Ishantar
The city of Ishantar is a prosperous community on the east bank of the Stygian about 35 miles south of Menefet. Few barges stop at its docks, however, and boatmen are very careful as they pass through its waters due to the high number of crocodiles in the river here. Ishantar is the high seat of the temple of Sebk, crocodile-headed god of water and evil, so merchants with goods for Ishantar generally transport them by caravan rather than going by river and risking a confrontation with the sacred crocodiles.
Much of the temple of Sebk is built with no stairs — only ramps — to make it easier for holy crocodiles to enter. Within the temple, however, are stairs behind closed doors, to lead priests and adherents to altars where they can worship without the presence of the god’s hungry children. (In actual fact, the crocodiles around the temple are kept well-fed by the priests, and so, unless harassed, typically leave people alone.) The temple has been rebuilt and expanded over the years. The oldest portion was built on a rock foundation into which crypts have been carved for interring the remains of priests of Sebk. Also buried in the old section are the mummified remains of hundreds of sacred crocodiles, from those barely over a foot long, which rest in groups in lidded jars, to one that exceeds 12 feet.
The entire city seems to be affected by the presence of the temple and the example of its priests. The people tend to be callous and spiteful, and the soldiers of the local garrison are bullies. Even the city’s administration is corrupt — something otherwise quite rare in the Khemitian bureaucracy
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