Tar-Kazmukh

Tar-Kazmukh

(City)

Nation

Five Kings Mountains

Size

Large town

Population

3,410

Demographics

Dwarves

Source: Dwarves of Golarion, pg(s). 13

Tar-Kazmukh is the northernmost settlement in the Five Kings Mountains. It's famous for its rather impressive arcane library which not only draws dwarven wizards from all over the region, even distant Janderhoff, but also human and elf visitors. The librarians, called the Blue Warders, serve all visitors, but pay particular respect to the local Sages' Guild, whose members are dedicated to study of arcane and planar knowledge.

History

Tar-Kazmukh is the only subterranean dwarven city that has no direct connection to the Darklands. One of the youngest settlements in the Five Kings Range, It was built during the creation of the monument to King Kazmukh. Soon it became home to wizards seeking a remote place for their studies. Many of its tunnels and rooms were built with the help of earth-shaping magic, or via summoned earth elementals, and the geometry sometimes looks strange. "Lost libraries" is said to lie off the outlying tunnels, occupied by hermit wizards, who some claim are dwarven liches.

Government

Tar-Kazmukh's ruler takes part in the Gathering Council, the ruling body of the Five Kings Mountains.

Karadoon

Caravans traveling to and from Tar-Kazmukh have recently come under attack from a dangerous predator known as Karadoon. This ebon-winged, fiendish griffon delights in terrorizing its victims before killing and devouring groups navigating the high mountain passes. It rarely leaves survivors and will deposit the picked-clean corpses of its victims at the doors of Tar-Kazmukh to further its infamous reputation. Caravan leaders have discovered that this creature will attack other griffons before anyone else, and certain unscrupulous dwarves have begun releasing captive griffons to draw off Karadoon when he is first spotted. This has caused the price of griffon eggs in the vicinity to go through the roof, and has caused great anxiety among the local griffon populations, whose nests are increasingly robbed by opportunistic thieves.