Shacklack Desert is a large arid sandscape north and east of the Dominarie Mountains. The dry area supports minimal natural vegetation. There are a few farms on the mountains’ edge and by oases that freckle the land. Various monsters live within the desert, with the blue dragon descendants of Bavastatner dominating the ecology. The desert has been settled by Romans at Mars’ Oasis and the magical Dythalid Pool. King Mero II of Mars’ Oasis seeks to expand his kingdom by establishing colonies at each of the oases in the desert, but the hostile wildlife has prevented him from doing so thus far.
Lich Shade
The Lich Shade is a thousand foot tall stone obelisk in the Shacklack Desert. The Lich Shade was constructed by the Bane, a powerful lich. From the monolith the Bane fabricated an undead army using his Black Crystal of Horror. He used this army to threaten Mars’ Oasis and other civilized communities in the desert.
The settlements threatened by the Bane fought back. The sand giants sent a small force into the Lich Shade that never returned. In response, the Bane exterminated the sand giants. The Bane’s end came when the Second Alliance fought him to secure a defensive pact with Mars’ Oasis. The Bane was permanently slain and his undead army was destroyed. The Lich Shade stands empty but for a powerful evil aura that clings to the foul space like the claws of a starved cat.
Bavastatner’s Cave
Bavastatner made his lair in the Shacklack Desert from the time of his hatching. He ruled over the desert during the Dragon Hegemony, but was imprisoned by the Blue Dragon Orb for close to a hundred years. When he was freed by the githyanki, Bavastatner returned to his cave in the Dominarie Mountains. From there he reigned for centuries until he was slain by the Second Alliance. The cave was thoroughly looted, but Bavastatner’s many children and followers were left untouched. A civil war tests the descendants of Bavastatner to see who is most worthy to succeed him.
Tomb of Kruk-Ma-Kali
When the Hobgoblin Emperor Kruk-Ma-Kali was assassinated his soul endured. He transferred his ethereal consciousness into Kharad-khor, his black sword. The sword was housed in a great trap-filled tomb surrounded by many false tombs. Kruk-Ma-Kali’s will was that his true heir would inherit his sword, his treasure, and his consciousness, but only if they conquered the trials of the tombs.
The Tomb of Kruk-Ma-Kali was eventually discovered by members of the Second Alliance. They recovered Kharad-khor, hoping that the powerful sword could be used against the Xorians. Unfortunately, the sword’s possession by Kruk-Ma-Kali’s ghost made it unusable by all except hobgoblins. The sword eventually found its way into the hands of Hades who recovered Kruk-Ma-Kali’s soul from it.
The Tomb itself was plundered by the Second Alliance, but they did not search every crack and crevice. A resourceful and meticulous adventurer may still find that tomb robbing has its rewards.
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