The Burning Cliffs

The stretch of land facing the Icy Sea between the Cold Marshes and the Forlorn Forest is one of the least trodden regions of the Flanaess. Not even the Rovers of the Barrens see much profit in it; they generally keep to the grasslands farther south, and even these hardy folk refer to these parts as “The Wastes.” Even the poorest parts of the Flanaess have their wonders, however; in this case, the famous Burning Cliffs.

The Burning Cliffs were named for their northern border with the Icy Sea. Ships traveling along that coast may see them for distances of a hundred miles or more on a clear day, where the smoking rocks drop sharply to meet the water. In fact the region of burning extends a good distance inland. It consists largely of oily shales and a black flammable rock which release smoke and steam from a process of burning which has been continuous since the earliest histories. It may even have spread in recent centuries.

It might be thought that a fire would make the local climate more bearable, but in fact the smoldering and steaming rubble gives rather more heat than is comfortable, and in places is actually in flames. In any event it would be necessary in most seasons to stand amidst the conflagration, since the fierce northern winds soon carry away the heat. It would in any case be a dubious comfort, being accompanied by sooty fumes and steam. Ships sailing downwind of the Cliffs are apt to leave with darker sails than those they set out with. Neither would the warmed traveler have anything to eat in those desolate regions, with the exception of a few scrawny northern deer which feed on the sparse lichens and willows upwind of the Burning Cliffs region. The Rovers seldom bother to visit the place, and regard it as simply another obstacle in their rare trips through the Wastes.

The character of the Burning Cliffs has apparently changed somewhat over the past century or so. Mariners remark that the clouds billowing upwards from them contain rather more soot than steam, and that by night a dull glow enfolds the entire region as if there were higher flames nearer the center. Both the Rovers and the seamen have noted that the area of burning has spread by up to several hundred yards a year (it is already nearly 30 miles across), though in cold winters it retreats somewhat. On occasion shapes are reported moving about behind the barrier of cloud and soot. Perhaps most significantly, the forests, marshes, and grasslands at the edge of the Wastes, hundreds of miles away, have begun to sicken and die, supporting the claims of some scholars that the Burning Cliffs are in fact responsible for the Wastes to begin with. This is of little concern to most northerners, however; the lands are wide there, and apparently inexhaustible.

None of these more recent reports has been sufficient to spur the practical northern peoples into any sort of action or investigation, and it was quite by accident that anything more was discovered. In 523 one Storrich of the Hold of Stonefist failed in an attempt to advance himself by less than traditional methods. Poisoners are not highly regarded even in that grim country, and so Storrich and his followers were obliged to flee. Since the season was summer and the Ice Barbarians would not be likely to let his ship pass unmolested, Storrich and his pursuers turned westward. Unfortunately for Storrich and his men, the pilot of the ship ran it aground offshore the Wastes, and Storrich’s company was obliged to take to the land, the pursuit still hot on their heels. As a last desperate measure Storrich attempted entry into the Burning Cliffs region, risking a stone path that he and his men found leading into the smolder. Storrich’s pursuers turned back at this point well satisfied, and informed the Master of the Hold that they had driven Storrich to his death, having waited some days for him to attempt a return and having seen nothing. It proved to be untrue.

Two years later Storrich appeared in Dyvers, and being a rather loquacious individual he soon disclosed his story - several stories, in fact, some of them mutually contradictory, but it is possible to piece together a relatively plausible scenario from his boastings. The general outline of the story was that Storrich’s company happened on a city of fire-loving creatures, and managed to steal some valuable gold and jewelry. The subsequent conflict, and the flight southward through the flames and fumes claimed all of Storrich’s following, as only he was protected from the full effect of the Burning Cliffs (apparently by magical effects of certain of his possessions). The identity of the creatures which Storrich robbed is uncertain; his claims gradually grew more diverse. At various times they were elementals, devils, demons, and harginn, and even efreeti. Unfortunately these discrepancies were never resolved. Within a month of his arrival Storrich died of a choking fit at a banquet. There were no other survivors to corroborate Storrich’s story, but it is clear that he had somehow acquired a great wealth of jacinth and gold. He spent liberally in his last weeks of life, and still left behind a considerable trove.

Since Storrich’s death a number of individuals have attempted the Burning Cliffs. Some have entered by the paths which are now occasionally evident throughout the region, while others have attempted aerial surveillance or have relied on magical protections against the heat and set out cross country. None who penetrated deeply into the land of the Burning Cliffs have returned. A number of reports indicate that Iuz and the Horned Society have taken an interest, and have sent large companies northward. What the purpose of this may be is unknown save to the rulers of Dorakaa and Molag. Some unknown persons have erected an altar to Pyremius along the northern coast of the Burning Cliffs; whether for purposes of propitiation or worship remains unknown. Members of that cult have on occasion been linked to the region, but they fiercely deny it.

Notes to the Dungeon Master

Depending on the local intensity, the heat and fumes of the fires will inflict 1d3 points of heat damage and 1d4 points of poison damage (save vs. poison to avoid the latter) anything from once per day to once per round. These effects are halved for someone standing on a pathway or otherwise outside of direct contact with the burning rocks.

The residents of the area are all from the plane of fire; Iuz and the Horned Society have been encouraging and recruiting evil fire creatures from among these. A large town has grown up near the center of the conflagration, where there is a gate to the plane of Fire. The wily Storrich’s boasts are true to the hilt; he passed through to the City of Brass itself, and made off with some minor treasures. As a result residents are now alert for intruding “vermin.” Unless the connection to the plane of Fire is broken, the Burning Cliffs region will continue to grow, much to the delight of the cult of Pyremius.