Page 129 - Serpent Kingdoms

REALMS

infi ltrating one city after another on the Chultan Peninsula and gods over looking to the church of Savras for answers to life’s
taking covert control of their operations. mysteries.

Thindol Major Geographical Features

Capitol: Thindar Thindol’s diverse geographical features provide a rich environ-
Population: 1,263,413 (humans 87% [Chultans 55%, Tashalans ment for its equally diverse peoples.
45%], gold dwarves 7%, kuo-toa 3%, lizardfolk 2%, yuan-ti Dolsel Gap, The: The jungle-covered peaks of the Dosel
1%) Gap divide the higher Guth Mountains from the rest of the
Government: Council of Cities Hazur chain. Like the Tashan Gap to the north, this sec-
Religions: Dwarven pantheon (gold dwarves), Savras, Squamata tion of the Black Jungles is actually a montane cloud forest,
the Black (Sseth [now Set]), Talona, Ubtao, Umberlee perpetually cloaked in mist. All travelers moving between
Imports: Grains, wine, wood. the Thindol Basin and the Lapal Sea must pass through the
Exports: Gold, iron, seafood, tropical fruits and vegetables, Dolsel Gap, since the surrounding mountains are too rough
weapons. and steep for passage. Thindolese warriors patrol the west-
Alignment: LG, LN, N, NE, CE ern end of the gap with unceasing vigilance, turning away
anyone who tries to enter their kingdom by this route, and
The Realm of Running Waters encompasses the entire Thindol the yuan-ti of the Jennestas tribe keep a similarly careful
Basin. Its lands are encircled by the Hazur Mountains to the watch on their end.
east and north, the Tching Mountains to the northwest, and In addition to roving troops of gambols MM2 , the Dolsel Gap is
the Sanrach Mountains to the west. At the heart of Thindol home to a thirst of crimson deaths MM2 . These voracious undead
lies the Thingulph, a large sheltered gulf that is fed by six major are the tortured spirits of Lapal slaves who were slaughtered
rivers and opens onto the Great Sea. The fl atlands of Thindol many centuries ago in a vile ceremony by the yuan-ti. They now
are covered by tall grass and scattered orchards, and the Hazur hunt serpentfolk, humans, and other sentient races indiscrimi-
Mountains contain productive veins of gold and iron suffi cient nately, although they always attack yuan-ti fi rst should a choice
to meet the local need. present itself. The defenders of Thindol are well aware of the
danger these monsters pose, yet they have left them unmolested
Life and Society as another defense against yuan-ti incursions.
Guth Mountains: The Dolsel Gap separates the south-
The realm of Thindol is rent by divisions along geographic, ernmost spur of the Hazur Mountains from the rest of the
racial, ethnic, class, and political lines. The northern city of chain. These low, heavily forested peaks are home to colonies
Narubel is all but independent, and the northwestern third of of blood apes MM2 and clusters of girallons. Legends speak of
the country is part of Thindol in name only. Lizardfolk are a City of Apes somewhere amidst these mountains, but no
barely tolerated here, and kuo-toa and serpentfolk are killed on evidence of such a place has ever come to light. (In truth,
sight. The gold dwarves of the Hazur Mountains are considered the only “City of Apes” is Ss’yin’tia’saminass in the Black
autonomous, so they are given no say in the governance of the Jungles.)
realm as a whole. The human population is divided into two Guthland, The: The eastern shores of the Thingulph are
ethnic groups: the Tashalans and the Chultans. The Guthland, as known as the Guthland. This term dates back to an era (–1732
the eastern shore of the Thingulph is known, is poor and back- DR to –189 DR) when the lizardfolk population of the west-
ward. Dominated by Chultans, it remains semi-autonomous. The ern Thindol Basin swelled so much that the Thinguth human
western half of the kingdom is wealthy and dominated by ethnic tribe was forced to withdraw to its easternmost holdings. The
Tashalans. Each major city gets one vote in the ruling council. Thinguth tribe has now spread across all of Thindol and Sama-
Since Tashalans have slim majorities in most of the cities, they rach, thanks in part to the dictates of the yuan-ti during the
effectively rule the realm despite their minority status in the heydey of Serpentes, but the Guthland remains their ancestral
population as a whole. homeland. In this region, Chultans make up 92% of the total
Mounts are almost unknown in Thindol, so transportation human population.
is usually by boat or on foot. Endless battles rage in the Hazur The Guthland is dotted with scattered hamlets, each sur-
Mountains between the gold dwarves and the kuo-toa, and rounded by bountiful orchards of mango, papaya, and pineapple
the yuan-ti continually test Thindol’s defenses from within trees. Delselar is the only city of any size, and its inhabitants
and without. Ophiophobia is rampant among the human are much poorer than people living elsewhere in Thindol. The
inhabitants, and eternal vigilance against the serpentfolk is eastern frontier of the Guthland is heavily fortifi ed, and its
the cultural norm. Most Chultans appease a handful of dark watchtowers line the foothills of the Hazur and Guth Moun-
powers (such as Talona and Umberlee) and nominally venerate tains as well as the western edge of the Dolsel Gap.
Ubtao. The Tashalans hold the same beliefs as their cousins River Dolsel: The River Dolsel is the heart of commerce
in the Tashalar, but they tend to favor appeasing the dark in the Guthland. Originating in the heart of the Dolsel Gap,

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