The northwestern highlands of Katapesh form a natural barrier between the nation’s heartland and its neighbors, Osirion to the north and the Mwangi Expanse to the west. The Brazen Peaks also cut Katapesh off from much of the western rainfall that makes the Mwangi Expanse so lush, trapping it in mountain lakes and on snow-capped peaks only to run down deep-cut canyons during the spring thaw and cross the dry plains and grasslands.

The highlands are a wilder place than the great cities of the coast, a frontier land inhabited by hardy folk who subsist off the land, often near life-giving sources of water.

It is also a region filled with untamed wilderness and savage creatures, not the least of which are barbaric tribes of gnolls dwelling in the peaks. The laws of Katapesh, such as they are, apply equally to the highlands, but the reach of the mysterious lords of the land rarely extends so far. So the highland folk are used to handling their own problems, and fully expect to be on their own when they arise. By the same token, they are used to being left alone and forging their own way, making them independent to the point of stubbornness.

Presented here are a number of the locations found in the vicinity of Pale Mountain, deep in the Uwaga Highlands, as well as an exploration of the beasts that make these trecherous reaches their home.

Highlands Gazetteer

Although Pale Mountain towers over its surroundings in both height and infamy, the lands around the ghostly spire hold dangers and wonders all their own. Noted here are just a few of the best-known locales within a few days’ travel of Kelmarane and Pale Mountain.

Bronze Hook (#19)

This trading town nestled in the foothills of the Brazen Peaks was once along a caravan route from Ipeq to Solku in the south, and earned a healthy living ferrying goods and passengers across the Pale River, charging tolls for the use of the Hook Ford Bridge. As the trade route has fallen into disuse, so too have Bronze Hook’s fortunes slid. The town subsists off of what little trade trickles along the old road, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so Bronze Hook increasingly asks no questions about “trade” passing through the town or across (or along) the river. This includes slavers of various sorts and their miserable cargoes, exotic creatures, and things coming out of the Bronze Peaks. The constabulary is hard-pressed to keep order in town whenever a substantial number of visitors passes through, bringing with them coin and opportunities to drink and brawl in the local taprooms. That the authorities are often on the take and more likely to be found starting brawls than breaking them up doesn’t help, either.

The Chalk Cliffs (#12)

A deep box canyon near the headwaters of the Hammerfalls, the Chalk Cliffs are actually primarily limestone, cut by ancient water flows and centuries of wind.

The pale stone hosts only hardy scrub plants able to cling and dig into small cracks and crevasses seeking collected rainwater. The Chalk Cliffs are also honeycombed with small caves and openings, now home to a pale-skinned flock of gargoyles, their chalky hides blending into the color of the cliffs. The gargoyles hunt in the surrounding mountains and nest in the high places of the cliffs, accessible only by ancient, worn trails perhaps once used by mountain dwarves. There’s some evidence the dwarves of the Hammerfalls once quarried stone from the Chalk Cliffs, and perhaps dug other mines, now used as lairs by the gargoyles and other creatures.

The Giant’s Steps (#17)

The two small freshwater lakes to either side of the old trade route became known as the “Giant’s Steps” for their resemblance to a pair of footprints in muddy ground, filled in with water. Various local legends claim they were actually made by a giant or titan in ages past, and their water is especially potent because of it. All anyone knows now is the Steps are some of the first relief Osirion caravans headed south encounter upon entering the highlands. Indeed, that is how they came to be named the “Left Step” and the “Right Step,” as if the giant were walking south-southeast (and where but Osirion would such a colossus originate, the namers thought). The lakes still serve to water the occasional caravan or group of traders and travelers, but as the watering hole in the savannah draws predator to lie in wait for prey, so have the Steps become a favorite place for brigands and bandits to ambush the unsuspecting. Travelers have increasingly found the clear waters of the lakes fouled with discarded bodies, and none of the distant cities of Katapesh can be bothered to deal with the threat, particularly since it has yet to pose a serious danger to trade in the region (less than war and rumors of war, certainly). Tavern tales in Bronze Hook and Thricehill speak of treasures buried along the shores of the Giant’s Steps, or even hidden in the depths of the lakes themselves, but few are foolish enough to go looking, especially if they stop to wonder whether such stories are spread by someone baiting the hook for yet more prey.

The Hammerfalls (#14)

The Hammerfalls, fed by melting snow high in the Brazen Peaks, cascade down from the mountains, roaring over tall cliffs and foaming through tiers of rapids down toward the Pale River, where the swirling white waters calm somewhat before flowing past Kelmarane and the open plains. The distant roaring of the falls is audible day and night in the nearby passes and canyons, and the rapids are all but impossible to navigate by boat, except for extremely small and nimble craft; even then, frequent portages are necessary to avoid the falls and jagged rocks able to rend hulls and flesh with equal ease.

The largest of the falls is known as the Anvil, near the river’s headwaters deep in the mountains, cascading over a plunge more than 150 feet to a broad pool below. Long ago, the rock-face behind and around the Anvil was riddled with natural caves worn by millennia of water, expanded and enlarged by dwarven stonemasons. The Hammerfall community of dwarves has not been heard from in well over a century, making them all but legend to the shorterlived races of the highlands. Many tales try to explain their fate, whether falling to a mysterious ailment or dying upon the blades of cruel gnolls. Perhaps they delved too deep, and struck something other than a vein of ore, running afoul of the dangers of the Darklands.

The Halls of Hammerfall have remained lost and sealed for generations, and no one can claim to have found them or their treasures. In their cups, old dwarves of Katapesh speak wistfully of the wonders of the Hammerfall workshops, with waterwheel-driven forges and gates, of the rich veins in the roots of the mountains. They also mourn their loss and relate tales of how the dying dwarves built their own cunning tombs in the depths of the rock, filling them with mechanical traps and defenses, so the savage humanoids of the peaks would never defile them. From time to time, a daring prospector brags of maps showing a hidden trail or secret entrance, or even claims to have been there and back, perhaps with a small bauble to prove the tale, but if anyone has truly found the old dwarven halls or learned their fate, they have successfully kept it to themselves.

Hook Ford (#20)

Although the Pale River’s flow past the foothills of the Brazen Peaks is nowhere near as vigorous as the cascades and rapids upstream, it remains cold and deep, with few places to ford or cross it. Hook Ford, near the town of Bronze Hook, is the only shallow point across the river for miles, situated in an area where the river slows as it winds out across the plains westward. Tolls levied on caravans crossing north-south along the old trade route once brought significant wealth to the nearby town, but those monies have since dried up as the old trade route has fallen into disuse. The watchtower guarding the ford remains, though, and the shallows still see occasional use by travelers making their way through the highlands.

Dasharn, the veteran guardsman who has watched over the ford for over 40 years, still maintains his post. An honorable but perpetually bored man, he thoroughly questions anyone who would make use of “his” ford. He has also made peaceful contact with the dragonnes that live in the nearby hills, and when possible leaves the corpses of freshly killed gazelles on a tall outcropping of rock upstream from his home.

The House of the Beast (#8)

Resting in the shadow of Pale Mountain, the House of the Beast features prominently in this month’s adventure. See page 6 for more details.

Iemos (#16)

A small plain of tall, soft grasses amid the dusty hills of the Brazen Peaks, Iemos is the name of both the grassland and the 40-foot-tall date tree that stands at the plain’s heart. It is said that this is where the hero Jonnaphar Ahallt fell after slaying the blue wyrm Daghov, and that the tree sprang from the dragonslayer’s corpse. Those with the ability to speak with plants find the tree most willing to converse. Iemos shares the noble heart of the hero Jonnaphar and seeks to protect all peaceful creatures who would rest near it. It does this by animating the grasses into lashing vines and controlling the weather to drive off any creature it perceives as a foe.

The Jackal’s Maw (#15)

Although the Brazen Peaks are filled with deep canyons and crevasses , the Jackal’s Maw makes them all seem like little more than furrows. It is a deep chasm with sheer sides, said to be virtually bottomless.

In truth, the bottom of the Maw—such as it is—lies in the Darklands. Hidden trails cut into the cliff faces by inhuman hands long ago provide secret access to the depths of the Maw, permitting furtive forays from the Darklands onto the surface.

The gnoll tribes of the peaks consider the Maw sacred to the Mother of Monsters, likening it to both her mouth and her womb, consuming and spawning terrible creatures from the terrifying lands below. Sacrifices and offerings are sometimes cast into the Maw in the goddess’s name, but the gnolls do not venture into it themselves any more than they would walk into a lion’s den. Tales tell of the offerings of countless years carpeting the floor of the chasm with their bones, picked clean by the scavengers of the darkness and mixed with gleaming coins, jewelry, and other trinkets.

Those foolhardy enough to seek the fortune in the depths have rarely ever returned to tell of it, the few who have scarred physically, mentally, or both by the horrors below.

Kelmarane (#18)

The town of Kelmarane is detailed thoroughly in “Howl of the Carrion King” in Pathfinder #19.

Litha Vale (#4)

West of Pale Mountain, the Serpent’s Canyon winds its way through the Brazen Peaks. Travelers who wander from the main canyon trail find themselves emerging into a strangely silent realm of towering gray trees with translucent leaves and grass that crunches curiously underfoot. Upon closer examination, the trees, plants, and all living things of the valley are formed out of the same slate-like stone, and the thin, translucent stone leaves sometimes sound like the tinkling of faint bells in the rare breeze.

Once, the valley was lush and full of life. A small sect of druids tended it and the surrounding valleys, protecting their charge against outside exploitation.

A beautiful and gifted druid priestess named Orlaas became particularly obsessed with shielding the valley. She came to prominence within her sect, and a number of other druids followed her guidance. When a particularly harsh drought caused the life in the vale to suffer, she sought a way to alter the vale and all within, unfettering them from their dependence on the region’s fickle rains.

She and her followers delved into forbidden magic and blood sacrifices to ancient powers of earth and wind, and in so doing brought a curse down upon both the vale and herself. Orlaas was transformed into a medusa and her valley into a realm of stone.

Unaging and unchanging, Orlaas has been content to keep the vale “safe” from all intruders, but a sufficient threat from the outside world might stir her and her “children”—strange creatures of living stone—to strike out from their bizarre garden.

Marudshar (#11)

No one goes to the canyon of Marudshar. There, perpetually shadowed by the surrounding mountains, stand the ruins of a great temple complex, its proud columns toppled and statues of strange beings disfigured by scouring winds. At the heart of the ruins stands the Path of the Traveller, a great, crumbling gateway bearing the images of sphinx-like creatures, and the Sacrament of the Faithless, a 63-foot-tall pillar sculpted to appear as petrified humans. The nomads of the region refuse to even speak of Marudshar, and none know what strange faith once worshiped there. The studies of outsiders have even been deterred by the canyon’s residents, a sizable, all-male pride of ravening, unnatural lions, each bearing black, souless eyes and the ability to speak a strange, guttural tongue.

The Northern Cascade (#2)

In the northern arm of the Brazen Peaks, melting snows feed into the broad Lake Vorn, which cascades down a series of falls known as the Viper’s Tongue—for the way it forks in two a little more than halfway down—to reach Lake Fors in the foothills.

The Northern Cascade, as it is known, is a natural wonder, but of little interest to the inhabitants of the Brazen Peaks beyond that, since the land around the lakes is rocky and rugged, the peaks high, and the trails difficult even in good weather. The falls make Lake Vorn impossible to navigate except by portage, so few bother to try and float vessels larger than small canoes on it. Furthering the upper lake’s isolation is the tale of the lake monster Vorndra, a creature that supposedly dwells in the lake’s depths and seizes and devours intruders who linger too long in its territory. Skeptics claim no waterborne creature of any great size could live in Lake Vorn, as there is not enough food in the lake to sustain it, nor any means for it to leave to hunt elsewhere, but the tale persists, with descriptions of Vorndra ranging from draconic and serpentine to tentacled and beaked. Some have even found what appear to be the remains of crude altars and offerings on the pebbled lakeshore, perhaps indicating some mysterious worship of the lake monster itself.

Nowruz Vale (#6)

Nestled in a deep valley in the Brazen Peaks west of Serpent’s Canyon is a small area of lush greenery and wildlife, watered and sustained by mountain lakes, called Nowruz Vale. It is difficult to reach, the few passes being narrow, treacherous, and carefully watched, for Nowruz Vale is home to many eyes, and they pass all that they see on to the vale’s guardians. A small circle of druids, descendants of those who once tended the sacred sites in Nowruz and Litha Vale, still lives in harmony with the plants and animals here. The curse upon Litha Vale has long haunted their order, leading them to both defend their own vale and seek a means to break the curse and destroy the betrayer Orlaas, hopefully thus restoring Litha Vale to its natural state. Unfortunately, the druids’ numbers have steadily dwindled over the years, and much of their lore has been lost along with their elders. There are scarcely enough of them to tend to Nowruz and keep it safe from outsiders, including Orlaas and the barbaric gnoll tribes of the peaks.

Onyx Hall (#7)

Tucked away on the shore of Shadis Meer at the base of a spur of the Brazen Peaks is the old manor Onyx Hall, sheltered by overgrown poplar and hemlock and surrounded by brambles. The hall—of slate, dark granite, and marble—was once owned by a wealthy Solku family as a retreat house, situated far from the bustle and intrigue of city life. Much of the family’s wealth was accumulated through the slave trade, and legend has it that a woman in the highlands placed a curse upon the family after she, her husband, and their children were sold to separate owners in distant lands, never to see each other again. So would all inhabitants of Onyx Hall “dwell in bondage until the stones themselves burn like a pyre.” Ever since that time, over 200 years ago, Onyx Hall has stood abandoned—but not uninhabited, they say. Those lured to the manor by tales of the fabulous heirlooms accumulated there (just a fraction of the family’s true fortune) have never returned, and treasure-seekers have become increasingly rare, as tales of the accursed hall have spread.

Pale Mountain (#9)

Among the tallest mountains of the Brazen Peaks, the severely sloped Pale Mountain rises to a height of over 13,500 feet. Holding a place of reverence and fear in the legends of those inhabiting the surrounding lands—particularly tribes of gnolls—the mountain’s composition of speckled granite gives it a distinctly lighter color than the surrounding peaks. Although the rock that comprises the peak can be found throughout the area, the unusual upthrust concentration found in Pale Mountain has long baffled miners. The folklore of the superstitious gnolls and nomads of the region explain the mystery in a variety of ways, some claiming that the mountain is comprised of the bones of a titanic monstrosity that once ravaged the area, while others believe that some terrible beast dwells beneath the peak, draining it of its life and color. In keeping with such ominous tales, the mountain holds a long history as a place of dark deeds, strange worship, and sacrifice, leading in part to the reluctance of civilization to encroach upon the lands that fall beneath the pallid mountain’s baleful shadow.

Pale River (#8, #9, #18, #20, #21)

Flowing from the high snowmelts around Pale Mountain, the Pale River runs down through deep canyons and cascades toward the lowlands, meeting with the Hammerfalls before flowing out of the mountains near Kelmarane, passing Bronze Hook and cutting across the plains. While the river is not overly wide, it is fast flowing and sometimes surprisingly deep and cold, especially in the springtime, when it swells with fresh-melted snows from the peaks, giving it foamy whitecaps and leading some to nickname it the “Ale River.”

Serpent’s Canyon (#5)

This wide canyon runs from one side of the Brazen Peaks in the south to the other side in the north. It is deep and winding, with steep, rocky sides towering over the sandy floor. The wind howls and moans through the jagged fissures, particularly in the late spring and early fall, when the remnants of storms from the west break upon the Brazen Peaks. It can grow hot in the canyon at midday, when the sun shines down directly, and at night the temperatures plunge, but for much of the day it is cloaked in shadows and relatively cool. Once it formed a significant pass through the mountains, allowing travelers to avoid having to go eastward around Bronze Hook or to ford the Pale River, but with the decline in settlement and mining efforts in the region and the growth of gnoll activity the canyon has become decreasingly used by civilized travelers. Now the nomads of the region make the most frequent use of the pass, but even they tread swiftly, wary of attacks by beastmen or stranger creatures.

Silver Tarn (#10)

This high mountain lake is named for both its still, reflective waters and for the old silver mines in the surrounding area, leaving several abandoned tunnels cut into the mountains around the tarn. The original excavations look dwarven, and were likely the work of miners from the Hammerfalls. The deeper portions of the mines might even still be viable, but few prospectors dare brave the hazards of the Brazen Peaks to investigate. The mine tunnels might reach into the depths of the Darklands, which would make sense given tales of stunted, shadowy figures spotted around the outskirts of the lake.

Thricehill (#21)

The young farming and trading town of Thricehill nestles in a shallow valley between its three namesake hills on the edge of the Katapeshi plain where the flow of the Pale River waters the grasslands to the east and south. Thricehill is home to fewer than 70 humans and halflings, and is known for its olives, which flourish in groves along the hills. The small community grows much of its own produce, shipping the rest along the Pale River to buyers, mainly eastward toward the heartland of Katapesh. The town’s humble successes in the 12 years since its founding have made it a soft and potentially tempting target to raiders, and its people are becoming more aware of it. The town has a central palisade, which is defensible, but it’s small, outdated, and poorly maintained, manned only by a few untested guardsmen. The people of Thricehill seek competent defenders, knowing its only a matter of time before they must defend all they’ve created.

White Canyon (#13)

Snaking through the heart of the Bronze Peaks, this deep canyon was cut by ancient mountain streams that have since changed their courses or dried up altogether, leaving a deep channel surrounded by high, windswept cliffs. Only small scrub and spiky grass grow in the clefts of the rocks, the base of the canyon covered with rocky, glittering sand. The shadows are deep in the canyon, which suits its various inhabitants quite well.

Gnoll tribes have controlled White Canyon for some time, largely keeping to their domain and the surrounding areas just south of the mountains. Even now travelers and nomads of the highlands alike know that going to White Canyon means almost certain capture and enslavement. Only those unscrupulous sorts who would treat with the gnolls dare venture into the canyon, and even many of those shady merchants never return.

Highlands Inhabitants

In addition to the inhabitants of nearby settlements like Bronze Hook and Kelmarane, the Uwaga Highlands are home to a variety of rough and often rocky creatures living in the deep canyons and valleys as well as the high mountain peaks.

Behirs

These powerful predators are known to dwell in the foothills and canyons of the highlands, where they often sun themselves, their hides appearing much like the blue shale sometimes found in this region. Fortunately, behirs tend to be solitary, though occasionally one might encounter a mated pair. Naturalists also believe the presence of behirs in and around the peaks have kept many dragons from settling in the area, as the two creatures are fierce enemies. Prospectors and scouts in the highlands tell tavern tales of behirs that are skilled mimics, using a variety of voices and distant calls for help to lure prey into box canyons and gulleys where they spring out in ambush.

Derro

Too many tales of encounters with these mad degenerates circulate about the Brazen Peaks to dismiss them entirely, although some folk in the surrounding areas still consider the derro nothing more than a myth. Stories of derro living deep beneath the peaks are true, though, with the cunning kidnappers finding their way to the surface at night through mineshafts, natural caves, and old dwarf tunnels. Derro are known to hunt in the mountains, and to fixate upon intelligent creatures they encounter, stalking them by night until they see an opportunity to steal from them or to attack, usually dragging off one or more hapless souls into the blackness beneath the earth.

Dragonnes

Ferocious, winged dragon-lions, several prides of dragonnes inhabit secluded aeries among the Brazen Peaks. Within their inapproachable territories these proud predators face few threats aside from the occasional mountain storm. Hunters regularly sweep down from the peaks to hunt among the hills and outlying savannahs, often returning with prey for the entire pride. While wary of the temperamental beasts, the nomads of the region take spotting a dragonne as a sign of coming good fortune and often follow the paths of the dragonlike hunters toward herds of gazelles and mountain goats. Among the religious traditions of some nomads the daughters of holy men learn the “beast tongue,” which is in fact Draconic, allowing them to parley with dragonnes, behirs, and the mountains’ rare true dragons.

Gargoyles

Tribes of sandy-colored gargoyles haunt the heights of the Brazen Peaks, nesting on mountain crags and in natural caves where they find them. They are particularly prevalent in the Chalk Cliffs, but might be found elsewhere, including the Jackal’s Maw and stretches along the river, where they hunt fish, animals visiting the water, and even the occasion boat or raft that comes upriver. A favorite tactic is to carry off smaller creatures, dropping them onto the rocks below before descending upon them to feast.

Griffons

Fierce, proud griffons soar over the Brazen Peaks, often at so great a height they are mistaken for large eagles or the like. They hunt through the lowland valleys, particularly Nowruz Vale and the surrounding hills, and nest in the nearby peaks. Hunting griffons frequently attack horses and mountain ponies (one of their favorite meals), making them a menace for small bands traveling through the highlands. They also hunt mountain goats and even gazelle and Nexian buffalo from the plains that wander into the highlands. The other inhabitants of the peaks give griffons a wide berth, but the soaring hunters rarely attack humanoids unless they have suitable livestock, and they disdain the carrion that draws hyenas and gnolls.

Gnolls

Savage tribes of gnolls number among the greatest threats of the Uwaga Highlands. Fiercely territorial, the gnolls see themselves as masters of the areas surrounding the highlands. Further details on the gnolls of the region and some of their most noteworthy tribes can be found in “Tribes of the Carrion King” in Pathfinder #19.

Sphinxes

Old Osirian tales speak of sphinxes in the northern Brazen Peaks, in particular of a gynosphinx dwelling near the old trade route, who would occasionally swoop down upon a caravan, or simply appear out of the shadows of the night, demanding answers to a riddle or challenging travelers with some intellectual puzzle, and promptly eating those unable to offer a satisfactory response. The lack of recent tales involving sphinxes in the area might owe to the lack of traffic along the old trade route, or it could well be travelers have become less cunning, and no one has provided a satisfactory answer for some time.