Kasshta Keep

All but one of the monasteries of Adar lie concealed behind a blend of psychic and arcane techniques. Kasshta Keep refuses to hide from outsiders or the Inspired. It is the de facto capital of Adar and the abode of the Keeper of the Word, who guides the kalashtar people. High in the mountains, the monastery is reached by winches and lifts. Its inhabitants include wizards, monks, and mystics; if you want to play a monk from an exotic land, you could have learned your art in Kasshta Keep.

This fabled fortress, known even in Riedra and Khorvaire as the home of the mysterious Keepers of the Word, lies in northwestern Adar. All Adarans know it as the place where the kalashtar Taratai passed from the world in her stand against the Inspired.

Carved from the heart of a mountain, the fortress has an outer face set into a cliff thousands of feet above the Kasshta River, lookimg westward into Syrkarn. Ships from the river can be ferried by magic lifts to a magically maintained lake nearly a mile up the cliff. From the east, overland routes converge to form a trail that winds to Kasshta’s great gate.

The keep is frequently engulfed by unnatural weather, such as violent storms or mists arcing with lightning.

Most of the keep’s inhabitants live in subterranean chambers. To illuminate the depths, the Keepers of the Word created magic lights that nourish people and plants as sunlight does. Other magical effects keep Kasshta’s air fresh and pleasant.

Thousands of feet above the blue-green Kasshta River, wisps of vapor dance around spires of reddish rock, maintaining themselves eternally and incredibly in the wind that blows here. Occasionally electricity arcs between them. Dark flags flutter atop four towers of natural stone carved like ancient watchers with four heads, each looking in a different direction. What seems like a sheer cliff, carved here and there with open pathways, platforms, and windows, is the ancient Kasshta Keep.

Kasshta Keep is the only monastery fortress in Adar whose location is accurately known to the Riedrans and even foreigners. Founded by the legendary arcanist Kasshta, first Speaker of the Word, the keep was built thousands of years ago, mostly carved into and under the mountains by human magic and hands. Kasshta is the seat of the Keepers of the Word and their potent magical legacy. It is also the traditional home of their leader, the Speaker of the Word.

The citadel is visible from the waters of the Kasshta River below it from a distance of several miles when the air is clear. Storms enshroud the Keep at unpredictable intervals, however, making sighting the place difficult at best. A broad beach, dock, and stairs to the keep were once located on the river. Only the slightest signs of the stairs to Kasshta Keep remain, the rest having been erased by war and magic long ago. The removal of the docks and the existence of the strange hanging mists are the legacy of the Taratai lineage members' passing at the Riedran siege of Kasshta Keep.

No roads enter Kasshta Keep. A worn trail does appear near where overland routes converge to approach the fortress's main gates. The citadel also has magic winches to lift boats out of the river or lower them down again. As a result, the keep's "port" is some 5,000 feet off the water.

Most of the people in the keep live in subterranean chambers. The Keepers of the Word created magic lights that provide nourishment as sunlight does, keeping people and plants healthy in the cool dark of the mountain. Unlike Shalquar, Kasshta has a variety of vegetables and fruits available.

Leadership: Chanaakar, the current Speaker of the Word, lives and works in Kasshta Keep. He rarely leaves. The Keepers' Council of the Wise advises him, and some of these elders actually oversee the keep's functions as a settlement. Chanaakar lives in the highest rooms of Kasshta Keep not designed solely for military purposes. Directly beneath his living quarters are the Council Chambers and the Council Hall.

In nearly all areas of Kasshta Keep, water, heat, ventilation, and light are supplied by elemental magic.

Council Chambers: In the highest sections of Kasshta Keep, important elders and mystics live and work. Not every elder takes a chamber in these hallowed halls—many choose to remain among their families (or lineage groups, if kalashtar). So, about half of the Council Chambers are occupied by persons important to the functioning of Kasshta Keep. All these rooms have extensive passive magical defenses.

The most open and public room at this level is the Council Hall. A hemispherical chamber, it is set up as an amphitheater with a central raised dais for speakers. The Council of the Wise meets here. Part of the hall is often set aside for citizens of Kasshta Keep to air grievances or watch the proceedings.

Unknown to many in Kasshta Keep, the central platform is a magic item. Some of the elders, including the Speaker, can command the dais to produce calm emotions, deep slumber, dimensional anchor (more useful before the Shroud), hold monster, tongues, and zone of truth up to three times per day. The area around the dais is also a complex magical diagram useful for many spells such as magic circle against evil.

Asperi Rookeries: Kasshta has long had little asperi "neighborhoods." The asperis who live in these places are considered citizens. Though asperis are wild and free in Adar, the guardians of Kasshta watch over these rookeries to protect them from harm. Given their openness, the rookeries form one of the few potential points of infiltration.

Dujong: Below the Council Chambers is the Dujong, the area where many of Kasshta Keep's warriors live and train. Rooms similar in layout to the Council Hall provide wide training grounds, and ample ventilation keeps the area pleasant.

The Hatta: On the lowest level of Kasshta is an open courtyard filled with orderly buildings and stalls, a wide lane passing through the middle. The whole arrangement resembles a tiny village. Here, merchants sell common goods and arrange deals. The Hatta, as Kasshtans call it, is like the open markets in villages elsewhere in Adar, but it is unusual in the eight monastery-fortresses that guard the land of refuge. Only Dvaarnava has anything similar.

In Kasshta Keep, and Adar as a whole, the goods available are highly variable and the prices fluctuate based on this reality. Much of what is available are basics needed for comfortable living or engaging in craftsmanship. Further, while Adarans do use money, that too is highly variable, and merchants often weigh coins. Barter is common. Assume any magic item or reagent is available in Kasshta Keep, up to the gold piece limit, and decide on its price based on how you want it to appear in your campaign.

Notable Features