Road of Kings - Locations

“Road of Kings? Road of slaves, perhaps. The high and mighty sorcerer-kings squabble like jhakars worrying at a carcass, throwing away armies with all the care of spoiled children. Such are kings on Athas.”

—Alon, House M’ke trader Far to the north, beyond the Great Alluvial Sand Wastes and crowning the punishing barrens of the Tablelands, stretches the Road of Kings, a war-torn, shattered land defined by the ambitious sorcererkings who vie for dominance in the region. Three city-states dominate the Road of Kings, each straddling the ancient routes. Quarrelsome and greedy, they frequently war with one another, as scorched battlefields and countless bones testify in the haunted lands between them.

In the west, one finds mighty Urik, a proud and powerful city-state whose armies have no match among the Seven Cities. Traveling east, past the Dragon’s Bowl, one comes to the troubled city of Raam, beset by strife and famine. Beyond tragic Raam, far to the east, stands proud Draj. Blessed with abundant fields, Draj supplies food to other cities, transporting grains and hemp to far-flung markets while its bloodthirsty warriors scour the wilds for captives to sacrifice on their king’s altar. In the empty stretches between Urik, Raam, and Draj, caravan routes, herder trails, and ancient highways link the three city-states together.

The region takes its name from the ancient Road of Kings, the route stretching from Urik across the stony barrens to Raam and extending eastward to Draj and beyond. Although the Road of Kings is given to the same desolation as found elsewhere on Athas, the region is bustling and active, crowded with caravans, travelers, and skirmishing armies.

Road of Kings Backgrounds

Where other cities struggle for basic subsistence, the three cities of the Road supply grain, hemp, and obsidian to distant markets. Dune traders—some honest, some greedy, and some corrupt—pursue their fortunes across the barren land. The Road holds many possibilities for the cunning and strong, but it is also a place where the weak are trampled underfoot, doomed by disease, hunger, and want.

Druid Initiate: You studied under a guardian druid who protected a rare oasis, spring, or place of the spirits in the desert. You were taught to hate defilers and to use lethal means to prevent your guarded land from being damaged by encroachers. Your mentor intended for you to take over his or her solemn vigil someday. What place did you guard? What led you to leave your teacher? Do you intend to return and fulfill your mentor’s expectations, or has that chapter of your life come to an end?

Failed Merchant: Catastrophe brought your enterprise to ruin. Were you affiliated with a merchant house? Does this house still exist? What event brought about your downfall? Have you abandoned this line of trade, or do you hope to establish a new house?

Yaramite Descendant: Once your people called the ruined city-state of Yaramuke home. When Hamanu of Urik destroyed your city, your ancestors were among the many who fled and took up a hardscrabble life in the herding tribes or desert villages on the edge of the Broken Lands. What treasures did your family carry away from the destruction? Are you of noble lineage despite your humble circumstances?

February 25th, 2021

Exploring the Road of Kings

Much like the Tablelands or the Estuary of the Forked Tongue, the Road of Kings is dotted with tiny desert villages, mining camps, nomadic tribes, and trade outposts. Most such camps or posts are tent cities surrounded by crude walls formed from stacked stone, bones, and brush. Others are built atop hidden wells. Dune traders wander the trails meandering through the barrens, swapping goods and rumors with the folk of the desert. Life in the arid wasteland is hard but not impossible. Travelers in this region are rarely more than a few miles from shelter, water, and food. The only question is whether the desert denizens will bargain to share their resources or defend them from intruders.

The Road of Kings is plagued by bandits, raiders, hungry savages such as ssurrans or gith, vicious marauders such as belgoi and braxats, and all sorts of desert predators. These creatures usually give the city-states a wide berth, but they pose a threat to travelers who go more than a few days’ journey from civilization.

February 25th, 2021