Isstosseffifil - Land of the Lost Sea
The sarrukh empire of Isstosseffifil is all but gone. Its ancient secrets were destroyed by the phaerimms and the folly of the Isstossef (as the inhabitants were known), scattered by the Netherese, and buried by the drifting sands of Anauroch.
In its heyday, the Land of the Lost Sea ran along the eastern shores of the old Narrow Sea, encompassing the fertile lands that stretched from what is now the Saiyaddar to the High Ice and from the water’s edge to the Plain of Standing Stones.
Today, all that remains of this once-great empire is the buried city of Orem.
The sixty sarrukh liches of Oreme are ancient even by the standards of most undead. Only one, always known as King Oreme, is awake at any given time to fulfill the duties of monarch.
The remainder lie in repose in the Crypt of Dreaming Lizards, dreaming of lands long lost and awaiting their turns to rule.
Ancient contingency spells ensure that all the liches wake up if any real danger threatens the city, or if the currently awake lich is destroyed or incapacitated. The current ruler can also awaken all of his companions at once with a single mental command.
The current King Oreme spends his time in much the same way as his predecessors did, scrying events of interest to reptiles in Faerûn and recording his observations in the city’s vast library.
The asabis that guard the city are largely left to rule themselves, although the currently awake lich can be persuaded to intervene if the tribal council cannot reach agreement about an issue.
The asabis and stingtails that make up the vast majority of the population are organized into tribal mercenary companies.
Each tribe is controlled by an asabi chief, who gains control by allying with the tribe’s most powerful stingtails. All the chiefs serve on the Council of Chiefs, which answers only to King Oreme.
The liches of Oreme keep only enough asabis and stingtails in the city to ensure its defense and maintain a viable breeding population.
Excess tribes are dispatched into Faerûn with instructions to support themselves by any means necessary (usually mercenary work) and ensure a steady flow of news reports back to the capitol.
