Zothique

Zothique is said to have been the last continent to remain on Earth before the coming of the New Age. This was written according to the Corpus of Cosmic Horror by the Lovecraftian Prophet Clark Ashton Smith.

Overview[]

Zothique is described by Milo Thatch as a kind of "apocalyptic Pangaea". The continent is similar to time even beyond the Middle Ages with a culture reminiscent of Antiquity with some loans from the Arab culture. Monarchs, nobles and priests dominate the political life of Zothique, and slavery is again a common custom in many countries.

Description[]

The dominant race on this continent is a white race or more likely a mulatto, although there is minimal talk of a black empire in Ilcar, of the black cannibals of Naat and of the yellow individuals of the island of Uccastrog. The social strata are very reminiscent of those of Antiquity, especially that of the Eastern context.

Mages: Magic once again dominate this continent no longer having be to hidden from the general public. It became without a doubt most powerful social class on the entire continent. They are scattered throughout the Zothiquian territory, choosing most of the times the court of a king or a solitary existence, only broken by the company of one or more volunteer disciples. Of all the magicians and sorcerers in Zothique, the most feared are the neat necromancers of Naat. These have formed a true community on the island of the same name, which they share with black cannibals. Neat-educated necromancers are adept at resuscitating dead bodies in any state of decomposition.

Elitists: The wealthy classes of Zothique tend to be, to a greater or lesser extent, capricious despots who abuse their authority and squander both the prestige of their dynasties and the fortune of their countries.

Servants: In Zothique, Eunuchs (which are men who have had their external genitalia mutilated) are used as palace servants and guardians of the harem of the powerful. The existence of eunuchs has been very frequently and abundantly documented in the history of humanity, where they came to have great power in the court of some kings. One of the best known cases is that of Bagoas, general of the Persian monarch Artaxerxes III. Another famous eunuch was Narsés, a trusted man of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, used by him to counter General Belisario.

Merchants: Merchants and petty bourgeoisie are the social group that makes commercial life possible in the cities of Zothique. They often live, like the merchants and artisans of old, in large cities close to nobles, emperors, and priests.

Women: Regarding the role of women in Zothique, this is not flattering. It is even customary in some towns to sell to young women, most of the time to serve as odalisques or concubines and satisfy the lust of the powerful on duty. The women of the powerful classes can be queens, princesses or main consorts of the monarch, but this is not an impediment for the monarch to have his own harem.

Farmers: Flat town are the sectors where the lower classes of the cities and on the other hand the shepherds and farmers live on. Regarding farmers, it is assumed that there must be different types of specialization in agriculture for the collection and shipment of farm products to cities. An evident example of this is the frequent mentions of Yoros wines, which suggests the existence of vineyards and a strong wine-growing industry at this point in the Zothiquian geography. We can also appreciate in the stories that some members of this "Third Zothiquian state" do not conform with their situation and try to thrive by becoming sorcerers; however, many of them only manage to become soothsayers and astrologers of dubious reputation and with few and irregular investments, who cannot stay in a certain place for a long time due to the risk that a dissatisfied customer will assault them or demand a refund.

Interracials: Within the cocktail of races and cultures that make up Zothique, one of the most striking is that of the inhabitants of Uccastrog, one of the islands located in the easternmost part of the continent. The physical description that is made of them portrays them as individuals of the yellow race, with the characteristic oblique eyes and with a dress reminiscent of the Arabian Arabian Nights culture. They are famous throughout Zothique for their sadism, as they have a horrible hobby of cruelly torturing foreign travelers who land by mistake or misfortune on their island. The Cannibals of Naat under this name a series of tribes of black race, with a muscular physique and pointed teeth are known. They inhabit the part of the island of Naat that sorcerers do not inhabit. They live by waging war with each other and presumably kill and devour each other in endless internecine wars.

Wildlife: Naturally in a world where all traces of technology and modern civilization have disappeared, animals are essential for working and traveling from one side of Zothique to the other. The most widely used are horses (preferably used by warriors, kings, and other figures of noble lineage) and camels (indicated for journeys through the Zothiquian sea of sand). Maritime transport also has the importance of yesteryear, with total control of the boats propelled by oars.

Geography[]

The future continent of Zothique is bounded by sea to the west, south, and east; its northern boundaries are dubious.

West: West of Zothique lies the island of Iribos, and at a great distance, the necromantic isle of Naat. Beyond Naat an oceanic current, called the Black River, is said to sweep all travelers to their doom beyond the world's edge. Many notable necromancers and sorcerers come from Naat, including Mmatmuor and Sodosma, sometime rulers of Cincor; Narghai and Vemba-Tsith, the assistants of Abnon-Tha; Sarcand, the rival of Mior Lumivix; and the necromantic household of Vacharn, Vokal, and Uldulla.

South: South of Zothique is the Indaskian Sea, in which are found the islands of Cyntrom and Uccastrog. Uccastrog's king, Ildrac and the other inhabitants of the isle were known for the brutal and sadistic tortures they practiced on those who landed there, until they were visited by the plague of the "Silver Death".

East: East of Zothique lies the island kingdom of Sotar, whose capital is Loithé. Beyond it are the island of Tosk and the atolls of Yumatot; after that are the scattered islands of the Ilozian Sea, mostly unnamed, save for Ornava, the island of birds.

Kingdoms[]

In Zothique, where the dead vastly outnumber the living, many kingdoms have risen and fallen. The abandoned cities of these lost kingdoms can still be found by the unwary traveler. One of the most ancient of these was the kingdom of Ossaru, who ruled half of Zothique. His capital lay in a desolate region near the northeastern borders of Yoros.

Cincor was the home of the fabled Nimboth dynasty, and its capital of Yethlyreom. It is now a "drear and leprous and ashen" desert. The situation of Cincor relative to the other kingdoms of Zothique is uncertain, but it apparently lies east or southeast of Xylac. It was thought by some that Ossaru's capital might be located there. North of Cincor lies the land of Tinarath. The eastern bounds of Cincor are the Mykrasian Mountains, beyond which the way leads through fruitful Zhel, many-cities Istana, and the desert of Dhir, until one comes at last to Calyz.

History[]

Origins[]

The historical sequence of events in Zothique cannot be securely determined, not only because the stories cover events only sketchily, but also because in Zothique history is non-directional. Kingdoms rise and fall, and are rebuilt, in a seemingly endless cycle; and whether a particular event took place before or after one of the catastrophes that punctuate the cycle is often a matter of conjecture.

The oldest of the kingdoms of which myth tells is that of Ossaru, the wizard-king who, together with the extraterrestrial monster Nioth Korghai, ruled half Zothique. The very name of this land is forgotten, and its capital is lost in a wilderness populated by the cannibal Ghorii.

Rise of Ossaru[]

After Ossaru rose the Empire of Cincor, which lasted for two thousand years, from its first emperor, Hestaiyon, to Illeiro, the last of the Nimboth dynasty ruling in Yethlyreom. Illeiro and all his people perished in a plague, and Cincor remained blighted and deserted for two hundred years after that, until Mmatmuor and Sodosma, necromancers of Naat, revived its people to an undead half-life. This empire of the dead, with which the necromancers planned to conquer the northern land of Tinarath, lasted only a brief time before the dead, led by the first and last of their ancient rulers, overthrew the sorcerers and brought themselves to oblivion.

Along with perhaps the overlapping with the Nimboth dynasty, the kingdom of Tasuun was founded by King Tnepreez in Chaon Gacca. His successors included Queen Avaina, and the Kings Acharnil and Agmeni. The disasters that befell the latter prompted the movement of the capital of Tasuun to the city of Miraab, where Mandis and Archain reigned, the latter dying at the hands of his wife Xantlicha. The fifty-ninth king of Tasuun, Famorgh, surpassed all the others in luxury, and his wife Lunalia (of Xylac) and his daughter Ulua were known for their experiments in sorcery. It was during his reign that the city of Miraab was destroyed by an earthquake; nonetheless, his son Mandor ruled after him.

Species and Creatures[]

In Zothique, there are many different species and creatures that preside in the lands. Some are known in Myth while others are brand new. These are:

Ghorii: Wild people who live in caves and feed on carrion. They are also man-eating and are specialists in ambushing caravans traveling from Yoros to Tasuun and vice versa.
Incubus: Male Sex Demons who raped women at night; it was said that if a woman became pregnant with an incubus she would have a child with paranormal powers. Due to the abuse of witchcraft taking place in Zothique, many incubi manage to take physical shape and populate our world.
Lamias: A species of vampire demons, who, under the guise of beautiful girls, attracted young men and sucked their blood. The reason why they came to this continent is unknown.
Succubus: Female Sex Demons said to lie with men to steal their semen and life energy. Like the incubi, their male counterpart, they populate the lands of Zothique.
Weavers: These ghouls, supposedly suggested from Hell, hide in the catacombs of abandoned cities and devour the corpses in them. They can be hostile if they are hungry.

Pantheon of Zothique[]

The Zothiquian Pantheon are deities that strangely do not belong to any other pantheon. However, according to Milo Thatch these deities were perhaps an offshoot of the current known theistic entities of modern society. Meaning that they were the earliest incarnations of deific figures within theism. The only known deities are:

Mordiggian: The Zothiquian God of Death and Chief Deity of Zul-Bha-Sair (It was worshiped long before the creation of the continent)
Basatan: The Zothiquian God of the Sea (prototype of Poseidon or Neptune)
Geol: The Zothiquian God of the Earth (Land) (Patron Deity the city of Aramoam)
Ojhal: The Zothiquian Virgin Goddess (Adored by monks who eventually retired to a monastery in Puthuum) - (a possible prototype of the Virgin Mary)
Thamagorgos: The Zothiquian God of the Underworld (prototype of Hades or Pluto)
Thasaidon: The Zothiquian God of Evil (possible prototype of Satan in the Christian religion. His physical representations show him as a giant in black and dressed in armor)