The Shaar

The Shaar is an almost endless stretch of grassy plains that measures more than 1,500 miles from east to west and averages about 250 miles from north to south. Its western end touches the very tip of the Shining Sea, and its eastern end butts up against Veldorn, the Land of Monsters. It is bisected by two significant geographical features: a cliff face called the Landrise, and the The Great Rift, a gouge in the earth more than 200 miles long and half that wide. Folk usually refer to the area west of the Landrise as the Shaar, arid the area east of it as The Eastern Shaar.

The Firestep Mountains, a portion of the Chondalwood, the Uthangol Mountains, and the far southern border of Mulhorand all serve as borders along the north side of the Shaar. Similarly, the Channath Vale, (a series of woods and mountains along the length of the River Channath), the Forest of Amtar, and the Toadsquat Mountains mark its southern boundary. A number of isolated woodlands and a couple of small collections of hills dot the otherwise featureless plain, and several shallow rivers and streams cross it, though these waterways tend to become sandy-bottomed gullies during the dry season.

While not truly a desert, the Shaar does not receive much rainfall, and little other than coarse grass, cactus, and thorny bushes, grows on its surface. The days are blisteringly hot and the nights uncomfortably cold. Both geographically and meteorologically, the Shaar is a land of extremes.

The sea of grass that makes up most of the Shaar is not as flat as outsiders claim, though compared to other parts of Faerûn, it might as well be. The forests, mountains, and rivers offer landmarks by which to navigate the open stretches, but the ground in between appears to be just an endless surface of flat earth to those who are not traversing it.

The plains gently undulate, and the country's entire length slopes at an almost imperceptible angle from east to west. In fact, the whole of the Shaar drains into the Sea of Fallen Stars far to the north, and the Shining Sea to the west. The mountain ranges at the southern end of the Shaar form a continental divide, even though the Great Sea to the south is closer to much of the land. Throughout the Shaar's length, the grasslands are dotted with localized variations on the terrain. In some places, sand dunes interrupt the flat horizon, while in others, small valleys gather enough rainwater to form ponds, supporting a relative abundance of plant life that attracts grazing animals and birds.

The Shaar is teeming with all sorts of dangerous creatures. Beguilers, Cyclopes, Loxo, Mantimeras, Rattleyrs, Starsnakes, and Thri-kreen are in this area. Other common creatures include Gnolls, Behirs, Ankhegs, Wemics, Centaurs, Wyverns, Perytons, and Manticores.

Dragons

Not many dragons are native to the great plains of the Shaar, but many of the winged terrors from all over Faerûn visit the plains on occasion to feed on the great herds. Though a number of different wyrms live in isolated parts of the mountains, swamps, and forests in and around the Shaar, others visit from as far away as the Sword Coast. A feeding dragon might make two or three passes across a stretch of the plains, swooping low and scooping up wild horses, rothé, and other herd beasts, then flying off to feed in peace.

Most of the time, these dragon visits are isolated events, and the wyrms that frequently use the Shaar as a hunting ground arrive at specific times of day dictated by their own preferences. Some prefer to come in low from the east at dawn, and others like to dive down from overhead, as though falling, out of the noonday sky. Still others hunt only at night. Occasionally, two dragons cross paths while hunting, and a frightening battle above the grassy plains often results. The nomads' tales even speak of a handful of legendary sky-battles involving three, four, or even half a dozen huge wyrms at once. While such spectacles might be awesome to behold, the nomads know better than to stick around and wait to see which drake winds up the victor, since the winner is not likely to be in a good mood afterward.

Since it is not a nation, the Shaar has no single, unifying government. Each of its major population groups - the nomadic tribes, the citizens of the settled communities, and the gold dwarves of the Great Rift - operates independently of the others and has its own kind of government.

Government is least formal among the human tribes. Though not anarchistic, the tribes accept only enough government to ensure survival and promote prosperity. Each tribe functions under the watchful eye of a group of elders, generally men and women at least thirty years old. These elders select a chief from among their number, typically by secret vote. Male chiefs rule most of the tribes, but a few have elevated women to that position. The chief, in consultation with the elders, makes decisions that affect the tribe as a whole, such as movements, trading, warfare and raiding, and punishments for crimes committed by tribal members and enemies. In some cases, the chief is part of a powerful, charismatic family that has held the seat of power in the tribe for many years.

Shaarans have traditional laws that regulate their conduct on the open plains. Raiding is so common between tribes that it has become an accepted fact of life. A raiding party made up of fewer than twenty individuals is considered acceptable, and the targets of such a raid might return the favor in kind. However, any attack by a force greater than twenty is defined as an act of war, and other tribes quickly band together to defend themselves against the aggressor. Often, such events become topics of discussion at the spring and fall gatherings at Council Hills. Since that place is considered sacred ground and violence and bloodshed are prohibited there, it is a logical place for warring tribes to meet and resolve their differences. Shaaran history is filled with instances of one tribe ambushing another to prevent just such an occurrence, hoping to prolong a war.

Within each tribe, traditional respect for the elders dictates how problems are resolved. The tribal elders may choose a chief, order penance for wrongdoings, or cast out an offending member of the tribe. The laws of any given tribe are somewhat fluid because the Shaarans believe it is more important to consider the tribe's current needs and values than to worry about what has occurred before. If a former enemy of the tribe is named a friend, then all members of the tribe must put aside any personal vendettas they have against that person and respect the new relationship.

Though more structured within the towns and cities, the government of Shaaryan towns is minimal compared to many of the urban centers elsewhere in Faerûn. Usually, the leader is a mayor or similar officeholder - often the wealthiest merchant or the most powerful warrior. This leader works with a council of the most influential people to meet the community's critical needs, such as building a wall, raising military forces for defense, deciding the level of taxation needed to pay for services, and so forth. In most cases, the citizens want as little control and restriction on their activities as possible, and they rely on the governing body to do only what is necessary to keep trade flowing.

In the cities and towns, law and order are much more structured than in the plains because the citizens face different dangers than the nomads. The constant presence of settled people with property and valuables is an irresistible draw for Gnolls and other monsters, as well as bandits. Nomads frequent the towns, and occasionally members of adversarial tribes attempt to resolve their differences in the middle of the marketplace. Furthermore, the urban centers are natural targets for any enemy nations that wish to conquer tracts of the Shaar. Thus, every community elects a chief from a Council of Elders, just as the tribes do in the wild, and maintains a standing militia or defense force of some kind to protect the citizens. The chief, with the backing of the militia, deals with any and all trouble, from within or without.

The people native to the Shaar share one very prominent feature - an indomitable spirit that lets them survive against unfavorable odds. Though the various races and cultures of the grasslands differ in dress, traditions, and outlook toward one another, they have all learned to overcome the harshest weather, terrain, and enemies that Faerûn has to offer, and to persevere in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The humans who roam the plains of the Shaar are known as Shaarans. They have wandered the grasslands as nomads since before the area's recorded history began, enduring the hardships of an inhospitable environment, dangerous enemy tribes, and a host of predators from both the plains and the surrounding areas. This constant struggle has honed them into a tough, proud people who are loath to give up their ways, even in the face of conquest.

The typical Shaaran is long-faced and yellow-skinned, but not very tall (about 5-1/2 feet, on average). Their hair and eyes are usually black or dark brown. On rare occasions, a Shaaran is born with bright green eyes - a sign of good luck among the nomads. Few Shaaran males wear facial hair, and both genders cut their hair short.

A Shaaryan nomad's most prized possession is her horse - a magnificent animal that thrives on the grasses of the plains where the nomads roam. In fact, Shaarans refuse to take their horses out of the Shaar because the animals never seem to fare well elsewhere. Almost invariably, they grow weak and eventually die if denied the opportunity to feed on their native grasses. A Shaaran carries everything she owns on her own horse or, if she is wealthy, on a pack horse. Children are practically born in the saddle.

The dozen or so tribes of Shaarans share a common culture, but each also maintains separate elements of its own tradition. Outsiders have difficulty distinguishing among the different tribes, but the nomads can readily identify one another's tribal affiliation by the differences in dress, horse coloration, dwelling styles, weapon styles and decorations, and traditional roaming territories. Some tribes view women as equal to men, and a few have elected female chiefs.

No one has ever tried to unify the Shaarans. Some regions of the Shaar, (particularly in the western half) have been conquered on occasion, but in each case, the Shaarans simply waited until the conqueror's power base vanished, then resumed their way of life as though nothing had happened. Occasionally, two tribes form a close bond, usually through a marriage between a powerful family from each tribe. Such a relationship allows the tribes to reap the benefits of mutual protection, share water, and avoid territorial disputes with one another for several generations. Over time, though, inter-tribal relationships always change, as new bonds form and old alliances fade away.

While the majority of the people in these towns and cities are Shaaran, other ethnicities are also represented. Most often, such individuals arrive via trade caravans that wind their way through the grassland on a regular basis and simply decide to stay. Some locals are descendants of traders who came from as far away as Durpar, Turmish, and Amn. Whatever their origin, the residents of these towns live together in relative harmony and share two common purposes: survival and prosperity.

For the most part, the tribes that roam the grasslands get everything they need from the land, using the animals they hunt for food, clothing, tools, and sometimes mounts. When they slay an animal, they use every part of it, wasting nothing. They have no commerce, and few have ever seen a coin, much less had any use for one. When the nomads wish to exchange goods, they simply barter with one another or with the merchants in the towns, who are used to this arrangement and don't mind trading goods for goods. The only items not needed for survival that the nomads consider valuable are pieces of jewelry, (usually necklaces, bracelets, and hair adornments) made of animal bones or particularly beautiful rocks and crystals. They occasionally use such jewelry as a kind of currency, particularly when trading with other tribes that roam different regions and thus do not have access to the same materials.

The humans who dwell in the communities scattered across the Shaar are most often Shaarans who preferred a settled way of life to the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors. Most of these towns and cities arose as a result of trade meets between various tribes, usually in prime locations where natural resources were abundant. Others were founded when nations and empires attempted to conquer or settle certain regions of the Shaar. The most significant settlement effort occurred during the Shoon Imperium, when the Shoonach held all the territory from the Shining Sea to the Landrise. The settlements founded during that period still exist, though they no longer owe anyone allegiance. Regardless of how and why they formed, the various urban centers in the Shaar have always remained small by Faerûnian standards, and they subsist primarily on the trade that passes through their markets and the sale of the few meager resources, (such as fish, salt, lumber, or worked goods made from animal parts) that they have available.

Religion

Most Shaarans pay homage to Tempus, since his devotion to protection and strength reflects the values they have cultivated over the centuries to ensure their survival on the harsh plains. Others, who glory in the hunt rather than in war, choose to follow Malar. Those few nomadic tribes that serve Akadi make it a point to gather at the hallowed hill of Blaskaltar every midsummer to revere her.

Festival

The Dance of the Shimmering Blades is a festival of psionics-users in the central plains of the Shaar, established by the 1370s DR.

It is signaled, attendees reported, by pulses of energy felt through the earth, as if the land called to them with a welcoming invitation to return to their roots. Most pass through the trade city of Shaarmid, swelling its transient population, before arriving at the festival site.

There are hundreds of people of many races, nearly all with some kind of psychic gift, whether a full power or a minor wild talent. Some never even knew they had psychic ability, but are called anyway. Wilders feel the call with the most passion, and form the majority of attendees.

Attendees dance, drink and feast, and party well into the night over the course of seven days. Although none talk of why they'd come, they all feel a common connection and bond, even members of races and cultures traditionally opposed to one another. Attendees make lasting friendships and contemplate their own paths through life.

Nomadic human tribes have roamed the Shaar since recorded history began, but little in the way of civilization exists here. From time to time, other powers have assumed authority over certain regions of these grasslands and even built settlements to manage trade, but only the crumbling remnants of their efforts remain.

Most communities in the Shaar are little more than trading centers. Each is close to a reliable source of water, since potable water is such a prized commodity in the plains. Because of the concentration of valuable commodities that accumulates in such places, almost all the Shaar's towns and cities have walls to protect their citizens from the raiders and bandits who roam the grasslands. The gold dwarves have their own cities, only a few of which are on the surface. These urban centers tend to be markedly different from the rest of the plains communities, since the races do not share ideas readily.

For the most part, the tribes vie with one another for territory, horses, and food to so great an extent that they need no external enemies. When beset by threats from beyond the edges of the Shaar, however, they manage to band together and fend off attacks by outsiders. Though the gold dwarves do their best to remain aloof and separate from the rest of the peoples of the Shaar, they too are ready and willing to fight to maintain the sanctity of their homeland.

Trade

The economy throughout most of the Shaar is not based on money. No coins are minted here, and they are of little use in areas other than towns.

For the most part, the tribes that roam the grasslands get everything they need from the land, using the animals they hunt for food, clothing, tools, and sometimes mounts. When they slay an animal, they use every part of it, wasting nothing. They have no commerce, and few have ever seen a coin, much less had any use for one. When the nomads wish to exchange goods, they simply barter with one another or with the merchants in the towns, who are used to this arrangement and don't mind trading goods for goods. The only items not needed for survival that the nomads consider valuable are pieces of jewelry, (usually necklaces, bracelets, and hair adornments) made of animal bones or particularly beautiful rocks and crystals. They occasionally use such jewelry as a kind of currency, particularly when trading with other tribes that roam different regions and thus do not have access to the same materials.

The folk who live in the urban centers have a slightly more developed economy than the nomads. While city dwellers are willing to barter with the tribesmen who come to their markets, they also accept coins, particularly from merchants passing through the Shaar from one nation to another. In fact, the trading communities of the Shaar have effectively become currency exchange centers, since caravans often trade not only in goods, but in coinage as well. A merchant from Durpar might arrive with goods to sell and be more than willing to accept currency from Chondath in exchange, since he intends to head there next. While in the Shaar, the same merchant might purchase some local crafts and pay in Durpari coin. The next merchant, perhaps from Calimshan, is happy to take the Durpari coin for her goods, since she can use it at her next stop in Estagund.

While the majority of the people in these towns and cities are Shaaran, other ethnicities are also represented. Most often, such individuals arrive via trade caravans that wind their way through the grassland on a regular basis and simply decide to stay. Some locals are descendants of traders who came from as far away as Durpar, Turmish, and Amn. Whatever their origin, the residents of these towns live together in relative harmony and share two common purposes: survival and prosperity.

Defense

For those who roam the plains, the best defense is enough speed to escape any threat. The mobility that is so vital for following the herds serves the tribes in many other ways. Mounted combat with ranged weapons, which provides a means of damaging the enemy while remaining out of harm's way, is as much a part of the nomads' culture as sleeping inside tents. Raiding works as a combat style because battles are rapid and the raiders can be gone almost before their targets become aware of them.

In true combat, most of the tribes use the same tried-and-true technique, in which the males form a defensive line while the females move the children off to safety. Thereafter, the females and males join together to fight whatever threatens them. Almost- every race that roams the Shaar employs simple weapons such as slings and spears, which can be easily constructed out of animal parts and the scattered vegetation native to the plains. A chieftain or great warrior might have a bow of some sort, though such weapons are prized more as status symbols than as tools of war, since arrows are difficult to come by except in the trade centers. Studded leather barding is commonly used in the regions of the Shaar.

Lapaliiya

This coastal nation has a long history of attempting to cultivate and colonize the interior of the Shaar. On more than one occasion, its citizens have settled towns along the Shaar's riverfronts and attempted to tame the barbaric nomads by a variety of means. Also, Lapaliiya has sometimes been under the thumb of some other nation with designs on civilizing the plains, including the yuan-ti of Serpentes (see Serpent Kingdoms for more information) and the old Shoon Imperium. Every time conquerors arrived, however, the tribesfolk simply vanished or avoided the invaders, then returned to their traditional lands as soon as the troops were recalled. Past failures are no insurance against future attempts - perhaps even in the near future.

Mulhorand

Though this aggressive theocracy has not made any untoward movements into the Shaar as yet, it has a history of dominating the regions surrounding it. The invasion of neighboring Unther has given the tribes that wander closest to the Shaar's border with Mulhorand pause. If the time comes for the Mulhorandi clergy to consider invading the plains - perhaps to control the trade routes there - the nomads will face a formidable foe, indeed.

Underdark Races

The ancient enemies of the gold dwarves, especially the drow and the duergar, are scattered throughout Great Bhaerynden and are never far from the Deep Realm. Any one of these felt races could renew its hostilities with the gold dwarves at any time. The drow cities of Llurth Dreir and T'lindhet are both within striking distance and bear constant watching. (See Underdark for more information on these races and their plans.)

Yuan-Ti

The serpent people are closer than most folk of the Shaar realize, and they present a constant threat. Most recently, the yuan-ti have returned to the ruins of Lhesper, where they have begun to dig for ancient artifacts from the long-forgotten kingdoms of the sarrukh, their creator race. Serpentfolk have also begun to awaken in and around Azulduth, the Lake of Salt. Tribes roaming close to either of these locations might become pawns in the yuan-ti's nefarious schemes. (See Serpent Kingdoms for more information on the yuan-ti and their plans.)

Most inhabitants of the Shaar could care less whether adventurers enter the plains or not. Since the nomads don't assign ownership of the land to any one group of people, they do not feel any territorial jealousy toward strangers - though this attitude does not mean that adventurers have nothing to fear from them. More than a few members of the various tribes - particularly the more bloodthirsty among the Humans, Wemics, and Thri-kreen as well as the vast majority of the Gnolls - don't hesitate to attack strangers on sight, just for the sake of killing. Certainly, such behavior is common among the Wild Elves of the Misty Vale. In other places, adventurers must be wary of more insidious evils, such as the Yuan-ti that hide in the ruins of Lhesper, grabbing explorers to use in their searches.

Within the cities, the merchants are happy to send adventurers off into the wilderness well equipped with supplies purchased from their carts and stores. The shopkeepers truly hope to see these intrepid heroes return with pouches full of newfound coin, which they might be willing to spend on more goods. On the outskirts of civilization, bandits also appreciate seeing adventurers, since their presence means more opportunities to take coin and equipment by force.