Geography

En enkel oversikt over områdene dere kjenner til ved begynnelsen av campaignen.

## The Tablelands

The land from the Ringing Mountains and the Forest Ridge in the West and the Silt Sea in the East; from the area surrounding Draj in the North to the Dead Lands of the South; is called the Tablelands. The Tablelands are the so-called center of civilization in Athas, and indeed is isolated enough for this to be effectively true. Few have wandered much further than the Tablelands due to its natural borders West, South, and East. Few want to.

The Tablelands, often called the Tyr Region, are dominated by the Seven City-States. These are the dense metropolitan areas, with powerful governments and a strangehold on local resources. Sometimes they war with one another, as the ruins of former City-States (Kalidnay, Yaramuke, Giustenal) can attest to. Beyond the City-States lie villages struggling to survive in the dangers of the wastes, forts ruled by merchant houses that operate throughout the region, and other bastions of civilization. Some of these villages are supported by cities or merchants, and still others eke out an existence in the wilderness, generally composed of escaped slaves or others that have a need to avoid the usual trade routes. Most of these seldom last long.

Aside from the civilized people roam all manner of other creatures. Tribes of giants, thri-kreen, yuan-ti, and worse make their presence known in various areas, as do the wild and often terrifying beasts of the wastelands themselves. It is, truly, a dangerous world beyond the dubious safety of the city-states.

## The City States

The seven city-states are the center of civilization for the Tyr region, and very possibly all of Athas. Each city-state is distinct in its laws, customs, economy, style, and culture. Some are still ruled by their sorcerer-kings while others have managed to over throw them and attempt to find their way with out their former rulers.

Balic

Balic is located southeast of Tyr on the shores of the Forked Tongue Estuary. The city-state is ruled by Dictator Andropinis, the self-proclaimed only "elected" sorcerer-king of the city-state. Andropinis keeps a tight grip on the city-state's government and law-makers know better than to pass laws that would displease their rule. His prudent largesse with the merchant class has made Balic one of the wealthiest city-states in the region. Balic also enjoys a degree of democratic tradition, civic participation, and free speech so long as there is no direct criticism of the sorcerer-king, or his status as an elected official.

#### Draj

Draj is located on a vast mud flats east of Raam. Draj is ruled by the mad sorcerer-king Tectuktitlay who's image is omnipresent within the city-state. Tectuktitlay calls himself the Father of Life and falsely claims to be a god. According to his priests, he is the issue of moons Ral and Guthay gave Athas their son Tectuktitlay, a god in mortal flesh, to liberate the people from suffering. It is said that he made the earth fertile again with only a word and sheltered his followers within the city he created with a sweep of his hand. Whether or not Tectuktitlay is actually a divine being varies from person to person but most citizens regard the sorcerer-king as a blessing, despite his insidious presence. Tectuktitlay controls the populace through his templars known as Moon Priests. The society within Draj is organized clans who all practice the same profession. Draj produces and abundance of grain and hemp.

#### Gulg

Gulg sits inside of the Crescent Forest, almost directly east of Tyr. Gulg is unique because sorcerer-queen Lalali-Puy "grew" the city out of vines and trees rather than building it out of bricks and stone. Lalali-Puy is the absolute ruler of the city-state and owns everything and everyone within it and holds the ultimate power of life and death. She is regarded by her people as the beloved forest goddess Oba. Gulg's government is handpicked by Lalali-Puy herself, but citizens have the right to appeal directly to the goddess to resolve issues. The city-state is abundant in grains, plants, and the products of herd animals.

#### Nibenay

Nibenay is located east of Tyr the northern tip of the Crescent Forest. Nibenay is ruled by its eponymous sorcerer-king, also known as the Shadow King. The reclusive Shadow King immerses himself in his arcane studies in his royal compound and largely leaves the governing to his templars. The recent assassination of the sorcerer-king Kalak has prompted the Shadow King to take a more active interest in his domain. The Shadow King's templars are all women and all considered wives of the Shadow King (though this is largely symbolic). They form the heads of the immense bureaucracy that makes up Nibenay's government.

#### Raam

Raam is located east of Urik and is the most populous city-state boasting 40,000 inhabitants. Raam is ruled by the self-styled Grand Vizier -the beautiful but ineffectual sorcerer-queen Abalach-Re. Abalach-Re's templars are spies for their mistress rather than bureaucrats. The city has a rigid caste structure that the sorcerer-queen her templars have exempted themselves from, a fact that has built resentment from the populace. Abalach-Re's decadence and neglect have caused the city state to teeter on the brink of disintegration and anarchy.

#### Tyr

Tyr is located in the fertile valley in the foothills of the Ringing Mountains. After the demise of its sorcerer-king Kalak, the former templar Tithian took the throne and outlawed slavery.

#### Urik

Urik is a highly militarized city-state located northeast of Tyr, between Dragon's Bowl and the Smoking Crown. It is ruled by the self-styled King of the World-the sorcerer-king Hamanu. Urik is a stable and well-ordered but oppressive bureaucracy that is tightly controlled by Hamanu and his templars. Hamanu takes an active role in every level of government in all civic functions. Rule of law stems from the supposedly divinely inspired Hamanu's Code. The Code ostensibly protects all people so they may grow and prosper, but in truth, are designed to protect the interests of the rich and powerful.

#### The Sea of Silt

Water has long since ceased to flow in major rivers or lakes on the surface of Athas, and can only be found in small pockets and in the Last Sea. There are some oases, occasional small lakes and streams, as well as creeks and rivulets West of the nearly impassable Ringing Mountains of Forest Ridge. Forest Ridge is also the home of halflings, which in the Dark Sun world are small creatures that live in tribes in the forest and do not hesitate to capture and eat intruders to their realm. This makes the prospect of going West across the Ringing Mountains rather daunting.

In the place of an ocean, the world of Athas has a sea composed entirely of silt, thanks to the life-stealing effects of defiling magic. The loose surface silt is very fine and so is difficult to traverse and very easily coats the lungs. A strong wind from the Silt Sea can force people in nearby villages to remain indoors, though some make use of a mask-like *silter* which is placed over the mouth and nose and kept wet in order to help the user breathe.

The silt sometimes becomes hard-packed a few metres below the surface, but this is of little help to humans attempting to cross the Sea. Giants often make use of the packed silt further below and can occasionally be seen wading chest-deep, as one might wade through a swamp. Humans have built vessels that can navigate these silt roads much like giants do, though the going is much slower and both humans and giants still have to deal with the creatures that live in the Sea.

There are also the Shipfloaters, psionicists that use a large obsidian orb to focus their power and telekinetically levitate their ships through the air.