Tsath is a fictional subterranean city that appears in H. P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop's "The Mound." Named after the once-worshipped Tsathoggua, it is the last occupied city in the underground realm of K'n-yan.
The story describes Zamacona's first sight of "the monstrous, gigantic, and omnipotent city of Tsath":
It was a city of the plain, but fashioned of such heaven-reaching towers that its outline was truly that of a mountain. Above it hung a curious greyish haze, through which the blue light glistened and took added overtones of radiance from the million golden minarets.
He is told that:
the upper parts of the great towers were no longer used, and that many had been taken down to avoid the bother of maintenance. The plain around the original urban area was covered with newer and smaller dwellings, which in many cases were preferred to the ancient towers.
Entering the city, Zamacona finds "a network of strange and ancient streets." He is struck by the
dizzy giganticism of its overawing towers, the monstrous surge of teeming life through its ornate avenues, the curious carvings on its doorways and windows, the odd vistas glimpsed from balustraded plazas and tiers of titan terraces, and the enveloping grey haze which seemed to press down on the gorge-like streets in low ceiling-fashion.
Surrounding the outskirts are the great amphitheatres used for entertainment and drawn-out public executions.The gold- and stone-paved roads are thronged with ever-present caravans flowing noisily in and out. The maze of streets and ornate avenues that run below the great towers are filled with people and lined with curious carvings on its doorways and windows.
The gn'agn of the supreme tribunal and the council of executives operate from the frescoed halls of a gold-and-copper palace behind a gardened and fountained park.
L'thaa[]
A ruined suburb of Tsath leading to Nith.
Inhabitants[]
Dressed in "tasteful robes and trappings and swords," the Men of Tsath are the dominant power in K'nyan.
Slaves[]
Slavery is a common practice in K'n-yan and there are several forms of slaves used:
- The four legged gyaa-yothn.
- The bio-magical y'm-bhi.
- An unnamed, semi-human slave-class which could also be programmed with hypnotic impressions to be incredibly efficient. Inferior specimens provided the principal meat stock of K'n-yan.
Language[]
The closest link to a human language is that it may have been corrupted into Aztec. In
- "oxi, oxi, giathcán ycá relex"