ay Beyond Sasserine hy F. Wesley Sclineider and James Sutter « illustrated by Ben Wootten eet ae eee fight back against the Fising savage tide, thisarti. I cle series presents you, the player, with the tips, tricks, and tools you need to avoid being swept via. While the pages of DUNGEON magazine present DMs with every vile Plot and cunning monster needed to run the Savage Tide Adventure Path, Daacon offers details, and options tp help you stay on course. This months installment offers an overview of the wilds surrounding the city of Sasgerne,as well s new information and devel: ‘opments from beyond the safety of civilization, While well situated to reap the bounty of the sea, Sas serine fices numerous challenges in regards to its sur rounding lands, For those who dare to venture beyond the safety fistone walls, the following presents an ov ‘view OF the nibst noteworthy locales and geographic fea- tures within Sasserine’s area of influence. Frequent rains, humid heat waves, powerfl rivers, and seasonal monsoons nurture tangled jungles and sprawling snamps in the region surrounding Sasser: ine, Those who brave the wilds are sure to encounter the rich and often dangeroiis fora and fauna that flour- ish within these fecund reaches. Players and DMs tak: ing their adventures into these wilds should familiarize themselves with the rules-for getting lost, as presented age 86 ofthe Dungeon Master's Guide. ‘Amedio Jungle: This Tush tropical jungle dominates the region. Ancient, widely spaced trees form a dense canopy, which in turn cloaks the jungle floor in an end. less green night. Broadleaf plants, creeping vines, pena: sive streams, and tracks of bogs characterize the jungle oor. All manner of insects and animals (some of mon- strous size) predatory plants, oozes, and even o¢easional eeDeNives byt Blk ei ¥sdragons lae th these verdant depths: WHAT DO YOU KNOW: THE CRIMSON FLEET “Tar fiom ciiliation, clans of zard~ Lil's known but much ie sculted a bout the notorious Crimson Fee, the fh buts and stangtyeolred__ wont wma of ath throne other sen PS pd _ goblins make thirhomes,along with sing time in Sasserine ae likely t have lured some information about these Sept is of shanna Tinea path ee ena _ Inova the Oma and Ith + DC 10 Knowledge (local check regarding the Crimeon Feet, "skinned elves called the peugach, ‘The Crimson Fleet: 4 loosely organized band of pirates known to operate in the Blood Bay: There ate many sto- . _cceahs surrounding the Amedo Jungle: These scoundrels perform all manner of ries behind thé color of Blood Bay. _high-se3: brgandage, slavery, and smuggl ing, operating From afoul harbor facto Some“old'salts Bold that the waves the south. Cimon Fetcapainéarecenowned fer her uthesnes and cue, run see ep Vlood of Gulro- buts halo a pererse code of honor While tres abound ofthe Flt ning tha,a kraken| {hin i pitate plot, the entire bay” Rumors je sounded by sos ar plaggatound hep Anaso tener ge Sinead eth to retura tothe open ocean. Others = Ayedsed nse rtiosearethecut- _Thefloning sir rama teedng he imo Hest a ‘ous away from their undethanded Captains in the Crimson Fleet are all addicted to dint sir dealings. Sages scoff at both ideas, manent red with blood. es 0 chiming the bays unique coloring +” The treat of the Crimson Feet is he only thing eight ismorelythe esult of icon deposits Brotherhood fiom overunringSasserine. ie \ swept down fam te went by + Theleader of tie Fleet known only as "The Admiral ahd wears ablood- “\the Hungry Fish River. | ted mask overhalff his face tal tims to conceal his shocking identity. S Crab ves GAVE 1d dene Meee ales mth Kxine eal cannibal, lgsed open the Fes fom the larger predators of the fo sow torment and pain Amedia Jungle the swamps aroind + The Fet har eyes and evs everyuhere, and communists through the Crab River are langely considered. “seemingly innocuous signs and sig safer than the + east As such, cate are likely to meet with accident nal. Those who speakillofit without ts. fs and fllobeisof, «The Feet hes 3 hundred ship the largest of which is 2 mabe end ee ake “grawn by enslaved dragon ver banks thei home. Despit Hoe e's name, aside fom populations of crayBsh and hermit and the eas no sale species oF rust urate ca an ic isa ‘ering waters, Vocal legends tell ofa aolently changing cecal : oe of ieredibe size winds and searing availowslehar- ei Niet itis liens Talis nascent an, © and whenever someone goes mys- tains. Extremely dificult to travel __feloush misbig'on the hes lal and inhogpiale to the mao of ‘swampers ate quick to claim that life, only the most rugged and deter- “ORek Cas gotem" mined creatures—often those that ‘The Emerald River relish scorching, heat and flame— 2 unique form of huntthese tezcherous heights. Hungry Fish River, Coursing rls fromthe river” throughsome ofthedenseststretches from the Hells. of jungle before meeting up with the eee ae ‘Tiger River and feeding into Blood _| Be ene ee: ‘Bay, Hungry Fish River is avoided by locals as much’ for ihe danger- us animals—and worse—that stalk its banks as for thesmalicious pira that are its namesake. Ppa pay ese. ‘he et othe Ae Se by he He Peninsula on the other, Jeklea Bay spent many years as holding of the? ‘Sea Princes before public unrest and assassinations arranged by the Scarlet Brotherhood saw i fll nto anarchy, “Though the now-autonomous city of Ssserine has begin to emerge asthe rain power in the region, Brother hood ships still frequently ply the waters along this coast to maintain heir holdings in the rch and festile southem jungles Due to the bays shape, 2 seady, cuitent swvils the weiter counterclockwise along the *shore, speeding the passage offfequent ‘merchant, smugaler, and slaver ships asthey spuron the sudden resurgence af colonbation inthe Amedio. Krakeis Cove: Rumored to be Sgaarded by the legendary Kraken Gulroth, this cové is shroyded i mystery. Barely visible asa dark patch among rocky clify any safe port here is walled (Pom. the rest ofthe bay byaviideswath ofteei rocks aid the ‘occisional scuted ship, lead-tipped fia jutindles below Ue paves Skyftoth River: Thundering down foi the Hellfurances, cashing fills and deadly rapids exemplify this frothing shitenater river. The eno largest ils, the Crushoater( miles fromm the Thunder Rive) and Jaina > rs Leap (1c miles fom the Thums eastern reaches of the Amedio Jun- predators aid the occaiofal hunter der Rive), bat the waterway from gle, the Tiger River takes its name {Eom the heights ofthe Hellfuraces. any substantial use commeice or ffom the ferocity of its aquatic Blisterwall Angry-looking, red {navel Seeminglyjust otha eaton, inhabitants. The rer isbestknown Hellfumace rock and patches. of 4 semi-permanent encampment of for its small population of a rare hairy swamp mold give Blisterwal Inonks the Speakers of the Rosfiig freshwater species of scacat. The fortess both its name and per ‘Way, resides in an areafnumézous brightscales and pelts of these _petualy sore, gangrenous look. Post smaller eascades and elif side grot- tropical magical beaste ftch high toned to defend Sascrine’s eastern tos between the two greater fills. prices, making hunting the aquatic plantations from jungle threats, the ‘Thuinder River: Thunder River ig felines as lucrative as iti deadlyé~ relatively sechided and perpetally the lifeblood of Sasserine’s thriving 7 moist location males this pot the jumber industry.” Lumberjacks.’ Sasserine’s Holdings least appealing assignment in the Gfneher in thé dense jungle? Youll "outside Sie Sets wallgasseerine Wee secre ia. The Oalviaeriee 1 of Castle Rakin fll huge numbers « directly cdutrls and relies upon sev: man. who regulary refuses relocs of exotic hardvond trees, limbing ‘sera astelvinthe surrounding repion, tion is Eel Sveld (NG male half elf aid oatng the logs downstream to. _Amediighway: Paalleling the rangers) a scout who has success- | Sapscrine forgnilling and shipping Thunder River formuch ofits length, filly. captured and trained several ‘Along the. way, the Jogs are tended the Amedio Highway connects Sas- Hellfrnace hippogriffs and who is Uy'the Brave and foolhardy Togrid- serine with Cauldron, is sister ity considered. the most experienced bes, who miake'the thiry-plus-mile igh in the ealders ofa dormant vole mountain tracker in the region. ; {journey balanced on crudely-lashed cano, Although tade and correspon- Case Rakin: The reinforced Tog bundles ahd wielding ong pikes, dence between the two cities is brisk, wooder® palimdes of Castle Rakin bth to'prevent jams and.to guard the roads length is such that’s pos. make 2 regular stopping-o™ point <4 shipments trae competing logging sible to gofor long stetches without for lumberacks and traders along. foncernk a for both the lumber encountering other trvelers. Much the Thunder River. While the castle jfeks and the logriders is high, as’ like the river, the Amedio Highway proper is merely an unimpressive, ‘miadaltiow 19 the standard hazards is relatively safe-and crovded with three-story stone fortification sur fof ther job they must Keep a sharp merchant and lumber traffic whese rounded by two curtains of sturdy yeout fr lizardflk, river monsters, it rans through the marshlands and wooden walls, the entire fort is and the desdly rapids and waterfills plantations close to Sasserine, but referred to as “the castle” Although i thal give the sve its vain. those who press on into the jungle =maintains a small garrison of troops, ! ‘Tiger RWér?- While tigers and find themselves inctessingly at risk the fort fonctions more as a trading otierlarge pitdators do inhabit the of being wayaid by liardfoll jungle posywith noisy crowds of merchantsaides, jungle natives, and chaske tans hocking their wares and gervces, along the docks. Much of the busi- hess conducted at Cate Rakin would be ffovmed upon within Saserine itself but considerable iekbacks to the for’s commanding offices, Major Aagestine Meravanchi/ (Neale Jima fighter rogue 3) assures that -Dasincss proceeds wnimpeded Mart Fendawor. A thickoralled coustal fortress erected by the Sea Princes who pie held dominance in the fegion Fort Fendawor now serves. as; harbor for Sasserine's depict Nail Jadhers Fen se Srorthyshipakior in the natural ‘harbor beneath the fort's protec- tive ballistag, the majority. pat= Fling te ebast and open sea in Jpunt of pirates. The fery-lempered ~ Commodore Brandlock (LG male Tuma fighter legendary captain 4) commands. the forces. at For Fedaor an"holds the eradica- tion of pitacy in the region as his Pde Beasts tee his efforts ace frosted by Kmited sen resources, and ships, as ll a¢ misinformation—much of which he fears comes from Crimson Fleet operatives within his own fort Plantatfons: ust otside Sasserine, neatly 25 tiles ofjungle an stamp along the Thunder River have been cleared for use as sprawling, pr ‘alely-owned plantations. Providing food crops and exports for the city, the rivers seional flooding makes the land particularly rich, although those who farm it constantly battle reencroaching jangle vegetation and bss, Cassin cote, cotton, millet, rice, sugarcane, and tea—as well 36 some more traditional farm crops— Sones east ‘most abondant products. Asie from their products afew particular plan- tations bear noting” ouinot Plantation: Ran by the obese Boss Remmi Boudinot, its, rumored that his fields of high ‘growing sugarcane d west ofr nefériows dealings. romdal Plantation: ‘The sharp- fongued yet gentec] Josiah Imfid Dromdal commands the langest plaitation (Cotton and tea) in the afea, His greatest prides aze his teandsome manor house and widely ‘desired daughter, Chablis. josiais six ‘trapping sons prove quick to defend both his and their sister's honoe Misroi Plantation: A cursed place, this untended plantation and burnte ‘out manor house once belonged to fone Anton Misti, a eruel man who murdered his wife by drowning hee in a nearby quicksand bog, When her corpse returned to slay her teacher: ‘ous husband, the plantation’ fearfl workers burned the manor house aid forever fled nal erops znd hide other Local Ruins ‘Countless civilizations have risen and fallen within the depths ofthe AmedioJungle, thelr mins often being the only ‘evidence they ever existed ‘ Clikitewars Ancient and lerrijing to behold, no vegetation encroaches fon the midnight-black roee of this Seeimmense, steped pyramid. Formed of six great ties, huridreds of shallow ‘man-sized alcoves Middle the struc: ture—a shriveled hlmancid. corpse propped within’ each. For the major ity ofthe Year, Chettewan is merely Acmjiterious, shunned place, where 0 beast, jungle native “oF explorer dared ventuze.On the nights'of lunar cclipss, wen the Olman god Tezcali aca hums his everowatcfil eye away fiom the world, these compses stalk fiom theit open-air tomb. Throush- out these acursed nights,the undead search fr victims to drag back to their black in, their corpselight torches Sometimes seen as finoeth a8 Sasser : ines plantation holdings. While many ‘whispe that those kidnapped become sacrifices to forgotten heathen gods the descendants of the Olman—afer making signs to wird off eil—clam Ua these walking dead are ane Iheroes and the blood the spill tem pporaly sates the undying hunger of some eternal evil long imprisoned within the dreaded ziggurat vermire: In the vast and track: less fens east of the Emerald River, = a fvooden village stands on, stilts Buildings insthis tiny frontier town Thay suspended over the water at * varying eights, trom docks just dnches above the water to well-to-do houses several stores high, all linked ‘by rope ladets and narzow. board vals Completely, ety except for «small animal pests, these buildings remain weitheted but serviceable ‘with no indication 2s to why their occupants abandoned them. Stranger sfill fhe ancient tree atthe towns ‘enter covered in Elven runes, all of ‘which translate as gibberish except fr the repetition of the name “Fve eithaphee BPstascrine’ Hive ven. Sores eepigfse atprs sd REPLACEMENT PCS Dot beg Scomtinh RAV of on der, its ole anew PCS tight raquied tok the pick of illen companion, Fortnatly the area gre psbetine sfc rllralips rade in “There is No Honor? Duneton #139 provide ample sources for new Payer Character. Pete eirtee ee erases id eanary Spy ae epee ciel detailed, tere alles could make pec cures for new PCs A com patit ofthe Ravens hired tonite the party could make a good natured dluplckous PC, Aleratvely 2 relation of one ofthe Jade Ravens’ members— {00 young or inexperienced to jointhe company-—mnght in the PCs ether to show his wath orvex is family Natives: The Olan humans and the Grugael ees of the Amedio Jungle are perfect ture ef enol characte Barbatia sores, and dis of age acted gh lling ros vicresor foes Py Oe se Baten entry teal gta gehen Clr atone peal ‘falives to sli the Seat Brthetiood, Should the PCs ee Such pines, ome tbe members might inthe pry to repay theit-cebt owed Sasserine Mian The cy aed mits holdings each present opportuni tis for new emacs. Blternall nd Case Rakin bth suppor oer wll ‘versed in racking and fair wth the ways and creatures ofthe jungle, moun- fain, and Swans, Fort Fendawor might produce sailors and marines experi enced at eo and sled at fighting pirates. While members of al cases and {ace could ied employin the Saseine itary human fighters and rangers oa eam il tanks Swimpec Those unconforable wih or outcast from society catch out ard ves the ovarniaSmbgwers Seam Hunters bog witches, nel fl lowers of strange religions might all find » desirable soltude among. the Stiles tet, Ay csc teEaMi reseaitct- Eom exer ‘might cross paths with the party in the swamp, y a. Me eee: official reebed of an elven colony in thearea cist Magalarve: The contested City of Scales, tribes of both leardfolk and ‘lla claim this ravaged wooden Gaty a8 thele rightfil home. While many surprisingly complex. struc: tures cover the ground, much of the city rests upon platforms amid the branches ofancient deo tees, inter- ‘onnected by an inticate network of bridges and moldering ropes. While neither of the reptilian tribes that contest the éiy lve there now, war- iors from both engage in a decades: fold guerrilla war, each seeking to dive out the perceived interdopers. Mashwane. Meaning “memory” in the ancient Oliman dialect, Mashwan of forgetfulness, Within this ‘wide jungle clearing stand twelve stone cobelisks surrounding an incredibly intricate sculpted stone disk lying upon the ground, While investigstors Hypothesize that the precise sections and runes upon the disk comprise some sort of clock or calendar, none know for sure, s all who near the circle Dlack oui and lose all, memory of the previous several hours, Spire of Long Shadows: The one- time seat of the demigod Kyuss! power. The ruined city of Kuliuth- Mar surrounds this lowering, cram- bling stone riggurat, impossibly shaped like a stylized leafless tree or arcane glyph. Tales tell of foul halls ‘beneath this monolith and, although the Wormgod has been defeated, vi- dence of his dark and terrible power ae. Estdoubtlessly still writhes beneath his ruined throne, ‘Nearby Dungeons ‘Numerous infamous. sites lie Seat- {ered across the egionytheie dangers tempting explorers to both riches and rain [Beroarak’s Maw: Bursting fom the earth beside the swampy banks of the Hingry Fish River juts a sosfoot-tll ine-thoked seulpture of a gigantic cexocodile or dragon’ head, With jaws vide open to sia tthe air abovesthis hghly-stylzed Olman remnant holds the entrance:to a deep shaf., which ‘dfops into the wet ground like a stone gullet More than ahuncred fet below, ‘bones choke this-passage—countless bodies that fill space of unknown depth. While Beroarak’ Maw is litle sore thitnia Morbid landmark by day ‘it s said that a eght spectral Olman, priest aunts the site, performing sites hd guaeding 4 crypt temple hidden deep below. | Carver's Pit For a hundred years, Carver's Vit sas the primary stone quarry fr Sasserine, Yearby year the ity greet unl one dy a + / workman's pict broke though the chittering. monstrosities. The hor 101s sept the quarry flor clean of all li then just as quickly as they ame, swiled back into the opening “Though panie spread as survivors and tales of the attack reached Sas serine, the deposition of Oreen Ter ale and subsequent takeoueF by the Sea Princes only afew days later threw the citinto such chaos that Carvers Pit was quickly forgotten. Dungedn of Rustand Fire: Highina stony alpine valley stands the massive Dilngeon of Rast and Fie, a window’ les pillar of jagged, rusting metal. No paths lead toor from this monument, bust those tracing the Emerald River to its subterranean headwaters occa sionally etch a glimpse ofthe tower outlined against the sly, At night, the top of the silent tower erupis in periodic bursts of flame, and close to dawn spindly, inseclike forms can sometimes be seen moving ponder. ‘ously around its base, It's at these times that the streams feeding. the ‘Emerald run blace and red, with ch flcating bellyup or bearing strange ‘mutations, Scholars who have stud- {ed the tower from aft belive it to be Somehow related to the ruined gnome enclave of Jeadisune below Cauldron, but something has obvie ciasly gone horribly wrong. Fiddler's Cave: Carnellio Fend- erthan was the greatest musician in ‘Sasserine’s history, and also one of the most mysterious, The mote pop= tular Camellios music became, the stranger he acted, withdrawing into himself and spending vast amounts of time inthe wilderness. By the time the was 25, he was a complete hermit, speaking to no one and performing only once per year to an enraptured crowd it the Sasserine Opeka House before melting back into the marshes fand jungles. Folks-whispeted that the Beauty-of his own music had driven him insane, or that he'd sold his soul toa demon in ex¢hange for his remarkable skill Finally, after last year’s “Requiem for a Sky Afire” left the whole of Noble District in tears, cone of Carnellios moze daring fans tracked him back toa cave deep in the ‘mountains, only to discover that the ewe ended in a wall of shimmering green light, with Carnellio nowhere to be seen. Frightened, the fan fled Duck to the city, where word bf his, iscovery spread quickly through fae- ems and dancehalls. Now, sith the ‘year drawing to a close and the next ‘concert only a few weeks away, curi- sity about the Fiddler's Cave is ance ‘again eising to a fever pitch “Hookface's Lair: Deep within the Hellfurnaces lies the home of the notorious red dragon Hookface (a mature adult). His lair is a gapping pit, sevéral hundred feet deep, that cuts to the molten heart of a voles nic mountain. Amid the lava pools of a single great chamber Hookfice spends much of his time sleeping surrounded by his massive hoard, rousing only to hunt, char intruders, ‘of investigate upheaval within: the mountainous area he considers his domain, (Hookfice’s_ depredations are further detailed in the Shaclled GityAdventure Path) SRT