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Mystic Lands
The people of Port Balifor - mostly
humans - felt extremely sorry for
themselves. They had no knowledge of
what was going on in the outside world,
of course, or they would have counted their
blessings. No dragons came to
burn their town....
Each realm harbors secrets - some mystic, some mundane. This chapter explores the secrets of three locales - the fierce land of Khur, forlorn Dimernesti, and rough-and-tumble Port Balifor - expanding upon the information offered in Chapter Two of Dusk or Dawn in the FIFTH AGE boxed set. Heroes can visit each of these sites in the adventure that accompanies this sourcebook. The maps in this chapter use the key shown on the poster map. Despite their fierce, violent reputation, little has actually been recorded about the people of Khur by outside scholars. Nominally a part of the territory of Malystryx, Khur is not just one nation. Rather it comprises numerous competing tribes, survivors of two great wars who eke out an existence and compete for resources in the bleak terrain. A proud people, they remain unbroken by the adversities they have faced in the past. However, their diminishing numbers may force them to move to other lands or disappear from Ansalon. ]History The people of Khur have changed little over the centuries. They have always been a nomadic folk, moving from water source to water source and relying on hunting for the food they need. The events of Ansalon's past always have had little impact upon this insular land. Before the first Cataclysm, the plains of Khur were separated from the rest of Istar by a band of dry lands, from western Ansalon by the Khalkist Mountains, and from southern Ansalon by the Silvanesti Forest. As a result, the affairs that embroiled other peoples passed them by with hardly any effect. Thus were they taken completely by surprise by the first Cataclysm, which the Khur refer to as the Drowning, for many tribes were lost to the great floods that swallowed most of the lands of Khur and Balifor to the south and east. Following the Cataclysm, a great leader named Keja rose up from among the Khur tribe to unify the entire region into one Khanate. The generation after his death, however, the Khanate broke into seven distinct tribes, each ruled by one of Keja's sons. Although some tribes continued to pay fealty to the khan, never again would the tribes achieve such unity. It was no accident that, in the Fourth Age, Dragon Highlord Ariakas sought to bring these ferocious tribes into an alliance. He was only marginally successful in gaining an alliance with this independent people. But some tribes, including the Khur, saw an advantage in siding with the dragonarmy occupying their land and neighboring Balifor - such an alliance could help them destroy rival tribes. As is often the case in history, however, these tribes merely traded one enemy for another. No sooner had the dragonarmy commanders begun to smash some of the tribes' opponents than they began to levy harsh requirements of their barbaric allies. The Khur realized too late that they had a dragon by the tail. First, they had to give to their new "allies" a tribute of some of their best horses. Then the Green Highlord began to seize control of water sources critical to the survival of the green dragons - the heavy weaponry of the Green Army. Their Khur allies soon began to hold these northerners in contempt, viewing them as soft and foolish, for they based their war tactics more upon the terror inspired by the dragons than any individual battle skill. Those who chose to remain independent of the Green Dragonarmy and its overlords in Sanction and Neraka fared little better, for they became the targets of strikes by green dragons as well as rival tribes. The Green Highlord was a skilled enough strategist (or operating under orders from someone who was) to use his dragons to separate certain tribes of Khur to prevent any alliances from forming between past enemies. Some of the independent tribes were destroyed by the dragons, their sources of water poisoned by the vicious green wynns and their swift mounts killed by the score. In some areas of Khur, travelers will spy small cairns of stone - all that marks the territory of tribes annihilated by the dragonarmy. Only after a young Solamnic Knight, Morgan di Kyre, arrived in the region in 351AC did the tribes manage to throw off the yoke of the Green Dragonarmy (see sidebar on next page). It was a long and hard-fought battle, but in the end the Khur were Stronger for the fight. And they would need all the strength they could muster to face the challenges awaiting them in the Fifth Age. Important Holdings The capital of Khuri-Khan, the settlements of Ak-Khurman, Delphon, Alek-Khan, Kortal, and Pashin, plus many nomadic camps and ruins. Main Populace Actually, the members of only one tribe of human barbarians, ruled by Khan Hali-no, call themselves "the Khur." Outsiders may continue to lump all seven tribes together under this name, but the other six have their own distinct names and traditions.
- Fin-maskar: An independent tribe
and foe of the Khur, the Fin-maskar
are named for Keja's seventh son.
These skilled hunters and woodworkers take the stag as their animal totem.
Regardless of affiliation, each tribe contains two hundred to two thousand members, the larger tribes living near natural springs or oases. The folk of all tribes wear loose robes over their armor and cover their heads with cloth of similar material if they are forced to travel during the day through their sunbaked, arid land. In more temperate climes, however, they rarely wear these robes. While these clans technically remain a khanate (a descendant of Keja still rules in Khuri-Khan), most tribes no longer pay allegiance to the Khur, in light of their alliance with Neraka.
Personalities Khan Hali-no (barbarian human male adult, wild demeanor, Adventurer); Matarc, the befuddled former Khan (barbarian human male elder, eccentric demeanor, Master); Dregash Khan, Weya-lu chieftain (barbarian human male adult, commanding demeanor, Hero); Kasimir di Kyre, grandson of Morgan (barbarian human male young adult, charismatic demeanor, Adventurer). Religious Beliefs The people of Khur remain relatively unfamiliar with the deities most Ansalonians worship. Instead, they believe in a High God or Great God (sometimes referred to as the Sky-Father) who is the father of them all. Scholars believe this deity combines some of the attributes of both the High God and Chislev from Krynn's traditional pantheon. The tribes also worship a warrior's deity named Kargath (considered a neutral version of Kiri-Jolith), a hunter's god named Rakiris (perhaps Habbakuk or another manifestation of Chislev), an avenger named Torghan (probably Sargonnas), and a healer named Elir-sana, or "Daughter" (likely Mishakal), worshiped only by women. While under the the Green Dragonarmy's boot during the War of the Lance, the tribes learned of the war between Paladine and Takhisis, but to them, these were the gods of foreigners - lesser gods for lesser people. Attempts to convert the nomads to the worship of Takhisis met largely with indifference among the tribes allied with the dragonarmy and with outright hostility among those who followed traditional tribal ways. This passionate adherence to their gods in the face of almost certain persecution by the fanatical priests of Takhisis illustrates just how spiritual these people are, and their devotion has not changed in the Fifth Age. Unlike the other folk of Ansalon, the tribes find the idea that the gods have departed the world completely foreign. Neither do they believe the gods withdrew from the world after the Drowning. As part of the practice of their traditional beliefs, the folk of this land develop seers from among the young of their tribes. As in the past, these seers vary in aptitude. Many of them receive no formal training. For instance, some followers of Rakiris, the hunter's god, just seem to have an uncanny skill in tracking down game or scouting out an enemy. Some of the most skilled warriors among the tribes, capable of athletic or military feats other warriors simply cannot achieve, are said to bear the blood of Kargath. The priestesses of Elir-sana remain as skilled today as they were sixty years ago in healing the injuries and ailments of their tribes. To be sure, the skills of these seers surged in the Fourth Age during the time the rest of the world knew the gods had returned. But to this folk, the ebb and flow of the gods' favor is not something one questions. The magic of sorcery never fit into the world-view of these tribes in the Fourth Age, and it continues to remain outside their sphere of experience. This unfamiliarity with elemental and related magic makes these tribal folk quite skittish around works of sorcery. Description Before the first Cataclysm, the terrain around what is now Khur and Balifor was open grassland. Not especially fertile, it was home to nomadic tribes even then. But the changes wrought by the Drowning had a profound effect on Khur. The sea rushed in to flood the southern grasslands, and what dry land remained in the north turned into wasteland. The great river that had run from the northern Khalkist Mountains dried up, leaving only scattered oases fed by underground springs. Most plant life survived only near these sources of water. The coastlands became nothing more than salt flats, left barren by the recession of the sea. Malys did not target these arid lands when she transformed the Goodlund Peninsula into the Desolation. Nevertheless, her ravaging of that eastern land threw Khur's fragile ecosystem utterly awry. The tribes have lost some of their treasured water sources, as the changes that swept Goodlund caused the underground terrain to shift. The few fishing villages on the shores of the Khurman Sea north of the Bay of Balifor have become ghost towns, for even the shallows now harbor only meager life. What little contact the tribes had with the outside world before the arrival of the Great Dragons has dried up almost completely. The only merchants that regularly visit Khur any more are the Nerakese, and few tribes care to do business with them - they prefer not to pay their hidden prices. In addition, a few ships visit from a southern port in lyesta's realm, but these foreigners also seem to want more than just trade with the tribes. Calling themselves Legionnaires, they claim they can help the tribes throw off the domination of those who ally with Neraka, but the independent tribes just laugh and suggest that they'd rather learn how to kill dragons the size of mountains. Climate Khur is possibly the hottest place in Ansalon. Despite its location in the southernmost half of a southern continent, the prevailing weather patterns and the shielding Khalkist Mountains allow for very little rainfall. What rain that comes does so in a brief "monsoon season" that lasts no more than two weeks a year. Many find Khur at its most beautiful after these brief rains, with its desert plants blooming in brilliant colors before they again must hide their beauty from the harsh sun. The tribesfolk are perhaps the only people who know this terrain well enough to survive through the summer. Even children know the location of every source of fresh water within their tribe's territory. Only foreigners and sun-baked fools venture out into the desert during the height of the day; most of them do not survive until nightfall. Because clouds seldom form over Khur, the air cannot retain the heat of the day, making the nights cold enough to fog the breath. Trade As mentioned earlier, few merchants journey to the Khur region. Even the tribes' wonderful horses and aromatic spices are not worth a run-in with the Red Marauder or her minions. The tribes' principal trade items are their superb, fleet horses. People from all across Ansalon seek these mounts, for they make exceptional war horses. They generally are not strong enough to carry a man in full armor, however, so the Knights of Solamnia and Knights of Takhisis have little use for such beasts. Others, especially scouts and light horsemen, find these steeds to be worth their weight in steel. In addition to their horses, the folk of Khur sell elaborately tooled, silver-studded leather tack and harness. This equipage represents probably the tribes' only artistic endeavor that the rest of the world ever sees. The spices of Khur also lead a few foreign traders to risk capture by Malys and her lieutenants, for these exotic herbs fetch a high price in the cities of western Ansalon. Used primarily in perfumes and as seasonings, the spices once represented a substantial portion of Khur's trade package, but Malys's uncertain temper has greatly reduced demand from western merchants. The tribes' main imports are weapons and, for the first time in their history, food. The constant patrols of the lesser red dragons and their troops make it difficult for hunters to find enough game to sustain their tribes. Current Happenings In the Fifth Age, the tribes again face the terror of dragons in their lands. This time, however, the dragons destroy by fire, and they follow a wyrm so large that fully three of the biggest green dragons the tribes faced sixty years ago could lie end to end and still not equal her size. Fortunately for these folk, they don't possess anything Malys wants, so she has contented herself merely with periodic patrols to remind them of her devastating power. Against this backdrop, the people of Khur continue as they always have. Tribe fights tribe, but not over water or land rights. Instead, those who have given up their traditional ways in an alliance with the northerners find themselves constantly set upon by those who remain at heart a proud; nomadic warrior people. Unfortunately, the independent tribes are capable of very little in the way of organized efforts against the Khur and their allies - attacks from Malys remain a larger concern. Adventurers still brave the wrath of the Great Red to seek out the ruined cities of Istar that lie in Khur's wastes. While the Khur and their allies may serve as guides to such fortune-seekers, other tribes discourage such ventures, preferring that no one disturb the spirits in these dead cities. The havens of the Dimernesti below the southern Courrain Ocean form a realm at once beautiful and dangerous for the land-bound. In this environment, threats can come from any direction; those used to thinking in two dimensions often find it difficult to extend their perceptions both above and below. Such visitors can become disoriented - or dinner for sharks. Despite this danger, the world of the Dimernesti elves is breathtakingly beautiful. Its coral towers reflect the sunshine that filters through the clear blue water, fishes of every hue glide through its currents, and underwater plants in a riot of colors dot the ocean floor. History The sea elves lived in relative peace in their idyllic home for millennia. Of course, they had to contend with predators from time to time, but for the most part, the world left them undisturbed. The wars that shook the surface peoples hardly touched them. Then came Brine. Brynseldimer, or Brine for short, is a particularly aggressive, foul-tempered, malevolent old sea dragon. He came to Dimernesti five years ago, and since then has nearly destroyed it. Most of the coral towers of Dimernost, its capital, have been battered to rubble by Brine's mighty tail on his trips through the underwater city for a light snack. The kelp farms yield almost no produce, fewer fish venture anywhere near the realm, and the events of the surface world have cut off what trade existed between the land-bound races and the sea elves. Important Holdings The capital of Dimernost, towns of Santhost and Markost, ruins of Faerkel and Rabinai, the Roost (an ancient Kyrie site), the Endless Hall portal, and the sea caves and tiny islands dotting the surface of the southern Courrain. Main Populace Blue-skinned, silver-haired Dimernesti elves and half-elves breathe water as easily as air. Also known as shoal elves, these shallows-dwellers have a guild-based society. Today only several thousand elves live in Dimernost itself, with several hundred to a thousand residing in each town. Few visitors find welcome in this realm, for the Dimernesti are notoriously wary of outsiders. Personalities Speaker of the Sea Nuqala (Dimernesti female adult, vigilant demeanor, Master); Veylona (Dimernesti half-elf female young adult, inquisitive demeanor, Unknown). Religious Beliefs Like many Ansalonians, the Dimernesti feel the gods have abandoned them in their time of greatest need. Day-to-day survival requires such effort that few take the time to pray to their traditional gods, Paladine, Branchala, and Chislev. A handful of priests of the Order of Good continue to work miracles in their gods' names, instinctively using minor forms of animism and other mystic magic. (In addition, all Dimernesti can use alteration magic to take the form of otters.) Description The ruined cities of Dimernesti, once sights to behold, are still unusual enough to make land-dwellers gape in awe. Dimernesti settlements share a few common traits beyond the standard markets and residences: a concentric layout, extensive kelp farms and fisheries, lockout towers (with great gongs to warn locals of Brine's approach), and "swimmer" yards (vehicles made of airfilled bladders). A map of Dimernost appears on the back cover of this book. However, few Dimernesti live in their ancient cities anymore. Most have escaped to deep tunnels in the underwater mountain formations that run between the capital, Dimernost, and the smaller town of Santhost. Although these tunnels lie near the dread Brine's lair, the deep caves lie out of reach of his steaming dragon breath. Many of these caves have barely been explored, and occasionally the Dimernesti encounter strange creatures best left undisturbed. Still, the relative safety the tunnels provide outweighs the risks of encountering hostile marine life. The tunnel system also opens up onto the volcanic islands that dot the surface above Dimernesti. From here, lockouts keep watch for ships from Ansalon, hoping for trade opportunities. They've even swallowed their pride enough to seek aid from their Silvanesti kin. But few ships ever come, and the Speaker has received no word from her kinsman, whom she sent to make contact with their land-dwelling cousins some time ago. Climate Despite its proximity to Krynn's southern polar region, Dimernesti has traditionally enjoyed a mild temperature, thanks to warm equatorial currents. When Malys, at her whim, caused volcanoes beneath the Bay of Balifor to erupt, Dimernesti's temperature increased slightly but the water lost some of its former clarity. Trade Trade never used to be the Dimernesti's principal concern - sea elves had little use for money. Before Brine's coming, they enjoyed a brisk barter with human and Silvanesti merchant-sailors, trading marine foods and riches for items such as metal weapons and tools that can withstand the corrosive salt water. Recently, however, trade with the surface has almost completely ceased. for few merchants dare to venture into the hostile seas off Malys's realm into the heart of Brine's territory. The sea elves have had to spend more time and effort searching for the trade items they need now more than ever to fight their draconic foe and build new homes. Current Happenings Speaker of the Sea Nuqala, whose father, the previous Speaker, died in Brine's first attacks on Dimernesti, works tirelessly to provide for her people. These days, she directs most of her efforts toward exploring the caves of the Tin-Arian Peaks (which land-dwellers call the Sunken Mountains). She does not hesitate to undertake such explorations herself, wanting to lead by example rather than by decree. Even though several elves have been killed by minions of Brine called lacedons (or sea ghouls) lairing in these caves, she continues to press her search for a refuge large enough to protect all her people. Nuqala also seeks the lair of Brine in the Sunken Mountains. Her advisers hope she does not find it, fearing she might embark upon a suicide mission against the dragon lord. However, Nuqala believes the Crown of Tides, an ancient Dimernesti artifact, will be powerful enough to help drive Brine off or even kill him. Her advisers are not so sure. (More details on the Crown appear on the box flap.) Not long ago, Nuqala's bodyguard, Kellishion (Qualinesti elf male adult, fierce demeanor, Hero), left to try to determine what had become of the messenger the Speaker sent months ago to contact the Silvanesti. This scarred, quiet weapons master came to Dimernesti years ago seeking refuge from the interminable surface wars. He found a home, and perhaps love as well (he is rumored to be Nuqala's consort), but his peace did not last long. He undertook the mission to Silvanesti with a heavy heart, for the land reminded him of the loss he experienced in the Chaos War. He was spared the opening of old wounds, however, for the Silvanesti had sealed their borders with a magical shield. Kellishion had to return home with no news of the Speaker's kinsman. Nuqala has also dispatched an expedition to the Blood Sea to seek the Dargonesti. Her people have always considered their deep-sea cousins a weak and primitive race, but the murderous Brine has made this rivalry seem minor. The Speaker hopes to open a link with the Dargonesti realm using the Crown of Tides to power an undersea portal called the Endless Hall, thus allowing her people to escape. She has not yet managed to make the portal work, but divinations have led her to believe she can find answers in an ancient Kyrie site called the Roost. Unfortunately, these ruins lie perilously close to the rumored location of Brine's lair. Nuqala has had to proceed with caution, lest she send her scouts to their deaths. From the Fourth Age to the Fifth, the city of Port Balifor - perhaps Ansalon's foremost criminal haven and den of inequity - has gone from bad to worse. ]History Following the destruction brought by the first Cataclysm, the once-thriving Port Balifor became little more than a home of thieves, gamblers, cutthroats, and other ne'er-do-wells. Its merchants were thieves themselves, trading as they did in all manner of illegal goods from around Ansalon. Merchants sold to anyone who would pay, and residents treated with respect only those with enough muscle to warrant it. In general, this meant that only the dragonarmies and their allies were treated fairly - for the denizens of Port Balifor knew only too well the consequences of cheating the Nerakans. However, in the Fifth Age, Port Balifor has suffered just the kind of attacks its residents so desperately sought to avoid in the War of the Lance. When Malys arrived on the Goodlund Peninsula, she desired to display her power to the lesser creatures there. Her transformation of the once fertile and forested plain into the volcanic Desolation was felt as far away as Port Balifor. Malys also chose to visit her power on this settlement more personally, and the resulting attacks left only a quarter of the town habitable. Survivors discovered early on that rebuilding only invited another attack, so they gave up after a few attempts. Many survivors fled, taking ships to anywhere or risking an overland crossing through the hostile wastes of Khur and Kern. Few of these refugees ever reached their destinations. Those who remained in Port Balifor eked out a meager existence. But, after suffering setback upon setback as the malicious Red Dragon destroyed their rebuilding efforts, something changed among these locals. Subtle at first, it grew with every demonstration of hated Malys's violent nature.
The people began to resist. Not overtly and not immediately, but they began to look for ways to spite Malys's efforts to destroy their spirits. Instead of pinning their hopes on rebuilding Port Balifor, they began to look for other avenues for survival. It didn't take long for these scoundrels and thieves to go underground - literally. The epic changes to the Goodlund Peninsula had not much damaged the sea caves that lined Port Balifor's shore. Upon exploring, locals found that these caves were much more extensive than once they thought. They found freshwater springs and underground rivers, dry caverns large enough to live in, and routes to the surface. These caves were limited to the coastal area; scouts exploring inland found only cave-ins, dead ends, and other barriers - more ruin from Malys's monumental earth magic. Since then, the people of Port Balifor have survived despite the efforts of Malys and her lieutenants, and without the help of outsiders. They continue to rebuild what they can aboveground, using salvage from the ruins, so that Malys does not suspect their activities underground. The destruction of their homes and their livelihood, which should have driven them to despair, instead has inspired these former thieves, swindlers, and cheats. They have managed to rebuild their pride and humanity along with their town. Nevertheless, they have not changed so much that they fail to take a perverse pride in bringing about the biggest con of all: hoodwinking Malys. Important Holdings Little of old Port Balifor yet stands - roughly one building in four remains intact. People still live aboveground, but most have escape tunnels to the caverns below. The docks have been nearly destroyed by the waters of the Bay of Balifor, which Malys enjoys heating to boiling. Locals have done little to repair their harbor, for they fear that encouraging outsiders to visit would only call attention to themselves. Main Populace Humans and a few kender and half-elves form a population of about a thousand people. Personalities Renshar Morgenes, Prefect of Port Balifor (human male elder, circumspect demeanor, Master); Harlowe Barstool, Chief Administrator of the Port and High Sheriff of the Watch (afflicted kender male adult, crafty demeanor, Champion); Myra, a former Knight of the Lily (human female adult, sensible demeanor, Adventurer). Religious Beliefs The folk of Port Balifor have always been more practical than religious. Today more than ever they rely not on the gods to make their lives easier, but on their own hands and wits. Some residents still pay at least lip service to Shinare, goddess of wealth and industry, and Hiddukel, trickster god of dirty deals. In addition, mystics are valuable local resources. Those practiced in alteration scout out new caves in animal forms. Sensitivity gives others hints of approaching danger, and healers always have work in these troubled times. Description Port Balifor today is almost completely wrecked. Only very few buildings bear no scars of Malys's attacks, and the town's infrequent visitors often take up residence there. Few visitors ever learn of the sea caves beneath Port Balifor, for it is the locals' one refuge from the dragon attacks. They will not trust its secret to outsiders, even well-meaning ones. Climate Its location does not exactly make Port Balifor a vacation spot. In addition to the bleak high mountains surrounding the city, volcanoes from deeper inland occasionally spew forth ash which settles over the town if the winds are right. The heat of the Bay of Balifor, though tolerable near the shores, nevertheless causes the waters to steam, frequently shrouding Port Balifor in a warm fog. Trade Because the people of Port Balifor do not want Malys to notice their activities, they keep their trade to a minimum. They have little to offer, anyway - mainly pearls and such from the caverns below. Occasionally, locals will send out an expedition to nearby Khur or the Blood Sea coast in hopes of finding artifacts of the world prior to the first Cataclysm to use in trade. Port Balifor's tough residents desire from the outside world primarily food and healing supplies. Interestingly, weapons have little value in trade here, for locals care nothing for the idea of fighting Malys - only deceiving her. Merchants today seem far more inclined to trade fairly, since their communal efforts to pull the long con of Malys have given them a measure of respectability. Current Happenings In the ten or so years the people of Port Balifor have been exploring and building underground, they have managed to create quite a holding. Caverns are lit by natural light filtering in from fissures in the rock overhead and enhanced by reflective rock formations. Prefect Renshar has seen to it that everyone has a means of escaping another assault by Malys or one of her underlings by using tunnels that run into an old sewer project abandoned in the Fourth Age. All the locals stand behind Renshar and his plan to dupe Malys into thinking them beaten for as long as possible. They realize that someday she will discover their deception and wreak her revenge, but until then, they plan to enjoy the con. And when they die, at least they will know they managed for a time to pull the wool over the eyes of the self-proclaimed queen of the world!
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