Page 126 - Serpent Kingdoms

REALMS

through a recently revived partnership with the Knights of the Sea and the Great Sea and between the Firelands and the Ser-
Shield, a secretive organization of spies active in Amn, Calim- pent Deeps). If ease of shipping was Labrand’s goal, he failed,
shan, and Tethyr. since the fi erce tides that rage through the tunnel as a result of
the airshafts render it all but impassable to ships. Furthermore,
Major Geographical Features the surging waters that boil from the passage also make naviga-
tion around Cape Talath and near the head of the Thinguth
The Tashalar is a widely varied region that supports a variety extremely treacherous.
of geographical features. Tashalar Basin: The Tashalar Basin lies at the heart of the
Cape Talath: This prominent cape is known for its tower- Tashtan Coast, encircled by the Hazur Mountains. Dotted with
ing cliffs and the fi erce tides that endanger any ship that dares groves of olive trees and vineyards and blessed with warm and
the surrounding waters. The centuries-old subterranean passage sunny weather, the Tashalar Basin is a lovely and fertile vale.
known as Labrand’s Folly (see below) gives rise to these surging Outside of Tashluta, the basin supports a few small farming
waves, and all navigators of the Tashtan Coast give this promon- villages in the central valley and several large merchant estates,
tory a wide berth. most of which are located on the fl anks of the encircling peaks
Delphin Mountains: The eastern spur of the northern and along the northern shore. Most monsters native to the area
Hazur Mountains, east of the Tashan Gap, is known locally as have been long since slaughtered or driven south into the Black
the Delphin Mountains. Nominally forming the eastern border Jungles, although agents of the yuan-ti lurk in most communi-
of the Tashalar, the peaks of this range are the demesne of a ties. Periodic incursions of scaled and scaleless undead emerging
tribe of short-tempered stone giants. From their enormous rock from the many barrows that dot the region are perhaps the
mansions situated on remote peaks, they trade gems for fi ne greatest threat to security, but ancient weapons are sometimes
wine, and access to ancient serpentfolk ruins and lore for dragon recovered from such barrows after their former inhabitants have
turtle meat. been put to rest.
Hazur Mountains: The Hazur Mountains form a natural Tashan Gap, The: The Tashan Gap, with its low, jungle-
border between the Tashalar, Thindol, and the Black Jungles. covered peaks, divides the Delphin Mountains from the rest of
The scattered gold and iron mines in the northwestern Hazur the Hazur chain. This section of the Black Jungles is actually a
Mountains produce suffi cient minerals to support the economies montane cloud forest, perpetually cloaked in mist. All travelers
of both the Tashalar and Thindol. The mines on the northern moving between the Tashalar Basin and the Lapal Sea must pass
and eastern slopes are operated by Tashalarans, while those on through the Tashan Gap, since the surrounding mountains are
the southern and western slopes are owned by small communi- too rough and steep for passage.
ties of Thindolese gold dwarves. Clusters of salamanders emerge This section of the mountains is home to a small tribe of fog
periodically from abandoned mineshafts that lead down into the giants who have long been allied with the Se’Sehen tribe. The
Burning Rift in the Underdark, beneath the Jungles of Chult. giants lair in the ruins of an unnamed fortress built millennia
Soldiers from Thindol patrol the western slopes in the southern ago during the Couatl-Yuan-ti Wars.
half of the range, while the eastern slopes are stalked by the
Se’Sehen and Jennestas yuan-ti tribes of the Black Jungles. In Important Sites
the center of the range, deep shafts lead down into the depths,
delivering blasts of fresh air to the subterranean waterway The Tashalar features several sites of interest to adventurers.
known as Labrand’s Folly. Abbey of Tharynd: In the mountains east of the Tashan
Labrand’s Folly: In the Year of the Whipped Cur (336 DR), Gap, the followers of Selûne have established a subterranean
a Halruaan wizard named Labrand came into possession of the abbey in a great natural cavern. At the center of the cavern is
Crown of the Mountain, an ancient artifact now worn by Va- the Moonshaft Pool, which lies directly beneath a great natural
lamaradace, the Dragon Queen of the Silver Marches. He used shaft that opens to the sky above. Side caverns lead off into the
the powers of the crown to carve a subterranean waterway from Underdark, and dangerous monsters occasionally emerge from
the tip of Cape Talath to the head of the Thingulph in Thindol. below to attack the Moonmaiden’s followers. The Pool of Thar-
Airshafts dot the tunnel at random intervals, opening up in the ynd is said to have many magical powers, and waters taken from
heights of the western Hazur Mountains (including the bottom it retain the properties of moondraught (see Magic of Faerûn)
of one old quarry). for at least a day.
Exactly what Labrand hoped to accomplish by carving the Many pilgrims from the city of Sammaresh travel to and
tunnel is unclear, although most suspect that he intended to from the abbey, despite the hazards that such trips entail and
create a lucrative trade route between the Shining Sea and the the need to cross into the Tashalar from Lapaliiya. Because of
Great Sea that would negate the need for a long sea voyage the popularity of this journey, the Moonmaiden’s followers have
around the Horn of Chult. Whatever Labrand intended, his established a series of waystations along the path that threads
passage has become home to the water-dwelling yuan-ti of the through the mountains. Pilgrims are granted free passage along
Sseradess tribe and the kuo-toa of Gathgoolgapool (a city-state the trail, but others must pay a small toll. The trail turns south
in the middle Underdark, located midway between the Shining and leads into the Black Jungles just beyond the abbey, but that

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