Anaara

My constantly evolving D&D setting is known as the Hidden World of Antara. I first created the bare bones of it several years ago for my Agartha campaign. It is continuing to evolve and get fleshed out. Details, especially on the fringes, are intentionally left sketchy and are subject to change. 

Antara is heavy influenced by Hollow Earth settings like Pellucidar or Skartaris - only without the miniature sun and inside-out world. It is especially influenced by John Norman's Gor setting - only without the bondage/slavery fetish, and the TV series Land of the Lost.

I'll make this a persistent page to act as a living reference. I'll also be adding additional information such as notes about the humans of Antara, the non-humans, various factions, the gods of Antara, and its long history every few weeks.

Antara (World)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hantara-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁énteros (“inner, what is inside”), an adjective formed from the adverb *h₁enter (“between”) (whence also अन्तर् (antár)). Cognates include Old Latin *interus (whence Latin interior (“inner, interior”) and intrā(“inside, within”)) and Ancient Greek ἔντερον (énteron, “intestine, bowel”).

Existing alongside the world we know is a mysterious parallel world known as Antara - the Hidden World. Antara is a savage land of magic, monsters, and mysticism where brave warriors live and die by the sword and only the strongest, the most clever, or the most devious may survive!

Antara is a savage world of steamy jungles filled with dinosaurs, icy wastes traversed by mastodons, and trackless deserts in which hunt giant carnivorous worms. The vast majority of Antara could be described as wilderness, populated with little more than barbarian tribes and small kingdoms. There are, however, pockets of civilization in the form of three three ancient and decadent empires: Atlantis, The Celestial Kingdom of Xan, and The Avallonian Empire.

Antara is warmer than Earth with much of its surface covered in jungles and deserts. Polar realms such as Polaris, Boreas, Aralis, and Neuschwabenland that would be frigid wastelands on Earth are more similar to Norway or Siberia.

Technology in Atara varies by location. Most barbarian tribes are stone-age hunters and gatherers. Most civilized lands are considered equivalent to medieval iron age cultures of Earth. Strange exceptions include the advanced crystal technology of the Atlanteans and the mechanized kingdoms of Makina, Yedred, and the Scourge, who together possess steam engines and compressed air weapons powered by elemental energy.

Aarokar-Nasaris (City)

Aarokar-Nasaris is the magnificent marble capital of the aerial kingdom of the aarokan bird-folk. Aarokar-Nasaris is built atop the largest floating mountain overlooking the island of Akasa.

Aarokar-Nasaris is a city of domes, spires, and elevated walkways made of white marble from Kunlun and clear Dalusian crystal.  The city serves as a port for airships and flying mounts that venture into the realm of Aeros.

Expeditions into Aeros seek out uninhabited skylands to be mined for magic-infused minerals and crystals.  Magical alchemical hover-factories built and operated by Atlanteans extract elemental energy from Aeros which is concentrated into small magical granules. These compact granules can be combined with alchemical activators to generate gases.

Agartta (Island)

Agartta is a large island west of Bres. The great empire of Nedula-Madhya once ruled this entire continent. Five hundred years ago, the empire was brought down in a great cataclysm that saw the simultaneous destruction of all of its cities in one night by an army of demonic shadim. Today the once great cities of Nedula-Madhya lie in ruins. Magic forces twist and warp any creature that dwell too long in its eerie radiation. The former noble class of Nedula-Madhya, a people known as the Asuras, were cursed to bear the mark of their sins for eternity.

The east coast of Agartha is covered in dense tropical jungles and home to the last remaining colonies of the ancient Nedula-Madhya empire. The interior is a vast desert plain ruled by a handful of principalities and kingdoms. The southwest river valley is dominated by the megalithic ruins of the ancient empire of Nedula-Madhya which was destroyed hundreds of years ago. The west coast is dominated by numerous kingdoms ruled by warring dragon lords.

Akasa (Island)

Akasa is an island of mountainous evergreen forests. Above the forests is beautiful kingdom of floating mountains four thousand miles southeast of Chult. The capital of your homeland is Aarokar-Nasaris, the great sky-city of the hawk-lords. Aarokar-Nasaris is a magnificent city of white marble domes, towering spires of crystal, and elevated walkways made of delicate spun glass.  The mountains of Akasa are infused with magic that causes the land itself to detach from the bedrock and float in the sky.

 Ancient cities of marble, glass, and crystal can be found atop many of the floating mountains. These cities are inhabited by the aarokan bird-folk as well as the solitary cloud giants. The cloud giants respond quickly and harshly to any perceived intrusion into their realms. Great storm giants have been known to  construct powerful fortresses in the skies of Akasa.

There exists high above Akasa a nexus for the elemental dimension known as Aeros. Elemental energy from Aeros suffuses Akasa. Regions of dimensional instability have been known to spontaneously develop there allowing entities from that dimension to cross over into our world. jin  from Aeros have established strongholds across Akasa. These strongholds are defended by air elementals, aaroka slaves, and various intelligent akasanal beasts.

The wild skies of Akasa and the surrounding region are inhabited by every manner of flying creatures. Many are aerial versions of aquatic creatures such as sky-sharks, whales, giant octopi, and others. The sky-islands are home to every type of flying creature including rocs, and giant eagles along with strange hybrid beasts of created by magical chaos such as harpies, pegasi, peryton, and many more.

Humans live in villages located on the various mountains and sky islands above Akasa. They travel using flying vehicles supported by balloons filled with magical air collected from Aeros. Akasanal sky-ships travel the skies of Antara, visiting ports from Agartta to Anvar. Akasanal sky-ships protect themselves from aerial attack with advanced ballistic weapons from Makina. The aarokar of Akasa treat their human neighbors with polite condescension.  

Antumnos (Island)

The island of Antumnos is a nexus for the plane known as Aeon. Life energy from the Aeon suffuses Antumnos. Regions of dimensional instability have been known to spontaneously develop there allowing entities from that dimension to cross over into our world.

Tribes of bestial therans live in isolated villages, some constructed among the boughs of the massive trees, deep within the forests of Antumnos.

The deep forests of Antumnos are sacred places protected by the furred demi-giants known as maor. The maor are solitary creatures and lack an organized society or government.

The forests are also home to cave-dwelling green-skinned orloks as well as various beings from or influenced by Aeon. Such beings include nymphs, faeries, brownies, leprechauns, unicorns, quicklings, and dryads.

The temperate forests of Antumnos are inhabited primarily by mammals such as wolves, deer, elk, lions, bears, etc. The fey magic that permeates Antumnos gives rise to spontaneously animated plant creatures such as treants, shambling mounds, twig blights, etc. The fey magic also causes many natural fauna to grow to prodigious size or unusual intelligence.

During times of crisis the maor will call upon and organize all the inhabitants of the forests to come to the defense of the arboreal realm.

Anvar (Region)

The vast desert region of Anvar in eastern Mu is a sparsely populated arid waste. It is home to small  kingdoms ruled by dragon warlords and roving Scourge wargangs who raid the overland caravans connecting Makina with Yedred. The plains of Anvar are dotted with wreckage and the remains of mechanized vehicles are targets for scavengers. 

Aralis (Island)

The remote island of Aralis is a cold desolate place. The barren terrain presents little more than chipped shale and sharp rocks where only lichens and slimes survive. The coast is home to a few fishing colonies inhabited by dour humans. The interior is ruled by a kingdom of medusae and their gargoyle servants and is a nexus with the elemental plane of Geos.

Aranos (Region)

South of Plaksha and east of Kunlun,  the River Nyx drains into a shallow basin, forming a giant shallow lake known as Aranos. The lake is surrounded by hundreds of miles of forested swamps. The swamps of Aranos are inhabited by giant amphibians, reptiles, and snakes, as well as  insects and arachnids of prodigious size and various oozes and jellies. Elemental energy spontaneously animates plant matter such as twig blights, treants, shambling mounds and assassin vines are indistinguishable from the other fauna. Swamp trolls and hags can also be found throughout the swamps.

The wild swamps of Aranos are home to three primitive humanoid races - the saurian reptans; the amphibian frog-creatures known as burhi; and the beast-like therans. All three live a primitive existence as hunter-gatherers dwelling in dismal mud and stick villages. A traveler might find a friendly ally or a fierce enemy depending on the tribe and time of day.

Aranos is ruled by two rival city-states - the arachnian city Makadi-Shahar rules the region north of the river and the draconid city Batalklik rules the region south of the river.

Atlantis (Continent, Kingdom)

The continent of Atlantis is a temperate realm of rolling hills, small mountain ranges, and verdant forests. The land is ruled by various small but sophisticated city-states with ancient histories. The southern reaches of Atlantis give way to desert plains ruled by the dragon lords. Ancient Archaean ruins dot the landscape. Many are said to still be inhabited by the immortal beings.

The Empire of Atlantis is controlled by the psychic masters known as Vril-Ya who rule over their slaves using mind control and magical technology. Atlantean raiders fly their magical sky-ships across Antara in search of slaves and treasure.

Avallonis (Island, Kingdom)

The island of Avallonis is located between Atlantis and Polarion. The region is temperate and known for its sacred groves of magical fruit trees. The Monarchy of Avallonis is an ancient and proud civilization ruled by Queen Victoria. The queen is protected by a loyal order of knights, cavaliers, and holy-warriors known as the Circle. The empire possesses a powerful navy which often comes into conflict with Atlantean raider fleets. Avallonian merchants often compete with air-ships from Akasa and merchant ships from Ys and Xan. 

Batalklik (City)

The draconian city of Batalklik in Aranos is home to the warlike black azi and their ruler, King Siyah the black dragon, and his kin.

Boreas (Region)

The frigid plains Boreas are home to hardy primitive nomadic tribes that follow the migrating megaloceri and mammoth. The interior of Boreas is separated into warring hill cantons ruled by brutal hill giants.

Bres (Continent)

The jungles of Bres are populated by giant serpents. The feline b'alam and primitive therans dwell in treetop villages while the decadent ophidian nagina hide away in their ancient vine-choked temples - the ruined remains of a once-great civilization from a previous age.

The Mazzan River flows from the western mountains to the eastern sea bisecting the continent into northern and southern Bres. The Mazzan river is a wide slow river filled with dangerous life.

Dalu (Region)

The land southwest of the Great Western Mountains of Mu is known as Dalu. Dalu is dominated by the inhospitable Araja desert of sand and gravel punctuated by isolated peaks and rocky outcroppings. Volcanic mountain ranges rise along the southwest coast. Dalu was once the home of the sophisticated unnamed civilization. Its lost cyclopean cities and mysterious edifices can be found throughout the desert.

Insects and reptiles form the dominant forms of life in the desert, many growing to prodigious size due to the influence of chaos. Magical chaos storms blow from the west giving rise to creatures composed of animated dust or pebbles including dust devils, sand stalkers, dust weirds, and others.

Daqhal (City)

The citadel of Daqhal rests atop a tall mesa on the western slope of the Great Barrier of Mu. Daqhal overlooks the gravel desert of Dalu. The city is unknowably ancient and is built upon untold layers from previous epochs. The undercity of Daqhal is a labyrinthine warren of passages and chambers occupied by scavenging ratkin. Daqhal is surrounded by ancient crumbling ruins of once-vast cities.

Horai (Island)

The temperate archipelago of Horai consist of several large mountainous islands covered by evergreen forests. It is home to the Empire of Tzann, an ancient and xenophobic autocracy with strict codes of etiquette and social interaction.

Ji-Go (Region)

The desolate region of Ji-Go is the homeland of the ravenous Scourge.

The Scourge consists of at least four races: warlords, marauders, crushers, and dregs.

Warlords are tall muscular blue-skinned demi-giants with long bovine horns, pointed ears, and demonic faces. They are inherently magical and are able to change their appearance, become invisible, and control the minds of others. They are fierce fighters but prefer to compel others to fight on their behalf. Warlords occupy positions of leadership within the Scourge hierarchy.

Marauders are red-skinned humanoids with pointed ears and demonic faces. They are the rank-and-file soldiers within the Scourge hierarchy. They fill the ranks of the Scourge infantry, pilot Scourge warmachines, and crew the Scourge airships.

Crushers are tall muscular humanoids with yellow skin, pointed ears, and demonic faces. They possess great strength and stamina. Crushers are used as assault troops and heavy weapons fighters.

Dregs are diminutive humanoids with pointed ears, yellow or green skin, and demonic faces. They are the most common type of Scourge soldier and usually occupy menial or support positions, serve as reconnaissance, or are used as cannon fodder, diversions, or targets.

The Scourge are aggressive and warlike but they are also well organized. They prefer invasion and conquest over trade and negotiation. They possess an industrial society that requires the continual acquisition of slave labor and new fuel and mineral resources. The Scourge uses a mechanized army of airships, land crawlers, and other armored vehicles, and infantry to invade a new land. Once conquered, the scourge demolishes much of the existing architecture, leaving only a few structures standing for their own purposes. They enslave the populace, collecting them into concentration camps. The slave laborers are then forced to extract resources from deep beneath the surface and build new industrial cities and factories. The factories, in turn, manufacture new mechanized war machines for the next invasion.

Using this strategy, the Scourge have conquered several of the islands of eastern Horai and the northern coasts of Mu and Agartta. 

Kalmath (Kingdom)

A matriarchal monarchy situated along a fertile river that runs through the desert region of Gazh west of the Wall mountains in Agartta. Kalmath consists of a handful of walled cities. Each city is ruled by a satrap that swears fealty to the queen. In recent history the queen was assassinated and her power usurped by her vizier. The queen’s daughter Princess Murti leads a rebellion to retake the throne.\

Kirmizi (Kingdom)

Kirmizi is a mountainous kingdom in northern Nuuna. Kirmizi is ruled by the tyrannical red dragon King Kehennem, his offspring, their armies of azi warriors and kavrita servants.

Kuluvecam (Region)

Kuluvecam is a desolate realm of ash and stone. It is a land of volcanoes and lava fields ruled by the red dragon lord Agnios, his offspring, and their of azi warriors and kavrita servants.

Kunkara Vyakti (Region)

A high plateau in northern Agartta bordered by rugged mountain ranges to the north and south. The highlands are inhabited by tribes of human barbarians.

Kunlun (Region)

The southern quarter of Plaksha is dominated by the high plateau of Kunlun, the tallest mountain range in Antara and home of the sacred Pillar of Heaven, a mountain believed to support the vault of the sky. The powerful city-state of Xamballa is located on the Kunlun plateau.

The tallest mountains of Kunlun are also home to a small golyat kingdom as well as numerous aarokan monasteries.

Kza (Region)

The Plains of Kza are home to herds of buffalo-sized beetles that feed on the short tough lichens that grow there. Nomadic tribes of the humanoid insects known as tarikiin follow these herds. The tarikiin often come into conflict as the herds pass within range of the tribes of bestial therans that dwell in low hills in the west.

There are two small cities on the plains of Kza, the trading outpost of Khot, the draconid city of Tarafsiz-Sehir, and the holy city of Malinas at the base of the holy mountain known as Ayampas, the tallest peak of the western range.

Maidalanu Plains (Region)

The Maidalanu Plains was once a vast expanse of windswept grasslands in northeast Agartta. Herds of aurochs and monoceri once grazed on the tall grasses and lonely trees. Today the realm has been transformed into a dead husk - the domain of the dread Kingdom of the Undying.

Madalanu is a nexus for the plane known as Skion. Energy from Skion suffuses the region. Areas of dimensional instability have been known to spontaneously develop there allowing entities from that dimension to cross over into our world. These spirits can animate the mummified bodies of the long dead like puppets or take on the form of ghosts which mimic the appearance and mannerisms of the deceased.

Humans who spend too much time in Maidalanu lose their natural skin coloring, becoming pallid and gaunt. Their personality changes too, causing them to become dour and morbid.

The Maidalanu Plains are also called the Kingdom of the Undying. The kingdom is populated by ghosts, spectres, banshees, wights, ghouls, mummies, vampires, and other spontaneously occurring undead . The Undying Kings are powerful members of each type - the Vampire King, the Ghoul King, the Spirit King, and the Mummy King

The dark energy that pervades Maidalanu tends to animate formerly living matter skeletons, zombies, body parts, bone whirlwinds, blood-flies and animated effigies, will-o-wisps, shades, and shadows.

Makadi-Shahar (City)

Makadi-Shahar is a fortified city in Aranos created from hard sticky webs. The webbing has the tensile strength of steel cable held together by biological secretions with the hardness of cement. Makadi-Shahar is ruled by the Spider Queen and is populated by tends of thousands of giant intelligent spiders.

Makina (City)

Matons are magically animated sentient mechanical beings from the machine city Makina. They were originally created thousands of years ago by artificers of Atlantis where they once served as workers, servants, and warriors. Matons eventually rebelled against their creators and formed their own robotic society. The city-state of Makina has formed an alliance with the human city-state of Yedred. The two cities share technology and innovations as well as a paranoia regarding the greater world of Antara, especially towards the empire of Atlantis and the expansionist Scourge. 

Meropis (Island)

The island of Meropis is home to three powerful city-states. Anostos is located at the center of the island. The city is built around the edge of a massive abyssal hole that descends hundreds of miles beneath the surface of Antara. The hole constantly emits huge clouds of red steam that shroud the city in  perpetual crimson fog.  Eusebes, the capital, is a city of opulent wealth. Machimes is a city with a strong martial tradition. Machimesian armies serve as mercenaries in wars across Antara.

Mu (Continent)

Mu is a vast continent covered in grasslands known as the Plains of Kza. The far west is mountainous and home to many dragon holds. The interior is covered in grasslands with rolling forested hills in the east.

Mu is populated by nomadic tribes of humans who follow migratory herds as well as isolated communities of b'agra (tiger-men). 

Nedula-Madhya (Historical Kingdom)

Nedula-Madhya was once a prosperous kingdom of nine cities. Each city was ruled by an Archon while the kingdom was ruled by a powerful Ana known as the Immortal Autarch. 

Five hundred ago the asuras of Nedula-Madhya performed a ritual to summon and bind the shadim to serve as fuel for their apotheosis. The Immortal Ana intervened and released the shadim. The shadim, freed from their binding and seeking vengeance, razed the Nine Cities of Nedula-Madhya in one night.

To this day the ruined cities of Nedula-Madhya are contaminated by infernal magic which warps and mutates anyone exposed to it for too long. The cities are populated by shadim and all manner of unnatural mutants.

New Roanoke (City)

The city of New Roanoke was built by English colonists from Earth who were magically transported to Antara 25 years ago. The city is located on Croatoan island in the Smagdarine Sea several hundred miles north of Bres. The city is closely allied with Avallonis and is an important port for the Avallonian navy. The people of New Roanoke are Protestant Christians.

Nuuna (Island)

The island of Nuuna is a mountainous wilderness covered by temperate evergreen forests and verdant alpine valleys.

Orman (Island, Kingdom)

North of Antumnos is the kingdom of Orman, an archipelago of forested islands ruled by the powerful green dragon king Celadon and his heirs.

Plaksha (Continent)

Plaksha is a large continent northeast of Kunlun and northwest of Mu. The northern coast of Plaksha is covered in lush forests while the interior is dominated by a dry plain that eventually becomes the Shamo desert.

The northern coast of Plaksha is home to the seven cities of the Celestial Kingdom of Xan, a kingdom where dragons, azi, kavrita, and humans coexist in relative equality.

The Shamo desert is littered with the decaying and haunted ruins of the Ana.

Polaris (Region)

Polaris is a frigid mountainous region in the far north of Antara. Polaris is joined to Borea by a small isthmus. Polaris is home to numerous small kingdoms and tribal villages that constantly war with each other. Polarian raiders are considered the scourge of the Sea of Balar. The mountainous spine of Polaris is ruled by a patchwork of frost giant warlords.

The Realm of the Lich Queen (Region)

A large region south of the plains of Kza in Mu are ruled by Ungluab the Lich Queen.

Unglaub is former wizard exiled from the Celestial Kingdom of Xan for practicing the forbidden magic of necromancy. She used her profane powers to cheat death and emerged from her tomb as a lich. She leads armies of zombies and skeletons and other reanimated undead in her quest to one day return to and destroy the Celestial Kingdom.

Seir Golyat (Region)

The eastern edge of Nuuna rises to form the Seir Golyat mountains. The mountain valleys are inhabited by tribes of tall humanoid demi-giants called golyat  and bestial therans tribes. Grey-skinned orloks dwell in the caves of the mountains.

Stone giants occupy beautifully carved subterranean complexes deep under the roots of the mountains. Such complexes feature soaring vaulted ceilings and tall columns and are illuminated by glowing crystals.

The mountain peaks are also inhabited by all manner of flying beasts such as griffons, pegasi, and stone gargoyles. The mountain slopes and valleys are inhabited by four-armed mountain gorillas , giant lizards and giant spiders, and mountain trolls.

The Seir Golyat Mountains are riddled with the innumerable tunnels of abandoned mines. Mining colonies from Atlantis and Avallonis often employ rock-men miners from the subterranean land of Mokor and make use of local golyats and therans as guides and guards

Tsolin (City)

Tsolin is a walled trading outpost housed within the confines of an ancient caravan watering hole the desert of Shamo. Tsolin is a way point for pilgrims on their way to the ancient holy city of Xamballah in the Kunlun mountains.

Tsolin is a walled fortress with little in the way of architecture. The fort is surrounded by a stout defensive wall. Within can be found watering holes, hostels, stables, machine shops, mercantile shops, and offices for merchant companies and guides.

Tsolin lies at the crossroads of two of the ancient highways that connect the hundreds of ruined decaying pyramid cities across Plaksha. Tsolin conducts trade with the tarikiin as well as with representatives from the rival blue dragon kingdoms of Mavi-Sehir, Kali-Sehir, and Tarafsiz-Sehir. A few exiles from the nomadic tribes of bestial therans sometimes find their way to Tsolin but the tribes themselves prefer to maintain their isolation.

Uttara (Island)

Mysterious realm in the far north, west of Polaris, ruled by human wizards.

Vadi-Sehir (City)

Vadi-Sehir is a azi trading city-state in eastern Dalu located in the shadow of the Great Barrier of Mu.

Xamballa (City)

The city-state of Xamballa is located in the highland plateau of Kunlun on the continent of Plaksha. The ancient city-state is ruled by a god-king known as the Awakened Immortal and is defended by mystical warrior-monks. As part of their initiation, the warrior-monks must spend a period of several years travelling the world of Antara righting wrongs and defending the weak and oppressed.

Xan (Kingdom)

The Celestial Kingdom of Xan in northern Plaksha is ruled by the Celestial Dragon King Xan, a gold dragon and powerful sorcerer. The Celestial Kingdom is a dragon kingdom with a sizable population of free humans. Within the Celestial Kingdom, the hierarchy of power belongs to the golden dragons, the azi subjects, the human subjects, the kavrita subjects, and slaves.  Although humans are considered subjects of the dragon emperor, Xan is a benevolent ruler and the humans that live within his domain are treated well and enjoy many freedoms. Many human nobles enjoy positions of importance and favor at least as high as the azi nobles in the dragon king's court.

The Celestial Kingdom controls all of the seven cities along the northwest coast of Plaksha with towering fortresses and prosperous ports. The arid wastes of the interior, a region known as the Shamo desert, Ancient Anaean ruins dot the landscape.

The Celestial Kingdom fights a seemingly endless war against the Scourge from the east.

Xoth (Region)

The southeast portion of Agartta is dominated by the dark jungles of Xoth. The jungles are inhabited by cannibals and strange creatures twisted by magic residue from the destruction of Nedula-Madhya.

Yedred (City, Region)

A technologically advanced industrial kingdom located in the far south of Antara on the continent of Mu. The region gains its name from the walled city located in its interior. The city of Yedred is also known as the City at the End of Time. It is believed that the human inhabitants of Yedred are transplants from a far future epoch who have become trapped in the current age of Antara. Yedred is a close ally of the matons of Makina.  The two city-states are allied against the Empire of Atlantis, whom they consider a mutual rival, and the expansionist forces of the Scourge. 

Ys (Island, City, Kingdom)

The city-state of Ys is located on the island that bears its name a few hundred miles off the northeast coast of Atlantis. The city-state is ruled by a representative elected by the six prosperous mercantile houses that control the city. The city-state is a neutral location for mercantile trade, diplomacy, and intrigue. It is protected by a powerful magical artifact capable of destroying any unwanted craft that approaches by sea or sky.

Zazamanc (Continent)

Zazamanc is a vast continent on the equator of Antara dominated by dense jungles in the north, east, and west. The interior and southern coast is an arid desert plain known as Neph. The southwest coast is a rugged mountainous region and highland plateau. Several volcanic mountain ranges dominate the skyline of Zazamanc.

The deserts of the western coast of Zazamanc is inhabited by the last remnants of the crumbling Odum civilization.

The peninsula of Chult in western Zazamanc was once the home of a powerful city-state of Omu built upon the wealth of its gold mines. That city-state fell several hundred years ago with the depletion of the mines and the rise of the living dead in the surrounding lands. In time the city was abandoned and its location was lost as the descendants of its former inhabitants fled to the walled city of Port Nyanzaru on the coast.

The northwest coast of Zazamanc is also home to many ruined cities, the last remnants of the kingdom of Styx. It is believed that the ancient necromancers of Styx learned magic from the undying nagini sorcerers that once ruled an empire that dominated all of Bres, Zazamanc, and Plaksha.

The jungles of Zazamanc teem with life, most notably massive saurians. They are also home to tribes of barbarians, yellow-skinned pygmies known as batiri, and large leather-winged flying reptile-men known as pratras. Rumors also speak of the reawakening of the ancient nagini.