Ichamun
Ichamun, also known as the Heart of Asmeklepius, is a town in central East Khidiana. It was the birthplace of the Urbnatist prophet Asmeklepius, and is consequently a famous pilgrimage site of the religion, as well as a centre of culture for Khidiana’s Rathin, Thyan, and halfling populations.
Government and Defences
The ruler of Ichamun is the ostentatious Thyan human man Exarch Venel Faustin. However, as he is currently adventuring in Qamenkas, the current viceroy is Syljen Marblehand, Caestus Faustin, a sweet halfling female that is a childhood friend of Venel. Ichamun is defended by four allagia of the Dicarion Legions. A wooden palisade surrounds the town, and an ancient stone wall, known as the Heartward Wall, defends the Heart of Ichamun.Commerce
Ichamun is a famous pilgrimage site for Unimical Urbnatism, as well as the centre of the Asmeklepeion, a hospital and school of medicine. It is also along an important trade route.Geography
Ichamun is in central East Khidiana, in Arduli. It is part of the Emirate of Lyxian Khidiana.Heart of Ichamun
The Heart of Ichamun is the northern district of the settlement, surrounded by the Heartward Wall. It is the oldest district of the town, and where most of the structures related to Asmeklepius reside. Landmarks in the Heart of Ichamun include:- The Asmeklepeion - the hospital, cathedral, and school of medicine first founded by the Urbnatist prophet Asmeklepius. The school and hospital is managed by Dean Dampunash Kyong Bi, an ambitious and charming Arigo-Shei Dragonborn woman, and the cathedral is watched over by the smart yet naive female Lizardfolk Primate Soli of Ichamun. Many people from all over Tuatha come to the Asmeklepeion, whether for the purpose of pilgrimage or in an effort to cure their condition.
- Castle Faustin - the keep resided in by the ruler family of Ichamun, the House of Faustin. It was constructed after the Ahagweunans took over the town in the War of the Western Wensuas, after they had destroyed the previous keep in a siege. The Thyan House of Faustin was then given governorship over the town, and have been the town’s leaders ever since. One of the castle’s most famous features is a massive oak tree in its courtyard, one regarded as sacred as it was supposedly unscathed by the battle.
- Whitefur Inn - a comfortable inn run by the courageous yet distant Rathin human man Miglior Thunderstone. Miglior has an obvious sign forbidding magic in his establishment, as he is affected by a curse that activates any time someone casts a spell.
- Elderforge Armaments - an armourer run by the mature, immodest, and wary Thyan human woman Fabiola Summerwood. It is based on the site of a forge dating back to the Dark Ages.
Tyfilian District
The Tyfilian District is the southwestern district of the settlement. It was established during Tyfilion’s reign over Ichamun, which gives it its name. Since the dissolvement of the Niranist Inquisition, it has become the poorer part of the town. Landmarks in the Tyfilian District include:- The Great Cauldron - an apothecary run by the caustic and resourceful male Kobold warlock Zizz. He owns a strange magical cauldron that gave him his magical powers. Zizz often pours random ingredients into the cauldron to experiment with it; so far, he knows he can use it to summon bats, make a stew, and make various types of elixirs.
- The Hellhound - a squalid inn and tavern run by the muscular and naughty male Kitori Goblin Dachas. A rickety building on the verge of falling apart, it has a single common room upstairs where one can sleep.
- The Gilded Lotus - a bathhouse run by the egotistical Grippli female Mriosh. Constructed from various parts of the surrounding natural environment, the Gilded Lotus only has a single bath.
- Church of High Moonlight - a Niranist church overseen by the judgemental female tiefling Presbyter Arbiter Aran. Originally a temple to Archaema constructed during the time of the Kingdom of Khidiana, it was converted into a church to Luna, much like many other Archaeman temples.
History
Ichamun was founded by the Rathin settlers from the Rathin Empire during its reign over Khidiana in the Arcane Age. The settlement first came to prominence after the spread of Asmeklepius’s religious and medical ideas, as the town was his birthplace and place of work. When Asmeklepiusism was adopted into the canon of Unimical Urbnatism, his school of medicine became an important pilgrimage site, which eventually expanded into the Asmeklepeion. Ichamun was taken by the Tyfilian Magocracy during their conquest of Khidiana. It then became independent as part of Khidiana’s period of independence, and then was conquered by Tyfilion again during the Elhyseian Conquests. Throughout this time, it remained a centre of Urbnatist worship, as well as Rathin and halfling culture. A hundred years prior to the War of the Western Wensuas, it also became a place of settlement for the newly emergent Thyan ethnicity outside of their native Thyenne. When the War of the Western Wensuas came to Ichamun, much of the town was razed, including the town’s main keep. The Ahagwuenans built a new keep, and put the Thyan Faustin family in charge, whom they favoured because of their closeness in blood to the Nimadu. Much of the old Tyfilian Quarter was destroyed. During the Khidianan War, Arduli took Ichamun in its initial push, but the town was regained by Ahagwuena during their pushback. When Arduli rallied and once again came to the walls of the settlement, the daughter of the ruling lady, Damazile Faustin, made a pact with the beseiging Ardulese force that she would let them into Ichamun if they would not harm the citizens, and make her ruler of the settlement. They obliged, and Damazile became the first of the House of Faustin to rule Ichamun under Ardulese control. Being such an obvious centre of non-Niranist religion, the Niranist Inquisition set their sights on the Urbnatist sites of Ichamun. The Inquisition stamped down on public displays of worship, angering many residents and those who practiced Urbnatism elsewhere. When the Inquisition attempted to destroy the cathedral wing of the Asmeklepeion, the throne of Fonterre sent a stern warning to the throne of Arduli. The Inquisition, at the command of Shah Kallista, halted their progress in Ichamun, and loosened their activities in the town. This event, sometimes called “The Near-War” in reference to how close Fonterre and Arduli were in coming to conflict, is believed to have been a key factor in the Inquisition’s dissolution in 1268 MT. In 1254 MT, the Gloomelian Fever came to Ichamun via the trade routes from Yuva. It was the doctors and priests of the Asmeklepeion that first discovered that the disease was caused by an extraplanar presence.
Founding Date
During the reign of the Rathin Empire
Alternative Name(s)
Heart of Asmeklepius, the Heart
Inhabitant Demonym
Ichamunian
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Owning Organization
