Chapter 7: Life on At has

“Almost all the Tyr Region is a desert wasteland, though it is beautiful and spectacular in its own fashion. Over each hill,
behind each sand dune, the terrain appears more awesome than the land before. In my travels, I have often been
overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of this land, cowed by its indifferent brutality, even frightened by the unrestrained
might of its elements—but I have never been bored.
Can I impart the grandeur and majesty of this area with mere words? I wonder. I can describe the queasy feeling of sliding
down the glassy slopes of the Smoking Crown, or make your eyes sting with tales of walking the salt flats on a windy day.
My words are but transparent reflections of this magnificent land, but perhaps they can b e of use.”
―The ‖Wande rer’s‖Journal

Athas is still a large ly unknown world. Mille nnia of

misinformation, wars, and natural barrie rs have create d Time
isolate d pocke ts of civilization be twee n large e xpanses of
dese rt te rrain. Each year is made up of e xactly 375 days: the e xact
time be twee n highest suns. Athasians have no seasons
The known world is curre ntly divide d into the Silt
Sea, the Table lands (also known as the Tyr Region), the that govern the ir thinking of time , for the re is no marke d
Ringing Mountains, and the Hinte rlands. The Tyr Region diffe re nce in tempe rature or weathe r patte rns. Howe ver,
is de fine d as the area bordere d by the Sea of Silt on the the year is divide d into three equal phases: High Sun, Sun
east, the Hinte rlands to the west, and the Endless Sand Desce nding, and Sun Ascending. Highest sun is the first
day of the year, and lowest sun indicates the midpoint of
Dunes to the south.
Outside of those re gions, the Jagge d Cliffs, the the year (which, incide ntally, occurs at midnight and is
Deadlands, and the Valle y of the Cerulean Storm wait to ge ne rally observe d in night-time cere monie s).
be discove re d, charte d, and plunde re d. The surface of
Athas stretches from horizon to horizon, a patchwork of Marking the Years
fie lds and forests, oceans (of water and sand) and Eve ry city-state and me rchant house has its own
mountains, deserts, swamps, jungles, and more . Be neath cale ndar, but the most commonly use d is the Cale ndar of
the crimson‖ sun,‖ Athas’‖ varie d‖ e nvironme nts‖ give‖ way‖ Kings. In the Cale ndar of Kings, years are counte d off
one to anothe r across the Table lands. Mountains rise , using a pair of concurre ntly running cycles: one of e leve n
valleys fall, and desert surrounds the land. parts, the othe r of seve n. The e le ve n-part, or Endlean
cycle , is counte d and spoke n first, in the order prese nte d
The World of Athas be low. The seve n-part, or Seofean cycle , is counte d and
spoke n second. The Endlean cycle is comple te whe n
Athas is a desert-sun-scorche d and wind-scoure d, Athas’‖two‖moons, Ral and Guthay, mee t in the heave ns,
parche d and e ndless, but that does not mea n that the re sulting in a major eclipse that occurs eve ry 11 years. The
landscape is monotonous. Far from it; ove r each hill, Se ofean cycle is more abstract, occurring afte r Agitation
be hind each dune , the terrain is more awesome , more has le d back to Fury in the cosmos.
spectacular, and more beautiful than any one has seen Eve ry 77 years the cycle re peats itse lf, e nding with a
be fore. North or south, east or west, Athas contains year of Guthay’s‖Agitation‖and‖starting‖again‖with‖a‖ne w‖
natural wonde rs and dangers undreame d of on other year‖ of‖ Ral’s‖Fury.‖ Each‖ 77-year‖cycle ‖ is‖ calle d‖ a‖ King’s‖
worlds. Age .‖The re ‖have ‖been‖189‖comple te ‖King’s‖Ages‖since ‖this‖
Storms blow in from the Sea of Silt, walls of pearly cale ndar was adopte d more than 14,500 years ago.
dust billow te n thousand feet into the air, the n come So,‖the ‖first‖year‖of‖each‖King’s‖Age ‖is‖a‖ year‖of‖Ral’s‖
roiling ashore like a mountain range crashing down about Fury.‖ The ‖ next‖ year‖ is‖a‖ year‖ of‖ Frie nd’s‖ Contemplation,‖
unwary trave le rs. The re are hundre ds of diffe re nt kinds e tc.‖The ‖76th‖year‖of‖each‖King’s‖Age ‖is‖a‖year‖of‖Ene my’s‖
of te rrain on Athas, from wind-scoure d pebble flats to Re vere nce ,‖followe d‖by‖the ‖77th‖year,‖a‖year‖of‖Guthay’s‖
twiste d badlands canyons to gleaming sands to jumble d Agitation.
boulde r fie lds.
In this chapter, the world of Athas is e xamine d from
the point of vie w of the Table lands, also known as the Tyr
Region, the region that has influe nce d Athas (for good or
bad) the most.

1
 Endlean Cycle Seofean Cycle Balic has suffere d on a numbe r of fronts in rece nt
Ral Fury years.‖In‖the‖Year‖of‖Dragon’s‖Agitation (FY 3), whe n Tyr
Friend Contemplation
had‖ re fuse d‖ to‖ pay‖ the ‖ Dragon’s Le vy, it fe ll to Balic to
Desert Vengeance
Priest Slumber make up the loss by adding an e xtra thousand slaves to its
Wind Defiance contribution.‖ The‖ following‖ year,‖ Mountain’s‖ Fury,‖ saw‖
Dragon Reverence the Pe ninsula Rampage , a short-live d war in which a
M ountain Agitation small army of giants ove rran most of the Balican
King Pe ninsula. Half‖of‖Balic’s‖army‖and‖a‖quarte r‖of‖its‖fie lds‖
Silt
we re destroye d in the battle . The city-state was still
Enemy
Guthay re cove ring‖whe n‖Andropinis‖fe ll‖to‖Rajaat’s‖re venge ‖a‖fe w‖
years later.
While each city-state has its own official cale ndar, the
dynastic merchant houses have , over the centuries, come Life and Society
to use a standardize d book of days. This has e volve d
Balic is a clean, comfortable metropolis on the shores
slowly ove r time as the nee d to e fficie ntly coordinate
of a silt bay. Since ‖Andropinis’‖disappearance,‖the ‖city‖has‖
activities with trading partne rs gre w. The cale ndar is
bee n divide d into three parts, each rule d over by a
ge ne rally‖ re fe rre d‖ to‖as‖ the ‖ Me rchant’s Cale ndar. In the
diffe re nt trade lord. Balic was untouche d by the Great
cities, it usually bears the name of the largest me rchant
Earthquake , but othe r disasters have le ft the ir marks on
house (which also ge ne rally re ce ives the cre dit for
the place in re cent years. For the most part, howe ver, life
inve nting it).
unde r the trade lords is considerably be tter than it was
The ‖ Me rchant’s Cale ndar divides the 375-day year
unde r the crue l and oppressive Andropinis.
into three 125-day‖ seasons―High Sun, Sun De sce nding
Eve n the te rritory controlle d by House Tomblador,
and Sun Ascending. Each season is divide d into four 30–
whose lord attempts to pattern‖ himse lf‖ as‖ Balic’s‖ ne w‖
day months made up of six day wee ks. A five day long
dictator, is pleasant compare d to the atrocities of the
festival wee k in the middle of each season lies outside the
previous rule r.
confines of the months.
On the surface , the city appears to be one sprawling
The year be gins on the day of Highest Sun, midway
me tropolis, not a divide d city. No walls se parate one
through the season of High Sun.
territory from another, no guards wait to colle ct tolls as
citize ns move from block to block. To the locals, howe ver,
Season Month Days S tar Sign
High Sun Dominary 30 Balimarash the Caravan there ‖is‖a‖clear‖de lineation‖betwee n‖one ‖lord’s‖domain‖and‖
High Sun Sedulous 30 Fiddle the Beetle the ne xt. Wavir is free and bright, Tomblador oppressive
Sun Descending Fortuary 30 Hesper the Kenku and dark, and Rees is like an e xtende d work camp where
Sun Descending M acro 30 Saurus the Lizard e veryone labors for the be ne fit of the trade lord.
Sun Descending Dessalia 5 On the cusp Though the y appear to coope rate for the good of the
Sun Descending Fifthover 30 Hortle the Spider
city, the trade lords wage a secre t war against each other
Sun Descending Hexameron 30 Sylk the Wyrm
Sun Ascending M orrow 30 Tasker the Scorpion that e veryone knows about but fe w pe ople unde rstand.
Sun Ascending Octavus 30 Pyrus the Wheel None of the trade lords is willing to le t this conflict
Sun Ascending Assalia 5 On the cusp escalate into a full-scale civil war, but the y have come
Sun Ascending Thaumast 30 The Dragon very close to it in rece nt months. Caravans have been
Sun Ascending Anabasis 30 Tyrospur the Lion
raide d or sabotage d, ware houses plunde re d or burnt to
High Sun Hoard 30 Scratch the Basilisk
the ground, and important age nts have bee n kille d on all
High Sun Flagstaad 30 Krawler the Kank
High Sun Zenalia 5 On the cusp sides. How far each is willing to push be fore a be tter
solution must be found re mains to be see n.

Balic
To stave off anothe r war with the giants, House Rees
has se nt re presentatives into the silt basin to ne gotiate a
lasting peace. No contracts have bee n agree d upon, but it
Population: 28,000 (78% humans, 8% dwarves, 4% seems Balic may soon have an agree ment with the usually
e lves, 4% half-giants, 3% muls, 2% thri-kreen, 1% other) hostile giants.
Exports: Grain, salt, olives, kank nectar, leather, The three conte nders for rule rship of Balic be fore the
live stock, silver trade lords made the ir moves are still active in the city-
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Elve n, Balikite state . Oriol the Patrician has de dicate d his noble house to
Lord Tabaros; though he is ready to ste p back to the
The sorcere r-king Andropinis once rule d Balic from fore front should the old man grow too sick to rule .
the airy confines of the White Palace, not far from the Ge neral Zanthiros has fle d the city with a small but
dusty‖shores‖of‖the ‖city’s‖silt‖harbor.‖One ‖day‖in‖the ‖Year‖ significant portion of the city militia. His band ope rates as
of‖Frie nd’s‖Agitation‖(FY‖10),‖he ‖boa rde d his silt armada a raiding tribe along the pe ninsula, waiting for an
and struck out for the far side of the Sea of Silt. It was a opportunity to re turn to Balic to se ize powe r. The te mplar
trip from which he neve r returne d. Asthira, meanwhile , has gone into hiding within the city.
From her place in the shadows, she continues to kee p in

2
contact with many of the te mplars who still have roles in the ir own administrators to fall back on, so any te mplars
the government, as we ll as with those who have take n to who‖can’t‖be ‖truste d‖are ‖e liminate d.‖(A‖small‖numbe r‖ of
hiding. She hopes to e ventually overthrow the trade lords, templars still loyal to Andropinis have gone into hiding
who she fee ls ille gally took powe r. and continue to work in secre t, though they have little
Dark rumors pe rsist that Andropinis is able to contact powe r and fe w hopes of gaining any under the curre nt
his loyal templars (such as Asthira) from his prison in the system.)
Black. These can be ne ithe r confirme d nor de nie d at this The patricians are allowe d varying de grees of
time , but the thought of Andropinis continuing to e xe rt participation in the governme nt, de pe nding upon which
influe nce ove r the city has the local Ve ile d Alliance more me rchant house holds sway ove r the te rritory the ir land
than a little conce rne d. If the rumors are true , is occupies.‖ Unde r‖ Wavir’s‖ control,‖ the ‖ patricians‖ are‖
Andropinis working with his e xile d te mplars or with allowe d full participation rights. Unde r House
some one curre ntly in powe r some where in the city? Tomblador, the patricians are treate d bare ly bette r than
slaves, while House Rees gives them the free dom to
Government and Politics handle the ir own affairs -provide d they meet the
production quotas Lady Esse n has establishe d for each
Afte r‖ Andropinis’‖ imprisonme nt,‖ Balic‖ was‖ divide d‖ patrician family.
into three parts, each controlle d by a diffe rent trade lord.
These parts coope rate on one le ve l but battle for
supre macy on all othe rs. Power Groups
The largest block of control falls to Lord Tabaros of Today the city-state has no sorce rer-king to le ad it or
House Wavir (NG male human, aristocrat 7/rogue 8/dune prote ct it from the ravages of Athas. Balic has always had
trader 5), while Lord Kaladon of House Tomblador (LE a tradition of the illusion of de mocracy. Andropinis
male human, 8/dune trade r 5) and Lady Esse n of House claime d to have bee n free ly e le cte d to his position, the
Rees (LN female human, rogue 7/dune trade r 5/te le path 4) templars were e le cte d to te n-year te rms by the free
control e qually size d smalle r blocks. The same amount of citize ns, and e ve n the nobles (calle d patricians) we re
coope ration that allows the three rivals to jointly maintain allowe d to participate in the governme ntal process by
the major trading village of Altaruk allows the m to kee p se lecting me mbers to atte nd the Chamber of Patricians on
Balic running as a major city-state . a‖re gular‖basis.‖Though‖this‖democracy‖wasn’t‖real,‖it‖still‖
As far as outsiders are concerne d, the three leade rs taught the pe ople about one possible way a free socie ty
forme d a triune council to rule the city after Andropinis could work. Whe n the ne ws spread that Andropinis was
fe ll. While such a council does e xist, and the three rivals gone (he had been imprisone d in the Black by Rajaat),
mee t regularly to kee p the city-state strong e nough to various factions calle d for a ne w e lection.
stand against invade rs, they each work be hind the scenes The main conte nde rs for the position of dictator of
to build the ir own powe r bases up and knock the ir rivals Balic we re Oriol of Magestalos, First Speake r of the
down. Patricians (LN male human, te le path 7); Ge ne ra l
Each trade lord has a diffe re nt vie w of the world and Zanthiros of the Balican army (LE male human, fighte r
the way Balic should be gove rne d. Wavir, for e xample , 13); and First Templar Asthira (LE fe male human, te mplar
wants to free all slaves, outlaw de file rs, we lcome 6/shadow templar 7). Be fore the final votes could be
preserve rs into socie ty, and se t up a true de mocratic state . counte d, Tabaros, the patriarch of House Wavir, made his
The way to accomplish this, Lord Tabaros be lie ves, is by move . The me rchant house se ize d the White Palace, the
quick action and harsh measures. Unfortunate ly, Tabaros silt harbor, and all of the territory in be tween and
is more than 100 years old and may not be able to stay in declare d‖Tabaros‖to‖be ‖the ‖Trade ‖Lord‖of‖Balic.‖This‖didn’t‖
powe r much longer. Publicly, the trade lord appears as sit‖ we ll‖ with‖ House‖ Wavir’s‖ rivals.‖ Ne ithe r‖ House‖
sharp and healthy as e ver, but private ly he suffe rs the Tomblador nor House Rees wante d to be cut out of this
we aknesses of age and illne ss. He had hope d to pass opportunity, so each of these merchant dynasties took
leade rship to his son long ago, but his son die d whe n ove r the re maining portions of the city.
raide rs attacke d his caravan in FY 6. The ne xt like ly Shado w Templars: Whe n the Trade Lords se ize d
candidate ,‖ Tabaros’ granddaughte r Tarinne (NG fe male powe r in Balic, many of the te mplars swore alle giance to
human, fighte r 4/rogue 2/dune trade r 4),‖ isn’t‖ ready‖ for‖ one of the Trade Lords. A small numbe r of te mplars
the responsibilitie s yet (or so Tabaros be lie ves). re fuse d to abandon the ir loyalty to Dictator Andropinis
Lord Kaladon wants to resume the dictatorship—with and have gone into hiding. The y hope to one day free
himse lf as king of Balic. Lady Essen, meanwhile , be lie ves Andropinis from his prison, and the re are rumors that the
that the city-state should be nothing more than a glorifie d shadow templars have already de ve lope d a means of
me rchant village , serving to fill the coffe rs of House Rees communicating with the imprisone d sorcere r-king. The y
and making it the most powe rful merchant house in the work in the shadows, but have many contacts with the
e ntire Tyr Re gion. Nee dless to say, none of the sides want templars that have ple dge d the ir allegiance to the Trade
to see any othe r gain a significant advantage . Lords. First Te mplar Asthira leads the shadow templars.
Those te mplars who agree d to swear alle giance to one The Veiled Alliance: Like other organizations in Balic,
of the trade lords have been re taine d for the ir the ‖city’s‖Ve ile d‖Alliance ‖is‖run‖by‖an‖e lecte d leadership.
bureaucratic skills. Ho we ve r, the merchant houses have For this reason, a nonwizard leads the Alliance .

3
Ramphion (LG male human, rogue 11) has he ld his
Important Sites
position for 15 years, winning five e le ctions in a row. The
ne xt e le ction must occur later this year, and Ramphion Agora: All the merchant houses have the ir emporiums
may finally give up his role as head of the Alliance . He in the Balican agora. Surrounding the agora is the Elve n
has strong ties to House Wavir, though House Rees has marke t.
Criterion: Balic’s‖ gladiator‖ are na‖ sits‖ beneath‖ the‖
be gun to court the prese rve rs. Ramphion liste ns to all
sides, hoping to play peacemaker if the three factions e ver stony bluff of the Me gale neon. The Crite rion is an
re sort to civil war. The Alliance has two other goals at the archite ctural marve l, constructe d of pure white marble ,
moment: to turn Balic into a true de mocratic socie ty, and with great sails rising from the walls to provide shade .
to find out if the rumors conce rning Andropinis are true . The arena floor is rectangular shape d and consists of
he xagon-shape d marble slabs. The slabs are 10 fee t wide
and 30 feet tall and rest on a be d of sand. This unique
Major Settlements floor is always uneve n since no two adjoining slabs are of
Altaruk (Village, 620): Altaruk is a clie nt village of the the same he ight, with as much as ten fee t differe nce
me rchant houses of Wavir, Rees, and Tomblador. be twee n two slabs.
This major tra de village is locate d at the head of Big Fort Glamis: Establishe d and maintaine d by House
Fork of the Forke d Tongue Estuary. Heavily fortifie d, a Wavir, Fort Glamis is locate d on the Balic/Le dopolus road
15-foot wall surrounds the village , and 500 free and is an important supply ce nter for caravans from Balic
me rce naries de fend it. Altaruk is commande d by on the ir way to the rest of the Tyr re gion.
Arisphistane les (LG male human, wizard 5/ve ile d one The Shining Bridges: Ravines, fille d with silt, break
6/dune trade r 4), a powerful preserve r who allows the through the ground around the agora. Monume ntal
Ve ile d Alliance to use the village as a meeting place. bridges made of marble allow access to the agora.
The village is regularly attacke d by giants from the Segovara: The village of Se govara was a clie nt village
islands of the Forke d Tongue , and the Great Earthquake of House Rees of Balic. Locate d southeast of Balic across
burie d parts of Altaruk be neath rubble from the nearby the Estuary of the Forke d Tongue , the village rests inside
mountains. As always, the merchant houses of Balic are in a small narrow canyon. The village is mainly a collection
the process of rebuilding the village , for it serves as a ke y of huts built against both sides of the canyon walls.
de terre nt to raide rs along this portion of the trade roads. Because of the lack of space inside the canyon only one
Prote ction is e xtende d to caravans of other me rchant narrow road e xists in the crampe d village . The village rs
houses, provide d the y pay the toll as they pass through manufacture d leathe r goods for House Rees, howe ver
Altaruk. For caravans, the toll is one gold pie ce pe r the ir isolate d position, without a source of water, le ft
caravan mount, an e xorbitant price that prohibits most them utte rly de pe nde d on Rees caravans. In the chaotic
me rchants from spe nding more the n one day in the aftermath‖of‖the‖trade ‖lords’‖se izure ‖of‖powe r‖in‖Balic‖the‖
village . For individual trave le rs the toll is one ce ramic village was forgotten and all of the villagers pe rishe d. The
pie ce . ne xt time a caravan from House Rees arrives at the village
Last Port (Hamlet, 200): The village of Last Port is the entire population will r ise as fae ls.
surrounde d by a silt moat. The village falls under the
influe nce of Balic, but has maintaine d its inde pe nde nce as
Adventure Ideas
much as it can. Aicmenes (LN male human, te le path 9)
leads the village . The village is a mix of Dwarve n ―Working‖in‖se cre t,‖a‖group‖of‖te mplars‖attempts‖to‖
archite cture , influe nce d by the Smokestone clan that ope n a portal to Andropinis’ prison in the Black.
makes Last Port its home , and Balic artistry. A small Unfortunate ly for the te mplars, the y were dupe d by an
ambe r mine is the main source of income for the village , e xtraplanar creature into ope ning a portal to its pla ne ,
though many village rs also provide se rvices for the silt allowing a band of e xtraplanar creatures onto Athas.
skimme rs that stop‖at‖the ‖village ’s‖small‖docks. These creatures proceed to run amok throughout Balic.
Walis (Thorp, 120): Walis is a small hidde n village in The creatures could be from the Black, one of the
the foothills of the Ringing Mountains. From its position e le mental planes, or anothe r plane of‖the ‖DM’s‖choosing.
atop a high rock spire the village sits on one of the only ―The ‖ animals‖ on‖ House‖ Dagsonius’s‖ ranch‖ have‖
active gold mines in the Tyr region. The merchant house be gun to talk! The animals do not re spond to spoke n
questions, but randomly blurt out pre dictions of doom in
Tomblador‖ controls‖ the ‖ village ‖ and‖ kee ps‖ the ‖ village ’s‖
de fe nses as strong as possible . The village can only be pe rfect Balikite to those standing nearby. The head of
reache d from the ground by a cargo bucke t lowe re d by House Dagsonius is trouble d. He raises the animals for
the village rs. Besides a large company of soldie rs, six slaughte r but many in the family do not want to kill the
de file rs are statione d at the village at all times to add to animals if the y have become inte llige nt. He nee ds
some one to ge t to the bottom of this.
the de fenses.
―Drake ‖ Crag‖ Bay‖ is‖ not‖ far‖ from‖ Balic‖and‖ takes‖ its‖
name from a rocky crag ove rlooking the bay that
re sembles an earth drake . For years the bay has bee n a
prime spot to harvest silt musse ls, and many from Balic
make the ir live lihood in the shallow bay. Rece ntly a

4
creature from the dee p silt has e ntere d the bay and pre ys
Life and Society
on the musse l harveste rs. The creature has re maine d
unde r the silt so far, so no one is sure what the creature is. Draj’s‖citize ns‖dress‖in‖loose ,‖bright-colore d shirts and
―With‖ the ‖ current‖ struggle ‖ for‖ control‖ of‖ Balic‖ skirts. All citize ns wear headdresses of some sort, usually
be twee n the three merchant houses be ing mostly a war in a roll of cloth or giant-hair braids, though the wealthy go
in for more e laborate de signs. By law only warriors may
the shadows, the bards of Balic are taking advantage of all
sides to ge ne rate high profits. Whe n the PCs show up in we ar more than a single feathe r.
town, a fe w of the bards see them as me rce naries who The war festivals and re ligious ceremonies de dicate d
could be come compe tition. The bards try to e ithe r force to the twin moons of Athas are the focus of life in Draj.
the PCs out of town or e liminate them. The pe ople have lost a god-king the y ne ithe r respecte d
―The ‖Silt‖Blaze r,‖a‖silt‖skimme r‖base d‖out‖of‖Balic‖was‖ nor be lie ve d in, but have gaine d a ne w god-king that is
three days overdue whe n it finally saile d into Balic both we ll like d and inspires faith and reve rence . This has
harbor—with no one aboard. The re is no sign of the cre w; surprise d the secret leaders of the city, though not to the
howe ve r,‖the ‖skimme r’s‖cargo‖appears‖to‖be ‖intact.‖While‖ point whe re the y have grown concerne d. If the ir plan to
House Wavir has confiscate d the cargo, they hire d the re place King Tectuktitlay has succeede d be yond the ir
PCs to find out what happe ne d to the cre w. wilde st dreams, so much the bette r. Life in Draj re mains
―As‖a‖sign‖of‖ his‖status as Dictator, Andropinis did the same as always—only the name of the king has
not wear a crown. His position was signifie d by a rod and change d.
cloak, both rumore d to be e nchante d. The royal re galia The natural disasters of the west ne ver reache d Draj.
disappeare d from the Megale neon in the days after the Rumors of a Great Earthquake arrive d with the passing
trade lords se ize d powe r. All three trade lords desire the traders, but not e ve n the slightest tremor or quake
disturbe d the city. Draj was inundate d by one of the first
royal re galia to strength the ir claim to rule rship of the city
and will pay handsome ly for any who re cover the ite ms. Tyr-storms, howe ver. The mud fie lds floode d, ruining
crops and killing more than a fe w Draj citize ns be fore the
rain stoppe d falling and the wind and lightning abate d.
Draj It‖didn’t‖take ‖long‖for‖the ‖templars‖to‖clean‖up‖in‖the‖
wake of the storm or for King Atze tuk to assuage the fears
Population: 15,000 (60% humans, 15% dwarves, 15% of his citize ns. He calle d for sacrifices to appease the
e lves, 5% muls, 3% half-e lves, 2% half-giants) e le mentals, and the pe ople of Draj approve d. Atze tuk se nt
Exports: Wheat, rice , he mp, livestock, te xtiles, straw his warriors out into the wilde rne ss to find captives
mats, potte ry worthy‖of‖dying‖on‖Draj’s‖great pyramid, and be fore the
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Elve n, Draji we e k had passe d rivers of blood washe d over the
pyramid’s‖stone ‖ste ps.‖Be cause ‖of‖the ‖re lative ‖close ness‖of‖
Draj, situate d on a vast mud flat east of Raam, was the Ce rulean Storm and be cause the Tyr-storms ofte n pass
anothe r warlike city-state be fore its sorcere r-king was within sight of Draj as they swee p inland, the sacrifices
kille d by Rajaat during his brie f escape in FY 10. Be fore have become a regular ritual. The citize ns be lie ve that the
the ne ws could cause panic and social upheaval in the blood will ke e p the storms at bay-afte r‖ all,‖ that’s‖ what‖
city,‖King‖Te ctuktitlay’s‖templars‖(calle d‖“moon‖priests”)‖ the ir king has told them.
quickly took stock of the situation, trying to find some The problems in Raam have had an e ffect on Draj. The
way to prese rve immortal Draj. The te mplars kne w the y templars and psionic masters watch the unfolding eve nts
had no real powe r without the spe lls grante d by the ir as ome ns of what could occur in Draj if the illusion
sorcere r-king, so the supre me moon priests approache d they’ve ‖wove n‖around‖Atze tuk‖e ver‖unrave ls.‖Plus,‖many‖
the ‖most‖powe rful‖maste rs‖of‖King‖Te ctuktitlay’s‖psionic‖ re fugees have fle d Raam and sought sanctuary in Draj.
acade my, the House of the Mind. After numerous secre t Most of these e xpatriates found only death, e ithe r in the
mee tings, a plan was hit upon: The rulership of Draj mud flats or atop the bloody pyramid at the heart of the
would‖ pass‖ on‖ to‖ King‖ Te c’s‖ “son,”‖ a‖ young‖ psionicist‖ city. At some point, these lost e xiles will find a voice and
name d Atze tuk. shout the ir grie vances -and pe rhaps the citize ns of Draj
The ‖ masters‖ of‖ the ‖Way‖altere d‖ the ‖ teenager’s‖mind,‖ will‖he ar‖that‖shout.‖The ‖secre t‖leade rs‖fear‖Draj’s‖socie ty‖
making‖him‖be lie ve ‖he‖was‖actually‖the ‖king’s‖son.‖The n‖ will collapse if the people lose faith in King Atze tuk.
they‖instructe d‖him‖on‖what‖to‖say‖to‖the ‖city’s‖masses‖to‖ Atze tuk himse lf‖ poses‖ another‖ proble m‖ for‖ Draj’s‖
instill confide nce . In reality, the templars and ps ionic secre t leade rship. Eve ry day, the youth gains more and
masters would share rule rship of the city, working be hind more confide nce . His be lie f in his own divinity
the sce nes while the populace looke d upon young strengthe ns.
Atze tuk as the ir ne w god-king. The transition from one Soon, the masters of the Way suspe ct, the y will lose
king to anothe r was accomplishe d quite easily; orde r had control‖ of‖ the‖ youth.‖ While‖ the y‖ don’t‖ want‖ Draj‖ to be
ne ver bee n a proble m in Draj, as its citize ns were ove rcome ‖by‖anarchy‖and‖viole nce ,‖the y‖also‖don’t‖want‖
e nrapture d with the theocracy and re ligious trappings to‖ give ‖ up‖ the ‖ authority‖ they’ve ‖ gaine d‖ since‖
Tectuktitlay had surrounde d himse lf with. As such, it was Tectuktitlay’s‖ death.‖ If‖ Atze tuk‖ continues‖ to‖ assert‖
an easy task for the te mplars to use these rituals to save himse lf, the masters of the Way and the moon priests
the city and kee p the gove rnment running smoothly. might decide to re move the king the y put in place . Afte r

5
all, they reason, Draj survive d the death of one king. It her secret. As such, the Alliance has no spies in high
will sure ly survive the death of a second. places, no active programs designe d to thwart the king
and his templars, and no plans to accomplish anything of
Government and Politics lasting importance . The Alliance in Draj does offe r some
assistance to visiting pre servers, but has little e lse to make
Atze tuk (NG male human, te le path 6) appare ntly rules
it much more than a secre t club for wizards.
Draj,‖but‖he ’s‖nothing‖more ‖than‖a‖figure head‖who‖sits‖on‖
the throne and carrie s on the practices and traditions of
war se t forth by King Tectuktitlay. The youth is parade d Major Settlements
be fore his subjects e very day and holds court in the Father Break Shore (Village, 100): Break Shore is a trading
and‖ Master‖ Te mple .‖ Although‖ Atze tuk‖ be lieves‖ he ’s‖ the‖ village on the shore of the Silt Sea. Originally a clie nt-
le gitimate ‖he ir‖to‖Te ctuktitlay’s‖throne ‖and‖the ‖true ‖rule r‖ village of Raam, the Draji gaine d control over the village
of Draj, the business of governme nt is manage d by the during a war be tween the two city-states centuries ago,
moon priests and the maste rs of the House of the Mind. whe n gold was discove re d in the nearby Mastyrial
The te mplars have some powe r in this alliance , but the Mountains. The gold mine has bee n nearly de ple te d,
real leade rs of the city are the masters of the Way, who though Draji templars still supervise bands of slaves
bow to the commands of old lxtabai the Blind (LN male struggling to uncover any little bit of pre cious me tal
human, e goist 12).‖It’s‖ in‖e veryone ’s‖ inte rest‖to‖maintain‖ re maining.
this illusion. Without the young god-king, the nobles and Bitter Well (Village, 100): Bitte r We ll is locate d on the
free citize ns would re be l against the rule of templars and shore of the Silt Sea. Originally built by dwarves the
mindbe nde rs. village ’s‖ buildings‖ are ‖made ‖ of‖stone ,‖and‖a‖ grand‖ we ll‖
Draj’s‖ noble ‖ familie s‖ participate‖ in‖ the‖ gove rning‖ of‖ lie s at the ce nter of the village . The buildings are packe d
the city through special meetings he ld at tecpans. In these close toge ther and canvas drapes are hung be twee n them
long buildings, noble e lde rs gather to de bate and re solve to provide shade . Howe ver, the drapes also create a
proble ms conside re d too ordinary and routine to concern close d e nvironment and traps the sme ll of unwashe d
the moon priests and the ne w god-king. The noble e lde rs bodies in the streets.
are all great warriors. The y will follo w Atze tuk for as long Ket (Village, 500): The village of Ke t is locate d on a
as the warrior traditions and ce remonies are uphe ld. small mud flat comple te ly surrounde d by an inland silt
basin. The only way to access the village is along a mile -
Power Groups long cause way. The village maintains lucrative grain
fie lds, which have maintaine d the village for years. With
Knights: The re are a number of knightly orders that the re ne we d contact with the city-states of the North, Ke t
are part of the Draji socie ty. The two most important are is becoming an important stop for caravans on the way
the eagle knights and the jaguar knights. The eagle
north from Draj, bringing more prospe rity the village rs.
knights are among the most brutal and fanatical Draji
warriors and rank second be hind only the jaguar knights.
The jaguar knights are the finest warriors of Draj. The y Important Sites
unde rgo inte nse training to conque r the ir fear and strike Father and Master Temple: More ofte n known just as
fear in the ir oppone nts. the Great Pyramid, the Father and Maste r Temple is a
House Tsalaxa: The me rchants of House Tsalaxa grand pyramid of stone and marble that is easily the
conduct most of the trade for the city of Draj. Tsalaxa is largest building in Draj. The Great Pyramid houses
known for its ruthless practices, we ll suite d for a warrior administrative ‖ offices‖ as‖ we ll‖ as‖ the ‖ King’s‖ private‖
culture . These trade rs regularly e ngage in espionage and quarters. Treasure rooms are rumore d to fill the lowe r
intrigue in orde r to secure valuable contracts and business le ve ls of the pyramid.
opportunities. The ne w head of the House , Yarsha Tsalaxa Fort Ebon: Fort Ebon is a major supply point for all
(LN fe male human, aristocrat 2/rogue 15), has some Tsalaxa’s‖ caravans‖ trave ling‖ west‖ from‖ Draj. Locate d
private ‖ doubts‖ about‖ the‖ le gitimacy‖ of‖ Atze tuk’s‖ be twee n‖Draj‖and‖Raam,‖all‖of‖the ‖House ’s‖caravans‖that‖
rule rship.‖ Howe ver,‖ she ’s‖ still‖ trying‖ to‖ se ttle ‖ he r‖ own‖ trave l to the other city-states of the Tyr region stop at the
position as leade r of House Tsalaxa in the wake of he r fort.
grandfather‖Ydris’‖death,‖and‖she ‖doesn’t‖want‖to‖e xpress‖ Fort Firstwatch: A me rchant fort owne d by House
her concerns without solid proof to back the m up. In the M’ke ,‖ Firstwatch‖ is‖ a‖ supply‖ point‖ mid‖ way‖ be twee n‖
meantime ,‖ she ’ll‖ continue ‖ to‖ aggressive ly‖ control‖ the‖ Raam and Draj. The fort de fe nde rs see freque nt raids by
me rchant house and kee p the trade routes active and e lf nomads and me rce naries hire d by rival houses,
ope n to bene fit the city and fill he r own coffe rs. especially House Tsalaxa.
The Veiled Alliance: Draj’s‖ Ve ile d‖ Alliance ‖ is‖ Fort Ral: Fort Ral is a supply route on the road north
hampere d by poor leade rship and inde cisive ness. The from Ke t. The fort was built on the ruins of an ancie nt
curre nt leade r, Chimali Zaachila (LG fe male human, pyramid. A continge nt of soldiers from Draj, mostly
preserve r 5), prete nds to be much more powerful than she arche rs, garrisons the fort. The soldie rs patrol the road
really is. Her lack of ability and training makes her around the fort for raide rs who ofte n attack caravans
re luctant to launch any daring programs that might re veal trave ling be twee n Kurn and Draj. If threatene d with an

6
ove rwhe lming hostile force , the soldie rs re treat to the ―More ‖ than‖ the ‖ normal‖ numbe r‖ of‖ slaves‖ has‖ been‖
much more de fe nsible Ket. disappearing from the fie lds. The mudflats that surround
Flower War Field: Locate d on a flat plain outside of Draj have bee n infeste d with kluzds. The se rpe nts prey on
the city, this fie ld is use d twice a year to hold the those slaves who come too close to the mudflats.
“Flowe ry‖ Wars.” During the flowe ry wars, soldie rs of ―A‖furious‖Tyr-storm strikes Draj, causing death and
Draj dress in e laborate regalia involving jaguar destruction. A mob of distraught citize ns forms outside
headdresses and feathers. Though considere d training by the Te mple of Storms, blaming the priests of rain for the
the officers, the results of the battle bring glory to the Tyr-storm. Many of the Te mple ’s‖supporters‖flock‖to‖the‖
winne r, and e xile or death to the loser. sce ne to protect the temple from the mob. With ne ithe r
The Palace of Gladiatorial Combat: The Palace is a side backing down, a full riot see ms immine nt. Te mplars
circular are na in which gladiator combat takes place . and soldie rs also arrive on the sce ne inte nt on restoring
Spe ctator stands surround two-thirds of the are na, with orde r.
the rest of the area take n up by the obse rvation hall of the ―Chimali‖ Zaachila,‖ head‖ of‖ the ‖ Ve ile d‖ Alliance , is
king of Draj. The e ight storey tall obse rvation hall towe rs always on the lookout for magic objects which she can use
ove r the rest of the are na and is cove re d by bas -re lie fs to simulate spe ll casting. Whe n she learns that one of the
de picting various scenes of Tectuktitlay victorious in PCs has such an item, she se nds age nts of the Ve ile d
battle . The forme r king of Draj is flanke d by two jaguars Alliance to steal the ite m and bring it to her.
in e ve ry image . The obse rvation hall is use d by the king,
his te mplars, and the ir guests.
Royal Menagerie: King Te ctuktitlay maintaine d a
Gulg
large me nage rie of capture d beast from the wastes.
Population: 13,500 (80% humans, 7% e lves, 5%
Locate d near the royal jaguar bree ding pits, Te ctuktitlay
dwarves, 3% muls, 2% half-e lves, 2% thri-kree n, 1% othe r)
ke pt a number of vicious pre datory beasts in stout cages.
Exports: Agafari, copra, feathe rs, livestock, spices,
The beasts of the royal me nage rie are ne ver use d in the
te xtiles
gladiator arena and are give n e xce lle nt care by a
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Elve n, Gulgan
de partment of the te mplarate .
Two Moon City: Two Moon City is the walle d
The city-state of Gulg sits inside the southe rn portion
administrative ce nter of Draj. It houses the Fathe r and
of the Cresce nt Forest, almost directly east of Tyr. Be ing
Maste r Te mple pyramid, the temples to Ral and Guthay,
east of the Windbreak Mountains, Gulg was spare d the
the House of the Mind, the Palace of Gladiatorial Combat
de vastation that the Great Earthquake visite d on the cities
and othe r important sites. The only e ntrance to Two
and‖ villages‖ to‖ the ‖ west.‖ That‖ doesn’t‖ mean‖ that‖ life ‖ in‖
Moon City is through the Jaguar Gate .
Gulg has re maine d unaffecte d by the changes swee ping
through the Table lands. In a fe w significant ways, Gulg
Adventure Ideas has been change d the most.
―A‖ numbe r‖ of‖ jaguars‖ has escape d‖ from‖ the ‖ king’s‖ Gulg’s‖ sorcere r-queen, Lalali-Puy (LE fe male
pe ns. The jaguars pose a threat to the ordinary citize ns of champion of Rajaat stage III dragon, de file r 5/te le path
Draj and must be recapture d. Howe ver, it is a punishable 6/arch de file r 5/thrallherd 4/ce rebremancer 5/Athasian
offe nse for anyone to harm one of the sacre d jaguars, so dragon 2), is the absolute monarch of he r realm. He r
they must be re capture d without any injury coming to subjects consider he r to be the Oba, the forest goddess.
them. Unknown to the templars, the jaguars were Ove r‖ the ‖ centurie s‖ that‖she ’s‖ bee n‖ in‖ powe r,‖ Lalali-Puy
re lease d by a druid who active ly hinders all atte mpts to has come to re lish the worship and adoration he r subjects
re capture the jaguars. heap upon he r. In fact, though she remembers her origins
―Scandal‖ rocks‖ the ‖city,‖ whe n‖a‖young‖ Draji‖ name d‖ as a Champion of Rajaat and a sorcere r-queen, she pre fers
Inkarri de clares that he is a son of Te ctuktitlay. Inkarri to think of he rse lf as the goddess he r pe ople be lie ve her to
appears to be one year olde r than Atze tuk and has the be .
support of a small but influe ntial group of te mplars. To the Oba of Gulg, the abundance of rain—e ven the
Whe n a fe w nobles‖show‖support‖for‖Inkarri’s‖claim,‖the‖ viole nt rain that accompanies a Tyr-storm—is a blessing
rule rs of Draj move quickly to crush him. Forces are se nt to Athas. She has proclaime d this blessing to be a gift
against Inkarri and his followe rs who are hole d up in a from‖ the‖ forest‖ goddess.‖ “No‖ longer‖ will‖ Gulg‖ be ‖sole ly‖
fortifie d clan compound. conce rne d with the we ll-be ing‖of‖Gulg,”‖the ‖Oba‖de clare d‖
―One ‖of‖the‖PCs‖begins‖to‖court‖a‖Draji‖woman.‖He r‖ to‖ her‖ people .‖ “Whe reve r‖ the ‖ rain‖ falls,‖ there ‖ will‖ the ‖
brothers conside r this a grave ‖ insult‖ to‖ the ir‖ family’s‖ forest grow. And whe re ver the forest grows, the forest
honor because the PC is a fore igner. Until the PC pays a goddess will be the re , for all the forests be long to the
suitable‖ “blood‖ price ”‖ de cide d‖ by‖ the‖ clan’s‖ e lde rs,‖ her‖ Oba.”
brothers will see k to kill both the PC and the woman to Be hind the rhetoric, Lalali-Puy actually wants to he lp
re store ‖the ir‖family’s‖honor.‖The ‖PC‖can‖kill‖the ‖brothers re store the vitality of Athas. The Gulgs have always had
but‖ will‖ still‖ have ‖ to‖ pay‖ the ‖ “blood‖ price”‖ to‖ the‖ clan‖ an e nlighte ne d unde rstanding of the inte rconnecte d
e lde rs to preve nt any more unrest with the clan. nature of all life ,‖so‖they’ve ‖always‖treate d‖the‖forest‖as‖a‖
precious resource that must be maintaine d and not

7
de plete d. This attitude comes right from the Oba he rse lf, communities that have actually e xperie nce d a Tyr-storm,
which may see m strange as she is a de file r of e xtreme for e xample , are quick to attack anyone who claims to be
powe r. Since taking ove r Gulg, howe ver, she has learne d associate d with the ir fearful propertie s, while those
to te mper he r use of de filing magic in favor of kee ping he r despe rate ly in nee d of water invite the m in.
forest healthy.
Of course , this attitude was one of the contributing Government and Politics
factors to the problems with Nibe nay. The Nibe nese saw
the forest as a resource to be e xploite d, not a living thing In many respects, Gulg is not like any of the othe r city-
that cares for its inhabitants as the y care for it. states‖ of‖ the‖ Tyr‖ Region.‖ It’s‖ a‖ living‖ city,‖ grown‖ from‖
None the less, Lalali-Puy has made the first moves toward vines and trees instead of constructe d from brick and
a peace ful e xistence with Nibe nay, going so far as to teach stone. The outer walls of the city, for e xample , consist of a
thick he dge of thorny trees. The Oba lives in the tallest
the sorce rer-king how to preserve the life -giving
e nvironme nt of the Cresce nt Forest. branches of a huge agafari tree , while he r templars inhabit
The Oba’s‖ motivation‖ isn’t‖ e ntire ly‖ se lfless.‖ She‖ the lowe r branches. There are no pave d or cobblestone
be lie ves that whe n the forests re turn to Athas she will be roads leading through Gulg. Instead, forest paths and
de ifie d‖ by‖ all‖ races,‖ just‖ like ‖ she ’s‖ bee n‖ in‖ Gulg.‖ “Le t‖ trails wind the ir way betwee n the trees.
The re have bee n fe w major changes in the way Gulg is
Nibe nay and Hamanu play as sorce rer-kings,”‖ she ‖ has‖
decide d,‖“for‖in‖the ‖e nd‖I‖will‖be ‖as‖a‖god‖to‖all‖of‖Athas.” rule d. The Oba re mains the owner of e verything,
distributing food, water, and other supplies to whe re they
are nee de d most. He r te mplars continue to oversee the
Life and Society military, economic, and agricultural aspects of the
The dagada is the single most influe ntial social force on community on be half of the forest goddess. Nobility is
Gulgs outside of the imme diate family. The dagada is an still an earne d position, not one grante d by an accide nt of
e xtreme ly close -knit community that shares attributes of birth. The nobles hunt the forest for fresh meat, while
both clans and ne ighborhoods found in othe r soc ie ties. It slaves commande d by the templars gather the wild fruits,
is similar to a ne ighborhood in that it is a social nuts, and berrie s that round out the die tary conce rns of
organization de fine d first and foremost by physical the community.
proximity. It is like a clan in the role that it plays in
acculturating an individual to the value s of the socie ty. Power Groups
The word dagada is use d to describe both a cluste r of
huts and the pe ople who live there . A dagada can contain House Inika: House Inika, the largest me rchant family
up to 100 huts, and typically includes a numbe r of base d in Gulg, is smalle r than the typical me rc hant house .
families, though e xte nde d familie s may not necessarily The y spe cialize in small light we ight goods of high value ,
such as spices, gemstones, and feathe rs from the e xotic
live in the same dagada. Each dagada has a large de gree
birds of the Cresce nt Forest. Inika maintains cordial
of autonomy in managing its affairs as we ll as a de gree of
re sponsibility for all the members of the dagada. All re lations with most of the other houses as it has a
pare nts have the burde n of raising the young childre n of re putation for be ing nonconfrontational. Direct force is
the dagada. Elders are responsible for e ducating the rare ly use d against rivals, with intrigue and e conomic
means‖be ing‖the ‖house ’s‖pre ferre d‖means‖of‖strike ‖back‖at‖
youths as the y go. All me mbers have a social duty to care
rivals who try to take advantage of the house . The
for those who cannot provide for themse lves.
Life has always bee n more tole rable in Gulg than in matriarch of the house is Andiama Inika (LN fe male
any of the other city-states unde r the rule of sorce rer- human, rogue 14/ dune trade r 5) who has rule d the house
kings. In some ways, life has actually gotte n be tter for the for more than two de cades.
Gulgs.‖The ‖Oba’s‖ne wfound crusade to restore Athas has Judaga: Nobility in Gulg is not grante d by birth.
Instead nobles must earn the ir position by proving they
made he r more forgiving of and ge ne rous to her loyal
citize ns. In the spirit of coope ration, she has se lecte d he r have the hunting skills necessary to provide meat for the
best te mplars to trave l the Tyr Re gion and spread the re st of the community. The re are seve ral ways in which a
word of re storation. These te mplars have a twofold citize n can be come a noble . One of the most wide ly
purpose . First, the y he lp show the rest of the Table lands known ways a hunter can earn the rank of nobility is by
participating in the Re d Moon Hunt. During the hunt,
how to work in harmony with nature, which Lalali-Puy
prisone rs are re lease d unarme d into the Cresce nt Forest,
hopes will haste n the re forestation of the world. Second,
her templars pass along the tale that the rain is a blessing and a thousand seconds late r the hunters are sent after
from the Oba, the reby increasing the numbe r of pe ople them. If a hunter re turns with the head of the prisoners he
who kno w of and be lie ve in Lalali-Puy. has earne d noble status, which will be bestowe d upon
him in a cere mony at the ne xt High Sun. The Re d Moon
Exce pt for the aid these te mplars have provide d to
hunt is he ld on nights whe n the moon Ral is full and
Nibe nay, no other city-state has thus far been targe te d by
the ‖Oba’s‖se lect‖force .‖Instead,‖the ‖templars‖visit‖villages‖ alone in the night sky.
and oasis communities, teaching and preaching as The Paper Nest: The Paper Nest is a secre t society
circumstances pe rmit. Some places have we lcome d the comprise d of nobles favore d by the Oba. The twe lve to
templars, others have drive n them away. Those twe nty-four members mee t in a secre t chamber in the

8
trunk of the Sunlight Home to pe rform the sacre d task of the arena is oval shape d, and covere d with grass. A
making paper. The re ‖ is‖ another‖ reason‖ for‖ the‖ group’s‖ numbe r of trees grow from the are na floor; howe ve r, none
e xiste nce besides making pape r. Lalali-Puy atte nds the is close r‖ than‖ 20‖ fee t‖ from‖ the ‖arena’s‖ walls,‖ to‖ preve nt‖
mee tings and liste ns as the me mbe rs de bate curre nt gladiators from using them to escape .
proble ms, offer advice , and present the ir counse l. At no The Grove of Mysteries: Throughout the forest
othe r time does the autocratic Lalali-Puy allow he r surrounding Gulg the re are a numbe r of forest groves
subjects‖to‖participate‖in‖the ‖city’s‖gove rnance . calle d‖ the‖ Quee n’s‖ Groves. Entrance into one of these
The Veiled Alliance: A significant change in Gulg groves without the pe rmission of the Oba is punishable
socie ty‖ concerns‖ the ‖ Ve ile d‖ Alliance ‖ of‖ the ‖ city.‖ Gulg’s‖ by death. The Grove of Myste ries is the largest of the
Ve ile d Alliance has always active ly worke d to restore Quee n’s‖ Groves‖and is te nde d by the druid Extambolan
Athas to its ve rdant glory, neve r directly opposing the (N male mul, druid 5/grove maste r 10).
will of the sorce rer-quee n. Mopti Wall: Unlike the walls of other city-states, the
No w that the Oba has declare d he r own inte ntions for walls around Gulg are alive . The Mopti wall is a miles
re storing Athas, the two seem to have less to fight over. long thorn wall make of thickly packe d bramble wee d that
The ‖Oba‖has‖e ve n‖e xte nde d‖a‖“peace ‖leaf”‖to‖the ‖Alliance ,‖ surrounds the city.
calling for the preserve rs to she d the ve il of secre cy and The Seers’ Dagada: Whe n a Gulg shows psionic
join‖ the ‖ forest‖ goddess’s‖ quest‖ to‖ save ‖ the ‖ world.‖ The‖ pote ntial‖ the y‖are ‖se nt‖to‖ the‖ Seers’‖ dagada,‖ whe re ‖ they‖
Alliance‖hasn’t‖responde d‖ye t,‖but‖rumors‖pe rsist‖that‖the‖ re ce ive instruction from e xpe rie nce d psions. The teachers
preserve rs will soon come out of hiding in the forest city. are patie nt and encouraging towards the stude nts. Eve n
The ‖ Alliance ’s‖ leade r,‖ Aukash-Pad (LG male human, those who fail to de ve lop e nough psionic pote ntial are not
preserve r 6/ve ile d one 5/earth cle ric 3/psychic the urge 1), cast‖out,‖but‖remain‖part‖of‖the ‖Seers’‖dagada‖pe rforming‖
is‖ utte rly‖ committe d‖ to‖ restoring‖ Athas’‖ life ‖ force .‖ If‖ the‖ physical chores for the othe r me mbe rs.
Oba continue s to ge nuine ly work toward that same goal, Sunlight Home: Sunlight Home is the name give n to
he may be force d to join with he r for the good of the the palace of Sorce rer-Queen, Lalali-Puy. Locate d in the
world. tallest branches of a massive agafari tree , Sunlight Home
towe rs over the rest of the city. Lalali-Puy’s‖ palace ‖ is‖
Major Settlements rumore d to contain dungeons and secret passages that
have bee n carve d into the trunk of the massive tree .
Losthome (Thorp, 60): Losthome is a halfling
community dee p in the Cresce nt Forest. The community
is less than 10 years old and was forme d whe n the Oba of Adventure Ideas
Gulg atte mpte d to form an alliance with a halfling tribe ―Nge li‖ is‖ a‖ small‖ boy‖ of‖ ten‖ years‖ old.‖ While‖
from the Forest Ridge . An agreement was made , but gathering cloves in the forest he was attacke d and
shortly after the halfling warriors arrive d in Gulg, the ir dragge d off by a sloth. His parents are distraught and
chie f die d. The halflings be lie ve d that the death of the ir want to see a rescue atte mpt made to recove r the ir boy,
chie f e nde d the agreeme nt and sought to return to the ir but the ambo of the ir dagada rule d that the boy was take n
home , but Lalali-Puy re fuse d to le t the m go and by the nature spirits and should be give n up to his fate .
imprisone d the m. Over the years since , most of the Nge li’s‖ parents‖ turn‖ to‖ outside rs,‖ the‖ PCs,‖ to‖ se cre tly‖
halflings have escape d into the Cresce nt Forest and bring back the ir boy.
bande d toge the r around the ir leade r, Zivlil (N male ―The ‖ be rry‖ harvest‖ has‖ finishe d‖ for‖ the ‖ year.‖ The‖
halfling, prese rve r 5/kine ticist 3/cere bre mancer 2). The be rries had a strange brownish tint, but seeme d fine to the
halflings maintain no permane nt se ttleme nt but roam an taste . But those who have eate n too much of the berries
area of the forest approximate ly 40 miles wide , in which have bee n having strange reactions. Some e xhibit strange
they have a numbe r of pre pare d resting areas. The ne w psionic powers, othe rs become sick and die , and
halflings wish to kee p the ir e xiste nce a secre t to convince some fall into a suggestive state and will do nothing but
the templars of Gulg that they die d in the forest. So they what othe rs te ll the m to do.
kill any nonhalfling who sees them. ―Ale xia‖Vordon‖trades‖for‖spices‖with‖Gulg.‖She ‖fee ls
that he r house trades at a disadvantage by be ing force d to
Important Sites deal with the templars. If she can make contact with a
me mber of the spice gathers she is convince d that she will
The Drum Circle: The ‖ bard’s‖ quarte r‖ in‖ Gulg‖ is‖ have ‖ a‖ be tter‖ unde rstanding‖ of‖ how‖ good‖ the ‖ year’s‖
ce ntere d around a dagada calle d the Drum Circle . The harvest has been and be in a be tte r position to negotiate
bards of the Gulg specialize in pe rcussion instrume nts. with the te mplars. Ale xia hires the PCs to sneak he r into
The most skille d bard in the Drum Circle is conside re d to the city and he lp her try to be frie nd someone from the
be Ke n-ke nku Ve k (NE male half-e lf, bard 12). His skills spice gathe rers dagada.
as a drummer and an assassin are le gendary. ―Rumors‖ in‖ the ‖ ne ighborhood‖ have ‖ begun‖ that‖ a‖
The Forest Arena: The gladiator are na of Gulg is teenage girl is really a witch. The wild rumors began
locate d‖ outside ‖ the ‖ city’s‖ mopti‖ wall‖ in‖ the ‖ Cresce nt‖ whe n the girl starte d wearing a ve il that covers her face
Forest. Trees and vines inte rtwine with the are na to give it leaving only her eyes showing. Many hot-heade d,
the appearance of growing from the forest. The floor of supe rstitious members of he r dagada are contemplating

9
drastic actions against the girl. The PCs will have to find The ‖other‖major‖change ‖is‖the ‖city’s‖outlook‖on‖matters‖
some way to stop these rumors. The truth is that the girl of a martial nature . The Shadow King and his te mplars
has e xpe rie nce d her first heavy case of acne . Unsure of seem to be conce ntrating much of the ir e fforts on
what is really happe ning to he r, and fearful that others bolstering‖ Nibe nay’s‖military‖ might.‖ The‖army‖ regularly‖
will re ject he r because of her affliction, she hides be hind practices in the are na and patrols of the surrounding
the ve il, re fusing to remove the ve il and revealing he r countryside have increase d dramatically. In addition, free
affliction to anyone . citize ns and nobles have been ordere d to se rve in
―The ‖ PCs‖ are‖ invite d‖ on‖ a‖ hunt‖ with‖ a‖ group‖ of‖ Nibe nay’s‖ de fe nse.‖ Te mplars‖ are ‖ busy‖ organizing‖ the m‖
noble s from Gulg. The nobles see k to test the PCs hunting into part-time militias and re gime nting training sessions.
skills. The y hang back le tting the PCs take the lead, while What the Shadow King is truly concerne d about,
hunting a dange rous beast, such as a klar. besides the unrest and upheaval that seems to be
―The ‖ te mplar,‖ Kampala, has a fe ylaar as his fe tish. spreading throughout the Table lands, are the rumors
Whe n visiting a small clie nt village , he summons the claiming that Dregoth has re turne d. Nibe nay knows how
tote m spirit, only to have it break from his control and go powe rful the sorcere r-king of Giuste nal was. Dregoth was
on a rampage . second only to Borys the Dragon in powe r. If Dregoth and
his city have some how come back from the dead, Nibe nay

Nibenay wants to be pre pare d.

Afte r‖all,‖ Nibe nay’s‖city-state is one of the closest to
the ruins of ancie nt Giuste nal, and he has no inte ntion of
Population: 24,000 (60% humans, 12% half-giants, 10%
losing his domain to a rival that was destroye d two
dwarves, 10% e lves, 4% half-e lves, 3% muls, 1% othe r) mille nnia ago.
Exports: Rice , timber, hardwood, weapons, coppe r
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Elve n, Nibe nese
Government and Politics
Nibe nay has been affecte d by the monume ntal The sorcere r-king Nibe nay (LE male champion of
happe nings of rece nt months, for the Shadow King has Rajaat stage IV dragon, de file r 5/seer 5/lore master
change d his approach to ruling the masses and dea ling 10/ce rebremance r 10/Athasian dragon 2) use d to stay
with the ne ighboring city-states. Like Hamanu and Lalali- be hind the scenes. He was calle d the Shadow King
Puy, Nibe nay (who shares the same name as his domain) be cause he rare ly le ft Naggaramakam, his walle d sub-
witnesse d the deaths of the Dragon and the other city. His templars, who are all fe male , ran the city with
sorcere r-kings. skill and great care. Now, howe ve r, the Shadow King has
He saw Rajaat reach out from be yond the ve il of Athas be come more promine nt.
to wreak ve ngeance against those who be traye d him. He In the past, the average free citize n could hope to see
also saw Rajaat de feate d by the e fforts of lowly mortals King Nibe nay once or pe rhaps twice in an e ntire life time .
from the city of Tyr. In the wake of these signs and Since the time of the Great Earthquake , Nibe nay has take n
porte nts, Nibe nay realize d it was time to reconsider how a more active role . He still allows his templars to deal
best to rule his city, for the time for change had come. with the daily business of government, but now Nibe nay
The city-state of Nibe nay is locate d east of Tyr at the has turne d his atte ntion away from the myste rious
northe rn tip of the Cresce nt Forest. It bare ly fe lt the e ffects scholarly pursuits that once occupie d his time to hold
of the Great Earthquake , as it was protecte d by the court‖for‖the ‖city’s‖nobles‖and‖free ‖citize ns.
Windbreak Mountains. Nibe nay has also thus far been Nibe nay’s‖military‖might‖was‖ne ver‖a‖question,‖but‖it‖
spare d from Tyr-storms and the growing unrest also was neve r a major concern of the Shadow King. Now
spreading throughout the Table lands. If the Shadow King he active ly see ks to unde rstand his forces and looks for
has his way, none of these proble ms will e ve r reach his ways to improve the ir might and readiness. While the city
domain. use d to appear to be secure in its own position, it now
seems to be gearing up to battle an e ne my that only the
Life and Society Shadow King kno ws about. The proble m is that the
e nemy is change , and no army that Nibe nay raises will be
Though there have been no major changes to life in able to stop its re le ntless tide .
Nibe nay, e nough strange occurrences have been worke d
In‖ the ‖ wake ‖ of‖ all‖ this‖ uphe aval,‖ Nibe nay’s‖ nobles‖
into the routine to put a diffe re nt spin on the city-state .
continue to care for and maintain the bubbling springs
For e xample , ave rage citize ns and eve n powe rful nobles
that surround the city. The y don’t‖know‖what‖to‖make ‖of‖
ne ver e xpecte d to see the Shadow King, le t alone atte nd
the ‖Shadow‖King’s‖sudde n‖inte rest‖in‖the ‖business‖of‖the‖
one of his courts. Now the Shadow King re gularly makes
city, but many of them are see king ways to improve the ir
public appearances and shows a n active concern for his
own positions by ge tting close r to the ir once -e lusive king.
community.‖ This‖ doesn’t‖ mean‖ that‖ life ‖ is‖any‖ harde r‖or‖
easie r‖than‖it’s‖always‖been.‖It’s‖just‖diffe re nt.‖If‖a‖citize n‖
or‖visitor‖breaks‖a‖law‖and‖can’t‖afford‖to‖bribe ‖a‖te mplar,‖ Power Groups
the n that citize n or visitor is still going to e nd up in Poortool’s Horde: Lead by the half-Elve n preserver
Nibe nay’s‖slave ‖pe ns. Poortool (LN male half-e lf preserver 5/seer

10
3/ce rebremance r 5), the Horde is a raiding tribe to the east working on in the Naggaramakam, and he has a dream of
of Nibe nay. Poortool is a rene gade from the Ve ile d mounting‖ the ‖ Shadow‖ King’s‖ head‖ on‖ the‖ obsidian‖
Alliance who see ks to study magic without any restriction pe destal that rises from the floor of his spartan quarte rs.
that the Ve ile d Alliance or s orcere r-king Nibe nay may
apply. He has create d a community for like minde d Major Settlements
preserve rs in a village in the foothills of the Black Spine
Cromlin (Ham let, 150): The trading village of Cromlin
Mountains. He has also allie d with the gith of the Black
Spine Mountains who provide guards and raide rs for his sits on the shores of the Silt Sea, northeast of Nibe nay.
tribe . Poortool see ks to make it difficult for membe rs of House Shom‖ runs‖ the‖ village ,‖ though‖ House ‖ M’ke‖ has‖a‖
the Ve ile d Alliance in Nibe nay to convince its members to sizable ope ration as we ll. Toge ther they handle the vast
leave the Alliance and join him. majority of trade from the north, as trade rs atte mpt to
bypass the chaos of Raam. Cromlin traders use silt
House Shom: House Shom is thought to be the oldest
me rchant house ope rating in the Tyr re gion. For ce nturies skimme rs to navigate the silt shoals, kee ping the trade
the house amasse d great wealth through aggressive route to Break Shore ope n. The shoal navigators of
trading. Howe ve r, now the House is see n as passive and Cromlin are in high demand, for they are among the
decadent. The Shom family membe rs are almost ne ver se lect fe w who can lead silt skimme rs along the burie d
paths.
see n in public and have little to do with the daily business
of the house . Instead the family me mbe rs live decade nt Cromlin is a wild place , full of people who are too
live s in the ir palaces, e ngaging in e xpe nsive parties and untamable to live in the cities. Thieves of all sorts reside in
balls. The running of the trading house is le ft to the house the village . Silt pirates use it as a have n and other
agents. Most of the age nts place the ir inte rests ahead of scoundre ls and restle ss souls are drawn to its sandy
shores. Master trade r Hurdll Crost (N male human, bard
House ‖ Shom’s‖ inte rests,‖ and‖ there ‖ is‖ much‖ infighting‖
be twee n age nts. This has‖lead‖to‖a‖decline ‖in‖the ‖House ’s‖ 10/ dune trade r 5) and his agents turn a blind eye towards
prospects ove r the past fe w de cades. Only the ‖ house ’s‖ shady characte rs as long as the y re main to do business in
imme nse wealth has save d it from collapse already. his village .
House Shom is known to use non-human guards on its Salt View (Small Village, 550): Ne stle d in the
Me killot Mountains, Salt Vie w is a chaotic sprawl of te nts
caravans and as raide rs against other me rchant houses,
and buildings locate d within a large cavern on the
including thri-kree n packs and be lgoi tribes. The house is
curre ntly rule d by Temmnya Shom (NE fe male human, mountain’s‖ eastern‖ face . Ex-slaves of all races fill the
de file r 15). He r younge r brothe r, Jebea Shom (LN male community. The tribe originally practice d raiding as its
human, rogue 3/fighter 2/dune trade r 1) has be gun a primary occupation, but today it is known for a lavish
re form‖moveme nt‖to‖straighte n‖out‖the ‖family’s‖proble ms, form of storyte lling calle d theater. Salt‖ Vie w’s‖ trave ling‖
theater troupes are we lcome across the Tyr Region,
but‖his‖popularity‖threate ns‖Temmnya’s‖position. She has
contemplate d disposing of him if she can do so without though the y prese nt themse lves as free me rchants from
her involveme nt be ing discovere d by other family the inde pe nde nt House Fyra (a cove r for Salt Vie w
me mbers. activities). The troupes pe rform for caravans, at oasis
Sky Singers: The Sky Singe rs e lf tribe maintains a villages, and eve n in the city-states of Tyr, Nibe nay, and
Balic.
pe rmane nt marke t in the Hill District of Nibe nay. It is the
only known instance of a pe rmane nt Elve n marke t. The Vavrek (Thorp, 200): Vavre k is typical of the small
marke t is fille d with goods of all kinds from the rare to farming villages locate d throughout the Fe rtile Cresce nt.
the common. The Sky Singe rs have a re putation of The village is locate d southwest of Nibe nay within sight
offe ring quality products that we re not stole n from the ir of the Crescent Forest. The villagers grow vege tables,
mostly soybeans. The land the village is built on is owne d
previous owne rs, unlike most Elve n tribes. While the tribe
by the Koe lse noble family, to which the village rs must
numbe rs ove r 3,000 me mbe rs, much of the time the e lves
are off wande ring, leaving only a dozen or so e lves to pay re nt. The village is administe re d by a templar-wife of
te nd the marke tplace . But whe n the tribe returns, the Sky Nibe nay name d Sonyalah (NE fe male human, te mplar 5/
Singe rs’‖marke t‖take s‖on‖a‖festive atmosphe re. wife of Nibe nay 3).
The Veiled Alliance: Nibe nay’s‖Alliance ‖has‖an‖utter‖
hatre d of de filers. This has le d to a rare commodity Important Sites
be neath Athas’ crimson sun-idealism. With the he lp of an The City Reservoir: The Shadow King had this
ancie nt spiritual force known as the zwuun, which resides e normous stone ciste rn constructe d ce nturies ago to
in the hot springs outside the city, the Alliance does what supply the city with wate r in the e ve nt of a sie ge. The top
it can to protect wizards who use preserving magic. of the reservoir is cove re d and a lush garde n, maintaine d
The ‖ Alliance‖ doesn’t‖ fee l‖ it‖ can‖ oppose ‖ the‖ Shadow‖ by the templars, grows on top of the reservoir.
King dire ctly, so it directs its activitie s against le sser The Coliseum: The colise um rises above the
de file rs. Thagya Phon (LN male human, prese rver dilapidate d buildings in a rundown part of the city. The
7/ve ile d one 10) leads the Nibe nese Alliance , though his size of the are na is imme nse , taking up four city blocks
health has begun to fail him in re ce nt years. He has two and rising six storie s high. It is an ancie nt building and it
goals he wishes to accomplish before he dies: He longs to is said that not e ven the Shadow King kno ws whe n the
discover‖ what‖ Nibe nay’s‖ scholar‖ slaves‖ have‖ been‖

11
colise um was built and by whom. Elaborate carvings and transfer te le pathic messages and to te le port-de liver small
e tchings‖ cove r‖ the ‖ colise um’s‖ stone work. The square parce ls.
shape d arena floor stretches almost a quarte r of a mile
across. Adventure Ideas
Monasteries of the Exalted Path and of the Serene
―A‖ disguise d‖ dray‖ age nt‖ has‖ e ntere d‖ Nibe nay‖
Bliss: Nibe nay has a tradition of monaste ries. The two
see king to make contact with nobles disgruntle d with the
orde rs are calle d the Exalte d Path and the Se re ne Bliss.
The monks ple dge loyalty to the King and the ir teachings Shadow-King’s‖ rule .‖ The ‖ dray‖ tries‖ to‖ gathe r‖ toge ther‖as‖
include the quie t acce ptance of authority, so the te mplars many nobles as possible so that whe n Dregoth makes his
tolerate the m. The y are treate d with great respect by the attack on Raam, he can start a re be llion in Nibe nay to
citize ns. The monks live ve ry aesthetic lives, te nding distract the Shadow-King‖ from‖ inte rfering‖ in‖ Dregoth’s‖
plan.
gardens and me diating. Many of the monks, especially
those of the Exalte d Path, study psionics. The Exalte d ―The ‖templars‖atte mpt‖to‖ambush‖a‖ce ll‖leader‖of‖the‖
Path consists e ntire ly of male monks and is le d by Thong Ve ile d Alliance who the y be lie ve is staying at the same
Nal, (CN male human, air cle ric 3) who e ncourages the inn as the PCs. During the templar raid, one of the PCs is
study of psionics at his monastery. Other monks become mistake nly ide ntifie d as the Ve ile d Alliance member.
Capture means e xecution, so the PCs must flee . If the PC
artisans who specialize in the carving of the images that
cover the buildings of Nibe nay. The Sere ne Bliss is an all makes it out of the city, his proble ms are not over.
female order and is le d by the abbess Au Tre ng (LN Because of the se crecy of the Ve ile d Alliance , the
female human, cle ric 4). subordinates of the ce ll le ader have ne ver me t him be fore .
Naggaramakam: The Naggaramakam is a walle d Whe n the templars ide ntify the PC as the ce ll leade r, the
othe r members assume it to be true . Whe n the PC flees the
forbidde n inne r city whe re the sorce rer-king Nibe nay
live s with his te mplar-wives. Only te mplars are pe rmitte d city the ce ll members attempt to enforce Re quital,
to e nter and leave the Naggaramakam. While slaves are be lie ving the PC has trie d to resign from the Ve ile d
pe rmitte d to be brought into the Naggaramakam, once Alliance .
inside the y are ne ver allowe d to leave . No free citize n is ―Ramai‖ is‖a‖ te mplar‖of‖ Nibe nay,‖ who‖ is‖ responsible‖
for inte rrogations. De dicate d and highly skille d in all
e ver allowe d to see the inside of the Naggaramakam. The
manner of interrogation and torture techniques, she holds
sorcere r-king’s‖ palace‖ is‖ said‖ to‖ be‖ carve d‖ into‖ a‖ stone‖
re lie f of the Shadow King with dancing wome n, some respect within the te mplar hie ra rchy. Her career
re prese nting his te mplar-wives, strung togethe r as if the y appeare d promising until one day, ine xplicably, Ramai
we re his hair. fe ll in love with one of he r victims, a young man name d
The Omnipotent Receivers: A line of large statues of Tongkol. Unable to bear the thought of Tongkol suffe ring
unde r torture but also realistic e nough to know the y can
sorcere r-king Nibe nay stand on each side of the main
road leading to the city. The statues are calle d the ne ver be toge ther, she assigns the PCs the task of spiriting
Omnipote nt Rece ivers as it is be lieve d that King Nibe nay Tongkol out of the city. Ramai will not offe r the PCs any
sees all that the statues see . dire ct he lp, but can give the m information to he lp them
The Plain of Burning Water: The city of Nibe nay is succee d. If the PCs fail and are capture d, Ramai will de ny
any involveme nt with the PCs and see that they are
situate d on the border of a large area of hot springs.
Calle d the Plain of Burning Wate r, the hot springs e xecute d quickly to sile nce the m.
provide the water nee de d by the citize ns of Nibe nay. Each ―Gith‖raide rs‖have discovere d a pre viously unknown
noble house owns at least one of the hot springs which is ancie nt catacomb that allows the m to ente r the city
the source of much of the wealth of the nobility. unde tecte d. The y raid some dwe llings in the city and
attempt to flee back the way the y came . But undead that
Sage’s Square: Sage ’s‖Square ‖is‖the ‖largest‖ope n‖area‖
we re ‖ ange re d‖ by‖ the ‖ gith’s‖ trespass‖ have‖ arise n‖ and‖
inside of the city. The grand e mporiums of all the dynastic
me rchant houses are locate d a round the square and are preve nte d the gith from ge tting out of the catacombs. The
the ce nter of trade in Nibe nay, whe re almost anything can PCs are se nt into the catacombs afte r the gith and must
be purchase d. The ‖ square ‖ was‖ name d‖ Sage ’s‖ Square‖ also face the undead horrors.
―One ‖ of‖ House ‖ Shom’s‖ me rchant‖ forts‖ has‖ been‖
be cause scholars and sages use to gather under the
ove rrun by gith. The PCs are hire d to lead the assault to
shadow of the huge agafari trees that gre w in the square ,
and de bate philosophy. This tradition e nde d only a fe w re take the desert fortress.
years ago whe n a re negade de file r, flee ing the te mplars ―A‖preserver‖of‖the‖Ve ile d‖Alliance‖aske d‖the ‖zwuun‖
de file d the trees. King Nibe nay had the dead trees for‖ he lp‖ on‖ his‖ latest‖ research.‖ The ‖ zwunn’s‖ answe r‖
re move d from the square , and ordere d that no other trees dire cte d the preserver to the site of ancie nt ruins that
ove rlook the road to North Le dopolus whe re he could
be plante d in the square as a public reminder of the
danger of re negade de file rs. find what he sought. Unsure if the zwuun was be ing
The School of Augurs: The school of Augurs is the mischie vous or not, the preserver se nds the PCs to scout
largest school for psionic instruction in Nibe nay. The head out the ruins.
master is a dwarf name d Dje f, who de ve lope d a sche me to
he lp support the school by hiring out its stude nts to

12
 Raam Raam has bee n divide d into arme d camps controlle d
by gree dy, powe r-hungry warlords. Some call themse lves
templars, othe rs nobles, libe rators, or merchant lords. All
Population: 40,000 (40% humans, 20% dwarves, 15%
are raide rs and bullie s, see king to use stre ngth as a means
e lves, 10% muls, 5% half-e lves, 5% half-giants, 4% thri- of control.
kree n, 1% othe r)
These ‖ arme d‖ camps‖ don’t‖ e ve n‖ make ‖ a‖ pre te nse ‖ of‖
Exports: Silve r, gems, flint, jute , silk, te xtiles
peace ful coe xiste nce . Skirmishes over dispute d territories
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Elve n, Raamite
are constantly be ing fought, as are battles over caches of
we apons or supplies-e ven just to de te rmine which side is
Shortly be fore the day of the Great Earthquake , the stronger!‖It‖won’t‖be‖long‖be fore‖all-out war breaks out to
sorcere r-quee n Abalach-Re was kille d in battle with see if one leader and his faction can conquer the others
Sadira of Tyr. Whe n the ne ws reache d Raam, it was the
and restore orde r of some sort to the city. This war, of
spark that ignite d the fires of anarchy, and now Raam
course , may simply wind up destroying Raam and
burns. But Raam was a city on the brink of re volution
re ducing the verdant be lt it occupies to a waste land.
e ven be fore the death of its quee n. Since Abalach-Re ’s‖ Unde rstandably, the free citize ns live in a constant
death, the city has collapse d into chaos. Various factions state of fear. The y have nowhe re to go, nowhe re to turn
have grabbe d whate ver powe r they could, and Raam
to, and conditions within the city become more te rrible
teete rs on the brink of civil war.
e very day. Some citize ns have appeale d to one faction or
anothe r, offering to become inde nture d slaves for the
Life and Society prote ction and suste nance offe re d by the vying warlords.
Raamish socie ty re volve s around a caste syste m. Each Eve ry day, more and more citize ns surre nde r the ir
citize n is born into a caste and can ne ve r leave it. free dom in e xchange for a safe place to slee p, a cool drink
Me mbe rs of one caste cannot marry or associate with of wate r, and a bit of food to fill an aching stomach.
othe rs from anothe r caste without becoming unclean. The slaves of the city have fare d eve n worse than the
Caste and race are not re late d, and a member of e ach race free citize ns. The ir maste rs have bee n re place d by
can be of any caste . heartless owne rs who treat the slaves no be tte r than living
The highest caste is made up of priests. This caste tools that can be re place d whe n the y break. Some slaves,
include s cle rics and druids, as we ll as teache rs, scholars embracing the le ge nds of Rikus, Nee va, and Sadira of Tyr,
and wise me n. Members of this caste wear white have rebe lle d, using the opportunity prese nte d by the
garme nts to distinguish themse lves. chaos. One group has come unde r the leade rship of a
Be low the highest caste , is the vizie r caste. The gladiator name d Korno (CN male mul, barbarian
templars and soldie rs of Abalach-Re fall into this caste . 1/gladiator‖ 4/are na‖ champion‖ 4).‖ Be tween‖ Korno’s‖
The members of the vizie r caste typically wear silk military daring and e xpe rtise and the cache of weapons
clothing dye d a varie ty of colors. his followe rs found in one of Abalach-Re ’s‖many‖hidde n‖
The ne xt caste includes the majority of the nobles of treasuries, this group of slaves has se t itse lf up as another
Raam, as we ll as artisans, and tradesme n. Wealth has no arme d band in a city of gangs. Korno has calle d for all
affect‖on‖one ’s‖caste . The richest tradesme n will ne ve r rise slaves to join his community, for whe n they have the
above his caste . This caste typically dresses in clothing numbe rs to go along with the ir dreams the y will rise up
made of less e xpe nsive material than the silk worn by the and ove rthrow all the ir masters. Korno, howeve r, is as
vizie r class. crue l and ruthless as any of the other leade rs of the arme d
The laborers caste is the largest caste and the lowest. It bands. The slaves that have flocke d to his side continue to
include s all se rvants and unskille d worke rs as we ll as the be treate d as slaves, working to make life easie r for Korno
vast numbers of slaves. Laborer caste members wear and his best warriors.
simple white line n clothing. With food and water in short supply and viole nce
Be low the laborers caste are the truly desperate . rampant in the streets, it is little wonde r that the pe ople of
Outcastes are those who most handle dead animals and Raam are turning to anyone or anything that claims to
pe ople . Butchers, morticians, and tanners are all include d have a solution. In this volatile e nvironme nt, re volution
in this caste . The y are considere d so unclean that they seems to be inevitable . What the outcome of such an eve nt
must live outside the city to pre vent them from polluting will be is unknown, but by all indications it will be bloody
the rest of the citize ns. in the e xtreme .
The e nvironme ntal disasters of rece nt months have
had very little impact on Raam. The Great Earthquake Government and Politics
was bare ly pe rce ive d, for it cause d little damage and no The governme nt of Raam still e xists, but it has almost
deaths. No Tyr-storm has ye t visite d the city-state , so
no power in the face of the viole nce and chaos ravaging
Raam’s‖ reside nts‖ have ‖ye t‖ to‖e xperience ‖ the ‖ de vastation‖
the‖city.‖The ‖templars‖who‖haven’t‖fle d‖in‖fear‖or‖trie d‖to‖
that such a storm can inflict. The death of Abalach-Re and
hide among the populace as re gular citize ns continue to
the resulting struggle for powe r, howeve r, have cause d
administer the city, but it is clear the city no longer
more death and destruction than any force of nature. functions the way it use d to. These te mplars have only
the ir bureaucratic skills to fall back on, as the ir ability to

13
use priestly spe lls vanishe d with Abalach-Re ’s‖ de mise .‖ family starte d with a small piece of land and the road
The templars continue to call for the worship of Badna, adjoining it, those with the powe r and audacity to press
the myste rious (and imaginary) be ing the sorcere r-quee n the ir advantage have grabbe d whate ver they could hold
claime d to rece ive her powers from. Most pe ople ignore onto. Like the raiding tribes, the noble camps are savage ,
these calls to worship, for they ne ver be lie ve d in Badna ruthless, and have only the ir own inte rests at heart.
anyway. Prophets of Dregoth: Strange figures with bizarre
accents who hide the ir features be neath many folds of
Power Groups robes preach of Dregoth the Savior. These prophe ts claim
Dregoth is a god who will bring salvation to Raam if the y
Leviath the Calm: Le viath the Calm (LN male half- lay down the ir weapons and acce pt him.
giant, shape r 9) is an unusual half-giant who speaks of Templars: The main body of templars occupies one
peace and tranquility to all who would liste n. His words camp, ce ntere d in the te mplar quarter of the city. Various
are spoken with kindne ss and since rity, and have had a rogue templars command smalle r parts of Raam, claiming
profound e ffect on the masses, among which he has from as little as one building to as many as se veral blocks
de ve lope d a large following. De spite his large size and as the ir pe rsonal domains. They de fend these domains
strength Le viath is said to have neve r raise d his voice in with troops that we re once loyal to Abalach-Re but now
anger or struck a blow to harm anothe r living creature. follow the ir templar commande rs.
House M’ke: The merchant houses have take n one of Unde r Abalach-Re ’s‖ re ign‖ there ‖ we re ‖ two‖
two tacks regarding conducting business in Raam. The organizations of templars assigne d to police the city. The
first option, chose n by the vast majority of me rchant mansabdars we re the public force . The y we re assigne d to
houses, was to ge t out of town and take the ir business guard and patrol dutie s. Though the large r of the two
e lse whe re.‖ The‖ second‖ option,‖e mbrace d‖ by‖ House‖ M’ke‖
police forces, the mansabdars were corrupt and many
as a prude nt e nte rprise that will e nsure its own survival, we re incompete nt. The kuotagha was the se cre t police
was to se ize control of as much of the city as possible . force. These ruthless e nforcers we re taske d with
House ‖ M’ke ‖ and‖ its‖ army‖ of‖ me rce naries‖ now‖ control‖ administering justice as the y saw fit. Disguise d as
most of the merchant district. Arme d bands wearing me rchants and artisans, they move d free ly among the
House ‖M’ke ’s‖colors‖pe riodically‖swee p‖through‖the ‖city,‖ population spying out se dition and unlawful be havior.
looting and pillaging until the y gathe r e nough goods to Whe n they judge d someone guilty, the kuotagha e xecute d
fill a caravan. This caravan then se ts out across the the suspect without trial, imme diate ly and by surprise .
Table lands to conduct trade as any me rchant house All kuotagha members carrie d a spe cia l garrote calle d a
caravan would. Only in Raam does House‖ M’ke ‖ be have‖ ghi, for use in such situations.
like a conque ring army of raide rs -because‖in‖Raam,‖that’s‖ The Veiled Alliance: The turbule nt conditions in
what‖House ‖M’ke ‖has‖become .‖A‖fe w‖of‖the ‖more ‖daring‖ Raam‖ have n’t‖ made ‖ it‖ any‖ easie r‖ for‖ the ‖ city’s‖ Ve ile d‖
(or despe rate) me rchant houses return to Raam from time Alliance . The prese rve rs continue to ope rate in secre t, but
to time to test the climate , but they usually wind up losing the contacts the y once had in all le ve ls of gove rnme nt
the ir goods to one or more of the arme d camps see king have been lost. Nanda Shatri (LG fe male human,
dominance in the city. preserve r 7/te le path 4/ve ile d one 10) continues to lead the
Night Runners: The strangest group to stake a claim
Alliance and still see ks to become an avangion so that she
in‖ Raam’s‖ powe r‖ vacuum‖ is‖ the‖ e lf‖ tribe‖ known‖ as‖ the‖ can‖ he lp‖ restore‖ Athas’‖ lost‖vigor.‖ Howe ve r,‖be yond‖ the‖
Night Runne rs. Prior to Abalach-Re ’s‖ death,‖ the ‖ Night‖ vague rumors that Urik’s‖ Alliance ‖ had‖ create d‖ such‖ a‖
Runne rs maintaine d a small prese nce in Raam. Now this be ing some years back, Shatri is no close r to he r goal than
group of e lves-which‖specializes‖in‖the ‖“shadow‖arts”‖of‖ she was a decade ago. She has considere d siding with one
espionage , assassination, and e xtortion-has decide d to of the arme d bands in orde r to assure the safe ty of he r
take a more active role in Raam socie ty. A large portion of pe ople , but she has yet to de termine which band to
the ‖e lf‖quarte r‖and‖the ‖tradesme n’s‖district‖has‖been‖take n‖ approach. He r re luctance to make a de cision might be he r
ove r by the Night Runne rs. Besides holding and undoing, for the Prophets of Dre goth have be gun making
e xpanding the ir own te rritory, the Night Runne rs ove rtures to the Alliance that the members find very
continue to se ll the ir unique se rvices to those who can appealing. In fact, the Prophets have also promise d that
afford the m—including noble houses, me rchant camps, Dregoth can he lp Shatri with he r research into the
and e ve n te mplar domains. In the e nd, the Night Runne rs avangion transformation process —a promise that she is
plan to control the e ntire city, making it the first e lf city in se riously considering acce pting.
thousands of years.‖ Until‖ the n,‖ the ‖ e lves‖ don’t‖ mind‖
working‖for‖the ‖bands‖the y’re ‖compe ting‖with,‖for‖it‖give s‖
them an easy way to kee p tabs on how the factions are Major Settlements
doing. Daro (Thorp, 300): Daro was a ce nte r of agricultural
Nobles: One of the largest groups claiming dominion administration, use d to oversee the slaves working the
ove r sections of Raam is the noble families . Like the fie lds of Raam. Afte r the death of Abalach-Re , te mplar
raiding tribes of the sandy wastes, the nobles pillage and Avish Thira se ize d control of Daro, instituting martial law
plunde r for the things they want and nee d to survive . The which pre ve nte d the chaos that swe pt the rest of the city-
noble s have e xpande d the ir areas of control. While each state from reaching Daro. Unde r Avish Thira the village

14
no longe r is concerne d with agriculture . The fie lds have The Ivory Palace: Abalach-Re rule d Raam from a
bee n allowe d to become fa llow and most of the hundre ds beautiful palace of ivory and alabaster. Built upon a knoll
of fie ld slaves have bee n free d, actually e xpe lle d from the and surrounde d by a series of de fensive ditche s and
village since Thira could not fee d the m. Thira supports walls, Abalach-Re pre ve nte d most of he r subjects from
himse lf and his guards by sponsoring raids into Raam. approaching her palace . Since he r fall, various noble
factions have atte mpte d to se ize and/or loot the palace .
Important Sites The ir resulting struggles have destroye d most of the
palace . Recently rumors of a curse affecting those who
The Benevolence Center: The Bene vole nce Ce nte r is e nter the ruine d palace are be ginning to spread.
the name of a large housing comple x for the e lderly. Wrestling P its: Locate d near the Elve n marke t, the
The Consecrated Sepulcher of Badna: The massive wre stling pits are use d for le gal and ille gal matches.
Consecrate d Sepulche r of Badna is one of the most The Yello w Monastery: The Ye llow Monaste ry houses
majestic buildings in Raam. The Se pulcher is a a group of monks who focus the ir study on te le pathic
mausole um where the re mains of the last 30 ge nerations psionic powe rs. Under the rule of Abalach-Re , the
of favorite husbands of sorce rer-queen Abalach-Re were monaste ry was see n as a symbol of resistance to her rule ,
laid to rest. as the monks we re oppose d to slave ry as we ll as the use
The Crematory: The stark granite walls of the of magic of any kind. Since the sorce rer-quee n’s‖ fall,‖ the‖
Cre matory towe r over the slums outside the weste rn wall monks have trie d to protect those who live near the
of Raam. The re are no windows in the e ntire building. A monaste ry against the chaos that has e ngulfe d the city,
large chimney rises from the back of the building, but to little e ffect. The y are rumore d to have be frie nde d
emanating a thick column of smoke . Only outcastes are the half-giant Le viath the Calm and his followe rs.
considere d suitable to handle the remains of the dead,
and as such the crematory is staffe d comple te ly by
outcastes. Me mbers of the rest of Raamish socie ty spe nd Adventure Ideas
as little time as necessary in the Cre matory for fear of ―An‖unde ad‖war‖beetle ‖is‖no‖longe r‖unde r‖the ‖control‖
be ing contaminate d. of its handle rs and goes on a rampa ge. Some thing has
The Gallery of the Seven Stars: The Galle ry of the wre stle d control of the beast away from its handlers and
Se ve n‖Stars‖houses‖the ‖works‖of‖Raam’s‖finest‖sculptures. the PCs must board the undead war machine and face
Built of white rock, the Galle ry is decorate d with ornate whateve r it is.
murals and minare ts. The muse um contains seve n star- ―The ‖ situation‖ in‖ Raam‖ is‖ getting‖ desperate .‖ One‖
shape d display halls whe re magnifice nt sculptures are morning a large group of members of the labore r caste
displaye d. gathers in front of the PCs’ dwe lling. De spe rate for food,
Natural Arena of Raam: Raam’s‖ gladiator‖are na‖ is‖a‖ they be lie ve the PCs are hoarding food. After building up
naturally forme d amphitheate r forme d be twee n two the ir courage , the rioters attack the dwe lling. The riote rs
hillocks,‖ outside ‖of‖ the‖city’s‖ walls. Wind and time have are lead by a de range d woman who clutches the
carve d one of the hillside s into natural seating areas of unde rnourishe d body of a small baby. In he r despe ration,
rust colore d rock. The are na floor is a rough oval and has the woman de ludes he rse lf into thinking the baby is still
a floor of re d sand. A natural crevasse se parates the are na alive . Eve n if the PCs drive off the rioters, rumors of the ir
floor from the seating area. Known‖ as‖ “The ‖ Maw‖ of‖ hoard of food spread quickly around the city. Othe r more
Raam”‖ the‖ chasm‖ runs‖ the ‖ full‖ le ngth‖of‖ the‖are na‖ floor,‖ powe rful forces, such as te mplars and nobles, see k to gain
and is rumore d to be almost two hundre d fee t dee p. The the PCs hidde n food hoard for themse lves.
bottom of the Maw is difficult to see because of the wild ―The ‖ forces‖ of‖ the‖ t’liz,‖ Ne varli (see Terrors Beyond
bramble wee d that grows within. On the second hillock, Tyr for more information), invade a clie nt village near
the side that forms the back of the are na is a sheer granite Raam. She inte nds to use the village as a base for her
wall. The hillock contains many tunne ls and secre t invasion of Raam, as we ll as using the villagers as her
passages that end at obse rvation spots throughout the hill. fee ding‖ stock.‖ Ne varli’s‖ forces‖ include ‖ undead,‖
It was from here , hidde n from the sight of the populace humanoids, and othe r-planar creatures.
that Abalach-Re and he r templars watche d gladiator ―In‖ the‖ chaos‖ after‖ ne ws‖ of‖ Quee n‖ Abalach-Re ’s‖
contests. death reache d the city many attempte d to loot the
Psiumarkh: The Psiumarkh has been the most Quee n’s‖ palace .‖ Most‖ of‖ the ‖ looters‖ we re ‖ disappointe d‖
prestigious of the psionic schools in Raam. It can trace its be cause ‖ the ‖Quee n’s treasury was neve r found. Rumors
founding back to the founde r of mode rn psionic say the quee n hid her treasury but the location varies with
principle s, Tarandas ove r 900 years ago. The Psiumarkh each te lling. Some say the Royal Barracks, others
has always maintaine d strict ne utrality in the struggles unde rneath the Gallery of the Seve n Stars, and many
that afflict Raam, allowing them not to anger any of the claim the treasure is hidde n with Abalach-Re ’s‖ former‖
city’s‖powe rful‖factions. husbands in the Se pulcher of Badna.
Royal Barracks: Locate d within the Palace district of ―A‖ salt‖ gole m‖ built‖ by‖ Sorcerer-Quee n Abalach-Re
Raam, near the Ivory Palace, the Royal Barracks is a multi- stood unmoving guard ove r a fountain in he r palace until
store y building use d as a military barracks for the e lite her death. Without warning, the creature has struck out
warriors and office rs of the Raamish army. into the city trave ling from one public we ll to the ne xt,

15
attacking anyone it sees gathering water from the we lls. honor can no longer guide the Council of Advise rs. King
The PCs may see k to destroy the creature but some Tithian’s‖rule ‖has‖come ‖to‖an‖e nd.‖His‖ambitions‖le d‖to‖his‖
templars want to capture the creature and figure out a downfall, for he is trappe d in the Cerulean Storm (though
way to gain control ove r it. only a fe w people know of his true fate). The ge ne ral
―The ‖ gem‖ mines‖ south‖ of‖ Raam‖ have ‖ been‖ populace be lie ves that Tithian die d fighting to keep Tyr
abandone d for years. Rece nt re ports say that undead have free , thanks to the tales told by Rikus and Sadira. The
bee n sighte d around the mine . The undead do not attack heroes‖ decide d‖ to‖ kee p‖ Tithian’s‖ curre nt‖ state ‖ a‖ secre t,‖
those who maintain the ir distance but kille d and fearing that ambitious de file rs might try to free him in
de voure d a group of e lves that trie d to e nter the mine . orde r to gain‖powe r‖and‖pre stige .‖Can‖Tyr’s‖free dom‖take‖
root in the Table lands in the wake of these eve nts, or will

Tyr it be blown away in a de vastating Tyr-storm?

Tyr citize ns remain as untrouble d by modesty as they
we re in the days of Kalak. The less a pe rson has to wear in
Population: 15,000 (70% humans, 10% dwarves, 9%
the heat of the day, the be tter. Most wear loose -fitting
half-giants, 6% muls, 3% e lves, 1% half-e lve s, 1% othe r)
cotton tunics gathere d at the waist with wide , colorful
Exports: Iron, silk be lts. Othe rs wear loincloths and vests. Light gauze or
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Elve n, Tyrian
silks are drape d ove r heads and e xpose d fle sh to protect
the skin from the blistering sun. Turbans and other forms
Locate d in a fe rtile valle y in the foothills of the
of‖light‖headgear‖ofte n‖finish‖off‖a‖Tyrian’s‖attire .
Ringing Mountains, it was the first city-state to
successfully re volt against its sorce rer-king. King Kalak
rule d Tyr until he fe ll to a group of heroes le d by the Life and Society
gladiator Rikus, the wizard Sadira, and Agis of the noble Four months into its twe lfth year as a free city, Tyr
house of Asticles. With Kalak dead, the High Te mplar must deal with the e nvironmental and social conditions
Tithian ste ppe d forward to take his place as king. Tithian le ft ove r from the past decade . The Great Earthquake , for
re ce ive d the backing of Rikus and the othe rs, for the e xample ,‖struck‖ while ‖ most‖of‖ Tyr’s‖ be love d‖ he roes‖and‖
templar promise d to free all Tyr slaves and institute other its king we re away. It fe ll to the re maining members of
swee ping re forms—promises he actually ke pt. Tithian the Council of Advise rs to pick up the pie ces. Though the
had his own age nda, of course , which slowly playe d out rumbling ground made for a terrifying period of time , Tyr
ove r the decade he he ld the throne . escape d the disaste r re lative ly unscathe d. The re was some
The ne w king create d the Council of Advise rs and structural damage and a small numbe r of deaths, but
gave me mbe rs of the most important groups in Tyr a role most of these occurre d in the Warre ns. The comparative ly
in‖the‖city’s‖governme nt.‖Councilors‖were ‖drawn‖from‖all‖ we ak and dilapidate d buildings in this part of the city
ranks of socie ty and worke d dilige ntly to pass laws that buckle d whe n the quake hit, burying the reside nts
would‖ stre ngthe n‖ Tyr’s‖ ne wfound‖ free dom.‖ Tithian‖ be neath rubble and de bris. Ironically, if the quake had
allowe d the Council to ope rate inde pende ntly and struck‖during‖Kalak’s‖re ign,‖eve n‖less‖deaths‖would‖have‖
virtually run the city while he sought the means to occurre d.‖ In‖ Kalak’s‖ day,‖ the‖ Warre ns‖ we re ‖ mostly‖
be come a true sorcere r-king. unoccupie d.‖It’s‖only‖since‖the‖First‖Edict‖free d‖the ‖slaves‖
Urik‖ trie d‖ to‖ capture‖ Tyr’s‖ iron‖ mines‖ less‖ than‖ six‖ that the Warre ns have bee n fille d to ove rflowing with the
months‖ after‖ Kalak’s‖ death.‖ The‖ resulting‖ battle s‖ made‖ ne w crop of free citize ns.
Tyr’s‖leade rs‖realize‖how‖necessary a strong military was, The earthquake cause d other damage . Cracks
and how important it was to resume iron production and appeare d in the city wall, and a whole section of the wall
ge t trade and comme rce back on an e ve n kee l. During his near the Grand Gate collapse d. Minor damage can be seen
re ign, the ne w king also face d the proble m of finding a throughout the rest of the city, but the most noticeable
way‖ to‖ ove rcome ‖ the ‖ Dragon’s‖ le vy,‖ had‖ nume rous‖ appears‖on‖Kalak’s‖Ziggurat.‖Great‖cracks‖riddle ‖one ‖face‖
skirmishes with raiding tribes, and battle d angry giants of the tower, while another face has collapse d into a heap
inte nt on plunde ring the city. The Council struggle d to of rubble . The clie nt villages that dot the valle y e ndure d
stay togethe r in the face of secret agendas and conflicting the ‖worst‖of‖the ‖quake ’s‖e ffects,‖howe ver.‖One ‖village ‖was‖
partisan inte rests. The templar revolt of Free Year 3 shut le ve le d by the quake , and othe rs were pounde d by
down the bureaucracy and public works for nearly two rockslide s that cascade d out of the mountains.
months until those who swore ne w oaths to abandon the Be yond the death and destruction, the worst aspect for
old ways and support the te ne ts of Free Tyr we re give n the city is the re fugees. Inte llige nt races and a wide
more re presentation in the Council. The artisan strike of varie ty of creatures and monsters have fle d the
Free Year 6 laste d almost four months, and the n e nde d in mountains, flooding the valle y in search of a safe have n.
increase d wages for basic services. Agis and the Council This, in turn, has se nt village rs to the city gates, see king
handle d most of these crises in one way or anothe r, for prote ction from the ravaging hordes.
Tithian was much too busy to get involve d in what he What with the Great Earthquake , the pe riodic
considere d to be the chores of governme nt. aftershocks that visit the city, and the viole nt Tyr-storms
Today, in its twe lfth year of free dom, Tyr faces ne w that occasionally swee p the land, the populace has turne d
challe nges. Agis of Asticles is dead, so his wisdom and into a frighte ne d mob. Not e veryone has succumbe d to

16
these base fears, of course , but a significant portion has the city in a varie ty of ways that adhe re to the ir overall
lost control-the Council despe rate ly needs to find a way to morals and code of e thics.
calm the people and re store orde r. A particularly vocal
group claims that Kalak has returne d to gain ve ngeance Government and Politics
against the city, calling for ope n worship of the sorce rer-
A Council of Advise rs makes the laws of Tyr. The
king to appease his wrath. Othe rs have been trying to
Council is divide d into five distinct groups who toge ther
placate the e leme ntal spirits of earth, hoping that the y’ll‖
spare Tyr from the ir ground-shaking ange r. The n there re prese nt‖ Tyr’s‖ varie d‖ citize nry.‖ These ‖ groups‖ are‖ the‖
are those who see k to take advantage of the misfortune , Guildsme n, made up mostly of human and dwarf artisans
looting shops, robbing nobles, and ge ne rally taking what and‖ othe r‖ professionals‖ from‖ Tyr’s‖ three ‖ trade ‖ districts;‖
they want and nee d by force of arms. These viole nt mobs the ‖ Noble s,‖ re prese nting‖ Tyr’s‖ aristocratic‖ families;‖ the‖
Te mplars, who continue to handle administrative
are conce ntrate d in the Warre ns, but the y some times
range into othe r parts of the city to sow mayhem and functions in the city; the Free Citize ns, chosen from
destruction. among the masses who we re e ithe r slaves or paupe rs
The Council of Advise rs has bee n working ove rtime to be fore‖ Tyr’s‖ libe ration;‖ and‖ the‖ Prese rve rs,‖ the ‖ ne west‖
address these problems, though first it had to deal with group admitte d to the Council, consisting of members of
the once secre t and outlawe d Ve ile d Alliance .
King‖ Tithian’s‖ suppose d‖ death.‖ It‖ establishe d‖ the‖
Ove rCouncil‖to‖rule ‖in‖Tithian’s‖place ‖so‖that‖the ‖business‖ Whe n Rikus, Nee va, and Sadira re turne d with the
of government could continue . ne ws of Agis’ and‖Tithian’s‖death,‖it‖was‖resolve d‖that‖the‖
Second, it increase d the size of the City Guard and Free ‖City‖shouldn’t‖be ‖burde ne d‖with‖another‖king.‖With‖
commande d‖ it‖ to‖ restore‖ orde r.‖ Things‖ haven’t‖ re turne d‖ no king to lead the city, the Council now oversees all
aspects of government; a subcommittee made up of one
to normal yet, but the situation is much be tter than it was
in the days imme diate ly following the Great Earthquake . me mber‖from‖each‖of‖the ‖Council’s‖divisions‖serves as an
Various subcommittees have bee n set up to handle Ove rCouncil. This OverCouncil gove rns on a daily basis,
damage control, to see to the fair distribution of wate r and while the e ntire Council of Advisers only mee ts three out
supplie s, and to handle the refugee problem -both those of eve ry fiftee n days. The Ove rCouncil consists of the
dwarf stonecutte r Gar Bone hammer (NG male dwarf,
rushing into the valle y and those flee ing the villages for
e xpe rt 3) who re prese nts the Guildsme n; Lady Laaj of
the safer e nvirons of the city walls.
The situations in the othe r city-states have adde d to Mycile n (LE fe male human, seer 6) for the Nobles; the
the ge neral ne rvousness and appre hension hanging over High Te mplar Timor (LE male human, de file r 8) for the
Tyr. While Urik has seale d itse lf off from the rest of the Te mplars; Rikus (NG male mul, gladiator 8/are na
Table lands (e xce pt for the heavily arme d trade caravans champion 10) who re prese nts the Free Citize ns; and
Sadira (N female sun–touche d half-e lf, preserve r 5/ve ile d
that set out and re turn at random inte rvals), Gulg and
Nibe nay have made a fe w overtures to the Council of one 5) for the Prese rve rs.
Advise rs. Both city-states have offere d to aid Tyr, Surprisingly, the Council runs re lative ly smoothly.
claiming that without a sorce rer-king to de fe nd it, the city Some councilors posture for powe r and influe nce and
is vulne rable to all sorts of te rrible dangers. The Council, partisan voting some times causes mee tings to stall, but in
ge ne ral the Council has learne d how to ge t the job done .
naturally, has thus far graciously re fuse d these offers.
Draj and Balic have recently resume d trade with Tyr, but Each division of the Council mee ts se parate ly with its
both cities have change d significantly since the re porte d constitue nts to draft its own age nda be fore coming to a
deaths of the ir sorce rer-kings. In fact, though Sadira and full session. The n the councilors do the ir best to ge t the ir
Rikus assure d the Council that the kings had been own projects pushe d through the voting process while
trying to kee p in mind the we lfare of Tyr as a whole .
dispose d of by Rajaat, rumors of the ir re turn continue to
While the Council deals with the big picture , the
drift in with caravans, adventure rs, and re fugees. The
worst tales come out of Raam, where confusion, madness, templars continue to fill the administrative roles they
and ambition have give n rise to anarchy. Tales of nobles have long been associate d with. Since the loss of the ir
be ing murdere d in the ir homes, of templars be ing spe llcasting abilities, it has become doubly important for
this division to demonstrate why Tyr nee ds them. The
slaughte re d in the streets, and of vicious invade rs from a
tangle d bureaucracy has been re forme d, but it still e xists.
hidde n city-state controlle d by a king name d Dre goth
have made the Tyr citize ns ill at ease and not quite Without the te mplars to turn the massive whee ls of
confide nt that the ir leade rs can protect them. gove rnme nt,‖ Tyr’s‖ infrastructure ‖ would‖ have ‖ collapse d‖
Sadira rece ntly convince d a significant portion of the long ago. High Templar Timor (who hide s his status as a
Ve ile d Alliance to come out of hiding and join Tyr socie ty. de file r) se rves as the Ministe r of Tyr, oversee ing the
various Se nior Te mplars who run de partme nts like Fie lds,
These wizards forme d a ne w group in Tyr, calle d the
Preserve rs. The Preservers we re give n a place on the Finance , Public Works, Water, and Trade .
Council of Advisers to re flect the ir ne w role in Tyr.
Sadira, as the ir leader and as an important me mbe r of the Power Groups
Council, was assigne d to the Ove rCouncil. These good Free Wizards: With prese rve r magic no longer
wizards are de ve loping plans and guide lines for he lping outlawe d in Tyr, Sadira convince d a numbe r of prese rvers

17
to come out of hiding and openly proclaim themse lves to trade be twee n Tyr and Urik. The name of the outpost
the city. As a group the free wizards are not a strong comes from an unusual rock formation nearby.
cohesive group. Individual free wizards pursue the ir own
goals, whe the r in the political arena or me rchant Important Sites
activities. Only the desire to instruct the populace in the
The Elven Market: The Elve n market is locate d inside
diffe re nces be twee n prese rving and de filing magic and to
the Warre ns. Seve ral nomadic Elve n tribes trade at the
build‖the ‖public’s‖trust‖in‖them‖unites‖the‖group.
House Vordon: Unde r‖the ‖last‖years‖of‖Kalak’s‖re ign,‖ marke t regularly, bringing a wide range of goods and
House Vordon had falle n from its position as one of the curiosities from across the Table lands. Many tribes own a
most powe rful merchant houses in the Table lands. Since building or two that borders on the square . Othe rs take
the fall of Kalak, House Vordon has re turne d to a position owne rship of unoccupie d buildings for the duration of
the ir visit in Tyr. Anything can be found in the Elve n
of respe ct among its peers. The ‖ House ’s‖ return‖ to‖
profitability is fue le d by its specialization in the iron trade marke t, le gal or ille gal. The custome r just has to know the
from the mines of Tyr. right people to ask. The market has a re putation for pick
Thaxos Vordon is head of House Vordon. In the last pockets and dubious me rchandise , but pe ople come from
ruinous‖ days‖ of‖ Kalak’s‖ re ign,‖ Thaxos‖ began‖ a‖ plan‖ to‖ all ove r the city in orde r to find ite ms not available
anywhe re e lse in Tyr.
ove rthrow the mad king. Howe ve r,‖Kalak’s‖de mise ‖at‖the‖
hands of Rikus and the he roes of Tyr stoppe d him from Gladiator Stadium: The Gladiator Are na of Tyr is the
going forward with the plan. In the years since , Thaxos second largest building in the city, with only the ziggurat,
has become convince d that he should become king of Tyr, which looms ove r one end of the stadium, be ing larger.
and has refine d the plan he originally deve lope d for The ‖stadium’s‖rectangular‖floor‖is‖some‖300‖fee t‖long‖and‖
80 feet wide . The floor is of a hard packe d sand with a
Kalak’s‖ ove rthrow. A number of dummy me rchant
houses have been create d and large numbers of re ddish hue , which Tyrians say is cause d by the spilling
me rce naries hire d as part of this plan. Unbe knownst to all of the lifeblood of a thousand falle n gladiators. The
but the highest members of House Vordon, Thaxos now stadium is unique in the Tyr Region as it has upper and
has an army scattere d at outposts throughout the region, lowe r seating sections. The uppe r section is ge nerally
re fe rre d‖ to‖ as‖ “The ‖ Sun‖ Seats”‖ because ‖ of‖ the ‖ lack‖ of‖
waiting for his orde rs.
shade , and is ope n to the ge neral populace . The crowd in
The Veiled Alliance: The Ve ile d Alliance re mains
active in the wake of this ne w age of wizardly ope nness. the uppe r section is more raucous and e nthusiastic than in
Matthias Morthe n (LG male human, preserver 8/ve ile d the lower section. Seats in the lower section cost more and
one 10) continues to lead a small number of prese rvers are traditionally use d by merchants, and nobles.
who fee l that secrecy must be maintaine d until all of Despite the e nd of slave ry in Tyr, gladiator matches
are still he ld in the stadium. No w the bouts are not fought
Kalak’s‖ de file rs‖ have‖ bee n‖e radicate d‖and‖the ‖citize ns‖of‖
Tyr learn to deal with the responsibilitie s of free dom. to the death and are ope n to any who wish to participate.
Besides,‖ Morthen‖ doe sn’t‖ like ‖ or‖ trust‖ Sadira,‖ whom‖ he‖ The gladiator matches are only he ld on festival days.
be lie ves has often approache d the moral line be twee n The remaining time , the are na floor is use d for an ope n air
de filing and prese rving magic (if not actually crosse d over marke t. A monthly array of te nts and stalls cover the
sandy floor in drunke n rows. Trade rs who operate in
it) in the course of de fe nding Tyr. He be lie ves that the
Ve ile d Alliance must continue , if only to serve as a these stalls offe r a wide varie ty of le gal and ille gal goods
balance for a wizard whose powers and motivations he and se rvices.
doesn’t‖fully‖unde rstand. Golden Tower: The Golde n Towe r was the impe rial
home of the King of Tyr. Both King Kalak and King
Tithian rule d from the Towe r. Constructe d of a rare
Major Settlements golde n granite , the towe r gleams harshly during daylight.
Hidden Village (Thorp, 250): Establishe d by the slave The only public e ntrance to the towe r is to cross Towe r
tribe known as the Free , the Hidde n Village sits in a Bridge from the Observation Towe r. The public rece iving
re mote crater in the foothills of the Ringing Mountains areas‖ are ‖ on‖ the ‖ top‖ floors,‖ with‖ the ‖ King’s‖ private‖
be twee n Tyr and Urik. Originally the tribe survive d by chambers on the le ve ls be low. The se ‖include d‖the ‖King’s‖
raiding as most slave tribes do. Now the tribe has library, an e normous collection of scrolls and books, many
advance d into a small trading house . The village rs have from ancie nt times.
de ve lope d such a strong re lationship with Tyr that they Iron Mines: Tyr’s‖ iron‖ mines‖ are ‖ the‖ largest‖ in‖ the‖
have become a clie nt village of the free city. Table lands and he lp the city e xert le verage over the other
Kled (Village, 450): Kle d is a Dwarve n community cities in the re gion. The iron mines are locate d two days ,
that has ties to Tyr. Possibly the largest Dwarve n trave l northwest of the city. Death has always surrounde d
community in the Table lands, Kle d was built near the the mines, from cave -ins‖to‖the‖“he j-kin’s‖curse .” The iron
ruins of the city of last Dwarve n kings, Ke malok. ore is transporte d to Tyr in heavily guarde d caravans.
Mira’s Halo (Thorp, 50): Mira’s‖ Halo‖ is‖ a‖ me rchant‖ Kalak’s Ziggurat: The ziggurat built by Kalak still
outpost‖ owne d‖ by‖ House ‖ Qual,‖ one ‖ of‖ House ‖Vordon’s‖ towe rs over the squalor of the city from its cente r. The
dummy trading houses. The outpost is use d in the iron ziggurat is a ste ppe d pyramid with each leve l finishe d in
a diffe rent colore d glaze d brick. An e normous staircase

18
runs straight from the base to the summit of the ziggurat.
Adventure Ideas
Since ‖ Kalak’s‖ fall, the ziggurat has falle n into disre pair.
The Great Earthquake has e xacerbate d this, causing an ―Slavery‖ is‖ outlawe d‖ in‖ Tyr,‖ but‖a‖ group‖ of‖slavers‖
e ntire face of the pyramid to collapse . Great cracks riddle has se t up a network to kidnap citize ns of Tyr and se ll
anothe r face of the tower, causing conce rn that more of them as slaves in other cities. The slaver ne twork is
e laborate , involving snatch teams that kidnap the victims,
the pyramid may crumble soon. Fe w have dare d e nter the
ziggurat‖since ‖Kalak’s‖death‖and‖it‖has‖become ‖the ‖focus‖ noble s whose estates are use d to hold the captives,
of nume rous rumors and frighte ning stories. templars who look the othe r way, an Elve n tribe that
School of Thought: The School of Thought is the only smuggles the slaves out of the city, and a merchant house ,
major organize d institution for the study of psionics in pe rhaps House Shom, that transports the captives to other
Tyr. The school was founde d a little over 30 years ago by cities whe re the y are sold.
the noble woman Chessia. Chessia provide d the funds to ―Is‖ the‖shadow‖ of‖ Kalak’s‖ ziggurat‖ deadly?‖ Rumors‖
establish the school and made contributions to he lp the fly‖ that‖ eve r‖ since ‖ King‖ Tithian’s‖ death,‖ pe ople ‖ are‖
school operate over the years, but she is not involve d sudde nly dropping dead while standing in the ‖ziggurat’s‖
running the school. The current headmistress of the shadow. Those living close to the ziggurat are fearful of
School of Thought is Sycia Strimme n (NG female human, falling unde r what they have name d‖Kalak’s‖Curse . Many
te le path 7/psiologist 9), a young and e nthusiastic woman are flee ing, but no one knows what is causing the deaths.
with considerable charm. She has been the headmistress ―The ‖ e lderly‖ noble woman‖ Prise lla‖ Obstrunia‖ is‖
for almost nine years now, since the previous headmaster, unlike many of he r fe llow nobles. Since the slaves were
Thanik Arkos, disappeare d from the school a fter grante d the ir free dom she has come to regre t he r past
murdering one of the maste r instructors. Sycia is very participation in the practice , and see ks to make ame nds
some how as she nears the e nd of her life . One of her
organize d and we ll like d by stude nts and instructors
alike . former slaves, Raxe nth, has re maine d with he r as a
Shado w Square: Shadow Square is a small se rvant and become a frie nd. When slave ry was still in
e ntertainme nt‖ district‖ in‖ the ‖ Warrens‖ near‖ Kalak’s‖ practice in Tyr, Prise lla had sold off a numbe r of
Ziggurat. Five lanes e nd at the small plaza around which Raxe nth’s‖ re latives.‖ Now,‖ she ‖ wants‖ to‖ re unite ‖ Raxe nth‖
with these re lative s, who through the slave trade have
sit six wine shops, a gambling house , and two hoste lries.
Most business in the square happe ns be twee n sunse t and bee n scattere d across the Table lands. The noble woman
dawn. will‖ hire ‖ the ‖ PCs‖ to‖ track‖ down‖ Raxe nth’s‖re latives‖and‖
UnderTyr: The site the city of Tyr was built on has bring the m back to Tyr.
bee n inhabite d for thousands of years. The current city ―Zacraloc‖ is‖ the‖ landlord‖ for‖ a‖ large ‖ section‖ of‖ the‖
sits atop the ruins of these previous civilizations. An Warre ns, whe re most of the poor cannot afford to own
unde rcity of inte rconnecting byways, crumble d buildings, the ir own homes but re nt dilapidate d buildings from
and dilapidate d courtyards e xists unde r the stree ts of Zacraloc. See king to increase his land holdings, Zacraloc
mode rn Tyr. From buildings use d as businesses to former uses hire d thugs to se t fire to a large section of the
re side nces and te mples to forgotten gods all make up the Warre ns, which he does not own. His inte ntions are to
structures of Unde rTyr. It is not possible to trave l from approach the owne rs of those who lose the ir houses in the
one side of the city to the othe r through UnderTyr. fire and offer to buy the ruine d homes for ve ry little
Instead pocke ts e xist throughout the city. The location of mone y, since the despe rate victims will ne e d any money
the e ight largest pocke ts is scatte re d and unconnecte d they can ge t. But the fire sprea ds out of control fe d by
across the city. With names such as the Sorrows, Elve n e ithe r fire clerics or fire e le mental creatures attracte d to
Rive r,‖and‖Me rchant’s‖Maze ,‖these ‖unde rground‖locations‖ the original blaze .
―One ‖ of‖ the ‖ rare ,‖ we ll-respecte d templars with no
provide opportunitie s for the brave or foolish. Many
strange and wondrous ite ms can be found in UnderTyr, known e nemies is found murde re d. The templars are
as can dange rous creatures and malicious e ntities. de manding be tter protection and see k to use the murde r
The Warrens: The Warrens sprawl across the northern for political concessions by blaming the freeme n. Freeme n
quarter of the city. The slum is fille d with dilapidate d politicians re ject the acquisitions but attempt to hinder the
investigation, because the y fear what would happe n if the
structures and trash dumps. The district is fille d to
ove rflowing with the poor, mostly e x-slaves. Many are allegations we re true . The truth is that it was not a
out of work, and the despe rate and ambitious have political murde r. The templar was murde re d by a woman
chose n to pre y on the ir ne ighbors. Gangs roam the he sold into slave ry years ago to me rchants from Balic.
Warre ns targe ting anyone who looks like they might have The woman only rece ntly escape d slavery during the
a ceramic pie ce . Te mplars and the city guard rare ly patrol confusion of the Wavir coup and re turne d to Tyr where
the Warre ns anymore for fear of be ing ove rrun by the she tracke d down the pe rson responsible for her
mob. Parts of the Warre n are said to be curse d. Other e nslaveme nt.
buildings are said to be haunte d or the lair of some wild ―Tire d‖of‖the ‖raids‖by‖he j-kin on the iron mines, the
beast. Anyone who e nte rs the Warrens does so at the ir Council of Advisors de cides to se nd emissaries to the hej-
own pe ril. kin to negotiate some sort of truce . Timor, the senior
templar on the Council, does not be lieve the negotiations
will be successful so before the PCs leave he secretly asks

19
them to map out the ir journe y to the he j-kin lair. With this near the Silt‖ Sea‖ have ‖ become ‖ Urik’s‖ foes.‖Whe n‖e ithe r‖
map, a military e xpe dition can be le d to wipe out the hej- approaches‖ Urik’s‖ high,‖ ye llow‖ walls,‖ Hamanu‖ leads‖ his‖
kin threat. To furthe r complicate the PCs ’ mission, an army‖ out‖ of‖ his‖ gigantic‖ palace ‖ (calle d‖ De stiny’s‖
agent of King Hamanu has infiltrate d the mine as a guard Kingdom) and charges into battle . In most cases, the
and see ks to broke r an agree ment with the he j-kin on re sult‖ is‖ slaughte r,‖ for‖ te rrifie d‖ invaders‖ can’t‖ s tand
be half of his master. against‖ Hamanu’s‖ highly‖ traine d‖ and‖ we ll-e quippe d
le gions.

Urik The fe w signs that the Great Earthquake touche d Urik

have bee n wipe d out; buildings have been re paire d,
streets‖re pave d,‖the ‖dead‖burie d.‖Now,‖ Hamanu’s‖magic‖
Population: 30,000 (75% humans, 10% half-giants, 5% kee ps the aftershocks and the storms from ente ring the
dwarves, 3% muls, 3% thri-kree n, 2% e lves, 1% halfling,
city, and in most respects the citize ns have learne d to
1% othe r)
ignore the disasters. As long as the disaste rs re main
Exports: Obsidian, silk, potte ry
outside ‖ Urik’s‖ walls,‖ the‖ citize ns‖see‖ no‖ reason‖ to‖ worry‖
Languages: Common, Dwarve n, Urikite
about the m.
Closing the city off from the rest of the world has
Locate d‖northeast‖of‖Tyr,‖betwee n‖the ‖Dragon’s‖Bowl‖
made ‖ it‖ difficult‖ for‖ ce rtain‖ members‖ of‖ Urik’s‖ socie ty.‖
and the Smoking Crown Mountains, the square , clean
Adve nture rs and trade rs, for e xample , are se vere ly
line s of the city-state of Urik can be found. The city-state
hampere d by the we ll-guarde d walls. Elve s, ne ver really
has remaine d virtually the same as it was before the Great
we lcome ‖ near‖ Urik’s‖ walls,‖ now‖ avoid‖ the ‖ city‖
Earthquake and the de mise of the Dragon. Hamanu, the comple te ly. They are treate d like invade rs, se t upon as
King of the World and the Lion of Urik, was away from
soon‖ as‖ they’re ‖ spotte d‖ e ntering‖ Urik’s‖ ve rdant‖ be lt.‖
his city whe n the tremor struck.
Things may change as soon as the king finishes
Although minor damage and only a fe w deaths
contemplating‖his‖city’s‖ne w‖approach‖to‖the ‖world-or it
re sulte d from the quake , the citize ns tremble d. Whe n
may simply get worse if Hamanu decides to kee p the rest
Hamanu returne d, he promise d his citize ns that they
of Athas at bay fore ver.
would have nothing e lse to fear from Athas and its crue l
tempe rament. The sorcere r-king’s‖ word‖ (and‖ his‖ magic)‖
was as strong as precious stee l, for ne ither the aftershocks Government and Politics
nor the Tyr-storm that arrive d two months later could The sorcere r-king Hamanu rules Urik, taking a
breach the towe ring ye llow walls of Urik. pe rsonal inte rest in the affairs of his city. Exce pt for
Hamanu’s‖promise ‖wasn’t‖unconditional.‖Though‖the‖ Hamanu’s‖ direct‖ involve me nt,‖ Urik‖ ope rates‖ as‖ a‖
Urikite s‖ don’t‖ have ‖ to‖ fear‖ change ,‖ they‖ do‖ have‖ to‖ fear‖ traditional sorce rer-king’s domain. Te mplars e nforce
the ir king. To disobey Hamanu is to risk punishment and Hamanu’s‖ laws‖and‖ handle ‖ the ‖ day-to-day bureaucracy,
e ven death, while to obey him is to live without fear. noble s manage the farms and wate r supplie s, free citize ns
That’s‖ how‖ it’s‖ always‖ been‖ in‖ e te rnal‖ Urik,‖ and‖ that’s‖ e ngage in business and try to re main free , and slaves
how it always will be . provide the muscle to ge t eve rything e lse done.
Urikite s wear the ir hair in square cuts with e laborate Hamanu is a third-stage dragon king (LE male
ringle ts. Some men wear square-cut curle d beards. White Champion of Rajaat stage III dragon, de file r 5/psychic
line n shirts with short, tight slee ves are the fashion of warrior 11/arch de file r 10/ce rebremancer 5/Athasian
Urik. Indiv iduals of the lowe r classes wear plain, dragon 4). Through a combination of the Way and magic,
unadorne d shirts that fall to the ir knees. Individuals of he appears be fore his subjects as e ither a tall, vigorous
the uppe r classes increase the le ngth to the ir ankles and man with close -croppe d silve r hair, dark skin stre tche d
add a stripe d or diamond pattern as we ll as a tasse l- tight ove r ruthless features, and heartless ye llow e yes, or
trimme d girdle . Elaborate scarves, worn only at night, as a half-man and half-lion of powerful build and mythic
indicate ‖a‖citize n’s‖station.‖The ‖longer‖and‖riche r‖the ‖scarf,‖ proportions. He is ne ver see n in his true dragon form,
the ‖highe r‖the ‖weare r’s‖social‖status.‖By‖law‖and‖tradition,‖ e ven by his most-truste d templars. His laws, calle d
only templars may wear cloaks, and these are always Hamanu’s‖ Code ,‖ are ‖ strict‖ and‖ innume rable ,‖ cove ring
bleache d pure white for the low to mid leve ls and tinge d almost e very conce ivable aspe ct of life in Urik. Hamanu’s‖
ye llow for the highe r ranks . Code re lies on punishment in kind and e mphasizes
loyalty to the king and his templars. The Code stands
Life and Society unsurpasse d in the Tyr Region for utility,
compre he nsive ness, and ruthlessness.
Exce pt for the ne w re strictions regarding trade and
At‖ one ‖ time ,‖ Hamanu’s‖ ambitions‖ excee de d‖ his‖
trave l, things in Urik are the same as they e ver were . The
re sources. Since the Great Earthquake and the eve nts
city re mains a warrior culture , rule d by a warrior king
surrounding‖ Rajaat’s‖ brie f‖ return,‖ his‖age nda‖ has‖subtly‖
and geare d toward fighting and winning wars. The
change d. The three surviving sorce rer-kings se nse d that
curre nt‖ ene mies‖ are n’t‖ the ‖ othe r‖ city-states, howe ver.
the time had come to re think the old ways, to find ne w
Rather, the re fugees see king she lte r from the constant
approaches to the challe nges of life on Athas. Until he
tre mors and the monste rs flee ing from the viole nt storms figures out what those ne w approaches are , Hamanu has

20
decide d to withdraw a bit. He has effective ly close d Urik
Major Settlements
off from the rest of the Table lands, trying to kee p change
from intruding on his domain for as long as possible . Makla (Village, 1,000): The obsidian mines of Urik are
locate d on the Mountain of the Black Crown, a peak in the
Smoking Crown mountain chain. Urik’s‖ economy‖ is‖
Power Groups comple te ly de pe nde nt on obsidian and the tools
The Brotherhood of the Mind: The Brotherhood of fashione d from it. The Urikite clie nt village of Makla
the Mind is an organization of e vil psionic-users that wish se rves as a base camp for the mining ope rations on Black
to overthrow the sorcere r-kings and se ize powe r for Crown. The village is locate d on the s hores of the Lake of
themse lves. Rule d by Liumakh, an unde ad psion, (NE Golde n Dreams. Heavily fortifie d with over 500 guards, it
male undead, te le path 10/thrallherd 7) the Brotherhood is is rare ly attacke d by raiders.
headquartere d in a monaste ry in the Smoking Crown Fort Courage: Fort Courage is a massive fortress on
mountains. Both Hamanu and Nibe nay know of the the trade road betwee n Makla and Urik. This facility of
brotherhood’s‖e xiste nce . Nibe nay see ks the ir destruction, House Ste l is a supply point for caravans trave ling
while Hamanu ignores them for the most part, though he be twee n Urik and Makla and the halfling village of Ogo.
occasionally spies on the brotherhood to see if they have Patrols are also sent from the fort to discourage raids on
de ve lope d anything inte resting during the ir psionic caravans along this route .
studies.
Hamanu’s Half lings: Hamanu has forge d an Important Sites
agree ment with a halfling chie f from the Ringing
Mountains. As long as Hamanu provide s the chie f with Destiny’s Kingdom: Sorce rer-King Hamanu rules
obsidian from the Urikite mines, he re ce ives the se rvices Urik from his palace inside the massive fortress of
of 200 halfling warriors. These halflings are e xce lle nt Destiny’s‖Kingdom. The walle d fortress cove rs one square
night raide rs and assassins that Hamanu has use d to mile at the ce nter of the city, containing troop barracks,
deadly e ffect in the past. drill fie lds, and an armory to support the army, as we ll as
House Stel: House Ste l is best known for trading in administrative ‖offices‖for‖the ‖king’s‖templars.
the spoils of war, weapons, slaves, and various stole n The King’s Academy: The only le gal psionic school in
cargo. Heavily influe nce d by the militant nature of Urik‖is‖locate d‖within‖De stiny’s‖Kingdom‖and‖is‖calle d‖the‖
Hamanu’s‖ regime ‖ in‖ Urik,‖ Ste l‖ is‖ aggressive ‖ and‖ King’s‖ Academy. Stude nts who atte nd the Academy are
confrontational with r ivals. Ste l caravans are heavily subject to a strict e ducation that brings harsh punishme nt
guarde d to pre vent against raids from other me rchant for failure . At the same time stude nts are indoctrinate d
houses, a tactic the house uses on its rivals re gularly. The with the militarism that runs through the government of
leade rs of House Ste l have a dee p hatre d of e lves which Urik.
Little Jung le: A portion of the drill fie lds inside
has le d to ope n warfare with a number of Elve n tribes
ove r the years. The House maintains lucrative trading Destiny’s‖ Kingdom‖ has‖ been‖ se t‖ aside ‖ for‖ Hamanu’s‖
contacts with halflings of the Ringing Mountains. Hargan halfling allies to make the ir homes. Little Jungle is the
Ste l III (LN male human, fighter 5/rogue 2/ dune trade r 5) name give n to the fence d off area, whe re the halflings
leads the house and re flects the nature of his house , be ing build huts in the jungle style .
Pit of Black Death: Urik uses the site of an old
both an e xpe rt trade r and warrior.
The Veiled Alliance: The Ve ile d Alliance has to be obsidian mine for a gladiator arena, thus giving the are na
doubly care ful‖in‖the ‖wake ‖of‖Hamanu’s‖restrictions,‖and‖ its name , the Pit of Black Death. The Pit does not rise
the ‖preserve rs’‖supplie s‖of‖spe ll‖components‖have ‖become‖ above the ground but is sunke n into the ground. Ste ppe d
e xtreme ly limite d. For most of the decade following the e xcavation provides vie wing platforms for the crowd. All
war‖ with‖ Tyr,‖ Urik’s‖ Ve ile d‖ Alliance ‖ was‖split‖ into‖ two‖ spectators must stand in the Pit, as there are no seats in
factions. Its leader, the le ge ndary Morlak, disappeare d the are na. The irre gularly shape d combat area is made
myste riously, leaving two preservers to conte nd for the e ntire ly of obsidian. The sun heats the black obsidian until
spot he vacate d. it becomes almost unbearable for both combatants and
Whe n one of the conte nders, Leoricius the Untamable , spectators. As such most gladiator matches are he ld in the
was kille d in the Great Earthquake , the othe r contende r morning before the heat has become too great, or on rare
occasions at night. Anothe r danger of the obsidian is the
worke d fe verishly to heal the split. This be came
increasingly‖ important‖ in‖ the‖ wake‖ of‖ Hamanu’s‖ ne west‖ thousands of sharp e dges, shards, and spike s that
re strictions. Today, Thania (LN fe male half-e lf, prese rver protrude from the walls of the are na. These obsidian
5/ve ile d one 7) commands a whole Alliance , advocating shards cover the walls and columns of obsidian that are
patie nce and ne gotiation instead of the viole nt scatte re d around the are na floor.
Potter’s Court: Potte ry is an art form in Urik, and all
confrontations advocate d by he r one -time rival. Thania
has‖ bee n‖ working‖ to‖ establish‖ a‖ partnership‖ with‖ Tyr’s‖ othe r city-states recognize the supe riority of Urikite
Alliance , but if Hamanu learns of it both groups will potte ry. The ‖ potte rs’‖ workshops‖ are ‖ collecte d‖ in‖ the‖
undoubte dly suffe r. Potte r’s‖ Court‖ area‖ of‖ the ‖ city. The conce ntration of so
many immense kilns in the area ,‖ make ‖ Potter’s‖ Court‖

21
unbearably warm, eve n at night whe n most of the potters PCs have until morning to find the real kille r, or be
conduct the ir work. e xecute d along with e veryone e lse.
Potters’ School: The‖ Potters’‖ School‖ is‖ the‖ largest‖ ―The ‖ Ve ile d‖ Alliance ‖ has‖ wondere d‖ for‖years‖about‖
group‖ of‖ psionic‖ users‖ who‖ re fuse‖ to‖ atte nd‖ the‖ King’s‖ the high drik transformation process. The PCs are
Academy or register with the authorities. While the assigne d to steal a drik e gg that has unde rgone the
Potte rs’‖ School‖ teaches‖ pottery‖ casting‖ and‖ painting,‖ process but that has not yet hatche d.
skille d psions instruct stude nts in the Way, outside of the ―Saita,‖a‖ templar‖of‖ Urik,‖ secre tly‖sold‖ some ‖of‖ the‖
influe nce of King Hamanu and his templars. The head city’s‖slaves‖to‖a‖tribe ‖of‖yuan-ti in the Ringing Mountains
instructor of the psions is Erriok (LN male human, shape r to make some e xtra mone y. Unfortunate ly, the s laves
7). He is rumore d to have contact with the Ve ile d Alliance we re the pe rsonal prope rty of Hamanu who is now
and work with the m on occasion. e nrage d that his slaves are missing, and wants the head of
Three Sisters Observatory: The Three Sisters the pe rson responsible . Saita is despe rate to get the slaves
Obse rvatory is a two storey building with a flat roof and back be fore it is discovere d that she is the one responsible .
many observation balconies built on top of a hill calle d She secre tly hires the PCs to ge t the slaves back from the
Sunrise Point. The Three Sisters Obse rvatory serve d as the yuan-ti any way they can.
king’s‖ obse rvatory‖ until‖ the ‖ construction‖ of‖ the‖ Royal‖
Obse rvatory. Now the building is use d to store old
astronomical re cords and e quipme nt, and has a run
Beyond the Tablelands
down, ne glecte d appearance. The obse rvatory gets its
Ple nty of action and adve nture can be found across
name from three ide ntical granite hills nearby
Athas. More lands of wonde r, mystery, and danger e xist
be yond the barrenness of the Table lands. A quick tour of
Adventure Ideas these othe r places follows, and more information about
―Te mplars‖arrive ‖at‖ whe re‖ the ‖ PCs‖are‖staying‖ with‖ specific locations will be reveale d in future products.
orde rs to arrest them. Someone has accuse d the PCs of
practicing magic. A fair trial is not possible and the Eldaarich
se ntence is death. The PCs must escape the templars, find
Population: 21,000 (85% humans, 8% dwarves, 4%
out who the ir accuse r is, and clear the ir name be fore they
half-giants, 2% muls, 1% others)
are capture d by the templars.
Exports: Gold, silve r
―Unbe knownst‖ to‖ the ‖ PCs,‖ the ir‖ names‖ have ‖ been‖
Languages: Eldaarish, picts
adde d to a bounty list the templars of Urik maintain.
Te mplars and bounty hunters begin to appear, trying to
Eldaarich occupies a small island in the Sea of Silt, just
collect the bounty by capturing or killing the PCs.
off the mainland. He re , isolate d and protecte d from the
Whe ther or not the PCs are wante d by the templars, in
re st of Athas, the citize ns huddle in the paranoid
this instance it is a case of mistake n identity. A wealthy
de lusions of the ir mad sorcere r-king. Daskinor, rule r of
me rchant, wante d for smuggling, is suppose d to be on the
Eldaarich, be lie ves that unknowable forces in the world
bounty list, howeve r, he bribe d a templar to re move his
are trying to destroy him.
name and that of his family from the list. The PCs ’ names
Eve ry fe w years he puts a ne w name to these forces —
we re chosen at random and adde d in place of the
the Orde r, the Ve ile d Alliance , Rajaat, pyree n, a me rchant
me rchant’s‖and‖his‖family‖to‖fill‖the ‖vacancy.
house , a lowly slave , or some other ide ntifiable targe t
―House ‖Wavir‖has‖heard‖rumors‖that‖King‖Hamanu‖
be comes the imagine d source of his fears for a time .
is planning on orde ring his templars to se ize all of the ir
Daskinor does his best to destroy these imagine d e ne mies,
house ’s‖asse ts‖in‖Urik.‖Using‖the ‖Wavir‖coup‖in‖Balic as an
and anyone who has eve n a passing resemblance to the
e xample , the house will be accuse d of planning a rebe llion
targe t is persecute d until the ne xt de lusion grips him.
in Urik. Be fore he goes through with this threat, Hamanu
Daskinor was ne ve r a stable ruler. From the be ginning
is checking with the othe r major merchant-houses to gain
of his re ign as sorcere r-king of Eldaarich, he was
the ir acce ptance of his actions so the y do not boycott his
torme nte d by unfounde d fears and name less te rrors that
city. House Wavir ge ts wind of the plot and secre tly plans
preye d upon his mind. For the first fe w ce nturies of his
to sneak out of the city with as much of the ir asse ts as
re ign, he was able to function more or le ss normally
possible . The PCs are hire d to coordinate and have to
despite his growing paranoia. As time passe d, ge nuine
safe ly ge t the Wavir age nts and as much of the ir various
bouts of panic began to intrude upon his psyche . These
asse ts, including wagons, me rchandise , and draft animals,
bouts laste d longer and longer, paralyzing Daskinor for
out of the city.
hours, days, some times eve n months at a time .
―The ‖PCs‖are ‖attending‖a‖feast‖at‖a‖noble ’s‖compound‖
Eldaarich was constructe d to protect Daskinor from
whe n the head of the family is murde re d. Te mplars
his fears. Fortifie d walls, a strong military, de vote d
descend on the compound pre ve nting anyone from
templars, re tractable bridges, and a series of kee ps and
leaving. Instead of investigating the crime, the te mplars
forts e nsure d that the e ntire city-state and surrounding
simply state that unless the murdere r is presente d to them
area was secure d against outside rs. Over time , it be came
by morning e veryone in the house will be e xecute d. The
less of a fort and more of a prison, locking king and

22
citize ns alike behind sturdy gates and high walls. Seve n special compe nsations for capturing aarakocra from the
ce nturies ago, the sorcere r-king’s‖paranoia‖became ‖acute .‖ nearby White Mountains.
He comple te ly seale d his city, cutting off all ties to the If trave lers we re to find themse lves in Eldaarich or one
othe r city-states. That was the way things remaine d until of its holdings (which is n’t‖ ve ry‖ like ly),‖ the y’d‖ fee l‖ the‖
about FY 0 year, whe n limite d trade was resume d with we ight of oppression and sme ll the ste nch of me ntal
House Aze th of Kurn. illne ss that hangs in the hot, stifling air. Every year the
Today, Eldaarich remains an isolate d prison of a city. darkne ss‖ in‖ Daskinor’s‖soul‖ grows‖ dee pe r,‖ his‖ paranoia‖
Daskinor’s‖ fears‖ have ‖ become ‖ the ‖ fears‖ of‖ his‖ citize nry,‖ more acute . This mental de terioration is refle cte d in the
making e veryone who lives under his rule as paranoid as city itse lf, as though each citize n were a part of the
he is. No one eve r leaves Eldaarich, and no one e ver sorcere r-king’s‖disease d‖mind.
e nters its massive gates. I t’s‖a‖close d‖socie ty—figurative ly
and lite rally. Go vernment and Politics
The same mode l of government e vide nt in the other
Lif e and Society city-states e xists in Eldaarich. The sorce rer-king Daskinor
Eve ry outside r wants to destroy the ir city-state and (CE male stage II Champion of Rajaat dragon de file r
the ir sorcere r-king, and e veryone who lives within the 8/nomad 10/cere bremance r 10/Athasian dragon 2) stands
walls‖waits‖for‖an‖opportunity‖to‖betray‖you.‖That’s‖what‖ atop the socie tal hie rarchy, his trouble d de lusions
the pe ople of Eldaarich be lieve ,‖ for‖ that’s‖ what‖ the ir‖ coloring e very aspect of life in the city-state . His chaotic
leade rs be lie ve. Nowhe re e lse in all of Athas is there such te nde ncies and often overwhe lming paranoia infuse
an unde rlying curre nt of ge nuine , unattributable fear. It e veryone he comes in contact with, making the city
filte rs down from Daskinor himse lf, making citize n and almost as wild and fre nzie d as Raam. The only thing that
slave alike tre mble with uncontrollable paranoia. allows the city to function is that the citize ns are a
The citize nry is a subdue d, cowe ring lot, give n to subdue d lot, living in quie t fear instead of in
une xpecte d bursts of viole nce once the fear inside them rambunctious anarchy. Daskinor constantly watches over
be comes too much to contain. In many cases, the e ver- his shoulder‖ for‖assassins‖ that‖ don’t‖e xist,‖and‖so‖ do‖ his‖
crushing we ight of te rror and oppression kee ps the templars and nobles. No one trusts anyone e lse in
masses down, but some times a de lusional artisan will Eldaarich. This works out for the best, as the trouble d
strike out at a te mplar or noble , causing the leve l of atmosphe re has fostere d a socie ty whe re the fear of
paranoia to rise eve n higher. murder and be trayal has e ncourage d the pe riodic use of
The ‖ quality‖ of‖ life ‖ isn’t‖ good‖ in‖ Eldaarich.‖ Because‖ such techniques by those who pre fer to strike first.
Daskinor‖doesn’t‖trust‖anyone ,‖he ‖allows‖his‖te mplars‖to‖ Te mplars and nobles regularly kill e ach other to kee p
dispe nse only the barest essentials to the free citize ns and the same from happe ning to the m, or to gain powe r or
slaves. With just e nough food and wate r to sustain the m position, or just because the te nsion of living be hind
and fe w personal possessions, the pe ople of the city are a heavy locks and be ing constantly on guard e ventually
sad, pathetic lot. They have no hope of a bette r life and no drives eve n the most peace ful be ings to viole nce. In
conce pt that a be tter life exists outside the walls of Eldaarich, fears permeates e verything—fear of the
Eldaarich. If anyone eve n suggests such a notion, the sorcere r-king, fear of outsiders, fear of each othe r, and
ingraine d fear of the unknown kicks in and makes fear of the unknown. Be cause the socie ty is close d off to
e veryone e lse dismiss the idea. the rest of the world, e ve rything on the other side of its
While the class structure of noble , free citize n and walls and locke d gates is, by de finition, unknown.
slave e xists in Eldaarich, the truth is that e veryone If Eldaarich is a prison, Daskinor is its most promine nt
be neath the te mplars is a slave to‖Daskinor’s‖all-pe rvasive prisone r. The sorce rer-king live s in a walle d sub-city and
fear. rare ly ve ntures into othe r parts of his realm. His constant
The sorce rer-king sees threats to his rule on eve ry face paranoia sometimes inte nsifies to such a fe ve re d pitch
and in e very dark shadow. For this reason, he pe rmits no that he ceases to function.
free doms of any sort, not e ven the toke n rights give n to In such a state , which may last as long as months at a
the citize ns of othe r cities. Free dom, Daskinor be lie ves, is time , Daskinor is care d for by his se nior te mplars. At
just an opportunity to be tray his trust. So he orders his othe r times, his paranoia drives him to give a name to his
templars to oppress the people of his city, to make the ir fear. Whe n this occurs, the e ntire city mobilize s to combat
live s‖ so‖ miserable ‖ the y‖ don’t‖ have ‖ time ‖ or‖ stre ngth‖ to‖ this suppose d threat to the realm. Curre ntly, the use of
contemplate treache ry. psionic abilitie s has been outlawe d, as Daskinor be lie ves
The ‖te mplars‖don’t‖have ‖it‖much‖be tter.‖They’re ‖ke pt‖ that the Orde r has initiate d a campaign against his rule .
in line by the high templars who, in turn, are subject to Eve n low-powe re d psionicists and wild tale nts who
Daskinor’s‖brutal‖whims. ope nly display the ir abilitie s are subject to imprisonme nt
The majority of the population consists of humans, or death because of the curre nt e dict. Only Daskinor, a
though the re are also dwarves, half-giants, and muls in psionicist of the highest caliber, is e xempt from the terms
significant numbe rs. The re are also a fe w aarakocra of the e dict.
wasting away in the slave pe ns. Daskinor has a particular Daskinor’s‖ te mplars‖ se rve ‖ as‖ a dministrators to the
hatre d of the winge d people and gives his te mplars city, and also act as the sorce rer-king’s‖e yes‖and‖ears‖in‖all‖
corners of the domain. The y are charge d with watching
23
for signs of treache ry among the masses -and with dealing mounts a surprise attack on Silt Side during a mee ting
with such treache ry be fore it ge ts out of hand. The be twee n Corik Aze th and High Te mplar Ke rillis. The PCs
templars are as paranoid and de lusional as Daskinor, acting as guards for House Aze th may misinte rpret the
giving in to the ir fear whe neve r it overwhe lms them. For attack as dire cte d by Corik or themse lves.
this reason, Eldaarich has become a police state , and the ―Conce rne d‖with‖a‖rece nt rise in the le ve l of the silt
templars are the police . The y command the military. The y sea around Eldaarich, the city has declare d war on all silt
ove rsee all re cords and the distribution of goods and clerics. Me rce naries are to be hire d to he lp hunt do wn the
se rvices. The y hold the power of life and death for the rest silt cle rics along the coast for a hundre d miles north and
of the citize nry in the ir terrifie d hands. south of Eldaarich. The PCs could become embroile d on
e ithe r side .
Power Groups ―A‖major‖giant‖raid‖on‖the ‖Huuros‖Is lands has been
Kulag: The ‖Kulag‖Orde r‖controls‖Daskinor’s‖silt‖flee t, re pulse d by the Kulag Flee t, though many casualtie s were
which curre ntly acts as the me rchant house for the Dim suffe re d. Te mplars assign the PCs to salvage what they
Lands, a nearby archipe lago. It is leade d by High Te mplar can from the battle , e quipme nt as we ll as the bodies of
Ke rillis (LE fe male human, templar 14). Some times they those who die d. Most of the wreckage is just off shore in
also resort to piracy in the nearby islands. silt 15 to 20 fee t dee p.
Neshtap: More ‖commonly‖known‖as‖“re d‖guards”,‖the‖
Ne shtap are the most feare d, and the second-most Kurn
powe rful of se ve n orde rs that Daskinor uses to maintain
Population: 18.000 (65% humans, 10% e lves, 6% muls,
control of his city Eldaarich, and its clie nt villages. The y
6% aarakocra, 5% dwarves, 4% half-e lves, 3% half-giants,
ne ver speak, seemingly re vere the e leme nt of fire , and are
1% othe r)
be coming increasingly powerful and inde pe nde nt from
Exports: live stock, magic items , me dicines
Daskinor.
Languages: Elve n, Kurnan
The Veiled Alliance: Eldaarich has no Ve ile d
Alliance . Daskinor roote d out the Alliance and destroye d
Kurn is actually two city-states: an ancie nt, public
it 400 years ago whe n the group of prese rvers be came his
me tropolis, and a utopian city hidde n from the rest of the
imagine d e ne my of the mome nt. Some preserve rs still live
world. Old Kurn sits in a lush meadow on the eastern side
in the city, but the y remain hidde n and are re lative ly
of the White Mountains. The trade road running north out
we ak due to a lack of ade quate training. Prese rve rs from
of Draj connects Kurn to the Tyr Re gion, and the city
Kurn some times sneak into the close d city to provide
we lcomes merchants from the south. Ne w Kurn lie s in a
training‖and‖to‖see ‖what‖the ‖conditions‖are ,‖but‖the y‖don’t‖
fertile valley hidde n among the White Mountains
do‖this‖very‖ofte n.‖If‖the y‖get‖caught,‖they’re ‖put‖to‖death,‖
themse lves. A seclude d road protecte d by a towe ring
and if the ir city of origin is discove re d, it could mean war
fortress kee ps the valle y safe from unwante d visitors -and
be twee n the two cities. No one , especially Oronis the
Ne w‖Kurn‖doesn’t‖want‖any‖visitors.
Avangion of Kurn, wants a war to break out. He does,
Old Kurn was a prosperous but re lative ly small city
howe ve r, fee l the pain that both Daskinor and his citize ns
from the Green Age that suffere d great de vastation in the
project, and ofte n contemplates finding a solution to
early days of the Cleansing Wars. Once situate d in a vast
Eldaarich’s‖problems.
forest that has long since fade d from the landscape , the e lf
city of Kurn was destroye d by the Champion calle d
Adventure Ideas
Albe orn, Slaye r of Elves. Whe n the Champions finally
―A‖silt‖schooner‖owne d‖by‖House‖M’ke ‖was‖attacke d‖
turne d against Rajaat and be came the dragon kings, the
and capture d by the navy of Eldaarich. The me rchant
one name d Ke ltis decide d to build his city-state on the
house could hire the PCs to raid the harbor of Eldaarich
ruins of Old Kurn. He change d his name to Oronis, but
and bring the schoone r back.
decide d to re tain the name of the city he was building
―An‖aarakocra‖from‖Winte r‖Nest‖was‖capture d‖ whe n
ove r.
she fle w too close to Eldaarich. The PCs are aske d to free
The ‖ ruins‖ were n’t‖ in‖ as‖ bad‖ a‖ shape‖ as‖ Oronis‖
her be fore she is e xecute d by the templars of Eldaarich.
originally thought. He was able to build upon many of the
Once free d from her cage , the aarakocra can easily fly
foundations, and a fe w whole structures were still fit for
back to Winter Nest on her own, but the PCs will have to
use . Within a de cade , Oronis’ Kurn was establishe d.
sneak out of Eldaarich.
Within five decades, it was thriving. For five hundre d
―Gre hgatha‖ is‖ a‖ Kurnan‖ pre server‖ who‖ has‖ snuck‖
years, Kurn followe d the same course as the other
into Eldaarich many times to tutor young prese rvers.
sorcere r-king domains. Throughout that time , Oronis was
Since she has re turne d from he r last attempt she is
trouble d by some thing fe w of his pee rs possesse d-his
consume d with free ing an e ntire village from Daskinor
conscie nce .
and hires the PCs to he lp. The PCs must come up with a
Whe n he was Ke ltis, Lizard Man Executione r, he
way to sneak 150 people past the te mplars of Eldaarich.
succee de d at the task Rajaat hande d to him. He
―The ‖Re d‖Guard‖has‖become ‖jealous‖of‖the ‖monopoly‖
e liminate d the e ntire race from the face of Athas. As the
on trade he ld by the templars of the Kulag Orde r. In an
years passe d and Ke ltis the Champion became Oronis the
attempt to disrupt the trade ne gotiations, the Re d Guard
sorcere r-king, images of the atrocities he committe d

24
starte d to haunt him. After Oronis advance d to a second appears to be much like any city in the Tyr Re gion still
stage dragon king, his proble ms inte nsifie d. Now he had rule d by a sorcere r-king. Surface appearances, howe ver,
the deaths of his subjects on his head, for he had to use a can be dece iving. Trave le rs who stay for any le ngth of
specifie d amount of life force to powe r his transformation. time might notice a fe w odditie s. For e xample , the slaves
He de cide d that none of this was what Rajaat seem to have a sparkle in the ir eyes and a bounce in the ir
originally promise d him. Whe re was the restoration of the ste p‖ that‖ isn’t‖seen‖ in‖ the ‖othe r‖ city-states, and te mplars
world?‖ Athas‖ hadn’t‖ gotte n‖ bette r‖ because ‖ of‖ the‖ aren’t‖give n as wide a berth as the ir counterparts in Urik
Cleansing‖ Wars.‖ It‖ had‖ gotte n‖ worse .‖ What’s‖ more ,‖ the‖ or Nibe nay. Additionally, while the merchant and
sorcere r-kings we re continuing the downward spiral, tradesme n districts are always crowde d, the rest of the
slowly killing the world by the ir actions. Oronis re fuse d city is as empty and desolate as the ruins of Giuste nal.
to be a part of that tre nd any longer. He renounce d his Old Kurn maintains its illusion of business -as-usual
de filing skills and his status as a dragon king and sought through the coope ration of its citize ns and the advance d
a differe nt path. powe rs of its sorce rer-king. If visitors notice that the noble
That was whe n Kurn broke off re lations with the other and templar quarters of the city are practically deserte d,
city-states. Me rcantile activities continue d, of course , but they usually attribute it to the rumors that Kurn is slowly
at a re duce d rate . Afte r a time , Kurn became one of the dying. Dying or not, the city is far from de fe nse less. More
forgotte n cities—just as Oronis had hope d. In the than one raiding tribe has atte mpte d to take advantage of
meantime , he se t the ne xt part of his plan for re de mption the ‖“dying”‖city‖only‖to‖discover‖that‖its‖de fe nders‖we re‖
in motion. Oronis wante d to make amends for the horrors more than capable of driving them off.
of his past. Through the e fforts of House Aze th and the commerce
The first ste p was to change the rules of socie ty in provide d by othe r trade rs, Kurn maintains a modest
Kurn. Though the city had to maintain an illusion of economy. While most of the inhabitants of the Tyr Re gion
normalcy to kee p the other sorcere r-kings from de tecting have forgotten that this northe rn city e xists, Kurn
treachery or weakne ss, Oronis secre tly freed all slaves and inte racts with its closest ne ighbors on a regular basis. It
institute d fair and just practices at all le ve ls of socie ty. He has good re lations with the aarakocra of Winte r Nest, the
swore his citize ns to secrecy, for if word got out he was me rchants‖of‖Draj’s‖House ‖Tsalaxa,‖and‖the ‖e lves‖of‖a‖fe w‖
sure his one -time pee rs would flock to Kurn like gith to a of the local tribes. Exce pt for the contact betwee n House
dying braxat. The second ste p was to begin construction Aze th and the trade templars of Eldaarich, Kurn has little
on the utopia he envisione d. Like all e x-Champions, inte raction with its ne ighboring city-state. On the other
Oronis originally wante d to re turn Athas to the glory of hand, Kurn some times has trouble with raide rs from the
the Blue Age . Bandit‖ States.‖ The ‖ raide rs‖ don’t‖ come‖ to‖ the‖ gates‖ of‖ the‖
He decide d to once more strive for that goal. In a city (at least not ve ry ofte n), but the y do attack trave le rs
hidde n valle y among the peaks of the White Mountains, on the trade road and e ve n plunder the clie nt villages on
the foundation stones of Ne w Kurn we re laid. As his rare occasions.
templars and citize ns worke d to build Ne w Kurn, Oronis Ne w Kurn is a diffe re nt matte r. The high, sturdy walls
we nt in search of a be tter path to powe r. Using the of Fort Protector block the eastern e ntrance to the hidde n
techniques and practices of preserving magic, Oronis valley, while the tall, stee p peaks of the White Mountains
looke d for a way to combine magic with psionics in a make the othe r dire ctions inaccessible . The only approach
more positive way than through dragon magic. It took that might be ope n is by air, though flying creatures loyal
nearly 1,000 years of study and e xpe rime ntation for to Oronis nest in the ve rtical peaks.
Oronis to de ve lop the preserver me tamorphosis spe ll. Within‖the ‖valle y,‖Oronis’‖restoration‖project‖is‖in‖full‖
With it, the re forme d sorcere r-king could be come an swing. He has turne d the valley into a place from the past,
advance d be ing aligne d to goodness instead of another re creating the conditions of the Gree n Age in its she lte re d
force for evil. space. A thick forest surrounds a lush clearing whe re the
Today, the twin citie s of Kurn continue along the ir city of Ne w Kurn has been built beside a small, clean lake .
paralle l courses. Old Kurn displays a typical sorce rer- Oronis hopes to e ventually regress the valley to
king’s‖ domain‖ to‖ the ‖ othe r‖ inhabitants‖ of‖ the ‖ re gion,‖at‖ conditions‖as‖ they‖ we re ‖ in‖ the ‖ Blue ‖ Age ,‖ but‖ that’s‖ still‖
least on the surface , while Ne w Kurn works to comple te many years away.
Oronis’‖e xpe rime nt‖in‖regressing‖a‖small‖portion‖of‖Athas‖ The ne w city resembles Oronis’‖vision‖of‖utopia.‖Airy‖
back through time . Be twee n the two cities, Kurn has a buildings with tall, e legant spires grace wide , ope n streets
total population of 18,000 pe ople . The majority live in the pave d with white stone . Here , the pe ople govern
ne w city, as each year more citize ns are move d from the themse lves through a syste m of fair laws and majority
old city to the ne w. Old Kurn has such a small numbe r of rule . Eve ryone has a say in the workings of the city, from
re side nts that it appears to be almost a ghost town, and the poorest labore r to the highest e le cte d official. And if
one day Oronis plans to complete ly abandon it in favor of some one‖ doesn’t‖ like ‖ the ‖ way‖ things‖ are‖ going,‖ they’re‖
his seclude d valle y. free to run for a position whe n the curre nt terms of office
e xpire .
Lif e and Society Thanks to the fertile valle y and the lush forest, no one
The state of life in Kurn de pe nds on which of the twin goes hungry or thirsty in Ne w Kurn. No creatures are
cities is be ing considere d. Old Kurn, on the surface , hunte d out of e xiste nce and no plants are plucke d

25
comple te ly from a give n area. The te mplars monitor the the ir job to ove rsee and handle the restoration process,
forest on a daily basis to make sure the de licate balance is unde r‖Oronis’‖supe rvision.
maintaine d. For this reason, no de file rs are pe rmitte d
within the ranks of the templars or anywhe re in the twin Power Groups
cities. It is strictly against the laws of Kurn to practice Black Brethren: Oronis’‖ Black Bre thren are Kurn’s
de filing magic. e lite army, charge d with patrolling Kurn and making sure
Oronis continue s to advance as an avangion, and he Kurn is safe and secre t.
tries to instill the same sere ne, peace ful, life -giving School of Spies: Kurn’s‖ School‖ of‖ Spies‖ is‖ an‖
prope rties of his ne w form in the city and pe ople who organization of Kurnan spies, mostly female , that studies
follow him. Whe re once there was a man of e vil, now non-Kurnan socie ties, and brings back information to
Oronis is a force for good in the world. His templars work de fe nd Kurn and improve its way of life . The y have
to promote his plans and pre pare to some day strike out manage d to infiltrate into Me rchant Houses and e ve n the
from the valle y with the knowle dge of how to restore all templarate of eve ry city-state in the Table lands.
of‖Athas.‖Until‖the n,‖the y’ll‖work‖to‖finish‖the ‖restoration‖ The Veiled Alliance: Kurn has no Ve ile d Alliance .
of the valley and to pe rfect the socie ty that Oronis has Preserve rs are a we lcome and significant part of the
inspire d. socie ty,‖so‖there ’s‖no‖reason‖for‖them‖to‖hide ‖behind‖a‖ve il‖
of secrecy. In fact, prese rve rs from other Alliance factions
Go vernment and Politics some times come to Kurn to study with Oronis. One
Oronis the Avangion (LG male Champion of Rajaat preserve r, Korgunard of Urik, e ve n learne d the ste ps to
stage IV avangion, preserver 5/shaper 5/ce rebremancer be come an avangion and followe d the path forge d by
10/lore master 3/avangion 5) guide s the paths of the twin Oronis.‖It’s‖conce ivable‖ that‖more‖avangions‖ will‖ appear‖
cities. Oronis spe nt ce nturies re deeming himse lf, going so in the future , though whe n and how many is hard to say.
far as to change his ve ry nature from e vil to good, though While preservers are acce pte d and inte gral to Kurn
he still fe e ls he has a long way to go to make up for his socie ty, de file rs are considere d e ne mies of e verything
acts as a Champion of Ra jaat and a sorcere r-king. For this Oronis stands for. The avangion is re luctant to allow his
reason, he has de dicate d himse lf and his citize ns to followe rs to make de filing magic punishable by death, as
working to ward the e ve ntual restoration of all Athas. he himse lf was once a de file r of the highest orde r.
While in Old Kurn, Oronis wears the guise of a normal Ho we ve r,‖he ‖knows‖that‖in‖most‖cases‖de file rs‖can’t‖make‖
human. In this psionically and magically induce d the me ntal and spiritual changes necessary to re ject that
disguise , he appears as a tall, lanky, middle -age d man path, so he has agree d that known de file rs must be
with short golde n hair, pale -blue eyes, and a close - banishe d from the socie ty.
croppe d blond beard. He covers himse lf in the trappings
of a sorcere r-king, wearing a golde n circle t on the crown Major Settlements
of his head and carrying an obsidian-toppe d walking Azeth’s Rest (Village, 900): This fortifie d oasis and
staff.‖In‖Ne w‖Kurn,‖howe ve r,‖such‖disguises‖are n’t‖calle d‖ trade village lies on the trade road, reaching north from
for. The re he ope nly displays his true avangion form—a Draj to Kurn. It has remaine d in the hands of House
tall, thin, hairle ss humanoid with golde n skin, silve r eyes, Aze th eve r since the trade village was founde d. Fifty
and gossame r wings. tough mercenaries protect it and the nearby road,
Though Old Kurn appears to run like any other city- manning the ballistae and fixe d crossbows atop its great
state , Oronis long ago abandone d a monarchical form of walls. Aze th’s‖ Rest‖ we lcomes‖all‖ trade rs,‖ provide d‖ the y‖
gove rnme nt. He allows his subjects to gove rn themse lves can pay the fees for using its services.
via a democratic system he de ve lope d. In this system, Silt Side (village, var ies): Silt Side is an ope n village
noble s and all citize ns e xce pt templars may hold public on the coast of the Silt Sea. Silt Side handles trade with
office . Elections are he ld at regular inte rvals and term Eldaarich; in fact, this village is the only connection with
limits are se t. The highest e lecte d official is calle d the the outside world that Eldaarich maintains. Silt Side is a
Preside r, who sits at the head of a body calle d the seasonal village , populating and e mptying for a fe w
Tribunal. Me mbe rs of the Tribunal are re ferre d to as we e ks three times eve ry year whe n House Aze th
Tribunes. Toge ther, the Preside r and the Tribunes draft me mbers meet to trade .
the laws that kee p the city-state running smoothly. The
curre nt Preside r is Ulali of Prusicles (LG female half-e lf, Adventure Ideas
preserve r 8), now in the second year of a five -year te rm. ―Oronis‖ nee ds‖ many‖ unusual‖ spe ll‖ components‖ for‖
Oronis re fuses to hold an official position, though he his studies. Often times he doe s not have the time to
does pre tend to be sorce rer-king in the old city. He acts as gather all of the m himse lf, so he hires the PCs to collect
an adviser whe n the Pre side r or Tribunal re quests his some of the rarer spe ll compone nts he nee ds, such as roc
prese nce ,‖ but‖ otherwise ,‖ he ’s‖ more ‖ conce rne d‖ with‖ eggshe lls, leathe r from a dune reaper matron, the bark of
advancing as an avangion and kee ping the valle y a zhackal, or silt ee l tongues.
re storation‖project‖on‖track.‖Oronis’‖te mplars‖don’t‖se rve‖ ―The ‖ last‖ time ‖ the ‖ PCs‖ we re ‖ in‖ Kurn,‖ the y‖ were‖
as administrators in Kurn, e ithe r. Instead, they are the be frie nde d by Aloth, a frie ndly me rchant. But now that
kee pe rs and dispe nse rs of knowle dge , serving as teachers they have re turne d to Kurn, Aloth has disappeare d and
and‖ advise rs‖ to‖ local‖ officials‖ and‖ businesses.‖ It’s‖ also‖
26
his shop is be ing use d by another merchant. No one the other side of the Ringing Mountains. Trade routes are
claims to have heard of Aloth whe n the PCs ask. Has be ing establishe d with Tyr and areas beyond.
Aloth bee n secre tly grante d citize nship in Ne w Kurn, or
has some thing more sinister happe ne d to him? Go vernment and Politics
―The ‖reside nts‖of‖Ne w‖ Kurn‖are ‖up‖in‖arms‖whe n‖a‖ As in all pte rran communities, Pte rran Vale is lead by
patch of de file d ground is discove re d. Suspicion falls a Triumvirate . The Triumvirate is made up of the e ldest
quickly on the ne west members of the community, the me mber from each of the three primary Life Paths. The
PCs. Actually, the re is no de filer in Ne w Kurn. The Triumvirate has the powe r to make all de cisions for the
de file d ground was cause d by a magical object that uses a community. Howe ve r, be fore important de cisions are
de filing e ffect to power its magic. One of the preservers of made the e ntire community gathe rs to de bate the question
Ne w Kurn re cently acquire d the item and teste d it, not in front of the Triumvirate . Only after all pte rrans have
realizing what it would do. No w he is horrifie d that he had the ir say does the Triumvirate make the ir decision.
will be blame d for the de file me nt, ange r Oronis, and be
forbidde n to practice magic, so he re mains sile nt. Power Groups
―The ‖ PCs‖ have ‖ to‖ figure‖ out‖ who‖ murdere d‖ a‖ Traders: Re cently, the pre stige of the me rchants of
me rchant in Kurn. But the investigation is hampe re d Pte rran Vale , lead by Pte llac Goldeye , has bee n growing.
whe n many of the witnesses and suspe cts disappear. Are Since they are at the fore front of the pte rrans’ ne w push to
they be ing re locate d to Ne w Kurn or is some thing more make contact with civilizations outside of the ir vale , the
siniste r happe ning? traders have become we ll respecte d. In addition, the ne w
―Ne w‖ Kurn‖ne e ds‖a‖cistern‖fie nd‖to‖purify‖its‖wate r‖ trade routes they have de ve lope d to the cities of the
supply. The Tribunal will gre atly re ward adve nture rs that Table lands have brought the m increase d wealth.
can find and transport a ciste rn fie nd to Ne w Kurn. The traders are not an organize d group as ye t.
―The ‖bee ‖kee pers‖of‖Kurn‖are ‖conce rne d. The ir bees Thought the differe nt me rchants are business rivals some
have bee n disappearing. Eve ry morning the bees leave the have begun to recognize the ir ne w found status and how
hives and eve ry afternoon less of the bees return. Is this if the y unite d, they could e xert significant influe nce over
some ne w threat from the sorce rer-king of Eldaarich or is the pterran socie ty of the Hinte rlands.
some one or something gathe ring the bees in the dese rt?
Major Settlements
Pterran Vale Lost Scale (Small Town, 2,000): Ce nturies ago, a
Population: 4,000 (99% pte rran, 1% other) re ligious dispute resulte d in a schism in Pte rran Vale . One
Exports: bones tools, live stock group found itse lf in the minority and chose to leave
Languages: Pterran Pte rran Vale and establish the ir own community, and
founding Lost Scale . Today the disagreeme nt has long
Pte rran Vale is the largest community of civilize d bee n se ttle d and the two communities work toge ther.
pte rrans in the Hinte rlands. The buildings are lodges Lost Scale is note d for its le gion of e xpe rt pterrax
constructe d from the bones and hides of large creatures, ride rs. Each of these warriors searches rocky badlands
such as me killots, built ove r hollowe d out pits. Each and canyons for a pte rrax e gg. The baby pte rrax that
hatches is raise d and traine d from birth by its ride r.
building has ste ps leading down into the inte rior.

Lif e and Society Adventure Ideas

The pterrans of Pte rran Vale survive by hunting, ―Afte r‖the ‖success‖of‖Pte llac‖Golde ye ’s‖effort‖to‖make‖
farming, and herding. In addition to using bone in the contact with the cities of the Table lands, the leade rs of
construction of the ir buildings, the y make fine bone Pte rran Vale have de cide d to se nd e missaries to the south,
whe re rumors state long lost communities of pterrans
we apons and tools.
Each pterran must choose a life path whe n they come e xist. While the rumors are indee d true , the pte rrans of
of age . The re are three main Life Paths, the Path of the the south have long ago de ge nerate d into barbarism and
Warrior, the Path of the Druid, and the Path of the Psion. cannibalism, making the e xpe dition fraught with pe ril.
Ho we ve r, othe r lesser Life Paths, farmer, cra fter, trade rs, ―Pte rran‖ scouts‖ have ‖ witnesse d‖ thri-kree n with
unusual coloration he rding trin packs into a large
and he rde rs, also e xist. Those pte rrans following one of
the le sser Life Paths are treate d with respe ct but the three e nclosure in the desert. Concerne d as to who these
primary Life Paths are more prestigious. All le ade rs are in strange thri-kreen are and why they are he rding trin, the
pte rran society are se lecte d from the primary Life Paths. leade rs of Pterran Vale se nd the PCs to investigate .
The pte rrans reve re Athas as the Earth Mothe r, and ―The ‖crops‖in‖the ‖fie lds‖around‖Pte rran‖Vale ‖are ‖not‖
the ir re ligious ceremonies and ce le brations are de vote d to growing as healthily as the y normal do. The farmers
her. After the Great Earthquake , the pte rrans became quickly discovere d why. Blood grass has sproute d up
convince d that the earthquake was a call from the Earth throughout the fie lds, stealing nutrie nts from the crops
Mother to them, dire cting the m to become more involve d and attacking farme rs who approach too close .
with the affairs of others. In response , e xplorers have been Adve nture rs are nee de d to clear the blood grass from the
se nt out resulting in contact with the city-state of Tyr on

27
fie lds, as we ll as discover how the blood grass came to be of we ar. Some ne w sources of ore e xis t in the surrounding
there in the first place. mountains, but fe w citize ns of Saragar still kno w how to
―The ‖ pterrax‖ ride rs‖ of‖ Lost‖ Scale‖ are ‖ having‖ a‖ e xtract it, let alone forge it into ne w ite ms.
proble m locating pte rrax e ggs. It seems the pte rrax have Some one from the city-states of the Tyr re gion might
bee n drive n from the ir normal nesting areas by an consider Saragar to be a paradise . That ce rtainly is the
unusually large conce ntration of giant hornets. The pe rce ption the Triune Mind Lords try to propagate. The y
pte rrans hope the PCs can kill or drive off e nough giant ge ne rate laws to bolster the illusion of happiness and
horne ts to re duce the number to a balance d le ve l so that se renity but do nothing to truly address those concerns.
the pterrax could re turn to the ir nesting area. The lawkee pe rs enforce these rules. For this reason the
―The ‖ Dark‖ One ‖ is‖ a‖ pterran‖ outcast‖ from‖ Pterran‖ Saragar dwe lle rs have learne d to constantly display
Vale . An earth cle ric, the Dark One was e xile d for se rene attitudes.
claiming the Great Earthquake and the aftershocks were The re are no wizards of any sort in Saragar. Wizardry
calls from the Earth Mother de manding sacrifice s of is conside re d evil and most citize ns in Saragar who
young pte rrans. Now a he rmit in the wilde rness, the Dark witness‖ it‖ don’t‖ have‖ any‖ idea‖ what‖ the y‖ are‖ see ing.
One be lie ves he has deve lope d dire ct communication Psionics are the true power of the domain.
with the Earth Mother through a large hole in the ground.
At the direction of the voice from this hole , the Dark One Go vernment and Politics
makes sacrifices to the Earth Mothe r by kidnapping and The basic form‖of‖Saragar’s‖government‖is‖a‖triune ‖of‖
throwing pte rrans into the hole . Howe ve r, the Dark One lawmakers‖ who‖ write ‖ the ‖ city’s‖ laws,‖ an‖ army‖ of‖
is be ing manipulate d by an earth drake , who poses as the lawke e pers to e nforce the laws, and a bureaucracy of
Earth Mother to have the Dark One drop food into its lair. lawte nde rs to perform the administrative function.
―A‖ pack‖ of‖ dune ‖ freaks‖ have‖ migrate d‖ to‖ an‖ oasis‖ The ‖ trio‖ that‖ make ‖ up‖ Saragar’s‖ Triune ‖ Mind‖ Lords‖
near Pte rran Vale , posing a hazard to trave le rs going are powe rful, age less maste rs of psionics. They are Thesik
north. The PCs could be aske d to clean out the dune (LE male mindlord human, kine ticist 29), Barani (NE
freaks; howe ver, the y are only a lesse r evil. The dune female mindlord human, te le path 28), and Kosve ret (CE
freaks we re force d out of the ir normal hunting grounds male mindlord e lf, nomad 27). The citize ns of Saragar
by the increase d patrols of zik-trin coming from the Great consider the Mind Lords gods and treat them as suc h;
Rift. thought there is little inte raction be tween the Mind Lords
and the populous.
Saragar Se nior Lawke e per Efke nu (LN male human, psychic
warrior 17) is the only pe rson to have re gular contact with
Population: 30,000 (85% humans, 6% e lves, 6%
the Mind Lords. He passes on the ir e dicts and as head of
dwarves, 2% othe r)
the lawkee pe rs sees that the ir laws are e nforce d. Though a
Exports: Me tal weapons, puddingfish cloth, fresh
fair man, Efke nu makes no distinctions betwee n the types
water
of offe nses and all criminal acts are punishe d in the same
Languages: Saragarian
manner. The accuse d is take n to the harmonize rs. The
harmonize rs are psions who reach into‖a‖subject’s‖mind‖to‖
Se parate d from the rest of the re gion by the Burning
sift and shape thoughts back to the track the Mind Lords
Plains and the Thunder Mountains, the city of Saragar sits
have dictate d.
on the shores of the Last Sea, calle d Marnita by
The lawkee pe rs are a s corrupt as any te mplar. The y
Saragarians. Visitors from the Table lands would conside r
e nforce the laws arbitrarily and to suit the ir own desires.
Saragar a miracle . All of the drudge work performe d by
Supervisors rare ly leave the ir offices to che ck on the ir
slaves in othe r cities is take n care of by the minds of
subordinates and only re buke subordinates for the ir
ancie nt criminals trappe d foreve r in obsidian sphe res. The
be havior if it inte rferes with the ir own plans.
streets are cleane d, cattle herde d, crops te nde d, garbage
The lawte nde rs pe rform all of the administrative
re move d, and water purifie d by these psionic powe re d
work. The y te nd to be the most optimistic of pe ople ,
sphe res.
de termine d that there is no proble m that cannot be solve d
The only price the citize ns must pay to have all of
with a little de te rmination and positive thinking. While
the ir nee ds looke d afte r in this way is that they must
they are not corrupt like the lawkee pe rs, the lawte nde rs
re main happy. The ‖primary‖law‖of‖Saragar‖is,‖“Happiness‖
are not ve ry good administrators. They insist on only
must‖be ‖maintaine d!”
pe rforming the ir duties by the book, and re fuse to
de lineate from the ir guide line s no matte r how ine fficie nt
Lif e and Society
or incorrect those guide lines are.
For the most part Saragar maintains a close d se lf-
sufficie nt society. To visit Saragar is to ste p back into the Power Groups
Green age . People dress in tabards and gowns be fitting a
The Underground: Despite the re lative pleasantness
less savage age . The re lative ly cooler climate in the vale
of Saragar, the re are some pe ople who recognize that the y
makes such clothing practical and comfortable . The re is
are living in a socie ty in decay; one that re lies on powerful
an abundance of metal in Saragar compare d to the
immortals for eve ry aspe ct of the ir lives. These pe ople
Table lands, though most of it is ancie nt and shows signs

28
make up the Unde rground which has been growing in Kharzden (Large Town, 2,000): Kharzde n is a
Saragar for the past fe w hundre d years. Dwarve n colony scatte re d through ancie nt mining shafts
Most membe rs of the Unde rground are just upse t that in the Thunde r Mountains. Most of the ve ins of ore were
the ir lives have become more inconve nie nt as some of the mine d out long ago, and most of the metal ite ms the
obsidian orbs have be gun to fail. Othe rs just like having dwarves have are ancient. The Dwarve n society is
some one to complain to without be ing arreste d by the matriarchal and is lead by Quee n Elakta. He r word is law
lawke e pers. and is to be obeye d by all. Quee n Elakta refuse d to have
A smalle r group, who conside r themse lves the real much to do with the lawke e pers, and maintains the
Unde rground, speak out on street corners against the tradition in Kharzde n of not calling for he lp from the
Mind Lords. The y are always working on craze d schemes lawke e pers. The dwarves live underground and grow
such as assassinating the Mind Lords, or destroying all of subterranean crops in massive chambers unde rneath the
the obsidian orbs, but the y lack the powe r to impleme nt mountains. The dwarves have always doubte d the powe r
any of these plans. of the Mind Lords to kee p the rest of the world at bay,
and trie d to make the ir community as se lf sufficie nt as
Important Sites possible .
Shallat (Ham let, 300): Shallat is one of a number of
The Distillery and the Water Tower: The distille ry is small fishing villagers on the shores of Marnita. What
a psionically powe re d factory use d to transform salt wate r makes the village stand out is the Shallat family who rule s
from the Last Sea into fresh wate r. The wate r is pumpe d the villages. Each me mbe r of the Shallat family is a skille d
from the distille ry into the wate r towe r which is physician and many are also wate r cle rics. The Shallat
connecte d to a citywide plumbing ne twork that pipes heale rs provide the ir services to anyone in nee d, no
fre sh water into eve ry building in Saragar.
matte r who the y are . The village rs of Shallat are fun-
The Palace: A massive palace overlooks the city of loving people and are ge nerally treate d we ll by e veryone
Saragar from a hill e ast of the city. Unlike the palaces of living on the shores of the Last Sea. Eve n brigands and
the sorcere r-kings, the palace of the Mind Lords was built pirates do not harass the village , as potentially the y might
more for awe -inspiring beauty than for de fense. The nee d the skills of the Shallat heale rs.
security provide d by the lawkee pe rs is lax around the Sylvandretta (Small Village, 500): The e lves of
palace , as the Mind Lords are confide nt they could handle Sylvandre tta‖ are ‖ calle d‖ “ghost‖ e lves”‖ by‖ the ‖ pe ople ‖ of‖
any intrude r. Saragar because of the ir fair skin and the ir cold and aloof
Statues of the three Mind Lords stand on a circular nature . The ghost e lves be lie ve that the purity of the ir
base at the highest point of the palace . The base slowly bloodline must be preserve d above all othe r conce rns, and
rotates throughout the day powe re d by an obsidian isolate themse lves from the othe r races of the Last Sea
sphe re . The pe ople of Saragar use the statue s to te ll time , re gion.
as the statues comple te a full rotation eve ry hour. The seclude d se ttleme nt of Sylvandre tta is locate d in
the Spirit Forest nestle d within a grove of trees of life . The
Major Settlements community is run by a council of se ven e lde rs, e lecte d by
Blufftown (Thorp, 50): This small se ttle me nt sits on the ge ne ral Elve n population.
the side of a bluff on an isolate d butte in the middle of the
Last Sea calle d the Lone ly Butte . The lawkee pe rs Adventure Ideas
ge ne rally re fuse to se t foot on the Lone ly Butte unless ―Vikus‖and‖Mylandus‖are‖two‖me rchants‖who‖run‖a‖
dire ctly orde re d to do so by the Mind Lords, which makes successful business in Saragar until Mylandus disappears
Bluffto wn a pe rfect safe have n for the Unde rground and with most of the funds from the busine ss. The PCs are
othe r‖fugitives‖from‖the ‖Mind‖Lords’‖rule . hire d by Vikus to track down his partne r. Mylandus has
The community is little more than a couple of inns discovere d some secret that has scare d him greatly
sitting inside a cave in the side of a cliff. The only way to e nough that he has fle d the city and is trying to leave the
e nter the village is to be haule d up in a de vice consisting Last Sea area comple te ly. Unfortunate ly for him,
of a large wicke r baske t and a se ries of ropes and pulle ys Mylandus has no idea how to survive in the de vastate d
powe re d by an obsidian orb. e nvironme nt of the rest of Athas and will not survive long
Cubarto (Small Town, 1,500): Cubarto is locate d on if he is able to find a way out of the area of the Last Sea.
the opposite of side of Marnita from Saragar. The pe ople ―Jarsius,‖ a‖ tavern‖ owne r‖ in‖ Saragar,‖ has‖ begun‖ to‖
of Cubarto are loud and lusty and would not fit in have disturbing visions, in which he sees himse lf
Saragar. With the lack of a pre sence of the lawkee pe rs, be having in random acts of viole nce. In actuality, the
most people in Cubarto support the Unde rground, visions are me mories. Jarsius was an active leade r of the
though discreetly. The village rs make the ir living off of
Unde rground until he was capture d three years ago, but
fishing and trade coming into the ir port on its way to his memories we re erase d. The e ffect was not pe rfect and
Kharzde n or Sylvandretta. The village is known now some of his suppresse d memories are re turning.
throughout the valle y of the Last Sea for throwing a large Me mbe rs of the Unde rground still watch Jarsius, to see if
party at the e nd of the year at which a large public feast is he ‖remembers‖what‖happe ne d‖to‖him.‖For‖Jarsius’s‖mind‖
he ld. was not destroye d by the lawkee pe rs but by members of

29
the Unde rground who acte d to mindwipe him to protec t have indoor plumbing, operate d by life -shape d e ngines
the ir ide ntities. that pump wate r from the lake .
―The ‖ lawkee pers‖ base d‖ at‖ South‖ Pass‖ discove r‖ the‖ Because they do not struggle daily for survival, the
tracks of a large beast the y have neve r encounte re d rhul-thaun of Thamasku have deve lope d a rich culture of
be fore. The PCs, as outlanders who may have seen such a the arts and e ntertainme nt. Dance halls, theate rs, art
beast be fore , are drafte d to he lp track down the beast. galle ries, and auditoriums are numerous throughout the
―A‖ we althy‖Saragarian‖wants to see what the world city, with many locate d in‖ the ‖ Art‖ Quarter‖ on‖ the‖ city’s‖
is like outside of the Last Sea. He hires the PCs to ge t him eastern side .
through the Borde r of Guardians.
―Because ‖ of‖ the ‖ ragge d‖ appearance ‖ of‖ most‖ Go vernment and Politics
outlande rs, the PCs are mistake n for druids by a small The rhul-thaun of Thamasku are divide d into 28
fishing community. The village rs ask the PCs for he lp diffe re nt clans. The clan leade rs are calle d Har-etuil. The
with a school of sharks that is making fishing difficult in Har-e tuil act as judge s for matte rs within the ir clans.
the area. Disputes be twee n clans are se ttle d by a council of Har-
―A‖ man‖ is‖ found‖ beate n‖ to‖ death.‖ His‖ face ‖ was‖ so‖ e tuil. The collective of Har-e tuil appoints the city
badly beate n that the only way to ide ntify him was by a administrator.
le tte r found in his pocke t. The le tter was addresse d from Curre ntly, Vher-asach (LN female rhul-thaun, rogue
one of the PCs, and the lawke e pers wish to talk to the PC 10) holds the title of city administrator, since she inhe rite d
to see how he was involve d with the murde re d man. The the position from her mother. She has prove d herse lf a
PC has ne ver heard of the man and has no idea why the capable administrator and most e xpect she will remain in
dead man had the PCs name in his pocke t. the position for the time be ing.

Thamasku Power Groups

Ban-ghesh: A guild of thie ves, assassins, and hire d
Population: 12,000 (99% rhul-thaun, 1% other)
thugs, the ban-ghesh runs the criminal activities in
Exports: Life -shapes, fish
Thamasku. Extortion‖is‖the ‖guild’s main source of income ,
Languages: Rhul-thaun
though the ir activities include burglary, smuggling, and
gambling. The re is little to challe nge the ban-ghesh as
The ancie nt rhul-thaun city of Thamasku sits ne xt to
they have a ne twork of corrupt lawke e pers and
Ghavin Lake at the top of the Jagge d Cliffs. The city is
administrative officials protecting the ir organization. The
surrounde d by a forest of hardwood trees. Like all rhul-
ban-ghesh also ente rs into le gitimate business with
thaun communities, the buildings are cons tructe d of
me rchants, providing financial support in e xchange for a
organically grown material. The architecture focuses on
pe rce ntage ‖of‖the‖merchant’s‖profits.
the ve rtical, with most buildings having many storeys.
Chahn: The Chahn is a revolutionary organization
The re is one diffe re nce from other rhul-thaun se ttleme nts.
which doe s not hesitate to use viole nce to achieve the ir
Because the city is not crampe d onto a le dge of the Jagge d
goals. The ir goal is the comple te overthrow of rhul-thaun
Cliffs, the buildings of Thamasku are not crowde d
socie ty. The Chahn are against almost e very tradition in
toge ther allowing for wide r streets and a more ope n fee l
rhul-thaun socie ty from clan-rule , the mastery of the life -
for the city.
shape rs, to the daily rituals that dominate rhul-thaun life .
The lawke e pers have brande d them a terrorist group and
Lif e and Society
most rhul-thaun live in fear of them.
Rhul-thaun socie ty is highly ritualize d. Each aspect of
Life-Shapers: The life -shape rs are a secre t socie ty that
the ir lives has a ritual attache d to it, and throughout the
holds the knowle dge of life -shape d creations. The y hold a
day the rhul-thaun perform various rituals. Simple rituals
place of re vere nce by the rhul-thaun as the e ntire socie ty
from the greeting ritual to the payme nt ritual, to the
is base d on the ir works. Through the study of life -shaping
be fore meal ritual last less than a minute , while more
the life -shape rs fee l a strong connection with the past back
comple x rituals such as those for le gal proce dures may
to the rhulisti, the inve ntors of life -shaping. The life -
last hours. Often the ritual is just as or more important
shape rs fee l they are supe rior to the rest of the rhul-thaun,
than the associate d action it is attache d to, and if one of
be cause of this connection.
the participants makes a mistake the e ntire ritual is be gun
The life -shape rs guard the ir knowle dge protective ly,
again. The rituals are more akin to supe rstitions than to a
le tting no one outside of the ir order learn the ir secre ts.
re ligious de votion, and allow a rhul-thaun to fee l he has
Because they control the creation of all life -shape d ite ms
some control over the chaotic forces that rule his life .
the life -shapers can e xe rt control ove r the all of the rhul-
As the cente r of the rhul-thaun socie ty, Thamasku has
thaun, forcing the Har-e tuil to liste n to the life -shape rs’‖
a diverse population. The wealthiest rhul-thaun live side
opinions strongly.
by side with the poorest of the cliff dwe lle rs. The citize ns
The life -shape rs are le d by Loi Far-one th (LG male
of Thamasku are some of the fe w indiv iduals on Athas
rhul-thaun, bard 7/life -shaper 5) and his chie f lie ute nant,
who do not have to struggle daily to survive . Life -shape d
Gil-ogres (LE male rhul-thaun, rogue 5/graftwarrior 7),
de vices provide a vast array of conve nie nces and basic
who reside at the Sanctuary in Thamasku. Each rhul-
nee ds, from nourishment to waste disposal. Most homes

30
thaun settle me nt has a life -shaper sanctuary with a head Adventure Ideas
life -shape r who re ports directly to Loi Far-oneth and his ―No‖ one ‖ has‖ seen‖ the ‖ Birdmaste r of Thamasku for
lie ute nant. many wee ks, but because of his reclusive nature , fe w
Windriders: Windride r is the name give n to the rhul- citize ns have realize d this. So why are some of his birds
thaun who dare to fly on the backs of various life -shape d following the PCs eve rywhe re they go? Are the birds
creatures through the high winds and mist that plague the trying to se nd the PCs a message?
Jagge d Cliff. Trave ling be twee n the rhul-thaun ―The ‖ Ban-ghesh claim they have manage d to
communities, they transport messages and me rchant infiltrate the Sanctuary of Thamasku and steal a
goods, allowing trade and communication be twee n all wonde rful ne w type of life -shape d ite m. The re are rumors
the ir settle me nts. Windride r is the most glamorous that the Ban-ghesh plan to se ll this ne w item to the Chahn.
position in rhul-thaun socie ty. Though there is a The life -maste rs hire the PCs to recover the stole n ite m.
windride rs guild, it maintains a loose organization with The life -masters are unconcerne d with the ite m falling
little structure or hie rarchy. The windride rs typically into the hands of the Chahn, because the re is really
work in small inde pe nde nt groups of 2 to 8 windride rs. nothing e xtraordinary about the item. It is simply an
unfinishe d common life -shape d tool. The life -masters are
Important Sites more conce rne d about the slight of some one stealing from
the Sanctuary.
Air Temple: The air te mple is loca te d in one of the
―A‖ high-le ve l regge lid be lieves that the se cre ts of
tallest‖of‖the ‖city’s‖spires. A doze n cle rics of air staff the
Rajaat may be hidde n in Thamasku. He has charme d a
temple , but the y have little inte raction with most of the
rhul-thaun climbe r name d Bal-orean, and se nt him to the
city’s‖ population. The re are fe w de vout followe rs in the
rhul-thaun capital. The re gge lid see ks to create a we b of
city, and the clerics take no inte rest in politics. The air
charme d age nts throughout the city, and so has Bal-orean
clerics do inte ract with the windride rs regularly. In fact
lure other rhul-thaun to a seclude d part of the Jagge d
they have turne d the ir temple into a safe home for
Cliffs whe re the regge lid has its lair. Once the re the victim
windride rs, whe re they can rece ive free food, a free room
is charme d and se nt back to Thamasku, as the regge lid
and lodging for the ir mounts. The cle rics look on
attempts to create a spy ne twork in Thamasku to root out
windriding as the ideal way to commune with the air
the ‖location‖of‖Rajaat’s‖secrets.
spirits and treat the windride rs as holy men.
―A‖ wealthy‖ be ne factor‖ hire s‖ the ‖ PCs‖ to‖accompany‖
Aviary: The tall towe r known as the aviary is home to
him on a journey down the Jagge d Cliffs to the Crimson
hundre ds of birds that fly about the city. The ecle ctic rhul-
Savanna to recover a long lost life -shape d artifact hidde n
thaun known only as the Birdmaste r cares for and
on the Savanna. The ir employe r is not who he claims to be
watches ove r the birds. The towe r is large enough for
howe ve r. Tae n-ofuth is really the high priest of the
large flying creatures to roost there , and the Birdmaster
forbidde n temple of fire in Thamasku. Frustrate d with his
allows windr ide rs to stable the ir mounts at the aviary for
lack of opportunity to demonstrate his de votion to his
free whe n in the city.
e le ment, Tae n-ofuth desires to trave l to the Crimson
Conclave: The Conclave is the mee ting hall of the Har-
Savanna to se t a massive brush fire . He see ks to re ve l in
e tuil. It is a grand structure that sees little use whe n the
the ‖fire ’s‖destruction‖but‖also‖hopes‖to‖impress‖other‖rhul-
Har-e tuil council is not in session.
thaun into see ing the be ne fits of devotion to the e leme nt
The Sanctuary: The Sanctuary is the headquarters and
of fire .
workplace of the life -shapers in Thamasku. The
―Two‖ we e ks‖ ago,‖ a‖ windride r‖ arrive d‖ at‖ the‖ air‖
mushroom shape d structure is locate d some 300 feet
temple and we nt imme diate ly into a private meeting with
be low the surface of Ghavin Lake . This masterpiece of
Thim-obe c, high priest of the te mple . Two days later,
life -shaping technology maintains fresh air within the
Thim-obe c le ft Thamasku with the windr ide r and a high
structure by e xtracting it from the surrounding wate r
ranking life -master‖on‖ the ‖ windride r’s‖gon-evauth. The y
through a comple x gill-syste m. Over 150 life -shape rs
have not bee n see n since, and the te mple of air is see king
work at the Sanctuary creating and maintaining the life -
adve nturers to find the high priest.
shape d items that are use d throughout Thamasku.
―Ghoun-awir is famous windance r, known
Major Settlements throughout Thamasku for her daring pe rformances. Afte r
a recent pe rformance , a wealthy citize n claime d that
Sol-fehn (Ham let, 300): Sol-fe hn is a small village
Ghoun-awir is a thie f and burglarize d his home during
locate d at the top of a wate rfall create d by a river flowing
her‖performance.‖The ‖citize n’s‖home ‖was‖use d‖as‖part‖of‖
from Ghavin Lake . The village serves as a hub for goods
the pe rformance . Ghoun-awir proclaime d he r innoce nce
and rhul-thaun leaving Thamasku for the rest of the
be fore the lawke e pers arrive d, but whe n the y trie d to
se ttle ments scatte re d across the Jagge d Cliffs. Almost all
arrest he r she escape d. Since windance rs wear face paint
of the villagers make the ir living through transportation.
and costumes, no one is sure what Ghoun-awir really
The village rs are me mbe rs of two clans that are ce ntere d
looks like . PCs could be hire d to track Ghoun-awir down,
in the city of Thamasku, so there is no Har-etuil in the
or Ghoun-awir could approach the PCs to he lp prove her
village . An administrator appointe d by the administrator
innoce nce by finding the true criminal.
of Thamasku runs the city. The curre nt administrator is
Rath-omak (LN male rhul-thaun, fighte r 5).

31
Winter Nest opportunity for the silvaarak in positive re lationships
with outside rs.
Population: 650 (100% aarakocra) Traaka‖unde rstands‖the ‖young‖aarakocra’s desires, but
Exports: Ice, feathe rs wishes to maintain the status quo for the protection of the
Languages: Auran, Kurnan village . She is trying to deve lop a middle path that would
allow some e xploration without making the location of
The village of Winte r Ne st is locate d in the froze n the village we ll known to its e nemies.
peaks of the White Mountains. It is the home of a civilize d
tribe of aarakocra. Power Groups
The unusual buildings of Winte r Ne st are forme d
Air C lerics: Winte r Nest is rule d by clerics of Air and
from a mixture of ice , stone , and shape d bricks. To ne w
Ice drawn from the leading aarakocra families. The cle rics
visitors the village looks like a cluster of towe rs, giving
mee t in a large hall in Winte r Nest to discuss community
the appearance that the mountain peak has a crown.
issues; whe n there is a particularly conte ntious de bate, the
The re are no roads in Winte r Nest and very fe w
priests adjourn to the very summit of a nearby mountain
connecting walkways be tween the buildings, as the
ove rlooking the village . The re, perche d on the ice and
aarakocra fly rather than walk. Doorways appear all along
surrounde d by the sky, the priests of the two faiths pray
the face of the buildings, though most are clustere d near
for guidance toge ther.
the top of each towe r. Landing platforms and resting
pe rches de corate the outsides of most building. Each
towe r is toppe d with a large rounde d structure. Most of Important Sites
these sphe re-shape d constructs are communal areas, Air Temple: The Air Te mple is the grandest structure
though the highest are the pe rsonal quarters of the leade rs in the village . The te mple is built like a huge brazier, with
of Winter Nest. four legs made of massive e vergreen tree trunks dragge d
up from the foothills centuries ago. These tree boles, each
Lif e and Society more than 100 fee t long, are se t in the icy ground and
The aarakocra of Winte r Nest calle d themse lves cante d to nearly join at the tops. The re is a concave plate
“silvaarak,”‖ which‖ means‖ “people ‖ of‖ the ‖ silve r‖ wing.” of ice , 20 feet in diame te r, he ld up be tween the four posts
The y are pe rce ptive , and have great confide nce and pride with a hole 8 fee t in diamete r cut in its ce nter. Priests of
in the mse lves. This translates into arrogance at times, Air pre ach from the ce nter of the bowl, while congregants
be cause the silvaarak be lie ve that the ir ability to fly makes gather on the rim of the bowl and on the pe rches place d at
them superior to all othe r races. Though the y ofte n inte rvals along the le gs.
e xpress sympathy for pe ople unable to fly, this more ofte n Ice Temple: Smalle r only to the Air Te mple , the Ice
comes across as condescending. Te mple (which is basically another word for wate r at such
The aarakocra have had a difficult time forming high altitude s most of the year) is built of large sheets of
frie ndly re lations with othe rs over the years. Only in Kurn transluce nt white and blue ice, laye re d upon one another
have the y made de dicate d frie nds. Trade rs from Winte r to create a five -side d pyramid more than 40 feet tall. The
Ne st visit the city-state of Kurn a fe w times each year for inte rior is sunke n be low ground le ve l dug into the glacie r
trade . Othe r attempts to make contact with othe r so all the worshippe rs are surrounde d by primordial ice
communities have mee t with failure . Eithe r due to the throughout the services. Fresh plates of ice are adde d to
hostility of the native s such as in Eldaarich and the Bandit the temple throughout the High Sun.
States,‖ or‖ the ‖ silvaarak’s‖ condesce nding‖ nature‖ towards‖
othe r races. Adventure Ideas
―Fe w‖ in‖ Winte r‖ Nest‖ took‖ much‖ notice‖ whe n‖a‖ roc‖
Go vernment and Politics lande d on a pe rch overlooking the village . Two days later
Winte r Nest is lead by Traaka (LG female aarakocra, the roc has been joine d by a doze n more of his kind. The
air cle ric 5/e leme ntalist 2) a fe male aarakocra of many large birds rare ly move from the ir pe rches, but the ir
years. Traditionally, the aarakocra are isolationists, and me nacing prese nce is unne rving the aarakocra of Winte r
Traaka supports this policy. The isolationist policy was Ne st.
adopte d years ago afte r bad e xpe rie nces with Eldaarich ―The ‖ wind‖ patte rns‖ around‖ Winter‖ Nest‖ have‖
and late r with the pe oples of the Bandit States. The policy change d drastically. A dange rous downdraft has
has ke pt the village safe ove r the years and most of the de ve lope d making any atte mpt at flying from the village
silvaarak want to see it continue . fraught with pe ril. Town e lde rs are puzzle d by this
Ho we ve r, many of the younger ge neration of bird- sudde n change, and have forbidde n all but the strongest,
pe ople desire to e xplore the world be yond the White most agile flie rs from leaving Winte r Nest. Air cle rics are
Mountains. The y have bee n vocal in the ir wish to e xplore calling for a sacrifice to appease the air spirits, but the
and make contact with othe r civilizations, be lie ving the y town e lde rs want to understand what is going on be fore
will not e xpe rie nce such bad re ce ptions as those the they de cide , and the local druid who communes with the
aarakocra rece ive d in Eldaarich or the Bandit States. spirit of the land has disappeare d.
Pointing to Kurn, these young bloods be lieve there is ―The ‖aarakocra‖of‖Winter‖Nest‖te ll‖tales‖of‖a‖wise ‖old‖
aviarag name d Vocia that lives in a cave near the base of

32
the White Mountains. The noble beast has not been seen Originally title d "World's Age". Original cale ndar uses
for three years. Te mplars from Eldaarich, inte nt on "Ocean" instead of "Silt" and "Island" instead of "De sert".
plunde ring Vocia’s‖ lair,‖ have‖ been‖ spotte d‖ approaching‖ 4th World's Age
the cave . Traaka nee ds volunteers to warn Vocia. Year of Ocean's Slumber (Free Year –14,294)
Unfortunate ly Vocia has passe d away due to old age , Discovery of the nature-be nde rs, corrupt nature -
leaving the PCs to de fe nd he r cave , as we ll as her re mains, masters who e xperime nt with life in immoral ways.
which the te mplars wish to plunde r. Year of King's Slumber (Free Year –14,273)
―A‖ de file r‖ has‖ polymorphe d‖ himse lf‖ into‖ an‖ First appearance of e le me ntal cle rics on Athas.
aarakocra and infiltrate d Winte r Nest, see king to gain Year of Enemy's Reverence (Free Year –14,271)
some of the knowle dge from the prese rvers of Winte r Evil e le me ntal cle rics form an alliance with the nature -
Ne st. His de filing is having an adve rse affect on the ice be nde rs.
sculpte d‖portions‖of‖Winter‖Ne st’s‖buildings.‖If‖he ‖is‖not‖ 7th World's Age
unmaske d soon, one or more buildings in the community Year of Island's Ag itation (Free Year –14,102)
may collapse . War be twee n the nature -maste rs and the nature -
―Some ‖of‖the ‖more ‖adve nturesome ‖young‖aarakocra‖ be nde rs until Ral's Ve ngeance of this age. In the e nd, the
e njoy a deadly challe nge . The y know of a lair of an air nature -be nde rs are de feate d along with the ir cle ric allie s.
drake on one of the other mountains in the White 8th World's Age
Mountain range . To show the ir bravery they occasionally Year of Ral's Defiance (Free Year –14,027)
sneak into the lair and come back with a scale or other Nature -maste rs of Tyr'agi atte mpt to e xpand the life –
souvenir. The act is not as dange rous as it sounds, since force of the ocean and accide ntally create the Brown Tide
the aarakocra‖know‖the ‖air‖drake ’s‖migration‖pattern‖and‖ which brings about the e nd of the Blue Age.
typically know whe n it is not in this particular lair. Some Year of Friend's Reverence (Free Year –14,026)
of the se youths could challe nge the PCs to try this stunt, Surviving nature-masters create the Pristine Tower to
but unfortunate ly for the PCs the air drake has re turne d destroy the Brown Tide . This action changes the sun from
to the lair earlie r than e xpecte d in orde r to lay e ggs. blue to ye llow, destroying the halfling civilization and
―A‖ heavily‖ arme d‖ Tsalaxan‖ caravan‖ has‖ arrive d‖ at‖ bringing about The Re birth.
the foot of the White Mountains from Draj. The Tsalaxans Year of Island's Ag itation (Free Year –14,025)
seem to be trying to reach Winter Ne st but the stee p The ne w races of The Rebirth—humans, gnomes,
mountain sloop preve nts the m from approaching from dwarves, e lves, and others appear across the face of
be low. The y have not give n up and continue to search for Athas. Great cities such as Tyr, Bodach, and Giuste nal are
some path up the mountain to Winte r Nest. The aarakocra founde d to house the ne w races. Last use of "Island" and
be lie ve the Tsalaxans are raide rs and wish to avoid the m. "Ocean" on the World's Age Cale ndar. Be ginning of the
The Winte r Nesters know the ir village cannot be reache d Green Age .
e xce pt through the air, and are not conce rne d that the
Tsalaxans will be able to reach the village . Howe ver, The Green Age
Traaka‖ wishes‖ to‖ de termine ‖ the ‖ caravan‖ master’s‖ true‖ Year of King's Slumber (Free Year –13,965)
inte ntions in case the aarakocra are mistake n. PC allie s of Rule r of the Rhul-thaun, High Lord Rhan Thes –one l,
the aarakocra could infiltrate the caravan while not leaves the Jagge d Cliffs to locate any rhulisti re maining on
obviously tying directly back to the aarakocra. Athas. He ne ver re turns.
Year of Guthay's Agitation (Free Year –13,962)

History of Athas First use of psionic powe rs by the races of The Rebirth.
9th King's Age
Year of Ral's Fury (Free Year –13,961)
The past shapes the present, setting the stage for the
"World's Age" change d to King's Age by the rules of
future that is to come . On Athas, the actions in the past
various cities. Dates remain the same .
are still clearly visible today. The curre nt age is reckone d
Year of Ral's Vengeance (Free Year –13,917)
from the death of the sorce rer-king Kalak and the
First reporte d sighting of the Messe nge r by a Tyrian
libe ration of Tyr (known as Free Year, or simply FY).
astronome r. The comet appears e very 45 years until the
Eve nts from the more distant past are shown as a number
190th King's Age /Enemy's Slumber whe n the cycle is
of be fore FY 1 and Kalak's death be fore the current day (–
myste riously broke n.
14,577 for e xample ).
11th King's Age
Year of Enemy's Fury (Free Year –13,765)
Abbreviated Timeline Birth of Rajaat the War–Bringe r.
55th King's Age
The Blue Age Year of Ral's Reverence (Free Year –10,386)
1st World's Age The thri-kreen of Athas, a pre viously thought
Year of Ral's Fury (Free Year –14,577) uninte llige nt race ; migrate from the Crimson Savanna to
Creation of the King's Age cale ndar by the nature - the Tyr Re gion. Though short–live d and alie n in
masters base d on the rotation of Athas' two moons. appearance , the thri-kreen possesses great wisdom and

33
insight. The curre nt king of Tyr we lcomes them with ope n Rajaat be gins a jihad against the preservers of Athas
arms. They give no reason for the migration. for the ne xt thousand years. Preservers across the land go
66th King's Age into hiding while fighting a losing battle against the
Year of Wind's Defiance (Free Year –9,568) followe rs of Rajaat.
Maree t, rule r of Saragar, is visite d by a time -trave le r 144th King's Age
from the future . He te lls the king an appe nding doom to Year of Priest's Contemplation (Free Year –3,530)
Athas before disappearing. Obsesse d with the warning, Rajaat sends all but a fe w of his stude nts away. Using
Maree t orders his most powerful psionicists to breach the the powe r of the Pristine Tower and the mysterious Dark
time stream and de termine the nature of the warning. Lens Rajaat creates his Cha mpions. Each Champion is
The y are later joine d by a third psionicist. orde re d to e liminate one specific race from the face of
Year of Desert's Slumber (Free Year –9,548) Athas in an e ffort to bring about the re turn of the Blue
The psionicists breach the time barrie r and learn of the Age . The Cleansing Wars be gin.
impe nding Cleansing Wars, Rajaat, and de filing magic.
Maree t wants to warn all of Athas, but the psionicists The Cleansing Wars
disagree and take control of the ir leade r. The three use 147th King's Age
the ir formidable powe rs to shie ld Saragar from the rest of Year of King's Slumber (Free Year –3,262)
the world. The Mind Lords are born. Sacha of Arala, 1st Champion of Rajaat e liminates the
78th King's Age last of the kobolds from the face of Athas.
Year of Friend's Slumber (Free Year –8,603) 155th King's Age
The curre nt rule r of Urik pe rsecutes the kree n and Year of Ral's Defiance (Free Year –2,708)
orde rs the death of all the ir kind in the city. Many thri- Daskinor Goblin Death, 14th Champion of Rajaat
kree n across the land leave the cities to live in the wild. e xterminates the last goblin from the face of Athas.
Migration of thri-kree n from the west comes to a halt. Year of Ral's Slumber (Free Year –2,653)
81st King's Age Wyan of Bodach, 12th Champion of Rajaat obliterates
Year of Silt's Agitation (Free Year –8,376) the last pixie from the land.
Rajaat arrives at the base of the Jagge d Cliffs whe re he 156th King's Age
conducts e xperime nts with the powe rs of life for the ne xt Year of Friend's Contemplation (Free Year –2,641)
200 years. Uyness of Waverly (late r known as Abalach–Re ), 5th
84th King's Age Champion of Rajaat slaughte rs the last of the orcs from
Year of King's Defiance (Free Year –8,168) the face of Athas.
Afte r nearly two ce nturies of e xpe rime nts Rajaat 160th King's Age
discovers the basics of ma gic, but is nearly kille d in the Year of Guthay's Defiance (Free Year –2,302)
process. Afte r recove ring he leaves the Jagge d Cliffs and Kalak, 2nd Champion of Rajaat kills the last of the
trave ls to the Pristine Towe r to re fine the magic process, ogres of Athas.
creating de filing and prese rving magic. The Time of Year of Ral's Reverence (Free Year –2,301)
Magic begins. Gallard (late r known as Nibe nay), 6th Champion of
Rajaat massacres the last of Athas' gnomes. Ke ltis, Lizard
The Time of Ma gic Man Exe cutioner arrives at Saragar despite the powe rs of
87th King's Age the Mind Lords. The Mind Lord's cle verness hide s the
Year of Ral's Slumber (Free Year –7,889) e ntire population of lizard me n from the Champion, and
An unknown disaster be falls the city of Ce lik, which he soon leaves the Last Sea.
casts it into ruins. Survivors blame the ordeal on the Year of Desert's Reverence (Free Year –2,266)
re ckless use of psionics. The First Sorce rer orde rs the de filer Qwith to e xplore
123rd King's Age the workings of the Inne r Planes as a possible means of
Year of Wind's Fury (Free Year –5,113) powe r.
The fe ral halfling scout Too'la ne discove rs the Last Year of Wind's Fury (Free Year –2,264)
Tree atop a mountain in the Forest Ridge . This ancie nt The great cities of Ebe , Wave rly, and Arala are
living artifact's location is ke pt se cre t by the halflings. swallowe d by the e xpanding Silt Sea, though later it
125th King's Age re ce des from Waverly. The nearby city of Bodach is
Year of Guthay's Reverence (Free Year –4,975) spare d, but becomes surrounde d by silt.
Afte r three eons of study, Rajaat eme rges from the Year of Mountain's Vengeance (Free Year –2,262)
Pristine Towe r to teach magic to the Re birth races. He The warlord Irikos, the le ft hand of Rajaat, sacks the
teaches prese rving magic ope nly, and de filing magic in city of Bodach–but is kille d at the conclusion of the battle .
secre t to those of "questionable " characte r. For the ne xt His sword (a creation of Rajaat's), the Silencer, is lost for
1,500 years Rajaat studies how magic inte racts with the 2,000 years.
Rebirth races, and decides that humans have the most 161st King's Age
pote ntial of all to suit his nee ds. Year of Ral's Fury (Free Year –2,257)
134th King's Age Infuriate d at he r lack of progress, Rajaat turns research
Year of King's Agitation (Free Year –4,274) of the Inner Planes ove r to Qwith's subordinates. Shortly
after an accide nt of unknown origins ope ns a gate to the
34
Inne r Planes, and obsidian flows across the land for Champions realize that Rajaat's prison will not hold. Eve n
hundre ds of miles in each direction until the gate is close d se gme nte d, Rajaat's powe r is supre me and he would one
by the Seve nth Tree . Thousands die in the disaste r. Those day be free. He nce , the Champions once again use d the
kille d by obsidian rise as undead through a myste rious Dark Lens to transform Borys into the Dragon, whose
powe r from the Inner Planes. Rajaat's se rvants arise as the powe r would ke e p Rajaat imprisone d for all time . Borys'
rule rs of this land, becoming powerful thinking unde ad transformation causes him to become temporarily insane ,
wizards and psionicists. The Dead Lands are born. be ginning a century of rampages across the land. In the
Year of Silt's Agitation (Free Year –2,216) confusion, two Dwarven knights name d Jo'orsh and
All life across the obsidian plain is oblite rate d e xce pt Sa'ram steal the Dark Lens. The remaining sorce rer-kings
for the Seve nth Tree , which becomes immune to de filing each claim a city of Athas and barricade it from the
magic. Soon after the undead de file r Gre tch discovers rampaging Dragon.
necromantic magic to re place the loss of de filing magic.
Ne cromance r magic is born. The Brown Age
162nd King's Age Year of Friend's Fury (Free Year –1,970)
Year of Friend's Reverence (Free Year –2,168) Lead by Abalach–Re of Raam, the sorce rer-kings
Ke ltis (late r known as Oronis), 10th Champion of storm Giuste nal and kill Dre goth, Ravage r of Giants just
Rajaat be lieves he exte rminates the last of the lizard me n. be fore he is to become a 30th–le ve l Dragon. The battle
In reality se ve ral tribes survive , protecte d by the Mind destroys the city, the land, and most of its population.
Lords. Afte rwards, Hamanu throws the Scorcher into the Silt Sea.
Year of Wind's Slumber (Free Year –2,121) With the aid of his high te mplar Mon Adderath, Dre goth
Tectuktitlay, 9th Champion of Rajaat destroys the last is re turne d to life as an undead dragon king. The
we mics on Athas. surviving populace is gathere d soon after, and
163rd King's Age construction of Ne w Giuste nal be gins.
Year of King's Vengeance (Free Year –2,052) 165th King's Age
Myron of Yorum is re place d as Troll Scorche r by Year of Wind's Defiance (Free Year –1,945)
Manu of De che, later known as Hamanu of Urik. He is Borys eme rges from his insanity and learns Rajaat's
give n the sword the Scorcher, create d by Rajaat, to prison is on the ve rge of collapse . Soon afte r he collects a
comple te his task. le vy of 1,000 slaves from each sorcere r-king, using the ir
164th King's Age life –force to reseal the First Sorce rer's prison on a yearly
Year of Friend's Contemplation (Free Year –2,025) basis.
Hamanu re place d 4th Champion of Rajaa t, kills 167th King's Age
Windreave r–the last troll of Athas and king of his pe ople . Year of Ral's Agitation (Free Year –1,740)
Year of Desert Vengeance (Free Year –2,024) In an attempt to increase her power, Sie lba, Queen of
Rkard, the last Dwarve n king of Ke malok, is slain by Yaramuke attacks Urik. Hamanu easily de feats he r army
Borys of Ebe in mortal combat–though Borys himse lf is and pe rsonally slays the sorcere r–queen. On the hee ls of
grave ly injure d. The Champion's atte ndants spirit him victory, Urik's army sacks Yaramuke and burns the city to
from the battle fie ld leaving his sword, the Scourge, still the ground. To appease the Dragon's wrath for killing a
burie d in the dwarf's chest. Be fore he can re trie ve the sorcere r–quee n, Hamanu presents Borys with a le vy of
sword, Hamanu te lls Borys of Rajaat's true plans for Yaramuke 's riches–which pleases the beast and spares
Athas. Becoming aware that Rajaat inte nds to wipe out all Urik.
races e xce pt the halflings; Borys leads the Champions in a Year of Silt's Def iance (Free Year –1,721)
re be llion against the ir maste r–from which the y e merge d Borys uses the booty gaine d from Yaramuke to build
victorious. Rajaat's halfling se rvants are banishe d to the Ur Draxa, which be comes the greatest city on all of Athas.
Black as punishme nt for siding with the War–Bringe r. At the ce nte r of the city Borys places the Black Sphere for
Despite the ir powe r, the childre n of Rajaat cannot destroy him and his city to protect.
his mortal re mains. Instead, Gallard se parates the First Year of Enemy's Reverence (Free Year –1,720)
Sorcere r's esse nce from his physical form, placing each in The sorcere r-kings call for a jihad against the druids of
a se parate location. Aide d by the powe r of the Dark Lens, Athas. For the ne xt three ce nturies the blood of druids
Gallard creates the Hollo w, whe re he place d Rajaat's across the land stains the sands re d in what would be
esse nce . Gallard the n creates a cyst of e nchante d stone known as the Eradication.
calle d the Black Sphere in which he places Rajaat's 168th King's Age
substance . He the n hides the Black Sphere in a location Year of Desert's Fury (Free Year –1,683)
known only to him and Borys of Ebe . Sacha and Wyan, Afte r years of study Dre goth finally deciphe rs halfling
who re maine d loyal to the ir maste r, attempte d to breach re cords found in the cave rns beneath Giuste nal. The e nd
the cyst be fore it is hidde n away. The ir plan is discovere d re sult is the creation of the first ge neration dray, which
and the y are beheade d by Borys. Through the use of the Dregoth deems a failure and banishes to Kragmorta.
Dark Lens, Borys re wards the remaining Champions by Year of Friend's Def iance (Free Year –1,651)
be ginning the ir transformations into sorce rer-kings. This The thri-kree n prophe t Ka'Cha begins the first of
process links each of them to living vortices, which allows se veral journe ys across the Table lands to spread the word
them to grant the ir followe rs cle rical spe lls. The

35
of peace and e nlighte nme nt to the thri-kree n, as we ll as Oronis gives the preserve r me tamorphosis spe ll to a
othe r races. preserve r/psionicist name d Ne rad, who be comes Athas'
Year of Guthay's Agitation (Free Year –1,642) second avangion.
Afte r seve ral more failure s Dre goth succee ds in his Year of Wind's Fury (Free Year –416)
e xpe riments and the second gene ration of dray is create d Afte r re vealing himse lf to the Ve ile d Alliance of Tyr,
in his own image . Ne rad is discovere d by King Kalak—who in turn contacts
170th King's Age the Dragon. Borys late r kills Ne rad south of Tyr. In his
Year of Guthay's Slumber (Free Year –1,554) grie f, Oronis hides all copies of the prese rver
Dregoth, Ravage r of Giants, discove rs the Planar Gate. me tamorphosis spe ll.
Afte r a de cade of research, he uses the de vice to trave l the 187th King's Age
Oute r Planes of e xistence for almost 16 ce nturies. Year of Ral's Vengeance (Free Year –211)
Year of Wind's Slumber (Free Year –1,505) The Sile ncer is uncovere d by an e lf name d Rimmon in
Afte r be ing nearly wipe d from the face of Athas, the the ruins of Bodach, who uses its powe r to lead he r bandit
re maining druids of the land go into hiding for the ne xt tribe against the city-state of Balic. She is easily de feate d
1,000 years to a secret location in the Forest Ridge . by Andropinis, but the Silencer is again lost.
171st King's Age 189th King's Age
Year of Silt's Reverence (Free Year –1,468) Year of Mountain's Slumber (Free Year –84)
Daskinor Goblin Death slips into insanity following The Obsidian Man is discovere d in the mines of Urik.
this year's levy, and builds an army to slay the Dragon Afte r returning the artifact to Urik, the sinister de vice
upon his return the following year. Borys learns of his activates and nearly kills Hamanu be fore he learns to
plot, and not nee ding the le vy to maintain Rajaat's prison control it with the golden circlet.
ne ver returns. Ke ltis, Lizard Man Executione r, has an Year of King's Defiance (Free Year –83)
attack of conscie nce and de nounces be ing a sorce rer-king. An unname d psionicist discove rs the prese nce of the
Ove r the ne xt ce nturies he strives to become some thing psurlons, a powe rful psionic race of worm-like creatures,
noble r. Because of the actions of nearby Daskinor, Borys on the Astral Plane . With the ir own world be ing
ne ver re turns to Kurn and both cities become isolate d destroye d mille nnia be fore , a fe w psurlons migrate to
from the rest of Athas. Athas whe re the psionic nature of the world makes them
174th King's Age pote nt e nemies.
Year of King's Contemplation (Free Year –1,227) Year of Enemy's Agitation (Free Year –81)
In an e ffort to increase his powe r, Kalid–Ma attempts The Scorche r is recovere d from the be lly of a silt
to further his dragon me tamorphosis to a powe r near that horror by an e x-gladiator name d Vorr. Soon after it, Vorr
of Borys of Ebe . The attempt is successful, but his mind is disappears in the Valle y of Trevain.
destroye d in the process. The dragon that was Kalid–Ma Year of King's Agitation (Free Year –39)
destroys his city of Kalidnay and be gins to move into the Andropinis of Balic fails to come up with 1,000 slaves
re st of the Tyr region. The creature is late r slain by the for the year's le vy, pre senting the Dragon with only 900.
combine d e fforts of Borys of Ebe , Kalak of Tyr, and In his ange r Borys le ve ls a portion of the city and takes the
Hamanu of Urik. With the loss of Kalidnay, the le vy to re mainder levy from among Andropinis' templars. For the
kee p Rajaat imprisone d becomes a firm 1,000 slaves from ne xt se veral years the sorcere r-king of Balic does
the seve n remaining sorce rer-kings. e xte nsive slave raids across the southe rn Table lands to
177th King's Age re build his slave population so this would ne ve r happe n
Year of Guthay's Reverence (Free Year –971) again.
A powe rful Druid name d Te hnik creates the four 190th King's Age
artifacts known as the Hearts of the Drake, and dies in the Year of Friend's Vengeance (Free Year –1)
process. A templar of Urik removes the golde n circlet from the
179th King's Age head of the Obsidian Man, which animates and kills him.
Year of Silt's Def iance (Free Year –797) The artifact is later trace d through the streets of Urik, but
Tarandas of Raam, a powe rful psionicist and teacher disappears into the desert.
throughout the Tyr Region, disappears without a trace . Year of Desert's Slumber (Free Year 0)
He r stude nts insist she has ve nture d beyond her mastery Afte r years of investigation into the death of Ne rad, a
of the Way into realms unseen by lesse r be ings. preserve r/psionicist name d Korgunard learns of Oronis of
183rd King's Age Kurn. Though re luctant to have anothe r death on his
Year of Guthay's Fury (Free Year –542) hands, Oronis gives him the prese rve r me tamorphosis
With the aid of a wizard name d Bestere n, Oronis spe ll–but doe s not allow him to re tain a copy.
(formerly known as Ke ltis) de ve lops the prese rver
me tamorphosis spe ll to counter Rajaat's vile magic. The The Age of Heroes
spe ll nearly kills him, but in the e nd Oronis eme rges as Year of Priest's Defiance (Free Year 1)
Athas' first avangion. King Kalak of Tyr is slain by the Heartwood Spear
184th King's Age through the combine d e fforts of Rikus, Agis, Neeva,
Year of King's Fury (Free Year –479) Tithian, and Sadira. Tithian becomes the ne xt king of Tyr
and frees all slaves. Tyr adopts the Free Year cale ndar.
36
 Year of Wind's Reverence (Free Year 2) his quest. Afte r the pair re trie ves the Dark Lens, Tithian
Hamanu of Urik se nds his army to capture the iron kills Agis.
mines of Tyr from the upstart king. In response Rikus Year of Friend's Ag itation (Free Year 10)
forms the Crimson Le gion and de feats the approaching Dregoth re turns to Ne w Giuste nal from the Oute r
army while wie lding the Scourge of Rkard and the Belt of Plane s with aspirations of becoming a god. Unsure of the
Kings. Afte rwards Rikus take s the Crimson Le gion to sack condition of Athas he se nds his templars to the surface to
Urik in search of the Book of Kemalok Kings, but is de feate d learn the state of the Tyr region, learning too late the
by Hamanu himse lf. The Crimson Le gion is destroye d, e vents that lead to the death of se veral fe llow Champions.
though a fe w survive d. Rikus re turns the Belt of Kings to Sadira kills Abalach-Re with the broke n tip of the Scourge
Kle d, but is told to kee p the Scourge. King Andropinis of Rkard on the Ivory Plain. The sorcere r-quee n's body is
pays an e xtra 1,000 slaves to make up for Tyr's share of comple te ly consume d by black ooze leaking from the
the le vy. Aide d by the Ve ile d Alliance of Urik, Korgunard broke n tip. Rikus of Tyr breaks the Scourge of Rkard a
be comes Athas' third avangion. second time, this time in the snout of the Dragon. The
Year of Dragon's Agitation (Free Year 3) sword again issues forth a black ichor that comple te ly
In an effort to protect Tyr from the Dragon, Sadira consumes Borys of Ebe . Tithian uses the Dark Lens to free
see ks out the Pristine Towe r and its ancie nt magic. In Rajaat's substance from the Black Sphere, causing his
re turn for her ple dge to slay the Borys of Ebe the shadow esse nce to also be re lease d from the Hollow. Afte r 2,000
giants of the Pristine Towe r transform he r into the Sun years of imprisonme nt the First Sorce rer is once again
Wizard, giving her powe r akin to that of a sorce rer-king. free . The result of escaping his prison destroys much of
Avoiding Tyr, the Dragon atte mpts to take his yearly levy Ur Draxa in a grand e xplosion. In the ruins of Ur Draxa
from the Dwarve n city of Kle d. In the e nd he is drive n off Rajaat battles his forme r Champions. Rajaat imprisons
by Sadira and Rikus bearing his old sword the Scourge. Andropinis of Balic in the Black, the n grabs the Dark Lens
During the battle Neeva gives birth to he r mul son Rkard, from Tectuktitlay of Draj and crushes the sorcere r-king's
name d for the Dwarve n king who battle d Borys 2,000 skull. The re maining Champions scatte r while Sadira
year ago. For the ne xt seve ral years King Tithian of Tyr steals the Dark Le ns and heads for the Ring of Fire . Sadira
secre tly supplies the Dragon with a le vy of 1,000 slaves of Tyr discove rs that the key to Rajaat's de feat is his
capture d from outlying villages. shadow, which gives him substance . Young Rkard casts a
Year of Mountain's Fury (Free Year 4) sun spe ll using the Dark Lens, magnifying its powe r te n-
The ancie nt artifact Psionatrix is activate d by the fold. The resulting brilliance oblite rates Rajaat's shadow
Orde r, a powe rful organization of psionic purists, and se nds his esse nce back to the Hollo w, while his body
nullifying psionics across the Table lands and causing thri- is boile d away by the heat of the spe ll. Having bee n in
kree n to be drive n into an insane frenzy. The avangion contact with the Dark Lens as Rkard cast his spe ll, Tithian
Korgunard is slain while trying to convince me mbe rs of be comes mystically conne cte d to the Black and Rajaat's
the Orde r to deactivate the Psionatrix. One of the e le mental nature . The result is Tithian becoming the
me mbers, a halfling name d Pakk, consumes the Ce rulean Storm. Sadira tosses the Dark Lens and the
avangion's remains. Dee p within the re cesses of the Scourge into the Ring of Fire , placing powe rful wards
Dragon's Crown, the Psionatrix is deactivate d and seve ral around it so that no one can obtain the artifact and once
me mbers of the Orde r are slain. The remains of the again free the First Sorcere r. As Rkard's spe ll lights up the
artifact mysteriously disappear. sky, a great earthquake rocks the Tyr Re gion. The full
Year of Silt's Vengeance (Free Year 6) force of the quake is ce ntere d west of the Table lands
Lead by Quee n Trinth, the githyanki of the Astral be yond the Ringing Mountains. The resulting quake
Plane discovers a way to safe ly breach the Gray and creates the Great Rift, a passage leading to the Crimson
invade Athas from the Black Spine Mountains. The Savannah of the Kree n Empire .
githyanki's plans are foile d by a group of heroes that Year of Desert's Fury (Free Year 11)
trave l through the portal and kill the quee n. With Trinth The Wande re r discove rs the lost halflings, the Rhul-
dead, the portal collapses. thaun, of the Jagge d Cliff.
Year of Enemy's Slumber (Free Year 7) Year of Priest's Contemplation (Free Year 12)
The comet known as the Messe nger fails to appear at Afte r leaving the Jagge d Cliffs, the Wande re r trave ls
the prescribe time , and many across the Table lands take it north and learns of the Last Sea. There he discove rs the
as a sign of a forthcoming doom. bizarre land of the Mind Lords. The Coruscation be gins,
Year of Ral's Reverence (Free Year 9) the Day of Light prophesie d by the dray whe n the blood
Arme d with information stole n from the dwarves of of a thousand unbe lie vers runs in rivers at the fee t of
Kle d, Tithian learns of the location of the hidde n Dark Dregoth. This sign is to bring about the coming of a ne w
Lens—with which he can become a sorce rer-king. Agis of age whe re Dregoth is supre me .
Asticles catches up with him and re luc tantly aids him in

37