THE LOST BOOKS OF TALISLANTA8 - XX

JOURNEYINGTO THEVOLCANICHILLS

Considering that the region iscompletely landlocked, travelers have threechoices when deciding how to reach theVolcanic Hills – by land, by UndergroundHighway, or by air.

BY LANDThose travelers originating in the

Western Lands, Seven Kingdoms, DesertKingdoms and regions thereabout, are well-advised to journey along the WilderlandsRoad all the way to the Citadel of Hadran,the largest military installation in the KangEmpire. From there, one can travel theEmperor’s Road, a network of roadwayswinding through the Empire. The Emperor’sRoad is heavily patrolled and relativelysecured by Kang warriors, and it is well-maintained by crews of Vajra engineers.However, one should expect to payconsiderable fees for travel permitsand tolls.

The Emperor’s Road winds north andsouth through the Greylands and relativelyclose to the Eastern border of the VolcanicHills. The Sauran cities of Sathra and Sathirare within reach, and are recommendedstarting points for venturing into the hills.

BY UNDERGROUND

HIGHWAYA labyrinth of caves, caverns,

subterranean rivers and lakes, and carvedtunnels snakes its way below the surface ofTalislanta, and is known as the UndergroundHighway. The Gnomekin of Durne havesurveyed it from the Seven Kingdoms to thewestern border of the Volcanic Hills.

Traveling the Underground Highway isnot something to pursue withoutconsiderable deliberation. Satada prowl theblack passageways, eager to use theircapture-bows and make slaves of explorers.Other, even more foul beasts, sit gibberingin the darkness. Natural hazards includeflash floods, cave-ins, and aberrant orflammable pockets of gases.

BY AIRThose journeying via windship could

conceivably enter the Volcanic Hills fromany direction. Assuming, however, thevessel is not assaulted en route – aerialpredators infest the skies surrounding theregion in unusual numbers, possibly due tothe strong, hot winds. Batranc are notoriousfor attacks on windships here, and more thanone sky captain has fled with tattered sailsand terrified crew. Perhaps even morefrightening are the opteryx roosting near thetops of active volcanoes. These creaturesconsider windships to be akin to floatingeggs – tasty morsels with fragile shells andsoft, juicy centers.

Predators are not the only threat awindship must face. Aberrant winds fromthe Shadow Realm and frozen blasts fromL’Haan often mingle with hot air massesswirling about the Volcanic Hills, causingstorms of tremendous fury. Winds from theVolcanic Hills may even carry flamingcinders and debris.

THE VOLCANIC HILLS: A REGIONAL GUIDE8 - XX

Encounters inthe Volcanic Hills

Use this table for encounter ideas orroll 4d20 to select a random encounter.Subtract 10 for northern encounters.Add 10 for southern encounters.

Roll Encounter4 Aggressive vorl5 Aamanian pilgrims6 Rolling fog bank7 Lone Aamanian warrior-priest8 Dried husk of a corpse9 Ambitious pyromancer

10 Lake of volcanic glass11 Swirling storm of flaming

cinders12 Mated pair of land dragons13 Sauran obsidian artisans14 Rune-inscribed obelisk

15-16 Sudden volcanic eruption17-18 Ambushing Raknid warriors

19 Landslide of hot ash20-21 Slow-moving lava flow

22 Hidden cave opening23 Erupting tower of rock24 Field of sedge25 Chasm appears suddenly

26-27 Raknid workers28-29 Visible side trail branches off

30 Clumps of wireweed31 Steaming well or hot springs32 Raknid hive33 Xambrian wizard hunter34 Nesting drac35 Field of obsidian shards36 Hungry draconid

37-38 Geyser of hot fumes and steam39 Unleashed earth demon40 Kang mining party

(continued)

The shrewd captain plots a course for acivilized settlement or city, and encouragespassengers to complete the journeyoverland. Assuming one can acquire thenecessary permits to fly a windship withinthe Kang Empire, suitable cities thereinclude Hadran, Kang-Tu, and Karang.

An especially daring or well-paidcaptain might consider flying over the KangEmpire, across the Greylands, and then tothe Sauran settlements of Sathra or Sathir.Be forewarned, however, for the localinhabitants may react in a less-than-enthusiastic manner to both windshipsand foreigners.

ARRIVALAssuming one is not traveling the

Underground Highway, the destinationbecomes apparent from a considerabledistance. Like pustules bursting from thepockmarked skin of the world, rows ofangry red volcanoes loom on the horizon.From their fiery throats, long tendrils ofnight-black smoke lick the sky like slow,sensuous tongues. Heavy, grey-green cloudshang low in that sky, their bellies glowingcrimson from the fires below. The shadowsthey throw down blot out much of thelight of the twin suns, causing an eerie,perpetual twilight.

As one draws nearer, the Volcanic Hillsaffect more than one’s sense of sight. Soon,the traveler hears low grumblings of thunderand the almost mechanical screeching ofshifting earth, the result of smallearthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The hotwind brings the foul breath of volcanoes tothe traveler’s nose – a smell of acid andsulfur and ash.

THE LOST BOOKS OF TALISLANTA8 - XX

Encounters inthe Volcanic Hills

(continued)

Roll Encounter41 Discarded ancient silver disc42 Relentless ravenger43 Fragment of huge broken

glyphstone44 Solitary vasp45 Scattering of firegems46 Cavorting pyrodemon47 Fortified Kang outpost

48-49 Deep rumbling noises50 Glimpse of floating manse

51-52 Minor earthquake53 Hunting opteryx54 Invisible cloud of noxious gas

55-56 Kang raiding party57 Lurking vasp58 Lone tarkus59 Trail ends in a rock cliff

60-61 Sauran war party62 Small herd of striders63 Acid rain and black lightning64 Satada hunting party65 Stand of flickerpine trees66 Flock of batranc67 Sauran youth with dragon icon68 Unattended land lizard steed69 Roving duadir70 Discarded obsidian weapon71 Caravan bugs72 Crude red iron shield73 Patch of bramblecup lichen74 Band of Rajan cultists75 Saurans herding land lizards76 Orgovian traders77 Sauran settlement78 Djaffir merchants79 Roaming herd of durge80 Devious black magician

Once within the region, one not onlysees and hears and smells the Volcanic Hills,the wayfarer feels the place in one’s skin. Aprofound sense of foreboding may overcomethe traveler. It is as if all things in this landlive a slow, languid existence, and yet arefrantic to remain calm as somethingpowerful slumbers – something that at anymoment might awaken to shake the world.

TRAVELINGWITHIN THEVOLCANICHILLS

Much like the magma flowing beneathit, the terrain shifts and changes dramaticallyand often. Volcanoes both small and largeerupt suddenly, triggering lava flows,earthquakes, and avalanches, all of whichalter the face of the land. Towers of jaggedrock might push up from below like stonefingers, chasms may open wide and deep,and rivers of fiery lava may change courseseemingly at a whim.

ROADSTo say there are roads in the Volcanic

Hills is misleading. What one finds are moreakin to wilderness trails than roadways.These trails result from the movements ofSaurans, either on foot or mounted uponland dragons, traveling between settlements.One finds particularly well-beaten trails nearSathra and Sathir, the two Sauran cities.

Like other features of the land,roadways change often. A trail may simplyend at a chasm or against the newly-risenrock wall of a cliff.

THE VOLCANIC HILLS: A REGIONAL GUIDE8 - XX

Erendor's Way

A wide, rugged trail snakes its waythrough much of the Volcanic Hills,particularly to the north. This ancientroadway proceeds with fits and starts anddead ends, and is completely wiped awayin many sections due to lava flows andlandslides. What set this trail apart are itsroad markers – obelisks of grey stoneinlaid with glowing green runes.

It is commonly believed that thelegendary Erendor of Elande placed thepillars and inscribed the runes, which arepurportedly written in a secret cipher thatonly the ancient magician can decode. It isthought that the obelisks mark the pathand the runes reveal how to avoid thesnares protecting his hidden sanctum – thefabled Caves of Erendor.

To this day, no one has been able toread the runes or successfully follow theobelisks. The maze of caverns and itssupposed cache of Archaen artifactsremain lost.

MODES OF CONVEYANCEA well-trained mount, such as an equs,

aht-ra, or strider, is undoubtedly the bestmode of travel for a single rider within theVolcanic Hills. Saurans prefer to ride landdragons fitted with iron-plated battle towers.These lumbering behemoths serve anobvious offensive function in warfare, butalso act as moving shelters against aberrantweather and predators when traveling.

HIRING A GUIDEConsidering the inherent dangers of the

place, a stranger to the Volcanic Hills woulddo well to hire a trustworthy guide. At theSauran settlements of Sathra and Sathir, onehas favorable chances of locating such aperson. Djaffir and Orgovian merchantsfrequent these cities, and their caravanstravel into the interior of the region to plytheir wares among the Sauran clans. EvenSaurans themselves have been known to actas guides.

NATURAL HAZARDSIn addition to major events, such as

large volcanic eruptions and earthquakes,travelers should beware localized naturalhazards. These include events on a lesserscale and in a smaller area. Most of thesehazards are preceded by rumbling andshaking or the screeching of scraping stonesor sudden bursts of steam, and the waryindividual should seek shelter quickly.

Geysers of steam or smoke and hot ashor lava spray can erupt from the smallestfissure and are common examples oflocalized natural hazards. Landslides of ashand pumice-stone are another. Depressionsin the earth filled with heavy, noxious gases,which may upon occasion be colorless andodorless, pose a threat as well.

THE LOST BOOKS OF TALISLANTA8 - XX

WEATHERAbove the Volcanic Hills, the suns of

Talislanta seldom shine with their fullbrilliance. Even at midday, the light canshift from normal daylight to the darkness ofmidnight in a blink as clouds and winds ofsmoke and ash swirl above. Such windsbecome dangers themselves when movingswiftly and bearing hot debris.

Storms here typically carry acid rainaccompanied by flashes of mundanelightning and magical black lightning. Thedreaded Black Wind may also blow throughthe valleys and crags of the Volcanic Hills,and some accredit its arcane forces oftransformation to the creation of the Sauranspecies ages past.

SEEKING SHELTERThe wise traveler keeps one eye toward

spying shelter while traveling through theregion. Predators, natural hazards, andaberrant weather strike suddenly, and are allgood reasons to have a sanctuary withinswift approach.

One might seek shelter in caves or lavatubes and beneath overhangs of stone orpumice. Shallow fissures, chasms, andsinkholes should be used only as a last resortdue to the dangers of poisonous gases andshifting earth.

A segment ofErendor's Way