“Beyond Tyr, who knows what we’ll meet? Maybe earthquakes, scouring sand squalls, monstrous abominations, attacks by violent raiders . . . sure you’re up for the trip?”
—Shahin, dune trader

Stretching from the foothills of the Ringing Mountains to the Great Ivory Plain and from the Lost Oasis to the Dragon’s Bowl, the Tablelands are a vast territory of sand, stone, and scrub plains. The picturesque mesas and buttes for which the region is named jut from the plains or rise like broken ramparts from the badlands, painted in broad striations of orange, yellow, and ocher. These ancient lands, inhabited by a wide variety of almost all the speaking peoples of Athas, hold dusty trading posts, hidden villages, and crumbling ruins. When city-dwelling Athasians think of deserts and desert people, they usually picture the Tablelands and its denizens. In fact, some city residents use the term "Tablelands" to describe everything between the Ringing Mountains and the Sea of Silt.

Two city-states dominate the Tablelands: Tyr and Urik. Tyr claims the broad central belt, and Urik’s influence extends over the northern portion. With the death of King Kalak of Tyr, the old rivalry has taken on a new complexion. Tyr’s revolutionaries dream of spreading their uprising to new cities, while Hamanu of Urik plots to seize Tyr’s iron mines and extend his control all the way to Tyr’s walls. However, there is a difference between what each city claims and what it truly controls. Outside a narrow belt of patrols and outposts ringing the two cities, the only laws a traveler need worry about are the laws of the desert: Trust no one, guard your water, and watch where you step.

Tablelands Backgrounds

The Tablelands are a true cross-section of Athas; here one finds herders, elven tribes, raiders, dwarf miners, trading posts, and ruins teeming with savage marauders. Scores of tiny hamlets, remote camps, and nomadic tribes call this area home.

Herder: You hail from the nomadic clans that wander the scrub plains and badlands, tending flocks of goats, erdlus, kanks, or other livestock. However, you are no dull shepherd—protecting your animals from desert predators and raiding tribes is a deadly serious task, and you learned to fight at an early age. Were you captured by slavers and taken from your people, or has some vendetta drawn you out into the wider world?

Land’s Guardian: You swore an oath to the land’s spirits that you would protect a particular region from harm. What part of the world do you guard? How free are you to leave it? What do you regard as the greatest threat to your chosen realm? What would you do to protect your territory?

Hopeful Entrepreneur: You work for yourself, owing no allegiance to any merchant house. What goods do you trade? How do you get along with other merchant houses? Have any tried to recruit you? Do any houses actively oppose your enterprise? What cities have you visited? What allies or enemies have you made?

Exploring the Tablelands

The Tablelands around Tyr hide a number of intriguing sites, including plantations of Tyr’s nobles, client villages, raider camps, old ruins, and lairs of dangerous monsters. Trade routes snake eastward from Tyr, leading to the cities of Balic, Gulg, and Urik. Great mekillot-drawn argosies creak slowly along these well-traveled paths, but the roads are far from safe.