Khazad

Khazad is a strange and largely unknown realm located at the furthest northwestern reaches of Talislanta. Inaccessible to all but the most determined travelers, its terrain is exceptionally forbidding.

Geography and Access

Access to the interior is denied by significant natural barriers:

• West: Precipitous cliffs running the length of the coast.
• East: A ridge of high mountains.
• North: Fields of ice and snow, bordering the dreaded Midnight Sea.
• Southeast: Perilous, rock-strewn waters of the Gulf of Silvanus.

Environment

According to accounts from Sarista tribes and hardy adventurers, the interior of Khazad is bleak and unsettling:

• Flora: Patches of bleached and barren gall oak and deadwood stand like skeletons against a dreary purple-grey sky.
• Landscape: Broken hills, moors, quagmires, and stagnant ponds.
• Atmosphere: The air is heavy with the smell of moldering vegetation and exudes an ancient, unsettling quality.

Ancient Ruins and Burial Grounds

Scattered throughout the country are the remains of a long-forgotten civilization:

• The Crypts: Vast burial grounds to the north, marked by stone cenotaphs and mausoleums engraved with obscure symbols.
• The Thane: Scholars theorize these ruins are the final resting places of the Thane, ancient ancestors of the Black Savants of Nefaratus. [^1]

Necron: The City of the Dead

Legend tells of a vast complex of ruins far to the north called Necron.

• The Legend: The Sarista call it the “City of the Dead,” believing it to be the mummified remains of an entire population.
• The Curse: It is said that the city is cursed and that entering it means certain death. [^2]

[^1]: Massive sarcophagi of strange design have been found in some crypts, containing humanoid remains. [^2]: Some believe the Sarista spread these tales to keep grave robbers away from their own plundering grounds.