his subjects. A guard might swear "by Jarant's crown"
to emphasize an edict, and the yuan-ti who owned
the keys to my shackles referred to Najara's laws as
"Jarant's will."
No one knows why Jarant chose the time he did to
make public his kingdom's sovereignty, or what he hoped
to gain by such an act. The yuan-ti ambassadors he sent
forth made their king's wishes clear to the nations they
visited: leave Najaran prosperity alone, and discourage
intruders (such as adventuring types) from violating
Najaran borders to steal the fortunes of the serpentfolk.
In return, the serpents promised that any caravans
and other legitimate travelers passing through Najara's
dominion would be unharmed and unhindered-as long
as they don't stray from the main route.
Reaction among the places approached raged from
one extreme to the other. Darkhold reportedly feted
the ambassadors well, and the serpentfolk left with not
only an agreement from the Zhentish lords, but also an
offer of a possible future military alliance. Not surpris-
ingly, Elturgard refused the edict outright-and in the
process of expressing that refusal, bloodshed erupted.
The paladins slew all but one of the ambassadors, and
sent the survivor back to Jarant's court to communicate
their answer.
The other responses to the Najaran ambassadors fell
somewhere in between. Acceptances and refusals to
cooperate, usually polite, trickled in, but regardless of
their substance,Jarant's goal had been accomplished:
Najara's neighbors now saw the realm as a nation, no
matter whether they viewed it as a potential ally or foe.
The economy ofNajara, such as it is, depends on
slaves to exist. Slavery is arguably the only actual trade
conducted in Najara, with the ruins ofThlohtzin in the
Forest ofWyrms serving as a gathering place for those
who would stoop so low as to sell slaves to the yuan-ti.
Different factions among the Najarans have agents
waiting near Thlohtzin, each hoping to strike a bargain
with slavers before others arrive. Slaves with unusual
abilities or specialized knowledge sometimes set off
bidding wars among the yuan-ti. I fear that such was the
fate of that apprentice who accompanied me out of the
High Moor.
To everyone of any influence who might read this,
heed my words: do not be misled. The serpents do
not intend to coexist peacefully-they merely wish to
use their strange diplomacy as a cloak and a shield, to
protect them against the vigilance of others until they
are ready to put their plans, whatever they may be,
into fruition.
THE COURT OF THE SERPENT KING
I was imprisoned in Ss'khanaja, a mostly subterranean
city on the Winding Water, where gathers the court of
Kingjarant.
During my time in the custody of the Najarans, I
learned much about-and from-Dhosun Silverscale. A
yuan-ti pureblood 'in Najara, Dhosun acts as a councilor
to the king and often seeks to mitigatejarant's excesses.
I believe that the sending out of the ambassadors was
Dhosun's idea, for while I was imprisoned, he visited me
several times, asking what I knew of the arts of embassy
and ambassadorship. From the talk at court, Dhosun
makes no secret of his desire to help his king build a
nation whose status equals or outmatches other realms
across the face of Faen1n. Jarant keeps him near, it is
said, because of all the king's courtiers, Dhosun is the
likeliest to attempt to steal away the Marlspire. Whether
or not he is capable of such an act, I found the yuan-ti
naga to be honorable-it was he who secretly arranged
the opportunity I needed to escape, and I know he has
done likewise for others in the past. I owe him a debt I
intend to repay one day.
Another figure of note in the court is the cunning
green dragon Emikaiwufeg, often called the Emerald
Daughter. She is young for a dragon and still small
enough to fit in tunnels leading down to Jarant's audi-
ence chamber.Jarant is said to appreciate the twists
and turns of her wit. Some courtiers believe that she is
frequently kept to hand as a foil to Dhosun, as her slickly
vicious nature offsets the Dhosun's more honorable ten-
dencies. For my part, I believe she's biding her time. A
great many metallic dragons dwell in the Serpent Hills,
and a clear rival for mates, wealth, and power-the
green dragon known as Ralionate-lives in the nearby
forest of Wyrms.
A variety of advisors and hangers-on can be found
withinjarant's court, which is a dangerous place. A
trio of yuan-ti warlocks, who claim to have tapped into
the vestiges of the ancient serpent deity once wor-
shiped at Ss'thar'tiss'ssun, leads the yuan-ti of Najara,
though at court they frequently lurk in the background,
simply watching.SERPENT HILLS
The Serpent Hills is a desolate region of red clay hills
and deep, treacherous ravines, featuring stretches of
rough, ridged land surrounding tall mesas. Only scrub
can manage to grow here, tenaciously clinging to the
dry clay. Beneath this perilous territory-filled with
serpents and poisonous creatures of all manner-lie the
Serpent Ways, a series of intricate, well-guarded tunnels
interspersed with caverns and chambers. The pas-
sages serve as the main pathways for the folk of Najara
through these lands; indeed, it was while resting within
such a cavern that the half-elf apprentice and I were
captured by yuan-ti. I have since learned that in general,
the serpents don't care who tromps over the hills, so
long as they stay out of the places under them. The Naja-
ran capital city, Ss'khanaja, is found in the northwest
of the Serpent Hills, but an even larger population of
snakefolk live beneath the surface. It is common to find
settlements inside the large underground chambers
connected by the tunnels, excavations many centu-
ries in age.MARSH OF CHELIMBER
I didn't have occasion to travel to Chelimber before my
"sojourn" with the Narajan court, but I did ask Dhosun
about the place. It was through those questions that
he divined my intention to escape, in fact, and offered
his aid. A vast marshland pocked with sulfurous pools
that often gout their steaming contents high into the
air, the marsh is inhospitable even to most serpents;