The World’s Edge and Beyond
Connects to: 29.14.04, 29.14.11, 37.01, 40.06 and 46.00.
Fools and loudmouths often claim that east of the Kingswood lies the very edge of the world itself, though any man who claims as such has clearly never seen it with his own two eyes. The truth is almost as strange. Beyond the Broken Spear (40.06) and the Mirror Lake (37.01) are the accursed reaches of World’s Edge - a stretch of dank, uninhabited scrubland which is cut short suddenly by an enormous precipice. There are lands to the east of World’s Edge, but they are almost a mile lower than the upper lands of the Kingswood. From the top of the cliff, one can see a great expanse of undisturbed forest, like a silent sea. The cliff itself is composed chiefly of limestone, and is generally quite sheer. Even those places where a path may be discerned are treacherous with crumbling rock.
Few men travel in the lands below World’s Edge, for they are the domain of strange monsters. Even the kobolds and gnolls of the Spear choose to avoid the areas near the cliff. The savage forest below is inhabited solely by ravenous beasts, with not even the mocking semblance of civilization given to the demihuman races. Occasionally rumors spread of a human traveller coming up World’s Edge, but most likely this is mere fancy.
What is known for a fact is that the creatures of the forest sometimes climb up the cliff and encroach upon the world above. Enormous reptiles, primeval beasts and half-breed monstrosities are all common threats in the areas of World’s Edge. When they come too close to the Broken Spear, the kobolds and gnolls will sometimes band together to drive these monsters away. Strangely, no such interlopers have ever been sighted within the bounds of the Kingswood.
The Air Down There
Perhaps you have climbed Mount Scorshia (02.03) and felt the air grow cold and thin so that you must fight it for breath. We can see from this that air is chained to the earth by the works of ancient elementals and nowhere do the chains bind tighter than in the jungles that lay in the sunken lands beyond the World’s Edge.
There the air is thick, so thick that you can almost feel it gripping you with its damp fingers. While barely breathing a man can draw enough wind to feed his lungs and the great beasts that grow large in this jungle gasp and wheeze and often die if taken into the upper world. Just as the thick air seems to feed the beasts of this land, it feeds any fires that are started which would rage with a fury to rival those of the Burning Lands if it were not for all the wet. But enough of all this talk, I know what you want me to tell you of. About how I strapped canvas wings to my arms and flew above the trees. You see, when the air is thick enough you can fly like a bird…
The Hoard
The ambitions of the Hoard (33.00) know no bounds. They have sent several expeditions over the Edge to establish trading posts beneath the ground.
The rugged dwarves that undertake these duties bring their wagons out of Titan’s Skull (33.00) and lower them by the Misplaced Obelisk (46.01). They then spread out through the jungles and hills of the World Beyond.
Barca Enmordet (49.03) is one example.
Hex Summary
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43.08 (The Weeper’s Tower): the wisest of elven sages lives here at the top of a mile-high waterfall.
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44.03 (The Fallsalt Mines): something is going wrong in this remote salt mine.
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45.09 (The Kobold Exodus): a huge migration of kobolds is swarming up this segment of the World’s Edge.
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46.01 (The Misplaced Obelisk): strange creatures are seen around this Jahari obelisk.
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46.02 (The Disciples of Cleramon): bards and enchanted table salt can be a dangerous combination.
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46.06 (The Lair of the Grey Worm): it feeds on the su-giraffes that water here.
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46.10 (The Lost Lighthouse): an ancient lighthouse now lying in ruin with mad anti-elven graffiti marking the walls.
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47.00 (The Cloud Forests): the source of the poisons favored by the Smiling Men.
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47.11 (The Wedge-Stone): the stone prevents the Keening Sea from draining down and drowning the jungles beyond the World’s Edge.
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49.03 (Strike the Earth): the most remote outpost of the dwarven Hoard.
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49.09 (The Forest of Falling Bears): better wear a hat.
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49.11: this ruined temple swarms with harpies.
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50.03 (The Bone Heap): due to the habits of carnivorous constipated hoarlephants there is a vast pile of bones here from many species.
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50.04 (Gatherer-of-Bones): bone golems are busy at work sorting the bones of the Bone Heap.
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50.11 (Birds of Paradise): all who harm them are cursed, which is exploited by men of devious minds.
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51.12 (Melnir’s Mount): the ancient mage raised a volcano here to keep the Keening Sea in its bed.
Connections
- The Maw (46.00) is a great canyon that extends from the World’s Edge deep into the Grey Mountains.
- Many of the strange beasts than can be found beyond the World’s Edge were once penned in the Menagerie of Pandelar (29.14.04). The orcs of Grumlada are eager customers of these beasts (29.14.11).
Hooks
- What cataclysm caused World’s Edge to take its current shape?
- Are the rumors true, about travellers emerging from the savage forest?
- Why is there no civilization beyond the cliffs?
- Where do the monsters of the forest come from, and what makes them different from those of the world above?
