Katapesh (city)

Katapesh

(City)

N

Metropolis

Titles

City of Trade;
the Golden City (originally);
Sandstar (formerly)

Nation

Katapesh

Level

13

Size

Metropolis

Population

212,300

Demographics

73% human, 6% halfling, 6% gnome, 5% aiuvarin, 5% kholo, 2% dwarf, 1% dromaar, 1% elf, 1% other

Government

Plutocratic merchant council with alien overseers

Alignment

Neutral

Adjective

Katapeshi

Leader

Pactbroker Hashim ibn Sayyid

Images of Katapesh (city)

Source: Dark Markets, A Guide to Katapesh, pg(s). 28–49 (1E)
World Guide, pg(s). 51–52 (2E)

This article is about the city of Katapesh. For the nation of the same name, see Katapesh.

Sprawling across a valley of blazing-hot sand, is one of the most incredible and wondrous cities in all of Golarion: the great desert metropolis of Katapesh (pronounced KAT-a-pesh), the City of Trade. Katapesh is a city of organized chaos where cash is king and commerce is the highest god.

From its early beginnings as the Golden City, Katapesh was rich in natural resources and is located on the shores of the Obari Ocean. It retained its mercantile importance no matter who occupied the city.

The metropolis of Katapesh is the home to many bazaars and fairs that sell anything one might desire. Two notable permanent markets within the city are the Peculiar Emporium and the Nightstalls.

History

See also: History of Katapesh

A group of Sarenrae's faithful left Sarenrae's Bastion to search for a "golden land", and found a lush valley with a massive stone sphinx standing at the center. They settled in the valley in 2218 AR and named it the Golden City. In 2375 AR, a band of raiders of all races attacked and overthrew the Golden City. In the Year of Scouring Winds (2589 AR), a sandstorm lasting 33 days destroyed almost all plant life in the valley, killed hundreds, and nearly buried the settlement. Survivors fled, some to Sarenrae's Bastion, where priests proclaimed the sandstorm a "judgment" against the city's evil populace.

One hundred years later, a mysterious woman named Nimhar walked out of the desert and began to clear the ruins of the town. In 2692 AR, Nimhar took control of the new Golden City and renamed it Sandstar. People flocked to the reborn settlement during a time later named the Oasis Age, and people lived in relative peace for hundreds of years. The settlements flourished, but in 3249 AR an alchemist named Atopu discovered the production of a narcotic substance he called pesh. News of pesh spread rapidly, drawing criminals and merchants of all kinds to the city of Sandstar.

A bandit named Jade-Eye slaughtered Nimhar in 3250 AR and took control of the city; Nimhar's body was never found. Jade-Eye renamed the city Katapesh, and the region soon also adopted that name. In 3725 AR, the mysterious Pactmasters appeared out of nowhere and took over the city, and construction began on the city's new palace and outer walls. In 3730 AR, the infamous Nightstalls opened in Katapesh, and by 3750 AR the city's outer walls were completed. In 4706 AR, the population of the city of Katapesh reached 210,000 people, which included both slaves and long-term visitors.

Geography

Katapesh overlooks the Obari Ocean from a sandy promontory above a series of black, glass-like cliffs called the Obsidian Wall. Beneath the cliffs, a flat stretch of ground extends to the sea. Katapesh is surrounded by 40-foot-high sandstone walls, topped by ramparts and interspersed with crenelated towers. Compared to the other settlements of Katapesh, the city is so big that few people make distinctions between it and the nation as a whole.

City districts

The city is divided into five separate areas: Dawn Gate, Docks, Inner City, Lower City, and Twilight Gate. Three more smaller communities shelter in the shade of the city's tall walls: Dog Town, which huddles around the Dawn Gate; the Daystalls, located outside of the Serpent Gate; and the Sprawl near the Twilight Gate. A fourth community outside of Katapesh's walls, Castle Clarion, is located just south and east of the Sprawl and has attracted neighbors and a few shops. The River Scorpion wends its way through part of the city, passing through the Serpent Gate, exiting into the Sprawl, and flowing out into the Obari Ocean. Outside of the urban center, the countryside quickly gives way to pesh farms and small, scattered settlements.

Government

As they control much of the trade within the anarchic city, the mysterious Pactmasters are the de facto rulers of Katapesh. They reside within several shining buildings near the city center, the entrance to which is blocked by the Aluum, their personal construct guards. While the Pactmasters maintain control over the city of Katapesh, day-to-day business and governance is left to the human Pactbroker Hashim ibn Sayyid. Master of the Vault Jalal Abdul-Abadar leads the clergy of the Immaculate Repository, a powerful temple of Abadar that offers banking, storage, and surety services to the city's many merchants.

Slavery

Kholo slavers were a common sight until quite recently.

When slavery was legal in Katapesh, kholo slavers also sold slaves in Okeno and Katapesh. However, the city's government made no effort to control or recapture slaves, leaving those responsibilities to slave owners. Because of this, slaves were more likely to escape bondage in Katapesh, and those who did had an easier time blending in and making a living within the city's diverse population.

Following years of rumors that they would do so, the Pactmasters of Katapesh outlawed slavery nationwide in 4722 AR without revealing their rationale. In the same year, the Firebrands, a loose organization of freedom fighters, targeted the Pactmasters' control over Katapesh's pesh trade in solidarity with the nation's nomadic peoples, Badawi villagers, and newly freed slaves.

Since abolition the Pactmasters recruited kholo, including former slavers, into the Zephyr Guard to put down dissent through force. However, the promotion of former slavers into law enforcement roles has only inflamed tensions among Katapesh's working classes.

Guilds and organizations

Disagreements in the city's markets are not unheard of.

Trade is the highest priority of the law in Katapesh and the trade guilds are the political powers in the city. The people of Katapesh are proud of their professions. Every line of work is part of a guild that guarantees each member's economic well-being, even if that means having just enough to feed oneself each day. The guilds also protect their members from the harsh penalties for unsanctioned business practices and the often deadly vigilante "guild justice".

Local organizations

A large number of local guilds and organizations have been established in the city:

• Carpenters' Guild (Katapesh)
• Farmers' Union
• Fleshmonger Federation
• Fraternal Order of the Anvil
• Gladiators' Guild
• Guild of Bakers and Butchers
• Guild of Street Sweepers and Dung Carters
• Guild of Weavers
• Imperial Union of Breeders
• Jewelers' Guild
• League of Peshmongers
• League of Upright Barristers
• Order of Alchemists and Potion Makers
• Poison Makers' Guild
• The Sword and Shield
• The Unseen Hand
• The Zephyr Guard

International organizations

A number of international organization also have activities in the city:

• Aspis Consortium
• Pathfinder Society

Mercenaries

As the ruling Pactmasters offer no governmental protection from internal or external threats, most communities and individuals who can afford them rely on paid mercenaries for protection, leading to a lucrative market for the hired warriors.

Inhabitants

The city of Katapesh's residents are a varied collection of peoples from across and beyond the Inner Sea region. Although still a human-majority settlement, a visitor could not only run into kholo, nomadic gnomes, and dwarven miners from the Brazen Peaks, but also Vudran rakshasas or even traders from the Great Beyond.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.