The Undead Powers of the Dead Lands
Bhra'go
: I have personally met Bhra'go, and while he was not quite as genial as Amion was, he was an agent of good and his indifference to me was not taken with offense. I could understand his view point--2,000 years of Undeath will make one apathetic to all but the most importamt of happenings. Bhra'go was third-in-command of the organization known as 'the Council' (to which many of the powerful Undead once belonged to) and leader of it's military forces. I spoke to him about his tactics once and wouldn't have been able to come up with a single one of those schemes had I ten millenia. He is a natural leader--charismatic, determined, optimistic and, most importantly, has a great understanding of the innerworkings of the mind. He literally knows what his opponent will do before they do. Couple this with his amazing use of the Long Sword and a mastery of the Way and you have a force to be reckoned with. I travelled to the city in which Bhra'go makes his residence (Aveg), and upon seeing it I gasped. The entire city was engulfed by a translucent green flame. Nearing it I learned that the flame was not hot, nor could it burn the flesh. The inhabitants (all giants) inside the city walls felt differently though...each of the sullen, charred corpses of the animated dead wailed and groaned--at one point I thought I would lose my mind if I heard but another minute of the terrifying cacophany of screams. These giants are forced to remain here by Bhra'go, and when I inquired as to why he did not just let them leave, Bhra'go snarled and whispered softly: "penance". And with that he showed me the door.
Goran
: Chubby, tall, and green, Goran is a member of a now extinct race that he calls "orcs". Goran doesn't seem to fit into the Dead Lands, his character isn't grim or mysterious like his peers, but he resides on the Obsidian Planes nonetheless. I expected the worst when I was first brought to Goran--he's nearly eight feet in height, has thick, leathery skin, and his wild eyes set in his sunken head flare with an unatural red glow. Despite his frightening appearance, Goran is a master trader, rivalling even the best Elven merchant. On my three-day visit to his domain (Biga'fe'tye), Goran convinced me to trade my prized wooden walking stick for a large bag of polished obsidian rocks, my good sandals for a pair of decrepit ones, and a small painting I had done of the Ringing Mountains (which he was very impressed with) for some information on the mysterious sorcerress, Qwith (which is included in her entry in this chapter). His constant haggling made getting a word in edge-wise a near impossible task, but in between his offers of "the purest raw obsidian in the world" (which could be found anywhere one walks in the Dead Lands) and "the finest rubies ever to be found" (which were obviously fake) I did manage to learn a bit of what Goran was doing in the Dead Lands, and what he had in mind for the future. It seems his race lived for trading (and some orcs will tell you of their fondness for warfare) , this love has not left them in their unlife. The orcs have been working on a major project to supply massive amounts of obsidian to the Tablelands for an estimated 600 years. Goran wasn't very liberal with all the details (as he thought I might somehow become a competitor after hearing his idea) of how he was to transport all this obsidian so far, but he did hint at spending many years developing ships that could travel through the Silt Sea that are constructed mainly of wood. Why on Athas he insisted on constructing these vessels from wood is beyond me, it's taken Goran centuries to dig up a small amount of the timber neccessary for the fleet.
Grekko
: Not two hundred feet below the floors of his illustrious manor lies Goran's biggest rival: Grekko. Grekko is an Undead Fael--a type of Undead with a supernatural appetite. I personally met Grekko, though under less than pleasant conditions. After leaving Goran's manor I was assaulted by a group of undead orcs who dragged me below the surface of the obsidian ground. These orcs blindfolded me (though I was still able to discern the layout of the underground complex) and led me to a large chamber filled with the most water I'd seen since visiting Saragar. Here lay an ancient stream that gushed with all the power of the Howling Winds of the North. In this cavern I was questioned extensively by Grekko's henchmen and finally, when they were sure I wasn't in league with Goran, my blindfold was taken away and by my request was given an audience with Grekko himself. Goran and Grekko are both orcs, but that is where their physical similarities end. Grekko stands just under five feet and appears to be about that wide also. He is the fattest creature I have ever seen, in fact, when he shifted position in his huge chair I could hear his skin tear from the weight of all his blubber. His stretched skin was a sickly bluish purple, with clumps of green interspersed throughout. Though I was thuroughly revolted by his grotesque appearance, I was able to open my mouth up wide enough to squeak out a few questions, which he gladly gave me all the answers too (though I don't know how truthful he was being with me). It seems Grekko has been undermining Goran's trading plan for some years now. He's also been gaining great strength, power, and a strong folowing. His goal, it seems, is to overthrow Goran and take control of Biga'fe'tye. Supposedly, Grekko's main problem with Goran as the ruler is his diverting of orcs to the city of Kyron. These orcs could be used for the large trade project, but Goran insists on sending them to guard Kyron. I sensed that the fael's reasons were a bit more sinister--possibly having something to do with the fact that he has an insatiable appetite and has not eaten in a millenium (I had to bargain with him for two hours before he decided that one of my rods was a good exchange for him not eating my flesh).