Hinterlands
The Hinterlands lie beyond the Ringing Mountains, running “west to the Jagged Cliffs and south toward the end of the world” in the words of the famed Wanderer of Athas. Some have described the Hinterlands as just a mirror region of the Tablelands, for the western slopes of the Ringing Mountains descend through sand-strewn canyons to a flat, empty plain. However, where the Tablelands consist of mostly stony barrens, the Hinterlands is made up of primarily scrub plains.
The other major difference is that, while the Tablelands holds the seat of Athasian civilization, the Hinterlands tends to lack settled communities (with a few exceptions). The eastern side of the Ringing Mountains serves as a mixing ground for the intelligent races, while the western side is relatively empty as far as intelligent societies are concerned.
Methods of travel[]
The level plains of the Hinterlands make most forms of travel relatively easy. Of course, as it’s nearly impossible to get riding animals and beasts of burden across the mountains, most travelers in the Hinterlands wind up walking. A few herds of wild kanks forage through the scrub fields, and an extremely limited number of recently discovered villages might have animals to sell, but in general even wealthy travelers have to rely on their own feet to get around.
Features of the Hinterlands[]
Game and forage are plentiful in the Hinterlands, as are sources of fresh water. However, as no trade roads exist and concentrated populations of people is sparse, finding an oasis among the scrub plains isn’t an easy feat.
Most oases don’t have worn paths leading to their locations, and travelers can walk for days without spotting a herd that they can follow to a nearby water hole.
The Hinterlands features much of the same terrain as the Tablelands, though some types have a subtle difference that travelers need to be aware of. The Hinterlands contain their own versions of stony barrens and scrub plains, but only a limited area of rocky badlands, mountains, and forests.
- A band of stony barrens extends between 5 and 30 miles from the base of the Ringing Mountain’s western slopes, a distance considerably more than the barrens found in the Tablelands. In most other respects, however, this area is the same as the stony barrens of the Tablelands.
- Scrub plains stretch in every direction, as level and as flat as a tabletop: An occasional tree and scattered clumps of bushes are all that disturb the expansive terrain. A constant, gentle breeze blows across the plains, stirring up a haze of gray-green dust that cuts visibility to barely half a mile. Animals inhabit the plains, but even their presence can’t dispel the eerie feeling of emptiness and desolation. Still, travelers will encounter feral herds of erdlus, wild mekillots, untamed kanks, and other creatures the likes of which don’t exist on the eastern side of the mountains.
- The only evidence of rocky badlands, mountains, and forests in the Hinterlands is in the vicinity of the Dragon's Crown mountains. The Silent Forest sits in the secluded valley, protected by a band of rocky badlands and the surrounding range.
Sources[]
- TSR2438. Dark Sun Campaign Setting Boxed. Expanded and Revised. TSR.