The Midden Codex

The underbelly below Karnor's Jewel of the North.

The underbelly that lies beneath the city.

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Beneath the earth and extending into the Warrens is an area known simply as the Midden. Those who much prefer to go unnoticed by Kalzasi’s authorities or who just can’t gain citizenship for one reason or another congregate in some of the large cavernous spaces below the surface. The Midden is Kalzasi’s most widely known secret, its existence is not lost on any of the residents but there is no desire by the authorities to tame or expunge it. Lawlessness and danger are ever-present in the Midden. The city guards do not exercise their authority in this place and would not be welcome to do so. The lack of any organized defense force, however, leaves the Midden open to incursions by the dark creatures that call the Warrens home. Whosoever resides in the Midden, does so at their own peril.

About the Region
The Midden is the underbelly of Kalzasi, a city beneath where the rejects go; whether they resent the Jewel of Karnor alone or are resented by it. While much of the Midden is a never-ending labyrinth that spans so deeply beneath Kalzasi, the upper levels have been turned into a makeshift home for the outcasts that live here. However, this isn't an underground paradise, for the weak will have it hard down here, while the strong prey on the downtrodden for their own needs.

It's a place free from the repute of the nobility above the surface, as well as the local watch of Kalzasi, but it is also where the Myriad establish their own sense of order in a place of anarchy, and where the Shaerkai are all too happy to enforce that order 'by any means' necessary. While the upper levels of the vast system of waterways has been made home to these lawless groups, the rest of the Midden remains mostly uncharted with good reason.

For the dangers below far exceed what some would find on the surface.

Table of Contents
  • The Waterways
  • Hahseu
  • The Crucible
  • The Waterworks

word count: 397
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The Waterways

The upper channels of the Midden that have become the Myriad's playground, the waterways are connected through a series of tunnels and passages. There are often markers found throughout the system to indicate where one is found, to prevent one from losing their way, though one must tread carefully when they explore the Midden. The shadiest of characters could easily lurk around the wrong dark corner.

About the Region

Among the fringes of the foot of the summit where vegetation is more prominent, animals like caribou and elk will migrate just as wolves move hunting grounds. Dire animals also tend to exist among the lower peaks of the Astralar Mountains, proving that the Pass alone is a wild and untamed beauty.

Locations and Landmarks
  • The Upper Channels- The system of sewers and water channels that span beneath Kalzasi's perimeters.
  • The Lower Channels- The water channels that lead deeper into the heart of the Midden.
  • Pump Station Alpha- A huge multi-leveled chamber where large pumps are powered to change water flow within the channels.
  • Pump Station Beta- A multilayered chamber where a large basin diverts into separate channels, each one powered by a mechanism on the main platform.
  • The Cistern- The heart of the midden that connects to every channel within the upper sewer system.


Regional Bestiary
  • Cloacabelua - Pack hunting predator.
  • Rats-
  • Slimes- Hunters in the sewer system.


Regional Florilegia
  • Entries Pending


Regional Resources
  • Slime Cores - Reagent from Slimes.
  • Ooze Iron - Rubbery metal made from slime cores


word count: 395
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Hahseu

The underbelly of Kalzasi where a shanty town has managed to thrive within the Midden. While dangerous to venture here it is not impossible to reach these parts of the sewer system, just know, that the people living here only look out for themselves and their own. Lawlessness may be rampant throughout these parts, but the people of the Midden aren't afraid to carry out justice on their own when it's needed.

About the Region

Hahseu was first discovered as a massive encampment that had been long abandoned within the Midden, until it became a base of operations for an upcoming syndicate organization. Not long after The Myriad had established itself as an organized group within the Midden's network, those who often rejected the laws of the surface turned their attention down below.

As the Midden garnered more attention, more thugs and cutthroats took to settle within this part of the sewers. This led the Myriad to establish a sense of order on their own, but not before another group slowly banded together to form the Shaerkai. Mercenaries who were unafraid to get their hands bloody, and who were ready to enforce the regulations that the Myriad implemented to keep operations running.

As the downtrodden continued to flock to this place, the shanty town grew and developed rapidly, leading both powerhouse groups to build their ranks; and establish what is now known as the undercity beneath the Jewel of Karnor.

Locations and Landmarks
  • Community Square- The makeshift town square found within the center of Hahseu, one of the more properly maintained yet still rugged spots of the city.
  • The Old Bazaar- A run-down channel system of the Midden repurposed into a local market.
  • The Myria Manor- Home of a prestigious Hatakomon family that governs the Midden.
  • The Undercity Warehouses- A locked-up part of Hahseu heavily guarded and monitored, as they contain the more blacklisted items kept on a private market.
  • The Ratway- A lower sewer channel found between Hahseu and the Waterworks of the Midden, also the base of operations for the Myriad.


Regional Bestiary
  • Rats-
  • Wraiths-


Regional Florilegia
  • Entries Pending


Regional Resources
  • Black Market items


word count: 490
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The Crucible

As their ranks grew the Shaerkai toiled to explore what they could of the lower reaches of the Midden, learning that some things are better left buried and forgotten in the process. However, that did not stop them from reclaiming parts of the network for themselves, turning these ancient locations into training grounds that later became sites for their new bloodsport; The Pinnacle Games.

About the Region

The Crucible is an ancient part of the Midden, one buried so deeply that no records of its existence can be found. While the Shaerkai sought to build and refine their ranks, their reach spread throughout the tunnels that connected Hahseu to the Waterworks of the Midden.

Much of it was old and abandoned mineshafts that had long since weathered or even collapsed, while the rest of what they found led only deeper and deeper into the massive network of tunnels beneath the city. What they discovered after reaching a part of the Warrens, however, were ruins of an ancient and abandoned Orkhan settlement.

Ruins that Shaerkai decidedly turned into their own base of operations, to both train their ranks into ruthless killers, as well as host what eventually became their biggest money maker. The bloodsport they eventually named "The Pinnacle Games" became a source of entertainment for those stuck living in Hahseu, while the games themselves became a means of weeding out potential recruits for their private faction.

There are several areas in which the Pinnacle Games are held, arenas that have been established in parts of the Midden and the Warrens both. Exploring these areas is still dangerous of course due to the wildlife that teems these arenas, however, that just adds to the excitement as contestants are expected to combat these during the games as well.

Locations and Landmarks
  • The Crucible- A desolate coliseum repurposed by The Shaerkai to host the bloodsport named The Pinnacle Games.
  • Fool's End- A tattered makeshift tavern housed within the eastern barracks of the Crucible's desolate arena.
  • The Inner Sanctum- The main arena of the Crucible, this deeply hidden area connects to the First Deep of the Warrens.


Regional Bestiary
  • Entries Pending


Regional Florilegia
  • Entries Pending


Regional Resources
  • Entries Pending


word count: 473
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"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan" "Vastian"
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The Waterworks

The Waterworks span into an elaborate labyrinth of tunnels, some connecting the water channels of the Midden, some clearly still mineshafts long left abandoned ago. Its entire network hasn't even been fully mapped out, leaving naught but the denizens of the deep to linger within the old and forgotten channels below.

About the Region

The Waterworks is the deeper part of the Midden that nearly nobody has been able to map and chart out. Ancient sights of Orkhan architecture remain prevalent, with elaborate contraptions that were built to direct excess water into parts of the Warrens.

Much of the network tunnels that interconnect here tend to be a combination of sewers and ancient mineshafts, many that are collapsed from years with lack of maintenance, making this part of the Midden a rather tricky if not dangerous maze to navigate with or without supportive company.

Among much of the rubble and tattered parts of the tunnels, there remain several stations that remain dormant but operable, able to divert the excess overflow of water from the tunnels above. The deeper one goes, however, the more prevalent the remnants of ancient Orkhan ruins become, some of which remain sealed off and difficult to access, that is unless one is clever enough to find a means of entering these closed-off areas.

Locations and Landmarks
  • Upper Waterworks- The deeper part of the sewer system that remains heavily uncharted, for many nasty threats lurk within the bowels of these tunnels.
  • Pump Station Gamma- A huge chamber that utilizes waterwheels to use the channels as a power source.
  • Pump Station Epsilon- An enormous aqueduct where water channels connect into a singular output, with the main platform fixed with several gears and switches to alter them.
  • Lower Waterworks- The vast network of the Midden where the water channels of the Midden meet the tunnels, where certain peril awaits the uncautiously prepared that tread here.
  • The Vault- A sealed-off storage unit found within the Upper Waterworks of the Midden.


Regional Bestiary
  • The Ohma - Cave dwelling creature.
  • Tunnel Bobbit Worm - Predatory worm of the Waterways.


Regional Florilegia
  • Entries Pending


Regional Resources
  • Entries Pending


word count: 486
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