Khafeek
Khafeek
Khafeek — pronounced ca-fek — is more a land with a name than a true nation. It is a place of exile, desperation, broken kingdoms, cold mountains, and violent survivors. Those who come to Khafeek usually have one thing in common: they are running from something or someone.
Khafeek has come to mean a land of exile, and the region easily fulfills that name. It is the last stronghold of the giants, though it is now only a shattered remnant of their ancient great kingdom. The giants that still live here are more often aggressive hunters and monsters than rulers or builders.
Land of Exile
Khafeek is a cold, dark land filled with harsh, steep mountains and cold plains that see only a few days of good sun. The winds of Iztalik constantly blow across the region, whipping cold snow and ice into violent, tornado-like storms.
Even at the peak of midsummer, a soul-chilling fog blows off Vaheem: The Western Reach and rolls across the hard, cold, mossy tundra. The sun becomes muted and dulled, casting the whole land in a gray light.
The hard ground does not give way easily. When it does, it reveals broken grave markers and bits of wooden shacks bleached as gray as the bones of the dead that erupt from the earth in many places.
Terrain and Climate
There is very little greenery in Khafeek and almost no true forest. What few trees exist are scattered in small valley pockets within the Kultak Mountains that dominate the landscape.
The land is filled with danger, from the cold and the terrain to the many groups of bandits and gangs that roam the region. These groups prey upon the weak and upon those who came to Khafeek to escape one danger, only to find another.
The northern reaches of Khafeek are defined by the great ice glaciers of Iztalik. Several glacier “islands” extend out from these vast sheets of ice and possess unusual qualities, especially their ice tunnels and caves.
Life in Khafeek
Life in Khafeek is extremely harsh. There are no major cities, no towns, and very few villages. Most settlements consist of an inn, a tavern, and a few homes.
There are no farms and no managed herds of sheep or cattle. Life here is based almost entirely on survival of the fittest.
Most individuals are eventually swallowed up into one of several groups, each led by someone who seems to think they are the Ice King. These groups often clash whenever they come within sight of each other, each attempting to take what little the other group possesses in order to survive.
These battles are usually bloody and may rage for several days.
Fortunately, at least for the few villages that do exist, the villages themselves are seen as vital for survival in this harsh part of the world. They are considered zones of peace, at least until tensions rise so high that one group cracks and attacks another.
Trade Routes and Mines
Trade routes are generally kept free from attack and are allowed to exist so that trade can move between the mines of the Kha Mari Mountains and the rest of the region.
These mines produce coal and the raw ore used in the creation of Dark Dust.
The mines are constantly active and are worked by slaves brought up from the Southern Realms. Mining is done under brutal conditions. There is little rest, and those who falter often find themselves at the wrong end of a taskmaster.
Slaves sold into bondage in Khafeek rarely live more than a few months.
The Kha Mari Mountains
Khafeek is dominated by the great Kha Mari Mountains. There is very little in the way of major features beyond this mountain range and the glacial lands of Iztalik to the north.
The mountains hold mines, monster lairs, giant strongholds, hidden camps, slave pits, and dangerous passes. They are the backbone of Khafeek and the reason anyone willingly risks the region at all.
| Khafeek Information | |
|---|---|
| Type | Ice Kingdom region; exile land; giant remnant realm |
| Region | Ice Kingdoms |
| Pronunciation | ca-fek |
| Also Known As | Land of Exile |
| Major Landmark | Kha Mari Mountains |
| Northern Boundary | Iztalik |
| Terrain | Steep mountains, cold plains, mossy tundra, glacier islands, ice tunnels, scattered valley trees |
| Known For | Exiles, giants, mines, Dark Dust ore, slave labor, bandit gangs, violent storms |
| Major Threats | Giants, bandits, gangs, taskmasters, freezing storms, slave mines, hostile terrain |
Adventure Use
Khafeek is ideal for survival campaigns, slave mine rescues, exile stories, giant-hunting adventures, and dark trade-route journeys.
Possible adventure uses include:
- Rescuing slaves from a Dark Dust mining operation.
- Escorting a caravan through “peaceful” routes watched by bandit gangs.
- Investigating glacier caves extending from Iztalik.
- Hunting a giant that has begun attacking the few neutral villages.
- Helping exiles survive long enough to escape Khafeek.
- Discovering what ancient giant ruins remain hidden in the Kha Mari Mountains.
- Sabotaging the supply of raw ore used to create Dark Dust.
