Kharé

Kharé is a city in Khakabad. It is a city with a high volume of traps and criminals surrounded by a massive wall.

The Analander travelled through Kharé in the Sorcery! 2: Kharé: Cityport of Traps. They chose either to let it fall to an army of Marsh Goblins or save it from them.

History[]

Kharé was founded on the banks of the Jabaji River as a pirate camp to ambush merchants. The camp grew to a village and then a town and then a thriving city of ne'er-do-wells and thieves. It was enclosed by its huge protective walls to shield it from the outside world. Today it is considered an unsavoury place, full of poverty, criminals and gamblers. Swindlestones is widely played and popular there.

Kharé has a Council consisting of seven Nobles who wield the power to control the North Gate. The Noble Moulas aimed to overthrow the First Noble Sansas, and the false psychic Sirisi told Sansas that he would be betrayed by Moulas and others, so he set out to kill them. This threw the Council into chaos, and many of the Nobles were cursed to undesirable fates by Sansas.

Despite all of this, Kharé is still a city perhaps worth protecting. A fortune teller claims there is 'more good than evil here.'

Geography[]

Kharé is surrounded by the its walls, enterable only by gates at the South-West and North of the city. It is surrounded by the Baklands to the North and the Shamutani Hills to the South.

It is filled with circular portal traps that traditionally dump anyone who steps into them into the sewers below, hence its reputation as the 'Cityport of Traps'. These traps were initially controlled by the people of Kharé, but now they are controlled by the Nobles.

Biography[]

Enter the Analander[]

The Analander entered Kharé through the South Gate, likely with the help of Tomas, a former guard. They quickly realised that they needed to use the North Gate Spell to leave, and decided to learn it from wherever they could along the way.

They learned that individual spell lines were distributed between the Nobles of Kharé. The renowned scholar and sorcerer Lorag could also be of some help. Only the First Noble, Sansas, knows the full spell.

The Search for the Spell Lines[]

The Analander discovered that Vik aimed to become the First Noble in Sansas' absence, exerting his rule over Kharé. They may also have encountered or learned the fate of several Nobles as they travelled across Kharé:

Theetah is a blinded beggar residing in the Fallen Quarter of Kharé. He was cursed to be constantly chased by harpies.
Shinva was cursed to be a guarded ghost in the graveyard, forever 'living dead' and never knowing peace. If the Analander encountered him, he gave them his last life force after giving his spell line and finally died.
The Second Noble Moulas was a follower of Slangg and the Priest in Slangg's temple knows his spell lines. His undead body can be found in lower Kharé.
Lorag does indeed know a spell line, and told the Analander if they visited his home or he confronted them at the North Gate.
The First Noble Sansas tried to rule over Kharé's goblins, and the Analander may have seen him in the Sewers, but did not recognise him until later on...

Kharé's Fate[]

When the Analander prepared to leave Kharé, they suddenly discovered that an army of goblins prepared to overrun Kharé and rule over the already struggling city. They watched Sansas attempt to exert his authority over them, only to be killed before the Analander's eyes by goblins. He believed that he wore the Crown of Kings, but it was a false circlet with no power. Lorag appeared to the Analander and asked them to use the North Gate Spell to shut the doors for good and save Kharé from the rule of the goblins. They either agreed fervently, deciding Kharé was worth saving despite its nature, or condemned it to the rule of the goblins, leaving it behind in a state of chaos and becoming cursed by Lorag. If it was saved, Vik became the city's new First Noble. He threw open the gates and took control of the city, but removed the council altogether and continued his slave trade.

Trivia[]

Kharé is portrayed in the video games as more diverse in terms of species than in the original gamebooks.