Map of Tablelands
"Beyond Tyr, who knows what we'll meet? Maybe earthquakes, scouring sand squalls, monstrous abominations, attacks by violent raiders... sure you're up for the trip?" -- Shahin, dune trader.
Stretching from the foothills of the Ringing Mountains to the Great Ivory Plain and from the Lost Oasis to the Dragon's Bowl, the Tablelands are a vast territory of sand, stone, and scrub plains. The picturesque mesas and buttes for which the region is named jut from the plains or rise like broken ramparts from the badlands, painted in broad stations of orange, yellow and ocher. These ancient lands, inhabited by a wide variety of almost all the speaking peoples of Athas, hold dusty trading posts, hidden villages, and crumbling ruins.
When city-dwelling Athasians think of deserts and desert people, they usually picture the Tablelands and its denizens. In fact, some city residents use the term "Tablelands" to describe everything between the Ringing Mountains and the Sea of Silt.
The Tablelands are a true cross-section of Athas. Here one finds herders, elven tribes, raiders, dwarf miners, trading posts, and ruins teeming with savage marauders. Scores of tiny hamlets, remote camps, and nomadic tribes call this area home.
Through the clear, dry air, the midnight sky was a black as the Dragon's heart. The parched Tablelands were lit by the pinpoint brillance of a thousand unchanging stars. The brutal heat of day yielded to the bone-numbling cold of night, as it had every other day in both living memory and enduring legend. Days, years, and mortal lives churned relentlessly from birth to death. The cycles were endless and invariable.
Nine city-states clung to life in the Tablelands. Until recently, they were ruled by powerful Sorcerer-Kings, both tyrants and protectors. Now, only five remain; the other state-cities are cast into chaos and violent strife. Soon, the desert may swallow them, as it has so many times before. The wastes are riddled with the ruins of cities long dead.
Two city-states dominate the Tablelands: Tyr and Urik. Tyr claims the broad central belt, and Urik's influence extends over the northern portion.
History[]
With the death of King Kalak of Tyr the old rivalry has taken on a new complexion. Tyr's revolutionaries dream of spreading their uprising to new cities, while Hamanu of Urik plots to seize Tyr's iron mines and extend his control all the way to Tyr's walls. However, there is a difference between what each city claims and what it truly controls. Outside a narrow belt of patrols and outposts ringing the two cities, the only laws a traveler need worry about are the laws of the desert: Trust no one, guard your water, and watch where you step.
Backgrounds[]
4th edition[]
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Endurance.
Language: Thri-Kreen.
Sources[]
- Dark Sun Campaign Setting. (2010) Dungeon & Dragons 4th Edition. Wizards of the Coast, by Richard Baker, Robert J. Schwalb, and Rodney Thompson.
- The Brazen Gambit. Dark Sun: Chronicles of Athas #1, by Lynn Abbey.
- Athas.org.