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IconOfKa-SabarWarhammerTheOldWorld

Icon of Ka-Sabar as Depicted in Warhammer: The Old World[12a]

Ka-Sabar, known as the City of Bronze before the Great Ritual[2] and now called the Temple of Sorrow, was one of the major city-states of ancient Nehekhara. Hidden amongst the drifting dunes of the Great Sandy Desert, Ka-Sabar is said to be covered in glyphs carved by a forgotten race older than Nehekhara itself.[1a][12a] At the moment occupied by the Arabyans, it maintains a great importance in the commerce towards the Southlands. Given its location, the city is surrounded by savannas and sparse understory.[3a][8a]

Under the reign of Nehekhara[]

One of the most ancient city-states of Nehekhara, Ka-Sabar is said to have been founded before even Khemri.[12a] Before the ritual of Nagash the City of Bronze, so called for being the center of mining and smithing in Nehekhara, was considered an industrial city and had grown rich trading everything from belt buckles and wheel frames to premium swords and scale armor. The Ka-Sabar's furnaces lit up the eastern sky at night, and a perpetual blanket of acrid smoke enveloped its forges.[2]

Ka-Sabar-0

Ka-Sabar's location on the map

The people of Ka-Sabar were known for their great size of nearly seven feet tall, and its warriors had skin hard enough that arrows shattered against them. These warriors were assembled into the formidable Legion of Bronze, led by the lion-bodied Ushabti of Geheb.[2]

During the war between Nagash and the alliance between the various cities of Nehekhara, the Ka-Sabar forges produced alliance weapons. Heavily armed caravans descended the trade road from Quatar bearing chests of gold and silver, returning laden with swords and axes, breastplates and shields, bronze-tipped spears, and arrowhead baskets. The city and its inhabitants suffered greatly when they were conquered and subdued by Nagash's armies. After the defeat of the usurper, the city would recover, again entering the maelstrom of conflicts between the different cities of Nehekhara, being conquered on several occasions, until Nagash returned to attack the kingdom.[2]

Ka-Sabar was one of the first cities to oppose Nagash, fighting under the leadership of King Akhmen-hotep. The city was valiantly defended, and they even managed to repel Nagash in the Battle of Zedri, thanks to the Desert Riders of the Arabyan nomad Shahid the Red Fox, although he would eventually fall to the power of the sorcerer. Despite several major engagements and near-victories, Akhmen-hotep's forces were ultimately betrayed by his brother Memnet, the Grand Hierophant of Ka-Sabar, and was subsequently destroyed by Arkhan the Black. Memnet would rule Ka-Sabar in Nagash's name until the victorious armies of united Nehekhara's campaign to destroy the last of the necromancer's immortals, though by that time the city had suffered for decades and was all but ruined. With the destruction of Nehekhara at the hands of Nagash, the place earned the epithet of the Temple of Sorrow.[2]

Under the reign of Araby[]

Arabyan ka-sabar map tomb kings

Ka-Sabar as an Arabyan city

In later days, the Arabyans settled the ruins of the city. Little by little it would recover the splendor of yesteryear, under the government of Araby. Its position would imply the need to fortify the city, to protect itself both from the angry Tomb Kings and from the incursions from the southern jungles, such as forays by the Forest Goblins and the Apemen, plus a humid and suffocating heat.[3a][8a][11][10a]

It would be in this city where the infamous Arabyan prince Abdul ben Rachid would be born, famous for writing the necromantic manuscript The Book of the Dead, after traveling to neighboring Nehekhara. His madness led him to engulf a nameless evil in those pages, compiling everything when a mortal is capable of learning about necromancy. The Caliph of Ka-Sabar would try to destroy all the existing copies on a large pyre, but unfortunately he could not find them all. The servant of the Caliph watch carefully for any hint of the dark art within the walls of the city, as the enemies of Araby arise among its inhabitants, in the form of terrible necromancers.[6a][7a][10a]

The famous Arabyan merchant and explorer Ibn Jellaba left Ka-Sabar in 1150 IC. He would manage to open a trade route into the Southlands in search of spices and gold, discovering the city of Zlatlan in the process. This would lead Ka-Sabar to a time of riches and glory, as the trade agreement with the Lizardmen made Ka-Sabar one of the richest cities in all of Araby. His influence would now rise mighty, capable of rivaling even Al-Haikk. Many merchants now travel to Ka-Sabar, as the legend of the city's wealth arouses the curiosity and greed of many. During the Crusades, the city remained independent from Al-Haikk, as Ka-Sabar did not respond to the call of Jaffar. At the end of it, a crusader took from this city the Black Skull of the Caliph.[4a][5a][8a]

The City[]

Today it stands as one of the southernmost city in Araby, and the closest human stronghold to the Southlands. The armies of the Sultan of the city are famous for their huge number of elephants, since these are numerous in the region. In addition, it has two nearby Arabyan tribes, the Athiopos and the Zamesi. And all his strength is more than necessary to protect the great and old Ka-Sabar.[8a][11][10a]

The Arabyan inhabitants of Ka-Sabar are described as having black skin, a characteristic they share with the nomadic tribes an the other cities in their territory.[9]

Ka-Sabar Academy[]

The city is famous for the Ka-Sabar Academy, attended by people from all over the world, including the Empire, and its specialty is medicine education.[9]

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (8th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 172
  • 2: Time of Legend: Nagash The Sorcerer (Novel) by Mike Lee
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (6th Edition)
    • 3a: pg. 16
  • 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realm of Sorcery (RPG)
    • 4a: pg. 204
  • 5: Warhammer Armies: Bretonnia (5th Edition)
    • 5a: pg. 13
  • 6: Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (5th Edition)
  • 7: Liber Necris (Background Book)
  • 8: Warhammer Armies: Lizardmen (5th Edition)
    • 8a: pg. 6-8
  • 9: Gotrek and Felix: Skaven Slayer (Novel) by William King
  • 10: Warmaster: Armies (2006)
  • 11: Rulebook - Battle Bestiary (2nd Edition)
  • 12: Warhammer: The Old World website
    • 12a: Explore the Old World (Interactive Map)
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