EHA AYSHNEKHT

Eha Ayshnekht's Population
Eha Ayshnekht's population is approximately  100,000 persons (saurials) and about an equal number of lizard folk and troglodytes.

2,000 residents are isolated or itinerant.
89,000 residents live in 128  villages.
9,000 residents live in 2 towns.

The average distance between villages is  30 miles.
The average distance between towns is 76 miles.

Eha Ayshnekht supports no Universities.

Eha Ayshnekht supports  220,000 head of livestock:  149,600 fowl (e.g. chickens, geese, ducks); and 70,400 dairy and meat animals (e.g. cows, goats, pigs, sheep).

The inhabitants of Eha Ayshnekht have been building castles for the last 2,000 years.  There are approximately 3 standing fortifications in Eha Ayshnekht.  2 castles are in active use, 1 castle is ruined or abandoned, 2 castles are located in settled areas, and 1 castle is located in remote areas, unsettled areas, or wilderness.

Government: Monarchy (Ruled by King Grypht)
Capital: Xavary
Religions: Dinosaur Gods (see Dragon 283, page 110; and Dragon 284 page 125)
Imports: None
Exports: None

Cutting through the west side of Eha Ayshnekht is The Sennesheni Mountain Range, a range of low, sub-tropical forest-covered mountains.   There are a few silver mines in these mountains, which serve to make Eha Ayshnekht's currency and art.  The western side of the range is known as the Kingdom of the Ape Lord, a colossal carnivorous ape.  The saurials avoid this part of the island, and many worship the Ape Lord as a god.  To the east of the mountain range is Talon's Domain.  Talon is an intelligent fiendish megaraptor, also worshipped as a god.  The mountain range itself is home to a race of troglodytes.

There is a huge, great lake near the edge of Talon's Domain called Kardrall Lake, which is extremely deep, and reportedly the location of a lost city (and, according to Khemian lore, the location of a powerful relic allowing one to rule over dinosaurs).

The Sensen Swamp is a vast swampland that has been unexplored by the common races of Inzeladun, and even by the Saurials of Eha Ayshnekht.  It is the source of many cycles of myths and legends for the Saurials.  It is reportedly ruled by a great black wyrm that is worshipped as the god of the dead by the Saurials.  The Sensen swamp is home to lizard folk who raid and war with the saurials.

Eha Ayshnekht is a land of vast rain forests, marshes, and a couple of strips of grassland hundreds of miles long.  These grasslands are ruled by the tyrannosaur god, Kor, who seems dedicated to killing any non-saurian who sets foot on the island.

The Jungles of Heru are ruled by a powerful great green wyrm named Heru, also worshipped as a god by the Saurials.

Xavary is the capital of Eha Ayshnekht; it is a town with a population of 5,000 saurials.  The Gray Robed Order in Indor believe this is the location of one of Grindill's powerful Psigate Keys.  Although the Khemians have ascertained the existence of Xavary, its location has never been found by humans, elves, or the other races of Inzeladun.   Thus it is not shown on the map.

Droaran is Eha Ayshnekht's second largest town, with a population of 4,000 saurials.  It is a rival of Xavary. Although its existence has been confirmed, its location is still a mystery.

Eha Ayshnekht is a land of harsh reality where mere survival is difficult.  Although the saurials have managed to tame some of the dinosaurs, the largest and most fearsome of the creatures are still the undisputed masters of their environment.  Here enormous apatasaurs are used as battle platforms, sporting war paint, and knights ride ankylosaurs.  Wild and fearsome dinosaurs dominate the wilderness areas and prey upon any intruders who violate their territory.

Saurials: The saurials are a race of intelligent dinosaurian humanoids, and are inclined to be peaceful. There are four common types: bladebacks; finheads; flyers; and hornheads (see Dragon 292, pages 36-43 for details on these new PC races by Sean K. Reynolds).  They don't war with each other (usually), but they do have to defend themselves against more aggressive lizard folk and troglodytes.

Saurials are peaceful and contemplative and have no desire to conquer new lands or greatly influence the world around them (of course, individual saurials vary).  They are content to be left alone with their own kind.  An exception are those that worship Kor, the Tyrannosaur god.  These saurials are quite evil, and usually capture and kill non-saurials who visit the island.  However, most saurials respect nature, and have an instinctive feel for how they fit into their own community.  They organize themselves into villages, with each individual learning a skill that suits them, such as blacksmithing, weaving, farming, hunting, etc. They build stone dwellings, each of which houses a single family.  Saurial communities have members of more than one subrace, and they treat each other as equals, each having something valuable to contribute to the survival of the community.  Finheads are the most common type of saurial, with bladebacks and hornheads in smaller numbers because they consume more food and deliberately keep their numbers low to prevent depleting the village's resources.

Lizard Folk: The lizard folk of Sensen Swamp are primitive reptilian aquatic humanoids that can be very dangerous.  They have a patriarchal society in which the most powerful member rules over the others.  Survival is their utmost concern.  These lizard folk serve their god, Sensen the Great Black Wyrm.  They survive by fishing, gathering, and scavenging, as well as making raids against the saurials for food, supplies, and slaves.  There are over a hundred separate tribes and villages of lizard folk in that massive swamp, all vying for dominance in the eyes of their living god.

The primary language is Draconic, taught to them by the Great Black Wyrm.  Little else is known about these folk, as they usually remain in the swamps, where few enter, and even less return.  Most are advanced tribes that can forge metal weapons.

Troglodytes: The troglodytes of the Sennesheni Mountain Range are reptilian humanoids.  They are ruled by the largest and fiercest among them.  They prey upon saurials and their livestock.  They prize steel above all else, for they do not have forges or use fire in any of their industry (it disrupts their darkvision).  The possession of steel is a sign of status and power within their communities as the only way they can get metal is through combat (what would they offer in trade?).

The primary language is Draconic and they, like the saurials, use scent to supplement the language, although they speak it in a tone audible to all humanoids.  Scents are so crucial to troglodyte communication, they arrange their lairs to facilitate the distribution of important scents.  Caves are selected or modified so that the primary direction of air is from the main entrance to other, smaller exits and air vents, so that the foreign scents of intruders will be wafted to the defenders almost immediately.  The scent portion of their language is so versatile that it takes precedence over all other forms of communication.  Guards cry out alarms in a shrill olfactory "voice" without making a sound, thereby alerting other troglodytes within smell range (about 20' away per round as the scent drifts, to a maximum of 80' when it blends in with the background scents too much to be identifiable) without alarming any smell blind intruders (such as humans).  As a side note, they can easily tell which of their opponents are the most afraid by the fear scents all release, so they will usually concentrate their attacks on the most fearful.

Troglodytes: The troglodytes have a brutal and bloody religion.  Two ceremonies alone are known of their kind, "The Hatching" and "The Feeding" (see "Slayer's Guide to Troglodytes" by Mongoose Publishing, page 14), both of which are savage events.

Myths
Saurials, lizard folk, and troglodytes worship the dinosaur gods for the most part, as well as a couple of dragons that live on the island.  The dinosaur gods rarely show themselves, spending most of their time hidden away in valleys and grottos unknown to the island's sentient inhabitants. When they do appear, they are always accompanied by a hefty retinue of lesser dinosaurs who serve as their followers.  The primary dinosaur gods are Kor, a Tyrannosaur god who personifies the hunt and war for the saurials; Abrexis, a Pterosaur who represents the skies and the wind; Haali, a Plesiosaur who represents the seas and the storms around the island; and Kalarr, an Ultrasaur who represents the land and the family.  The primary dragon gods are Sensen, a great black wyrm who represents death and the underworld; and Heru, a great green wyrm who represents agriculture and the animals of the forests.  Other gods include Talon, a megaraptor kaiju who represents cunning,  stealth, and lost knowledge; and the Ape Lord, who represents emotions and power.

The Saurials, lizard folk, and troglodytes all share a common mythology with little variation.  They believe a set of gods even older than the dinosaur and dragon gods created the world.  This pantheon consisted of two arch-gods: one representing light and symbolized by the sun and the other representing darkness and symbolized by the three moons.  Each of these elder beings were consumed by a hatred for his rival and the pair of them spent the whole of their very long lives battling each other.   They created the world as a battleground, standing midway between the sun and the moons.  Eventually this world gave birth to a host of new creatures, the dinosaurs and the lizard folk and the troglodytes.

One day, the god of darkness struck a blow that was so powerful that it shattered the god of light into countless little fragments, each of which became an individual living being, the saurials.  Once he destroyed his rival, the god of darkness had a dilemma, for his entire existence was defined by his hatred for his rival, and if the great battle was to come to an end, his life would have no more meaning.  Looking upon the developing saurials, he found there was no effective way to battle so many in his singular form, so he went to the world and let the great tyrannosaur god and its followers devour him.  In that way the beasts and the lizard folk would absorb his essence and his hatred, driving them to hound and hunt the saurials and their descendants.

Regional History

Plots and Rumors

Major NPC's

Ulfin, LG bladeback Paladin 16