Nar represent a break with the dominance of jungles
and glaciers. While the region has forests (the Gloamwood)
and mountains (the Shields of Sunset), most
of Nar is broad, rolling plains—the continent’s only
wide-open land.
The region is known as a birthplace of conquerors,
most notably Kal Keor the Terrible, who united the
clans of Nar into the Jandar Horde, then marched east,
sacking multiple city-states and founding a short-lived
empire before being assassinated by sorcery in 2035
AR. Many of the clans of Nar claim Kal Keor as an
ancestor, most notably the Kal Keori (described below).
Along the northern and southern coasts of Nar are
two unusual city-states: Katagia, Last Bastion of Atlantis,
and Orech, City of Mazes. Each city has a particular
obsession. Katagia will stop at nothing to return to
the glory days when Atlantis was a center of learning
and culture. Orech, fallen deeply under control of
Hastur, is a city that literally drives its denizens mad in
service to the King in Yellow.
At the center of the Highlands of Nar are the Jandar
plains, named for the broad, glittering River Jandar that
lows from the foothills of the western mountains along
the length of Nar, emptying into Lake Haal near the
city-state of Thran. For most of its journey, the Jandar
acts as both the metaphoric spine and circulatory system
for the region. Every tribesman hunting game knows in
which direction the river lies almost instinctively, and
vast herds of mammoths and bison spend their entire
lives within a day or two of the Jandar.
The river’s flow varies greatly by season, rising when
spring snowmelt makes the river flood, then tapering
of throughout the summer and slowing to a trickle by
winter. The variable flow makes the river less useful for
both travel and irrigation. Kal Keor himself hired sages
to study how waterworks could tame the Jandar River,
but he died and his empire fell apart before those plans
could come to fruition.
At any one given time, dozens of wandering
barbarian tribes follow the great herds, making war
against each other and sometimes roaming as far as
Dhar Mesh or the Claws of Imystrahl. The two most
powerful are the Narthans and the Kal Keori, though
a third tribe, the Mudrak, has emerged from the
Gloamwood and ravaged the northeastern reaches of
the Jandar Plains.
Narhame: The home settlement of the Narthan
tribe, Narhame swells to the size of a large town when
the mammoth migrations are nearby, but it’s only a
village once the mammoths move on. The Narthan
are hunter-gatherers at heart, but they use metal tools
and weapons, and it’s impractical to bring a blacksmith’s
forge from camp to camp. The tribe’s best artisans
and crafters remain in Narhame when most of the
tribe moves on.
Cairn of Kal Keor: After Kal Keor the Terrible’s
death in 2035 AR, his courtiers brought him back here
so he could “rest in Nar for eternity,” as he requested.
For the last 200 years, the Kal Keori tribe has set an
honor guard around this massive pile of stones; it
seems every two-copper necromancer in Thule has
designs on Kal Keor’s bones.
The Bonfires of Reth: Magical creations of the
now-extinct Reth tribe, these bonires serve as navigation
aids so the clans of Nar can travel by night.
hey also serve as impromptu meeting places and
good encampments for nomadic tribes. By custom, the
bonires are a place of peace to the tribes of Nar—but
some clans will break that custom given a good reason
to do so.
Melenos’s Plateau: Atop this broad plateau once
stood Castle Melenos, the creation of an Atlantean
noble who tried to settle there. Beset by monster attacks
and barbarian raids, Melenos returned to Atlantis in
shame, and his castle fell into ruin. Among many of
Nar’s tribes, it is a rite of passage to send youths up the
plateau to survive a night in the ruins, bringing back a
gray granite stone as proof they did so.
Shrine of the Widest Sky: his small temple to
Mithra is a pilgrimage destination; the clerics here use
weather magic to ensure that clouds never block the
sun overhead. Warriors dedicated to Mithra often pray
at the shrine before heading out into the surrounding
grassland, where herds of wild horses roam. From time
to time, horses of exceptional quality seem to seek out
pious and true champions of Mithra, and serve them
loyally thereafter.
THE NARTHANS
The mammoth hunters of the Narthan tribe are
among Thule’s bravest, attacking creatures a hundred
times their weight with only spears and axes. Consummate
hunter-gatherers, the Narthans use mammoth
hides, mammoth fur, mammoth bones, and
mammoth tusks in their tools, art, and structures.
And the mammoths are not just prey to be hunted;
some Narthans tame the mammoths to use as dray
animals or war-mounts.
The Narthan tribe has trod the plains of Nar for centuries;
the eldest among them claim that the name of
the region is taken from the name of their tribe. While
few Narthans can claim Kal Keor in their lineage, Kal
Keor’s second wife was a Narthan, and present-day
Narthans regard the long-ago conquests of the Jandar
Horde with some pride.
Most Narthans are content to spend their lives crisscrossing
the Highlands of Nar, following the herds of
mammoths wherever they go. It’s a large tribe, though,
and some clans among the Narthan aren’t above raiding
civilized settlements, making war on other tribes,
and even exploring the jungles of Dhar Mesh.
Narthans (including Jandari) (Large Tribe, pop. 24,500+)
The Mammoth Hunters, Tribe of the Tusk, Yaira’s Brood
The Narthan tribe is the archetypical tribe for the
region, distinguished mostly by their numbers and
their heritage in the region.
Authority: High Chief Rohei is the direct descendant of
Yaira, Kal Keor’s second wife and one of his closest
advisors. He’s been the high chief for less than
a year and is still trying to consolidate support
among the various clan heads (many of whom
are his aunts and uncles, which makes that effort
require some delicacy on Rohei’s part).
NPCs: The Narthan tribe is almost entirely human,
but there a few families of half-elves, descendants
of a wandering clan that allied with the
Narthans centuries ago.
Dendor is a clan leader among the Narthans,
known as “The Frowning One” even to his own
family. Moreso than most, he worries about
the threats that other tribes and outside inluences
pose to the Narthan way of life. Conversely,
he’s a loyal ally and friend to anyone
who has the interests of the Narthans at heart.
Zahiri is the best Narthan blacksmith, and in his
old age he’s become obsessed with the dwarven
secret of making steel. He’ll pay a steep
price for examples of dwarven metallurgy,
and he daydreams about somehow convincing
a dwarf to share those secrets with him.
Joskala was once one of the Narthan’s greatest
mammoth hunters, but she’s decided that
the great beasts no longer pose a sufficient
challenge. She sneaks away from the other
Narthans whenever she can to hunt more
dangerous game, including monsters and
well-armed travelers.
Trade: The Narthans are largely self-sufficient, but
they trade extra mammoth tusks to the civilized
world in exchange for inished jewelry and iron
tools and armor.
Concerns: The Narthans’ biggest concern is more
frequent incursions from the Kal Keori—and
more insulting behavior from them when the
two tribes gather at the same bonfires. At this
point, it won’t take much for the hostility to
erupt into all-out war.
Recently Joskala and some other scouts have
seen giants watching the mammoth herds from
atop nearby hills. Where did the giants come
from? And are they guarding the mammoths, or
hunting them as well?
THE KAL KEORI
The Kal Keori are a dark mirror of the Narthan tribe—
more warlike, more bloodthirsty, and more vulnerable
to internal dissent. They hunt and gather across the
Jandar Plains and the Highlands of Nar just as the
Narthans do, but they’re more apt to raid civilized
settlements on the fringes of Nar or make war on the
other highland tribes.
The tribe believes that they are the only true descendants
of Kal Keor the Terrible and the only ones
capable of uniting the tribes under the banner of another
Jandar Horde. The other Nar tribes are unwilling to
follow the Kal Keori very far, however, which just adds
to the resentment on all sides.
The Kal Keori spend their days hunting and raiding,
but at night, they sit before their campires and dream
of sacking the city-state of Thran on the edge of Dhar
Mesh. Rightly or wrongly, they blame the Black Circle
for Kal Keor’s assassination, and the Kal Keori have
elaborate dreams of revenge should they ever get their
hands on a black-robed wizard. So far they lack the
power to withstand Thran’s arcane magic. But with
enough allies, their long wait for vengeance might
finally end.
The Kal Keori (Large Tribe, pop. 13,800+)
Keepers of the Pillaging Flame, the Pallbearers, Spearpoint
of the Horde
Direct descendents of Kal Keor the Terrible,
the Kal Keori hope to gather the tribes into a new
Jandar Horde and sack the city-states to the east.
Authority: “The Great Kal” leads the tribe, taking
the hereditary title and spurning any former
names. The current Great Kal is an immense,
bearded man in his late 40s who is beginning
to despair that the Jandar Horde will never be
re-formed in his lifetime. He’s willing to consider
increasingly risky schemes if they’ll ensure
that his life’s dream doesn’t slip away.
NPCs: The Kal Keori are entirely human, and
they look down on any nonhumans, who by
deinition don’t have the blood of Kal Keor the
Terrible running through their veins.
Kal Sirin (f) is the tribe’s most inluential shaman
and a trusted confidante (and lover) of the
Great Kal. Sirin is greedy when it comes to
eldritch knowledge and will make any bargain
that gives the Kal Keori a magical edge.
Motroh (m) is one of the honor guard at the Cairn of
Kal Keor, though he often wanders afield to
hunt or to keep an eye on nearby travelers. The
youngest of the honor guard, he often gets permission
to act as a guide for travelers; Motro
and his chieftain split the pay for this service.
Kal Inna (f) leads one of Kal Keori’s more warlike
clans. For the last two years, Inna has been using
a combination of seduction and blackmail
to get chieftains of other tribes to fall in line
with the Kal Keori. So far she’s accomplished
more than the Great Kal has using more direct
means. Some other clan leaders wonder
why Kal Inna spurns amorous advances from
within the tribe.
Trade: The Kal Keori bring animal hides, tusks, and
looted goods to Katagia and occasionally Orech
in exchange for the products of civilization. The
Keori chieftains warn their envoys ahead of time
to resist the charms of urban life, but sometimes
those envoys never come back.
Concerns: The Great Kal is making headway with
the other tribes suddenly—success he attributes
to his personal charisma, not Inna’s seduction
and blackmail. The day will come when his
“personal magnetism” fails him and he can’t
understand why...
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