Lands of Parsantium – Ferez and the Gates of Sunset

With the Labyrinth Worldbook releasing this week from Kobold Press, I thought I would publish a few posts and share some more information about my campaign setting, the Lands of Parsantium, one of the core worlds featured in the book. This all-new post describes Ferez, a major city in Aqhran, and a portal to the Labyrinth.

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Ferez

Located on the coast at the western end of the Corsairs’ Sea, Ferez is a bustling city and the largest port in the Caliphate of Aqhran. It is an important centre for maritime trade with the Bathuran cities of Rezana and Loranto, as well as its bitter rival Qardab to the north. 

An overland caravan route leads east along the coast from Ferez to the Aqhrani capital Qadisa, where it connects with the Tariq al-Sahili to Ezirat and the Kingdoms of Sampur beyond. Caravans making the arduous trip through the desert are often joined for safety by pilgrims heading to Qadisa’s Grand Mosque. Gnoll mercenaries are employed as guards by the caravan organizers to protect merchants and pilgrims alike from attacks by bandits, as well as the nomadic ifrit (fireborn elemental scion) tribes of the desert, who have recently come under the leadership of an ambitious efreeti warlord, Saleem al-Nuri. 

Although it is an important centre for legitimate trade, Ferez has long had a reputation for piracy. Several hidden coves along the coast to the south of the city are home to pirates and privateers who use sea caves to conceal their ships, crews, and ill-gotten gains. 

Today, Ferez is ruled semi-autonomously by Sultana Khadijah al-Malik, an undine (waterborn elemental scion) and erstwhile pirate captain who was installed as ruler by the previous Caliph in gratitude for rallying her fellow pirates to defend the city from attack by a mighty kraken. Recently, his successor, Caliph Faisil al-Aqil, has been discreetly issuing letters of marque to pirates through the Sultana, encouraging them to attack merchant vessels from Loranto in the eastern half of the Corsairs’ Sea. 

The Sultana lives in a lavish royal palace in the centre of Ferez. A dozen or so pink-feathered storks nest atop the palace walls and towers – it is considered bad luck to bother them, although their feathers are much sought after by spellcasters as magical components. 

Away from the busy harbour, gates in the pink-red stone walls lead to the Medina – a bewildering network of narrow streets and crowded souks. Eventually, the streets converge on the Grand Square, an oasis of calm in an otherwise noisy, frantic environment. In the middle of the square a large marble fountain with a sculpture of the Pasha of the Marids offers refreshment to all. The fountain is surrounded by tall palm trees, beautiful flower gardens, and benches where citizens can sit and relax. It is said that no blood has ever been spilled in the Grand Square – some believe that the fountain gives off a magical aura that calms the fury in one’s soul. 

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Gates of Sunset

The kraken who attacked Ferez is thought to have emerged through the Gates of Sunset, a pair of tall rock pillars jutting out of the sea a few miles off the coast which sometimes act as a portal to other worlds. Legend says these pillars were once the arms of a gargantuan giant who with his brothers and sisters had been turned to stone by Amur the Sky God, so they might hold up the heavens as the Giantshoulder Mountains for all eternity. The petrified limbs were torn from the rock and cast into the sea by Jabbar, an angry storm giant, who was aiming for the marid prince he was fighting, but missed when the genie dived beneath the waves. 

Few know the secret to activating the magic of the Gates of Sunset. Most often, sailing between the pillars has no effect, but when the stars are right, those who pass through the Gates find themselves elsewhere, such as the Dreamer’s Islands or the world of Red Haven in the Old Ring (see Labyrinth Worldbook). And, of course, from time to time, ships and creatures pass through in the other direction…

Jabbar is buried in a huge sarcophagus in an ancient mausoleum called the Tomb of the Angry Giant built atop a wooded hill just outside Ferez. The doorway to the tomb stands open, allowing visitors to go inside. The sarcophagus has never been opened, although several disrespectful thieves have tried.

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Adventure Hook. A mysterious vessel has arrived at Ferez’s docks, captained by a flamboyant elf explorer dressed in outlandish clothes. Calling himself Tavareen Windrider, he claims to have arrived from another world through the Gates of Sunset, using a book of charts called the Periplus of the Star Shepherd to guide him. Now, several greedy merchants are after the Periplus and will stop at nothing to get it. Will the PCs help Tavareen keep his book safe, or try and steal it themselves?

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You can download a free preview of Parsantium: City at the Crossroads to find out more about the setting, or, better still, buy Parsantium from Drivethrurpg. 

If you’ve enjoyed reading these posts, please do join my mailing list. There’s a sign up form below and subscribers receive a free Parsantium supplement. 

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Lands of Parsantium map by Jared Blando