Khan's Heart
"The canals of the Heart are lit by incandescent-filament lamps in bulbs of glass, in a multitude of colours. Ruby, sapphire, topaz, emerald by turns. There's nothing else like it in the Neath or on the surface."[1]
Khan's Heart is the most populous city of the Khanate.
Watch Your Steppe
"Khan's Heart: London's rival. An oasis of light in the salt black wastes. Canals thread the painted city. Street-lamps glow and water-taxis putter."[2]
Khan's Heart is a city built on a complex system of canals, and is one of the most successful settlements in the Neath besides Fallen London and those of the Elder Continent.[2] The city is filled to the brim with cultural expression, and boasts a lively populace consisting primarily of fisherpeople and merchants,[3][4] who use engine-powered watercraft to traverse the canals.[2] Unfortunately, much of the city is barred to visitors, who are only permitted to enter the Copper Quarter, a dining house known for its high prices.[5]
Most legal trade in Khan's Heart takes place in the Nephrite Quarter, which cannot be visited by outsiders without the appropriate license.[6] Trading with unlicensed merchants is technically illegal,[7] but the opportunities for outrageous price-gouging make it worthwhile for Khanate merchants anyway.[8]
Other landmarks in Khan's Heart include the Garden Tower, where forbidden indulgences are satisfied;[9] the Porcelain Quarter, bathed in blue light;[10] and the Square of Cedars, where stories are told.[11]
Culture
"Above, the roof of the Neath is black, impassive, prickled with false-stars: but the Khaganians still remember the sky."[12]
Despite generations in the Neath, the people of Khan's Heart still remember the sky. They hold worship in shrines of the Deep Blue Heaven, where the Blue Priests hold rituals that perfectly replicate the colors and majesty of sunrise.[12] A few citizens also worship Storm, whom they refer to as the Great Wind.[13]
While Khan's Heart appears to lack a sizable population of horses, equine imagery and tokens are still held in high esteem among the Khaganians, serving as a reminder of their ancestors' fondness for horses.[14] Citizens may also sing, sometimes in English, of past eras, of stolen cities and wide grass fields, evoking feelings of strong melancholy and nostalgia.[1]
Unfortunately, the citizens of Khan's Heart tend to be very xenophobic towards foreigners,[4] though London is admittedly guilty of the same.[15] They tend to use rather unfortunate terms when referring to the zee-captains of London, such as 'Surfacer' or 'sunbitten Empress-gobbler,' due to London's comparatively short time in the Neath;[4] visitors often arouse suspicion in the Heart when wandering the city beyond the Copper Quarter.[1]
Science and Intrigue
"The Khanate generally assumes that all foreigners are spies or worse. It would be a shame to disappoint them, but it might be dangerous to prove them right."[16]
"Filament-bulbs. Give me honest gas-light any day."[12]
Unlike the gaslit streets of Fallen London, Khan's Heart is lit by electric filament-bulbs.[1] These bulbs are capable of cycling through various colors, and the Khaganians incorporate them into their rituals of the sunrise.[12]
As one of the most prosperous cities in the Neath, Khan's Heart is also a notable center for the intrigues of the Great Game.[17] Various spy networks that may even extend to the Surface run through the city,[18] but the Khanate does not approve of espionage or other intelligence work, and keeps a close eye on visitors.[16]
Security in the city is enforced by the White-and-Golds, who are quite notorious for their brutal arrests of suspected spies.[19] These watchmen maintain a list of potential threats called the Causes for Concern,[6] and they can easily turn the city into an iron-barred stronghold when faced with an unwanted guest. Per a treaty with London, they have permission to arrest any visitor that steps foot on their soil, but they cannot arrest zailors who haven't left their ships.[20]
Besides London, Khan's Heart also has a rivalry with the hunters of the Chelonate,[16] as well as intrigues with diplomats of the Elder Continent.[5]
History
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"The storytellers in the Square of Cedars wear brightly coloured caftan-like clothing with silk sashes, in contrast to the more sober and subterranean dress of the citizenry. For coin, even foreign coin, they'll sing epics of their nation's history..."[11]
Khan's Heart was founded by refugees from the Fourth City, who fled the city after the majority of its population attempted to escape the Neath with the help of the Fingerkings of Parabola, but fell under thrall to them instead. Thus, the last True Khan of the Fourth City led his people to the faraway Salt Steppes, where he built his new city on the black rocks he found there.[11]
As a result of the Fingerkings' betrayal, even today, the sale of mirrors is strictly prohibited in Khan's Heart.[21]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wander Khan's Heart (26-50), Sunless Sea
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Port description, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Wander Khan's Heart (51-75), Sunless Sea
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Seek a commercial license, Sunless Sea
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Time in the tea-house, Sunless Sea
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Enter the Nephrite Quarter, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Purchase Supplies at a ludicrous price, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Purchase Fuel at an outrageous price, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Someone has a habit, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Follow him in secret, Sunless Sea
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Pay a storyteller, Sunless Sea
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Wander Khan's Heart (1-25), Sunless Sea
- ↑ Assist him, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Show a Pewter Horsehead, Sunless Sea
- ↑ The Trials of Hudum, Sunless Sea
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Gather a Port Report, Sunless Sea
- ↑ The Greatest Game, Fallen London
- ↑ A Diplomatic Agent, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Story description, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Leave in haste, Sunless Sea
- ↑ Purchase a Brass-Backed Mirror, Sunless Sea
