Karta
From the White Wolf Wiki, the most complete White Wolf reference
Karta, known to outsiders as the Dark Kingdom of Clay, is the realm of the Shadowlands that belongs to the aboriginal people of Australia.
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[edit] Geography
Separated from the other Dark Kingdoms by a vast stretch of the Tempest, Karta is almost completely isolated, allowing it for the most part to develop its own culture in relative peace. Even with the presence of the European settlers, Karta remains much as it always has. The vast majority of Karta's terrain is barren and desolate. Dead trees, rocky deserts, and dusty fields make up most of the land; the kingdom is largely covered in storms of the red dust that gives the Kingdom its nickname.
There are isolated settlements here and there, many retaining their appearance from when they were first settled. Some of them have loose connections to the Hierarchy of Stygia, but their influence only has reach within the cities. The aboriginals maintain a hold over most of the uninhabited land.
The Tempest itself is particularly volatile around Australia. A black mass of clouds, it is extremely volatile and hazardous to wraiths. Navigation through it is nearly impossible, effectively cutting Karta off from the rest of the Shadowlands.
[edit] Population
The population of Karta is divided between the immigrants of Australia and the aboriginals. Most of the settlers are aboriginals who embrace the world of the dead as part of their cycle of life.
Of the aboriginals, the most famous group is the Children of Kurulba, a cluster of aboriginals that wishes for an alliance with the European wraiths in defiance of the old ways. They hope to acheive their goals by enslaving other wraiths and breaking the old customs.
[edit] Customs
[edit] European settlements
Within the settlements, many of the European settlers maintain the old ways from when they first settled the country. Regency and Victorian styles of dress and etiquette strongly effect the society of these places. However, the past fifty years have brought immigrants from other places, and many of these wraiths have begun to challenge the old ways of these cities.
[edit] Dreamtime
Dreamtime is the true realm of the spirit; it is what the wraiths of the west call Transcendence. Many aboriginals view the Shadowlands as a sign that their ties to the living are too strong. In order to acheive Dreamtime, many aboriginal wraiths leave their old homes and lives behind, seeing them as a destraction on their way to their true home. They seek to resolve Fetters and such out in the wilderness of Australia, away from everything. Even the living aboriginals do not speak the names of the recently deceased to keep from drawing their focus away from Dreamtime.
Even though their issues must be resolved, the elders of the aboriginals believe to interfere with the living is to keep them from acheiving their true aims; therefore, meddling with the Quick is forbidden among the aboriginals. Many ignore this policy and do so anyway, hoping that passing on information to a family member or revenging their murder will help them in their quest.
[edit] Shadows
Wraiths who were among the European settlers or are descended from the European settlers have a disturbing quality of their Shadows that other Stygian wraiths lack. Because of the atrocities they or their ancestors inflicted on the aboriginal people of Australia, all of their Shadows are connected in a hive-mind similar to Spectres; the task of the link is to inflict a collective feeling of guilt and shame on these wraiths in service to the black cloud of the Tempest.
The Tempest around Australia is a reflection of the guilt that should be felt by the newcomers. Everytime a European wraith succumbs to feelings of genuine remorse for what they or their families did to the aboriginals, the black cloud shrinks ever so slightly. Eventually, the Shadows hope, it will disappear and the debt that the settlers owe to the aboriginals will be truly paid off. What will happen when the cloud disappears is unknown; it is theorized that the aboriginals will forgive the settlers and allow them access to Dreamtime. Others think that it will make Karta more accessable to other wraiths, and fear that Stygia will invade and add the continent to their sprawling lands. Still, others believe the cloud will never disappear, and that the crimes committed by the settlers are too great to ever be repaid to the aboriginals.
While it seems strange that the Shadow collective is dedicated to the eradication of the very thing that connects him, they perform its will anyway. Some Shadows are effective servents of Oblivion anyway, as capable of bringing down their Psyche as much as serving the will of the black cloud.
The Shadows of the aboriginals are, on the other hand, a complete mystery. Attempts to study them have been fruitless, as the aboriginals remain tight-lipped and hostile to outsiders. Some believe the Shadows manifest externally and meets with its Psyche from time to time to cooperate on a common goal.
- WTO: Wraith Players Guide, p. 119-123
- WTO: Shadow Players Guide, p. 83-86
