Connects to: 29.14.15.
In the hot deserts that cover much of the Burning Lands, there lies a black oasis surrounded by dunes. The trees that grow here never have leaves, and their roots all hang down into the stagnant water. If the corpse of a suicide is taken to this oasis and hung from one of the trees, then at midnight the dead one will wake again. Known as the Grey Revenants, these undead creatures are pitiless, tireless and durable beyond all mortal constraints. However, if the tree from which they were hung is ever cut down, then the Grey Revenant will die.
The Smiling Men of Shuttered (29.14.15) know this place. When they can get their hands on a fresh suicide, they will pickle the body in a barrel and have it shipped across the Keening Sea. From there, the barrel will be carried down the caravan route through the fire plains, though only the elite agents of the Smiling Men know the precise location of the oasis. It is worth all the trouble in the end, for a Grey Revenant’s utter lack of remorse makes them perfect for the role of assassin.
Subhex:
- 43.27.01 (The Graveyard of the Painted Elephants): the gnolls revere the painted elephants that come here to die.
Hooks:
- What’s in the oasis and why is it black?
- That’s a pretty specific ritual. How did the Smiling Men find out about it? Did somebody tell them?
- Where does the caravan route lead to? Who travels the route, and what dangers are there?
- Any notable Grey Revenants among the Smiling Men? Are there any other Revenants who aren’t Smiling Men?
The Graveyard of the Painted Elephants
Hex 43.27.01
Connects to: 51.29.
When the painted elephants of the Burning Lands feel their steps faltering and their eyesight blurring, they travel to the Elephant Graveyard where they gracefully die.
