lead-
  ing citizens of the city and can expect to be treated with respect 
  wherever they travel in the Empire. Many of them will also be 
  high up in the local Emperor-cult, which is after all chaired by 
  their own high priest and some of those have also found a place 
  on the staff of the Iron Simulacrum. 
  Priests can be drawn from any of the branches, however Sorcer-
  er-priests outrank the others and so far as tradition is concerned 
  only a Magus (a sorcerer with a Shaping skill of 90% or better) 
  can fill the role of High Priest.
  A prospective priest should have Devotion skill and two other 
  cult skills relevant to their branch at 90% or better. 
  Skills
  Commerce, Combat Style, Craft (any skilled or high status), 
  Custom, Devotion, Endurance, Exhort, Influence, Lore (Any), 
  Orate, Ride, Rites
  Combat Styles
  Archery, Cloak and Dagger, Sidearm, Swordsmanship (Tarse-
  nian School). Members of the Unconquerable Heroes can learn 
  Ashkorian Pike, Black Powder and Artillery 
  Magic
  The cult offers no teaching to lay worshippers. Initiates can be 
  taught up to three Folk Magic Spells relevant to their branch 
  from Avert, Coordination, Extinguish, Heat, Ignite, Fireblade, 
  Repair, Warmth
  Initiates and above can learn Miracles appropriate to their 
  Rank. Thesh offers Dismiss Elemental, Elemental Summoning 
  (Salamander), Extension, Incinerate, Rain of Fire, Shield
  Thesh’s Boons
  Boons are granted to those identified by the cult leaders as 
  being especially worthy. The musketeers of the Unconquerable 
  Heroes all have the Burning Touch gift. Each boon reduces the 
  worshippers maximum devotional pool by 1.
  Fire Shield
  The character is immune to small flames or fires, and can negate 
  damage from greater fires to his body, but not things worn or 
  carried. The ability costs 1 magic point to invoke, for POW 
  minutes and negates 1 intensity of fire damage for each 20% of 
  the devotee’s Devotion skill. 
  
  98
  The Taskan empire
  Burning Touch
  The character is able to inflict pain and damage through the 
  searing heat of his touch. Each successful attack costs 1 magic 
  point to invoke and can ignite combustibles and cause a target 
  damage equivalent to a flame or fire of 1 intensity per 20% of 
  the devotee’s Devotion skill  
  Thesh’s Incinerate Miracle 
  Instant, Ranged, Resist (Evade), Rank Initiate
  Incinerate instantly raises the target to extreme temperatures. If 
  the target is readily combustible material it is reduced to ashes, 
  if it is organic it takes severe damage from burning. The caster 
  can affect 3 SIZ of combustible material per point of Magni-
  tude or affect a Hit Location of a living creature inflicting 1d3 
  Hit Points of damage per point of Intensity ignoring armour; 
  if the damage inflicted exceeds twice the location’s Hit Points, 
  it is destroyed utterly. Incinerate can also be used to simply 
  heat 3 ENC of metal per point of Magnitude to the point of 
  malleability. 
  Beshor Valley 
  Ancestor Worship
  The Kingdoms of Yegusai and Zagre are home to a priestly 
  class of shamans whose job it is to manage the Beshor Valley 
  folk’s relations with their ancestors. They preside over all the 
  key rituals of the community but no other task is so serious a 
  responsibility as the proper administration over funerary prac-
  tices. The Beshorites expose their dead to the elements until 
  they are stripped of all soft tissue, then gather up the bones and 
  store them away. The priests conduct all these rites and take 
  charge of the design, approval and excavation or construction 
  of buildings and catacombs for use as ossuaries and the recruit-
  ment and command of a volunteer constabulary to stand watch 
  over them. 
  Nature of the Cult
  The cult of the Ancestors is a hybrid of animist and theist 
  practices. The Shaman-priests can only discorporate through a 
  miracle granted by The Ancestors and The Ancestors not only 
  provide access to miracles but can also be asked to intervene 
  directly as spirits by the priests.
  The priestly caste is completely focused on their relationship 
  with the deceased ancestors and their specialist knowledge is 
  contained within the Lore (Genealogy) skill. A successful use of 
  this skill allows a priest to identify by name a specific spirit who 
  will provide the insights, skills or knowledge they need. If they 
  have that individual’s mortal remains to hand then a successful 
  Binding test will summon it for discussion and negotiation.    
  Being the only shamans with which most Taskans are famil-
  iar, priests from Yegusai are highly sought after in the Impe-
  rial heartlands as exorcists and some immigrants to the cities of 
  Tarsenia have even built up cults around themselves.   
  Membership
  Almost all indigenous people in the region are lay worshippers 
  (Followers) in the Ancestors cult. Those who come from the 
  right families have the chance to become initiates and take set 
  out on the path to become a shaman-priest. The royal houses 
  of Zagre and Yegusai furnish the acolytes, and the acolytes are 
  kings. 
  Initiates
  Dedicated members are few in number, drawn from a number 
  of families who have the hereditary right to offer their young 
  men up for acceptance into the cult. If not born into the priestly 
  class it is possible to gain entry by adoption if a character has 
  POW17 or greater. An adoptee will be trained up to ensure they 
  qualify as a Spirit Worshipper by the age of 17. Initiates must 
  have 50% in each of the cult skills.
  Initiates serve as assistants, attendants and understudies to the 
  shaman-priests.
  Acolyte Membership (King)
  The expectations of the Ancestors rest on no one more than 
  the kings; it is they and only they who can acquire and use the 
  Inundation miracle that brings fertility to the Beshor Valley as 
  the river breaks its banks. This is not caused by snow melt in 
  distant mountains but the magical exhortation to the river god 
  to swell his waters and flood the land. Each king-acolyte per-
  forms this rite on his side of the river, hoping that he will tempt 
  more of the god’s power into his land than that of his rival.
  A prospective king is chosen for many reasons besides his cult 
  skills; all prospective heirs are intensively trained in order to 
  ensure they are as well prepared as they can for their religious 
  duties if they should inherit.
  Priesthood
  A prospective Shaman-Priest must have 70% in four of the cult 
  skills. He is expected to acquire the Discorporate Miracle so 
  that he can communicate with the ancestors on behalf of the 
  people. 
  
  cults
  99
  Skills
  Binding, Craft (Builder), Craft (Undertaker), Custom, Devo-
  tion, Exhort Ancestors, Literacy, Lore (Architecture), Lore 
  (Geneaology), Rites (Beshor Valley).
  Magic 
  Folk Magic: Dry, Find Life, Perfume, Preserve, Visibility, 
  Witchsight.
  Visibility
  Ranged, Resist (Stealth or Willpower)
  This spell causes a hidden supernatural entity to become visible, 
  at which point it can be targeted with spells or a shaman can 
  attempt to force it into spirit combat with his binding skill. The 
  spell cannot force a djinn to materialise. If the entity is a spirit 
  it must be one that is capable of manifestation in the material 
  world for the spell to affect it. If cast at a person possessed by a 
  spirit the spirit’s aura becomes clearly visible.
  Theist Miracles: Consecrate Tomb, Discorporate, Exorcism, 
  Excommunicate, Extension, Inundation, Obliterate, Spirit 
  Block, Summon Ancestor
  Discorporate
  Duration 15, Rank Acolyte, Touch
  This miracle causes the target (usually the magician himself) to 
  discorporate, and project his soul into the Spirit World, leaving 
  a lifeless body behind him. Other than the fact that the user 
  has no fetch to guard his physical body, the effect is the same 
  as a Shaman’s Trance skill as described in the RuneQuest Core 
  Rulebook. The Shaman’s Evoke skill serves as the Trance skill 
  to determine the power and effects of the discorporation. The 
  priest can use the miracle offensively in which case the target 
  may resist using their Willpower. The priest can exhort multi-
  ple uses simultaneously to have others accompany him on his 
  journey.  
  Traditional Spirits 
  Ancestor Spirits, Guardian Spirits
  The Hradori
  There is a cult among the Beshor Valley People that not only 
  views the boundaries between life and death as supremely sacro-
  sanct, but is aggressive and militant in policing those boundar-
  ies to the extent that they might attempt to stamp out transgres-
  sion even where they hear of it in foreign lands. Still little more 
  than a rumour outside their homeland, the cult of the Hradori 
  (Threshold-Keepers) seeks out vampires, ghosts and other signs 
  of undeath. Followers of this cult are sent out into the world 
  equipped with whatever skills, spirits and magic their fellow 
  cultists can provide them, to assassinate anyone the cult suspects 
  of necromancy. The Hradori cult is a subcult of Beshor Valley 
  Ancestor Worship. Its members are usually from those adopted 
  to the priestly caste. Its most senior members are acolytes.
  The cult arranges teaching for range of skills and Folk Magic 
  that will be useful to its members in the field, and has the Turn 
  Undead miracle in place of the Discorporate miracle. 
  Magic 
  Rites: Beshor Valley
  Folk Magic: Avert, Coordination, Find Undeath, Incognito, 
  Protection, Visibility, Witchsight.
  Theism: Exorcism, Extension, Spirit Block, Turn Undead
  Turn Undead 
  Instant, Range (Tens of Metres), Rank Acolyte, Resist (Evade)
  Turn Undead sends out a blast of energy in an arc of 90˚ in 
  front of the caster that destroys the creations of necromancy. 
  It affects undead creatures in front of the caster in the order in 
  which the blast hits them – i.e. closest targets first. To destroy 
  a skeleton costs 1 Magnitude, a zombie 2, a wraith or ghoul 3, 
  a Vampire 5, Vampire Lord 10. Each creature attacked reduces 
  the remaining Magnitude by this amount, whether or not it is 
  destroyed. Magnitude in excess of this amount passes on to the 
  next target in line.
  Skills
  Binding, Combat Style (any), Custom, Devotion (Ancestors), 
  Exhort Ancestors, Language (any), Lore (Genealogy), Rites 
  (Beshor Valley)
  The Hradori can gain access to Ancestors who will act as Guard-
  ian Spirits and Bane Spirits 
  militARy units 
  The famous Unconquerable Heroes of Taskay are an elite unit 
  but only number a thousand or so men in a professional army 
  that never falls below 30,000 in number. The regular army is 
  comprised of three main arms: the Light Infantry, the Pikes and 
  the Cavalry. 
  
  100
  The Taskan empire
  The Imperial Light Infantry 
  (ILI), aka The Brigands
  Named in honour of their origin in Zygas Taga’s irregular army 
  that marched out of the Jekkarid, The Brigands are the Taskan 
  army’s force of 10,000 light infantry. 
  Nature of the Corps
  Their place in battle is at the front – ‘before the standards’ – 
  where they open most engagements with missile fire and sudden 
  rushes to hand to hand combat  before retiring to the wings or 
  the rear to let the heavies in to finish the job. The Brigands will 
  lead the way in assaulting fortifications, and they will act as the 
  main force in broken, steep or forested terrain. As a result they 
  are well placed to win promotions and awards for conspicu-
  ous bravery. ILI men often adorn themselves in bright coloured 
  clothing and attach plumes and feathers to helmets and shields 
  to make sure they stand out and are easily recognised on the 
  field of battle. 
  The men are equipped at state expense but usually adapt or sup-
  plement the equipment with their own resources – so are gener-
  ally armed and armoured with little eye to uniformity. A typical 
  soldier will have a leather or metal helm, lamellar corselet of 
  leather scales or a simple leather jerkin, a padded coat and a 
  round or oval shield. For weapons a pair of javelins and a side-
  arm such as a hatchet, sword or mace is common. Most will 
  carry and be proficient with a sling and at least one in five will 
  be equipped with a bow instead of javelins.
  Organisation
  The Brigands are formed into units of 80-120 men referred to 
  as ‘hundreds’, and each hundred is made up of ten files and 
  each of those is made up of two half files of up to 6 men. A file 
  is commanded by a sergeant and his corporal. The Hundred is 
  commanded by a Kentarch (captain) who usually has one dep-
  uty or lieutenant. Ten Hundreds are brigaded together under a 
  Miliarch. 
  The Brigands’ commander is the Iron Companion, Count 
  Arrak. He will often deputise to one or more subordinates in 
  order to effectively control his force when it is split
  Membership
  The basic requisites for acceptance into the ILI are a minimum 
  of 11 in STR and DEX and 13 in INT. Enlistment is for 20 
  years, however a soldier can buy himself out from 5 years ser-
  vice, at 1500 Taskeens less 75 Taskeens for every year served 
  after the 5th. Standard Taskan army pay applies at 2 Taskeens 
  per day.
  Sergeant (File Leader)
  A file leader in the ILI is chosen from the ranks by the company 
  officer.  A sergeant should have 50% or more in five of the unit’s 
  key skills. They receive twice the pay of a regular soldier, and 
  can nominate one of their men to be corporal, and leader of the 
  second half-file, which brings with it one and a half times the 
  pay of an ordinary soldier.
  Captain (Kentarch)
  Officers are usually promoted from the ranks, first to a lieu-
  tenancy and then to the rank of Kentarch.  To make take the 
  step from lieutenancy to captaincy requires initiation in the 
  Emperor cult. Officers are expected to have 70% in three of the 
  key skills as well as literacy of 30% or higher.
  An officer is handsomely paid for his services: 30 Taskeens per 
  day for a Kentarch and 20 for his lieutenant. enough to ensure 
  he is finely equipped, can maintain a horse, afford the services 
  of one or more servants and still set aside funds for a good 
  retirement.
  
  cults
  101
  Colonel (Miliarch)
  A Miliarch is in charge of ten Hundreds, unsurprisingly known 
  as a ‘Thousand’. This is a senior commander with a small staff 
  of officers, couriers and specialists including surgeons and sor-
  cerers. The Miliarchs are the highest ranking officers who are 
  in the full pay and service of the Imperial Light Infantry. They 
  report to commanders directly appointed by the Iron Compan-
  ion with responsibility for the ILI, currently Count Arrak.
  To be eligible for appointment to the rank requires that there is 
  a vacancy, that the candidate is an initiate in the Emperor cult 
  and has 90% or greater in at least two of the regiment’s skills or 
  combat styles, 30% literacy and 50% or greater Command skill. 
  A Miliarch is paid an astonishing 10,000 Taskeens per annum 
  and is guaranteed a handsome plot of land as a gift upon retire-
  ment from the regiment.
  Skills
  Athletics, Combat Style, Endurance, Evade, First Aid, Lore 
  (Strategy and Tactics), Survival
  Magic
  The regiment will ensure instruction is available for those who 
  are able to learn so that a typical soldier will know three from 
  the following:
  Coordination, Firearrow, Heal, Mobility, Speedart, Vigor 
  Combat Styles 
  Archery, Targeteer, Slinger
  Pikes of Ashkor
  The largest single entity in the Taskan army are the Pikes of 
  Ashkor, a division of men wielding stout two handed long 
  spears whose job is to dominate the battlefield – an insuperable 
  bulwark in defence, an irresistible steamroller in offence. 
  Nature of the Corps
  The Pikes are the backbone of the regular army numbering some 
  15,000 heavy infantry. These pikemen form dense infantry 
  masses on the battlefield, relying on armour, magic and a hedge 
  of spears to ward off enemy missiles. Each soldier is equipped 
  with metal helm with leather or scale aventail, lamellar corselet 
  of bronze, iron or sometimes of leather over a quilted coat, and 
  splinted or lamellar greaves and vambraces. The Ashkorian pike 
  is about 10 feet long including a very long spearhead with a 
  straight cutting edge along one or both sides. A small shield, 
  round or tear drop shaped, is worn on a strap, sometimes also 
  fixed to the forearm, leaving both hands free to wield the spear. 
  The pikemen usually carry swords as a sidearm, and they are 
  also trained to use a compound bow. Most commanders like to 
  keep at least the rear ranks – a quarter of the total – armed with 
  missile weapons.
  Organisation
  Each pike square is made up of 250-300 men, and there are 
  at any time 50 of these squares on the active list. These are 
  arranged into brigades of between four and six pike squares, and 
  numbered from left to right of their position in the line. These 
  brigades are temporary creations, commanded by appointees 
  The most senior commander who is permanently attached to 
  a unit is the captain (First Spear) of each pike square. A square 
  has its own standard, a wooden pole mounted with symbols 
  topped by a coloured streamer. It can also be recognised by its 
  shield colour, or if the unit has been awarded battle honours, by 
  the shield blazon.
  The commander of the Pikes is Count Bunais, a 40-year old 
  general of the Iron Companions. His staff and the officers who 
  command each brigade of pikes are all personal appointees, but 
  consist of men who have fought in many campaigns and are not 
  to be mistaken for politicals or dilettante aristocrats playing at 
  war. 
  Membership
  The minimum requirements for acceptance into the Pikes of 
  Ashkor are STR 11, SIZ 13. Enlistment is for 20 years, however 
  a soldier can buy himself out after five years for 1,000 Taskeens 
  less 50 Taskeens for every year served after the 5th.
  Ordinary soldiers in the unit are paid 2 Taskeens per day. 
  Sergeant (File Leader)
  A file leader in the pikes is chosen from the ranks by the com-
  pany officer.  A sergeant should have 50% or more in five of the 
  unit’s key skills one of which must be Lore (Tactics and Drill). 
  They receive twice the pay of a regular soldier, and can nomi-
  nate one of their men to be corporal, and leader of the second 
  half-file, which brings with it one and a half times the pay of an 
  ordinary soldier.
  Captain (Kentarch)
  Officers are usually promoted from the ranks, first to a position 
  of Kentarch, who despite their position still take their place in 
  the phalanx and then to the rank of First Spear, who is com-
  mander of the pike square but does not burden himself with 
  a pike.  Officers are expected to have 70% in three of the key 
  
  102
  The Taskan empire
  skills as well as literacy of 30% or higher. The First Spear must 
  be an initiate in the Emperor cult.
  An officer is handsomely paid for his services: 20 Taskeens per 
  day for a Kentarch and 30 for the First Spear. The First spear of 
  the most senior square – the one which has the place of honour 
  on the left of the line – is paid double.
  Officers in the pikes are not allowed to ride when their unit is 
  in the presence of the enemy but must march on foot alongside 
  their men.
  Skills
  Brawn, Combat Style (Ashkorite Pikeman), Combat Style 
  (Archery), Endurance, First Aid, Lore (Tactics and Drill),  
  Magic
  The regiment will ensure instruction is available for those who 
  are able to learn so that a typical soldier will know three from 
  the following:
  Bladesharp, Heal, Protection, Speedart, Vigor 
  Combat Styles
  Archery, Ashkorite Pikeman
  The Emperor’s Furies
  The Furies are a heavy cavalry regiment trained in warfare tech-
  niques learned from the Sheng – who also supply many of its 
  recruits. 
  Nature of the Unit
  Well armed and equipped with bow, lance, sword or mace, 
  buckler and dagger, the Furies are capable of a wide range of 
  tasks on campaign and on the field of battle. The Furies also 
  have their own dedicated squadron of Machank devotees. Even 
  the rank and file are well armoured, with thick padding beneath 
  – or sometimes over – metal lamellar and splinted armour rein-
  forced at key points. Horses are usually barded at least to the 
  front and sometimes their hindquarters too.
  Organisation
  The Furies are divided into two wings and each wing into ten 
  squadrons of approximately 50 men in each.
  Count Maranis Askim is the Iron Companion who commands 
  the cavalry. 
  Membership
  The minimum requirements for acceptance into the Furies are 
  STR11, DEX12, SIZ 12 and a Ride skill of 30% or higher. 
  Enlistment is for a minimum of 20 years, however a soldier 
  can buy himself out after five years for 2,000 Taskeens less 100 
  Taskeens per year of service after the first five. 
  A Fury is paid 4 Taskeens per day, but from this is expected to 
  maintain his horse and harness.
  File Leader (Dekarch)
  Each squadron has five File Leaders who form a committee of 
  officers, and who elect one of their number to command of the 
  squadron.  He should have Literacy 30% and 50% or more in 
  five of the unit’s key skills one of which must be Ride. He is paid 
  an additional 2 Taskeens per day.
  Captain (First Lance)
  A captain in command of a squadron is simply the most senior 
  of the dekarchs. If there is any dispute over seniority the matter 
  is resolved by vote of the squadron’s men. The senior dekarch 
  draws double pay. The fact that pay is lower than for an infantry 
  captain is almost a matter of pride; many dekarchs in fact come 
  from wealthy backgrounds.
  Skills
  Athletics, Combat Style, Endurance, Lore (Tactics and Drill), 
  Ride, Willpower
  Magic
  The regiment will ensure instruction is available for those who 
  are able to learn so that a typical soldier will know three from 
  the following:
  Bladesharp, Bludgeon, Heal, Mobility, Pierce, Speedart 
  Combat Styles
  Taskan Heavy Cavalry: Bow, lance, sword or mace, buckler, 
  dagger. Trait: Mounted
  
  index
  103
  A
  Acquiring a Divine Favour  65
  Agents  85
  Ancestral Pact  69
  Anthul Marsin  18
  Arkenson  9, 53
  Arts  11
  Ashkor  7, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 34, 36, 40, 41, 44, 47, 48, 53, 
  55, 96, 101
  Assabia  38, 46, 51, 89
  B
  Balthus  9, 19
  Bandaknar  9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 47, 48, 53, 56
  Barbarian Magic  68
  Basat  73
  Beshor Valley Ancestor Worship  98
  Beshor Valley People Characters  57
  Beyond the Empire  40
  Blast Crops  76
  Bless Barley  76
  Body Slaves, Emperor’s  17
  Boons  65
  Briga River  7, 9
  Brotomagia  53
  Burial  11
  C
  Calendar, Korantine  13, 50
  Camtri  8, 9, 12, 18, 19, 24, 26, 29, 30, 34, 36, 46, 47, 53, 55, 56, 57
  Camtric War  9
  Characteristics  5
  Charms  5
  Cities  10
  Cities and Provinces  21
  Clandestine Mystery Cults  80
  Client States  24
  Commercial Encounters  41
  Conceal Crops  74
  Congregations  77
  Copper  28
  Cost of Money  31
  Count Arrak  20
  Count Balthus  19
  Count Bunais  19
  Countess Kashalla  19
  Countess Kedsinka  19
  Count Farchang  20
  Count Kemur  20
  Count Maranis  19
  Count Ranksum  19
  Count Sarastil  19
  Count Toramsor  19
  Count Zamasin  20
  Courts  17
  Covenant  74
  Cult of Basat  89
  Cult of Tarsen  87
  Cults  71
  Currency  12
  Curules  17, 85
  Customs  11
  D
  Daybright  74
  Death  11
  Devotions and Pacts  5
  Dimarnis  22
  Dioceses  24
  Dismiss Ghost  75
  Djesmir  15, 27, 51
  Djesmirket  15, 23, 43, 46, 51, 52, 58, 63, 68, 73, 89
  E
  Eastern Territories  27
  Economy  3–105, 4–105, 28, 28–105
  Emperor’s Furies  102
  Enchantments  5
  Encounters  41
  Epiphany  65, 74
  Eskar  8, 19, 48, 55, 56, 70
  Eskar Characters  56
  Eternal Brotherhood of the Glorious Dead  90
  Exarchy  17
  Exchange Rates  28
  Index
  
  104
  The Taskan empire
  F
  Fattening  76
  Felsang  7, 17, 18, 23, 24, 26, 32, 33, 36, 40, 43, 48, 49, 55, 67, 68
  Fetishes  69
  Folk Magic  63
  Food and Drink  30
  Funeral Clubs  80
  Further Tarsenia  7, 8, 9, 15, 18, 23, 26, 28, 30, 36, 48
  G
  Garan Varsang  17
  Gold  28
  Gomorg  73
  Gortim Zubast  18
  Government  8
  Gulf of Taskay  7, 15, 44, 53
  H
  Hamath  73
  Harran  15
  Hazards  43
  Historical Timeline  9
  History  4–105
  Hoonvel  72
  I
  Immortality  14
  Imperial Age  8
  Imperial Court  14
  Imperial Dominions  24
  Imperial Light Infantry  100
  Inns and Waystations  40
  Inquisitors  84
  Iron Companions  19
  Iron Simulacrum  4, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 49, 60, 81, 83, 86, 96, 97
  J
  Jarmost  72
  Jekkara  9, 48, 72, 73, 75
  Jekkarenes  8, 11, 14, 15, 20, 26, 28, 38, 46, 47, 49, 55, 67, 72, 73, 81
  Jelhai  38, 52, 59, 83
  Jerenk Sandarin  18
  Jezri  72
  K
  Kait  72
  Kitan  47
  Kitan Plateau  7, 43
  Korantia  47
  Korazoon Desert  7
  L
  Land and Property  31
  Land and Property Table  36
  Languages and Culture  46
  Lay to Rest  75
  Livestock  30
  Livestock Table  34
  Lucheks  7
  Luxuries  32
  Luxury Items Table  38
  M
  Machank  72
  Magic  63
  Magical Services and Enchantments Table  39
  Magical Services and Enhancements  32
  Magic Point Recovery  5
  Magic Skills  5
  Marangia  53
  Marble Simulacrum  7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 19, 96
  Maresh Martek  17
  Merai  73
  Merat  7, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24, 28, 33, 42, 44, 55, 73, 74
  Metals  28
  Methalea  48
  Military  11
  Military Encounters  41
  Military Units  99
  Miracles  65
  Moonbright  75
  Morkesh  8, 9, 26, 43, 46, 48, 51, 52, 55, 68, 89
  Morshek Musabis  18
  Muttine dynasty  9
  Mystery Cults  79
  N
  New Theist Miracles  73
  Northern Territories  26
  Nysim Dal  18
  O
  Orivastus  18
  Ostrik  9
  P
  Pacts  5
  Pikes of Ashkor  101
  Pilgrimage  11
  Pilgrim Encounters  42
  Places of Worship  66
  Population  24
  Price Lists  30, 33
  Protectorates  26
  Pryjarna  7, 9, 17, 18, 23, 24, 29, 40, 42, 43, 51, 55, 61, 73, 85, 87, 89, 90
  Public Cults  78
  R
  Ralmyra  7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18, 23, 24, 36, 44, 47, 48, 55, 89
  Ransoms and Insurance  80
  Restore Corpse  75
  Resurrect  73
  River Routes  43
  Rules Conventions  5
  Rusasma Horsetooth  19
  S
  Sailing Conditions  44
  Sailing Distances  44
  Samanse  72
  Sample Cults  81
  Sanctify  10, 64, 88
  Sangramansi  7
  Seal Wound  76
  Seated Council  17
  Sea Travel  44
  Sharranket  23, 28, 29, 34, 43, 46, 51, 52
  Sheng  8, 9, 15, 18, 19, 26, 34, 46, 48, 53, 56, 68, 69, 80, 89, 102
  Sheng Traditions  68
  Shuja
  
  index
  105
  Mystics of  7
  Skills  5
  Society  8
  Sorandib  7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 20, 23, 26, 27, 40, 43, 48, 49, 87
  Sorantine Apostacy  9
  Sorcery  67
  Spell Slaves  68
  Spirit Manifestation and Spirit Combat  5
  Straits of Mysher  7
  Sula Sonzush  18
  Sumis  72
  Summon Ghost  75
  T
  Tarsang  7, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 27, 33, 42, 44, 54, 55, 61, 87, 92
  Tarsen  7, 8, 9, 23, 42, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 71, 74, 76, 78, 79, 87, 88, 89
  Tarsenian Religion  10
  Taskan 
  Calendar  13
  Taskan  
  Characters  55
  Taskan Characters  3–105, 4–105, 55–105
  Taskan Emperor Worship  81
  Taskan History and Culture  7
  Taskan Pantheon  71
  Taskay  7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 28, 42, 44, 45, 53, 55, 59, 61, 
  71, 78, 85, 89, 95, 96, 97, 99
  Taskush  7
  Tethis  73
  Thafna  53
  Theism  64
  Theist Cults  78
  Thennalt Characters  56
  Thennla  1, 4, 5, 50
  Thesh  71, 95
  Thulvel Thulzek  18
  Timolay  8, 9, 19, 24, 26, 47, 53
  Tongues  76
  Tools  30
  Tools Table  34
  Torestal  10, 17, 18, 21, 26, 40, 53
  Trade  12
  Trade Goods  32
  Transport and Shipping  32, 37
  Travelling Abroad  45
  Treason  4, 60, 82, 83, 84
  Treason Table  83
  Truespeak  76
  Turn Earth  76
  Turn Undead  76
  U
  Unification Wars  9
  V
  Vigil  66
  Vyako  92
  W
  Wages  29
  War Gear  31
  Wargear Table  35
  Weather  40
  Western Tarsenia  7, 14, 26
  Western Territories  26
  What My Father Told Me  59
  White Hills  7, 29
  White Lizard Walkers  7
  Winter Swallows People  7
  Y
  Yegusai  52
  Z
  Zagre  52
  Zarina  7, 9, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 32, 36, 40, 42, 44, 55, 59, 61, 73, 
  78, 91
  Zygas Taga  7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 28, 48, 55, 59, 60, 61, 62, 71, 72, 
  73, 79, 81, 84, 85, 86, 87, 100
  
  e greatest empire in ennla.
  Ruled by the Iron Simulacrum, the 
  magically animated viceroy of the 
  Immortal Emperor.
  Yet within the empire treacheries abound.
  Beyond its borders, new kingdoms arm
  themsel
  themselves in readiness
  When the Emperor ascends to heaven,
  Who will emerge victorious?
  Welcome to the Taskan Empire.
  Welcome to the Age of Treason.
  e Taskan Empire is a setting for RuneQuest
  based in the world of ennla. It is the companion
  volume to Shores of Korantia.
  RuneQuest is a trademark (TM)
  of Moon Design Publications.
  Produced under license from Moon Design.
  All rights reserved.
  T
  E
  The
  askan
  mpire
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Runequest and Glorantha (d100)/Runequest 6th Edition/RuneQuest 6 - The Taskan Empire.pdf