Eldritch House: Yuresh Nahavr
Population Breakdown:
Orakesh: 43,000 humanoids
Surrounding Wastes: 250,000 humanoids
Introduction
Once within the borders of the mighty Yuresh Nahavr or 'Golden House' of the Eldritch Empire, Korahan is now the reclaimed homeland of the Aurkind diaspora. Korahan is a kingdom of grassy steppes divided by great, winding inlets that divided the Eldritch Kingdoms of Yuresh Nahavr; Western Ythill, Middle Carcas, and Eastern Alar. As a result of these seaway confluences, the capitol of Aurakesh is a popular destination for sailors and merchants travelling between west and east through the Sister Seas. According to local legend, the Ogrimak warlord Erdene Sech united the Orckind diaspora and brought them to Korahan, and still rules quietly to this day, coordinating the regions defensive and economic initiatives from the Golden Throne, an artifact seized in the last days of Nahavr from the ruins of Carcosa.
The Golden House
The Eldritch House of the Yuresh Nahavr were famed necromancers who used powerful hybrid of illusion and necromancy magic to 'disbelieve' death, which they called 'The Phantom of Truth'. Their fetid, rotting forms were so unpleasant that they would often use ornate masks and clothing to hide their appearances. They gained their immortality from the consumption of positive energy, so Yuresh Nahavr had a significant population of slaves who were used both for petty labor and as a source of 'food'.
Ambitious cabals eventually sought to rebel against the seemingly infinite reign of the founder of the Yuresh Nahavr, a depraved and ancient creature called 'The Yellow King'. The Yellow King's daughter Cassilda, almost as wicked has he, conspired with a powerful noble named Aldones to overthrow the King. Through an act of cunning and trickery, they banished him to a distant part of the astral realm. Cassilda married Aldones shortly thereafter,and the two of them ruled the kingdom until Aldones was struck down by the hand of an assassin.
Unbeknownst to the royals of Yuresh Nahavr, the Yellow King had in fact assembled a team of vulture-like creatures from the Far Realms responsible for the assassination of Aldones. These creatures were shunned adherents of an ancient order dedicated to the collection of immortal souls, capable of ritually separating undead souls from their phylacteries or vessels.
The following period, known as 'The Terror', lasted some centuries after the death of Aldones. These assassins wreaked havoc on the corrupt and decadent noble class of Yuresh Nahavr, causing it to fall into a protracted civil war between the provinces of Ythill and Alar, both houses hoping to marry into the throne through the widowed Empress. As the fight between Ythill slavers and Alarian necromancers reached a fever pitch, the Grand Necromancer Uoht of the Alar reached out to the King in Yellow, promising him to return him. The Chroniclers of Demhe, once advisers to the royal throne, implored Uoht to abandon his plan.
Once summoned from Beyond, the Yellow King destroyed Uoht and the Ythill Slavelords, taking both armies as his own. Usurping the throne from his daughter Cassilda, The Yellow King purged so many royals that chroniclers of Demhe could not track the resulting inheritances of the ancient family trees, resulting in widespread economic weakness. With his hordes of slave-beasts or 'Aurkind' as a bulk force and his retinue of soul collectors, he enforced fixed lifespans for everybody in his empire.
The Deluge
After the destruction of the Heart of Creation, The Yellow King quickly fell to the Kanshai Lords and used the last of his power to lift the city-states of Ythill, Alar and Carcossa into the sky. Not long after, the Kanshai Lords banished The Yellow King and the city of Carcossa into the Beyond. Some say it still appears on auspicious occasions, pulled to this realm by events of the distant past. The province of Demhe once on the shore of lake Hali was submerged by the The Deluge.
Curried by the Kanshai Lords to fight against rival houses, the Aurkind army would eventually rebel from the influence of the Sleepers and band together beneath Erdene Sech, an 'Aurc' said to be part demon, or 'Ogrimak'. Erdene Sech would eventually go on found the city of Orakesh and eventually establish the country of Korahan. While the world outside the city walls might exist in a state of tribal mayhem, strictly enforced martial law prevent conflict or chaos from erupting within Orakesh itself. Erdene's Law is zealously enforced by the Sechian Guard, a secular, multi-tribal force of elite soldiers bound by magic to the Golden Throne, an ancient treasure that once belonged to the Yellow King.
Erdene Sech
While rumors abound about Erdene Sech's immortality, most historians posit that he likely died long ago, maintaining a succession of heirs through the centuries that have taken on a symbolic identity necessary for the intregrity of the city of Orakesh and the region's defenses. Erdene sech is capable of uniting the disparate and chaotic tribes of the Korahan wastes against powerful supernatural and political enemies in times of great need, existing both as an important figure-head and as a general of combined tribal forces. If Erdene Sech is truly dead, this would make the Sechian Guard a powerful secret society that rules Korahan justly but mercilessly.
Environs
Large, meandering inlets snake between a series of main passes between Skora Razul Sea and Myanmara Sea, feeding salty wetlands and marshes that support a variety of animals such as tarpans, monophants, antelope, and other grazers. Up above, the steppes are home to planar interlopers including giant sentient spiders, satyr-like humanoid aberrations, and pseudo-dragons. Most of these creatures seem to come through with the ghost city of Carcosa as it transitions to Athwei during the fall equinox, thriving in the warmer, wetter environment that Korahan provides. Uniquely, the region has two extra 'moons'. These are the remnants of the cities Ythill and Alar, set into the sky by The Yellow King at the beginning of the Deluge. Their activities seem to be somewhat random, moving around with the time of day and season without any clear logic.
The Cursed Cities and the Yellow King
The cursed floating cities are in fact refuges for those powerful and loyal royal supporters of the Yellow King. Their movements are mostly a result of the failing magic which keeps them afloat, though sometimes the cities do in fact travel to remote locations for academic and ritual purposes. Within these cities, elaborate plays and art of indescribable complexity and detail are commonplace. The remnants of Yuresh Nahavr which live in these cities are thoroughly undead, and most have been alive for an age or two. Occasionally some intrepid adventurer or seer manages to glimpse these cities, bringing back some snippet or script for some entrancing performance which often has some horrifying effect on mortals.