The Demon Wastes consist of the broken and shattered lands north and west of
the Shadowcrags and the Icehorn Mountains. A vast swath of badlands, ravines,
and treacherous plains stretches from the mountains to the shores of the
Barren Sea—a toxic landscape that is anathema to life.
Life in the Demon Wastes is uniformly horrid and short. Little grows here, and
what few creatures can survive these lands share the same corruption as the
Wastes’ humanoid inhabitants. The ground is toxic, and poisonous winds scour
the landscape as volcanoes belch forth ash, flaming rock, and acidic rain.
Unforgiving deserts of black sand are dotted with old ruins and oases filled
with brackish water, while steaming fissures offer glimpses down into rivers
of lava and the tunnels of Khyber. One cannot dwell here for long without
feeling this land’s corruption, and explorers who linger too long in the
Wastes are often driven mad, either wandering off into the wasteland to die or
joining the barbarian tribes.
Even entering the Wastes is a challenge. The Barren Sea is home to dark and
sinister fiends that dwell in horrid cities far below the waves. Sharks,
venomous fish, and pirates control these waters, and tremendous storms send
ships to splinter against the rocky shore. Access is no easier by land, for
past the mountains separating the Demon Wastes from the Eldeen Reaches, the
perils of the Labyrinth await. Boiling mud, scree fields, and other hazards
erupt without warning in this seemingly endless maze of perilous canyons.
Despite the hardships of this land, the Demon Wastes teem with life. Gnolls,
orcs, humans, and tieflings all dwell here, preying on each other and on the
corrupted creatures of the Wastes. The Carrion Tribes, as they are known, are a diverse lot, distinctive in their customs and
beliefs. All are controlled and consumed by the evil trapped beneath this
land.
The presence of natural and supernatural resources in the Wastes draws the
attention of the dragon marked houses. In particular, House Tharashk
maintains an outpost at Blood Crescent, from which it mounts frequent
expeditions in search of dragon shards and relics from this land’s ancient
ruins.
The Demon Wastes present a picture of Eberron as it was during the Age of
Demons, and death is not the worst fate that can befall explorers here.
Magical power infuses the ancient ruins, masking them with potent illusions to
deceive and lure the unwary into ancient traps or demonic lairs.
The Demon Wastes are perilous lands filled with vile creatures, foul fiends,
and savage tribes of humanoids bent on slaughter. To explore the Wastes is to
invite a fate worse than death, but in spite of the risks, these lands attract
more then their share of adventurers. The Demon Wastes are home to abundant
deposits of Khyber dragonshards.
The true powers of this realm are the Lords of Dust, servants of the evil
overlords that have been buried beneath the shattered landscape for a hundred
thousand years. Their plots in the world are carried out by myriad agents,
including demons and other fiends, night hags slipped free from the Feywild,
and their corrupted human, orc, and tiefling thralls.
Evil is pervasive in the Demon Wastes. The fractured landscape offers numerous
access points to the depths of Khyber, where hideous demons and elemental
horrors escape the Churning Chaos far below. In the Wastes, fiendish magic has
weakened the barriers between all the planes, and gates arise and disappear
here without warning.
Source: Eberron Campaign Guide