Kortash Khain

Kortash Khain

(Person)

Unique

CE

Medium

Ghoul

Undead

Titles

Priest-King
High Priest of Him Who Gnaws

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Ancestry/Species

Ghoul

Level

Legendary

Class

Cleric 5 / Sorcerer 5 / Mystic theurge 10 / Hierophant 6

Gender

Male

Homeland

Nemret Noktoria, Darklands

Deity

Kabriri

Companion(s)

Azothinaktus

Images of Kortash Khain

Source: Mythic Realms, pg(s). 54–55 (1E)
The Ghouls Hunger, pg(s). 92–93 (2E)

The Priest-King Kortash Khain it the autocratic ruler of the hidden ghoul city of Nemret Noktoria in Sekamina, which he founded. He is also Golarion's High Priest of the demon lord Kabriri, patron to all ghouls, and is one of the most powerful spellcasters on the planet. He rarely leaves the city, which he someday hopes to turn into an unliving version of Kabriri's Abyssal realm of Everglut.

Foreign relations

Khain maintains open diplomatic ties and conducts trade agreements with the nations of Thuvia and Osirion on the surface of Garund, but is also said to have made secret agreements with other nations as well. He is also known to wage war on his Darklands neighbors and Osirion when it serves his city's interests, and is said to have depopulated Sekamina in its vicinity.

The Priest-King's relentless capture squads have even targeted Garund's genies. Many of these powerful beings have been defeated and transformed into formidable great ghuls. Within Khain's dominion, these converted genies assume prominent positions such as atamans, beys, and pashas, exerting their influence under the Priest-King's command. The most formidable among them are the Quadrate Pillars, a group of four great ghul oracles. Each of these Pillars is a twisted remnant of a genie, forced to serve in death the very element that stood opposite to its essence in life. Among the ranks of Khain's followers, a few renegade jabalis have also embraced the worship of Kabriri, functioning as architects, engineers, and builders, and form the esteemed Blackstone Brotherhood within Nemret Noktoria. Revered for their architectural prowess and hunting skills, they infiltrate their fellow genies, luring them into well-planned ambushes.

Advisors

By Khain's side, occupying a position of authority within the highest echelons of Nemret Noktoria's government, stands the vrolikai antipaladin known as Azothinaktus. In this city where few living beings hold any semblance of power, Azothinaktus has emerged as a significant figure. Kortash Khain, through a pact forged with the demon lord Kabriri himself, secured the unwavering loyalty of the Hollow Princess. As a result, Azothinaktus serves as both a formidable bodyguard and the commander of the city guard, a role she has dutifully fulfilled for almost six and a half centuries.

The Priest-King is also served by group of powerful great ghul advisors, who are also priests of Kabriri. They are said to have the heads of animals and know secret passages to the surface.