70 Chapter 2: Gazetteer of tal’Dorei
cave-in that followed released an immense amount of pre-
viously contained volcanic gasses into Wittebak.
Over a thousand gnomes suffocated that night. The sur-
vivors fled into the mountains, assailed by hungry giants
as they ran. The gnomes have found unlikely refuge in
Kraghammer, but Wittebak has been abandoned entirely,
choked by caustic gas and locked in a terrible moment in
time. The giants that caused the gnomes to flee now call
the hot springs their ancestral home, and flourish within
their unchallenged territory.
Today, Wittebak is three distinct tiers of death and
despair. Creatures that need to breathe can survive the
gases in the widest, uppermost level—the Tinkerer’s
Tier—for a number of hours equal to their Constitution
modifier, and take 1d6 poison damage each minute after
that time. The hill giants that live within have adapted the
gas and do not fear it.
The middle level—the Homesteads—is heavy with gas,
and the quaint gnomish homes on this level are filled with
the decomposed remains of those too slow to escape. Visi-
bility is poor here, and tiny streams of hot water leak from
the walls, waterfalling into the level below. The gas here
begins inflicting damage after only a single hour.
The bottommost Engine Core is a mechanical marvel,
a titanic wheel of rusted iron and shining steel with no
known purpose. This level is completely flooded and filled
with merrow, and is the lair of a sea hag named Mau-
vlettir. Adventurers aware of the demonic origin of the
merrow will find their presence here deeply unsettling—
what was the purpose of the secret lower level?Serpent’s Head
Thordak only flew to the Cliff keep Mountains once
during his occupation of Emon. No one living knows
why the nearly-invincible Cinder King left his prized city
to attack a single, isolated mountaintop village, but the
ruins of Serpent’s Head prove he did. Serpent’s Head is a
squat mountain in the southern reaches of the Cliff keep
Mountains. Its people were mostly dwarves and humans,
miners and farmers. They had no militia to speak of, and
most had already evacuated to Kraghammer when news of
Emon’s fall reached them—but not everyone.
The village that surrounds the Serpent’s Head mountain
is now nothing more than ash, and the immolated corpses
of its people lay buried beneath the cinders. The mountain
itself was transformed into a small volcano by Thordak’s
magic, and mindless cinderslag elementals (see pg. 130)
endlessly prowl the village’s shattered buildings and for-
tifications. Earth tremors have cracked the foundation
of the keep’ that lay at the center of the village, reveal-
ing deep magma caverns filled with precious diamonds
infused with chaotic magic. Occasionally, small rifts to
the Elemental Plane of Fire flash open within the depths,
and sporadic groups of azer and salamanders have found
their way through. The two factions have made camp in
the lower caverns, and both struggle for a foothold in the
Material Plane.Te r ra h
Village • Population: 673
(64% Human, 21% Dwarf, 15% Other)
Sheltered within a cauldron-like valley miles deep into the
northern mountain range lies the home of the Terrah tribe
of the Ashari people. Long have they stood watch over the
exposed rift to the Elemental Plane of Earth, protecting
the ever-quaking ground of this crumbling valley. Those
without druidic power have dug long trenches around their
village to protect their people against rockslides that roll off
the mountains, while a handful of mighty druids use their
magic to reshape the valley and rebuild damaged structures.
Living off of mainly hunted game and scavenged fungus,
the Terrah people are stockily built warriors of stubborn
mind and immense pride and loyalty. Precious jewelry is
heralded as a sign of station and respect, and the trade is
well-regarded. The mountains that surround the rift seem to
shake with rage, and from their angry slopes rise a constant
source of earth elementals and dust mephits that seek to
undo all that the Terrah have created, leading the Ashari to
sleep in shifts while keeping aware of any sudden shifts in
seismic activity. Pa’tice is the current Heart of the Mountain
of the Terrah tribe, and while tenacious and ornery to many,
this venerable warrior has boundless appreciation and sup-
port for those who prove honorable and self-reliant.terrah aDventures
DepenDable as stone
For high-level characters: The Terrah people are insular
and dutiful, and rarely take sides in any conflict. How-
ever, sometimes times of great peril require that even the
Ashari go to war. Whatever the conflict, the PCs must
convince the Terrah to join their cause. Pa’tice meets with
them and grimly states that the Terrah cannot aid them
because a terrible new threat has come through the portal.
The Stonesight Council, four medusas aided by two gor-
gons, now command the elementals descending from the
peaks around Terrah. Kill them, Pa’tice says, and perhaps
the Terrah can join you.Umbra Hills
The Battle of the Umbra Hills, the climactic battle of the
Scattered War and the death knell of the Kingdom of Dras-
sig, transformed the floral, sun-dappled Emerald Highlands
into a blasted wasteland. A tide of demonic blood spilled
across the highlands like fire, and cursed the land forever.
Generations have passed, but the heather that once grew
on these hills is as black and burnt as the day of the battle.
No animals live here, and the only plant that grows in the
Umbra Hills now is shadegrass. Its ash-gray stalks are dry
and far from filling, but its unique, acrid flavor has drawn
the interest of spice traders worldwide, drawing wealthy
merchants to hire armed escorts for their spice-pickers.
Though no animals live here, danger still lurks within
the Umbra Hills. Undead soldiers rise from the grass