Absalom and Starstone Isle
At the heart of the Inner Sea stands the Isle of Kortos, raised from the waters thousands of years ago as Aroden’s first deific act. This amazing feat marks the dawn of the Age of Enthronement and the first year of the Absalom Reckoning calendar. The city of Absalom itself, the largest in the Inner Sea region, sprawls on the southern shore of this isle, and at the city’s heart stands the legendary Starstone Cathedral. Within the walls of this structure, the Starstone ever waits to test its next supplicants — the few mortals who pass this mystic test become gods themselves. This has made Absalom an oft-besieged metropolis, but in its nearly 5,000 years, it has never once fallen.
Absalom, called by many the City at the Center of the World, boasts a population of over 300,000, and its culture is a true melting pot in both ancestry and belief. Even the city’s architecture reflects this, as one might expect of a settlement of its age. From the towering and majestic temples of the Ascendant Court to the close-packed shops and guildhalls of the Petal District and the sagging shanties in the Puddles, Absalom’s neighborhoods never fail to present a memorable skyline. Many world-reaching organizations were born in Absalom, notably the Pathfinder Society.
The Isle of Kortos, also known as Starstone Isle, has a similarly diverse ecosystem. The verdant forests and grasslands of the west provide many of the resources Absalom needs, but to the east, the rugged stony desert known as the Scrape, the dangerous Riven Hills, and the newly formed necromantic wasteland known as the Tyrant’s Grasp present far harsher climates. The Isle of Erran, just north of Starstone Isle, hosts the second-largest city in the area, Escadar. A rough seaport with more than its share of shady dealings and dangerous types, Escadar also hosts large shipyards and maintains a strong navy that helps to keep the surrounding waters of the Inner Sea safe. A number of smaller islands also skirt the coast of the Isle of Kortos — some barren, some serving as hideouts for criminals and outcasts.
Rising from the center of the Isle of Kortos are the Kortos Mounts, a short but rugged range of tors that have, over the years, been ruled by minotaurs, harpies, dragons, and worse. A few treacherous passes allow travel through the mountains, but with the northern shore of the Isle of Kortos being dominated by the soggy tangles of Dunmire, these northern reaches offer little to draw anyone other than bandits and adventurers into these still-untamed lands.
Absalom, called by many the City at the Center of the World, boasts a population of over 300,000, and its culture is a true melting pot in both ancestry and belief. Even the city’s architecture reflects this, as one might expect of a settlement of its age. From the towering and majestic temples of the Ascendant Court to the close-packed shops and guildhalls of the Petal District and the sagging shanties in the Puddles, Absalom’s neighborhoods never fail to present a memorable skyline. Many world-reaching organizations were born in Absalom, notably the Pathfinder Society.
The Isle of Kortos, also known as Starstone Isle, has a similarly diverse ecosystem. The verdant forests and grasslands of the west provide many of the resources Absalom needs, but to the east, the rugged stony desert known as the Scrape, the dangerous Riven Hills, and the newly formed necromantic wasteland known as the Tyrant’s Grasp present far harsher climates. The Isle of Erran, just north of Starstone Isle, hosts the second-largest city in the area, Escadar. A rough seaport with more than its share of shady dealings and dangerous types, Escadar also hosts large shipyards and maintains a strong navy that helps to keep the surrounding waters of the Inner Sea safe. A number of smaller islands also skirt the coast of the Isle of Kortos — some barren, some serving as hideouts for criminals and outcasts.
Rising from the center of the Isle of Kortos are the Kortos Mounts, a short but rugged range of tors that have, over the years, been ruled by minotaurs, harpies, dragons, and worse. A few treacherous passes allow travel through the mountains, but with the northern shore of the Isle of Kortos being dominated by the soggy tangles of Dunmire, these northern reaches offer little to draw anyone other than bandits and adventurers into these still-untamed lands.
