The Road of Kings has never been a safe route, but the path between Urik and Raam is particularly treacherous. Even the great city-state of Yaramuke fell to the might of nearby Hamanu, thanks to the arrogance of its sorcerer-king, Sielba. What few know is that Sielba was not the first sorcerer-king along that road to fall to Hamanu. That distinction goes to the twisted wretch known as King Hanaksaman, the First Ruler of Urik—or at least, that is what Hanaksaman claims.

At almost the midpoint between Urik and the route north to the ruins of Yaramuke, the Road of Kings passes through a stretch of small mountains and canyons. In one twisted canyon, so deep that only the faintest rays of the red sun reach down that far even at midday, lies a village of former slaves who swear fealty to their leader, Hanaksaman. These people call themselves the Exiles, and they live without fear of discovery in clay homes built into the canyon floor.

King Hanaksaman, as the Exiles call him, is a regal but weathered man who looks to be in his early fifties—practically an ancient age for the people of Athas. He wears an iron circlet on his head (truly a sign of royalty), and despite his tattered robes, he has an undeniable air of nobility. Yet the man has a cunning and sometimes cruel streak, nowhere better manifested than in the way he rules over his tribe. King Hanaksaman demands absolute obedience from those under his command.

Many travelers along the Road of Kings have been waylaid by the Exiles and dragged to their territory. Most of the captives who survive the experience are brought before King Hanaksaman for a grand audience, an event that is cause for excitement among tribe members. Audiences before the king play out more like trials, with Hanaksaman acting as the judge overseeing the fate of trespassers in his domain. These sessions are held in an opentopped building near the crest of the canyon, where Hanaksaman sits cloaked in shadows while those on trial kneel at the base of a shaft of burning sunlight. At these times, the king exhibits the worst kind of capriciousness, frequently sentencing a captive to a gruesome death merely for the amusement of the tribe. Few are pronounced innocent in this mockery of justice.

Hanaksaman, Sorcerer-King?

If King Hanaksaman were simply a mad tyrant at the head of a tribe of slaves, he would be little different from all the other small warlords whose territories dot the harsh deserts of Athas. What sets him apart is a claim that seems ridiculous on the surface but that grows more plausible as it is examined: that “King Hanaksaman” is not just a tribal chieftain with delusions of grandeur but was once the sorcerer-king who ruled the city-state of Urik.

As Hanaksaman tells it, long ago Urik was under his control until his most trusted templar, Hamanu, rose up against him. A great battle ensued, and the king was driven out of Urik, forced into the desert. In the process, he was stripped of most of his powers, retaining only a tiny fraction of his might, which he now uses to run his kingdom in exile.

At first blush, King Hanaksaman’s story seems like madness; no one who once had the power of a sorcerer-king could be reduced to the role of a minor tyrant of the wastes. Yet the former slaves under him believe his tale and have sworn to follow him to their deaths. Hanaksaman certainly rules over his tribe like a sorcerer-king, and the tales told by the few captives who escape from his clutches make listeners wonder just how ludicrous his claims really are.

The evidence in favor of his claim is far from conclusive, but it does make one think. First, Hanaksaman seems to be immortal, at least in terms of the natural progression of years. The Exiles claim that he has not aged a day in generations. Some years ago, Veiled Alliance agents tried to insinuate themselves into the tribe to verify these claims, and they found no indication that the king was anything but immortal. Before the infiltrators were discovered, they smuggled out messages supporting a theory that Hanaksaman was not a former sorcerer-king but rather had been transformed into a living phylactery for Hamanu. To this day, the Veiled Alliance believes that Hamanu planted memories into Hanaksaman’s mind to make him think he was once a sorcerer-king, so that no one would question how he was able to go on living for so many years. The tribal leader would be the perfect vessel for Hamanu’s immortality: living in exile, guarded by loyal slaves, and so unlike any other phylactery that no one would think to suspect the truth.

Furthermore, King Hanaksaman has extensive knowledge of arcane magic and psionics, despite never having shown any ability to use either one. His knowledge seems purely academic, not practical, which would make sense if his claim of being stripped of his power, but not his memories, were true. Of course, academic knowledge of magic and psionics is not a sign of being a sorcerer-king; many templars and scholars in the city-states have such knowledge. Regardless, Hanaksaman is aware of great arcane secrets, and more than one psionic master has attempted to gain access to the tribe leader to pry the knowledge from his mind. So far, no one has succeeded in getting close enough.

Another point in favor of the king’s tale is his apparent connection to Hamanu. Hanaksaman has a burning hatred for the Lion of Urik and seems to know personal information about the sorcererking, including his habits and the way he thinks. Of course, the tribal leader could simply be inventing much of his so-called knowledge. But if he truly does know Hamanu so well, then someone who turns Hanaksaman into an ally would have a huge advantage in striking a blow against the ruler of Urik.

A final piece of evidence in his favor is the fact that Hanaksaman runs his tribe much as a sorcererking rules a city-state, including a staff of lieutenants whom he calls templars. Some of the information gathered by the Veiled Alliance suggests that one or more of these lieutenants might actually be a templar from another city-state, sent to infiltrate the tribe and spy on Hanaksaman—or, perhaps, to watch over and safeguard him. Revealing any spies in the midst of the Exiles would be a good way to earn the king’s gratitude (assuming that the perpetrator survives the attempt).

The Exiles

The people who serve Hanaksaman call themselves the Exiles simply because that is what they are. Some were driven out of Urik, but most are former slaves who escaped from cities along the Road of Kings. Hanaksaman’s most loyal servants follow him in anticipation of the day when they will march upon Urik and slay Hamanu, reclaiming their rightful place as the keepers of the city-state. However, generations of normal life spans have come and gone with little progress toward this goal, and even among the most faithful, some have begun to doubt whether their glorious revolution will ever come to fruition.