The Lost Kingdom

Whether this qabal ever even existed is a hotly debated topic among modern qabalists. If it did exist, it would have predated even the Defiance by millennia. Some argue that it is not only real, but that it still exists today, while others deny the whole idea as wishful thinking.

If the legends are to be believed, just before the Red Death entered the world, a disciple of the Egyptian wizard Imhotep fled the Third Dynasty with a devoted band of adepts and mystics. This student, named as Sadett, saw the direction her master’s work was heading and believed his eldritch research would call forth otherworldly corruption. She led her followers to an inaccessible valley in what are now called the Congolese rain forests. For 4,000 years since, their descendants have ruled their own nation and kept it secret from other civilizations.

The kingdom is technologically advanced, as well as hosting the most magically adept population on Gothic Earth. The arcane arts and science are both seen as tools for understanding the universe and improving human lives. By these means, they have solved many problems that still plague other nations, such as poverty and the depletion of natural resources. Their society is based on the notion of public good, focusing on equality in such categories as economics, government, and justice. A major priority is also that the kingdom remain able to sustain itself without the need for outside resources, as secrecy and lack of interaction with outside influences is considered crucial for both safety and the preservation of the kingdom's culture.

Despite this isolation, there are rumors that the Lost Kingdom sends agents into the outside world to track the spread of the Red Death’s corruption and follow humanity’s progress in spite of it. It is also said that, on rare occasions, they allow outsiders to join their ranks, including the late Scottish explorer David Livingstone. Although Livingstone never admitted to it, even when asked on his deathbed, many qabalists are certain he spent considerable time within the Lost Kingdom during his explorations. Over the course of the 1890s, the names of other famous explorers—such as Florence Baker and her husband Samuel, Richard Burton, Professor George Challenger, Mary Kingsley, Malcolm Murray, Allan Quatermain, and Alexandrine Tinné—are sometimes linked to the legend as well.

The most alluring portion of the myths surrounding the Lost Kingdom may be the description of various protective and concealing enchantments woven over their hidden city, allowing spellcasting without fear of the Red Death’s taint.