Back in 2016 I wrote about the Many Flavors of Shadow World; how SW has a variety of setting styles that could work with any gaming group or desired game setting. But one obvious genre/style I completely overlooked: the post-apocalyptic! Well of course the whole of Kulthea is by definition a post-apocalyptic setting, but I’m referring to a region to adventure with the P-A vibe. Basically wastelands. For a fantasy setting there isn’t really much wasteland on the Shadow World, but one certainly stands out: the Zor Wastes.
While mentions of the Zor wastelands go back to early SW products, most of the content can be found in the updated Jaiman book and the small supplement Aalk Vaalg. Despite the description as a wasteland, with miles of slagged surface, there is life and society: although mostly mutant and half mutant tribes of cannibals. But from such adventures are made! Terry’s focus on the Priest Arnak and their Messengers there could a be a number of adventure possibilities; one’s which I’ll be exploring with my group.
Adventure Hooks
Rare Herbs. There are a number of rare and useful herbs (Furk, Kylan, Shaub, Siri, Shumaran), with the “W” locale code (waste). Given the dangers of the Zor wastes, it’s unlikely that a herbalist, healer or similar would venture there themselves. So hire a group!
Lost Cities. The three largest cities were Tezra, Azodor and the capital Verzor. While destroyed, and Verzor described as a crater surrounded by glassy slag, it’s possible that the underground or lower levels of the city might still exist! I imagine something similar to the Morlock caves, The Underdwellers in the Dead city or even cooler, the underground ruins in The Mutant Chronicles. Creepy underground cities filled with mutants or a lost sect or civilization. Okay!
Rescue. The mutants are cannibals, but perhaps they also need “breeding stock” and kidnap nearby Jameri’s from the plains tribes. Whose going to save them?
Travel. Sometimes you have to get from here to there and the quickest way is going through the Zor wastes to get to the Vezarian Pass or the Otoni Gap into Tanara.
Challenges
“Radiation”. There are many allusions to the nuclear style device, a technology from the Ancients, that was activated to destroy Zor and the subsequent sicknesses and mutations. Of course the obvious analog is radiation.
Essaence Disruptions or Dead spots. I like using differing levels of Essaence to add challenges to the group. It’s possible that the cataclysm that destroyed Zor also created dead spots; areas with no Essaence to draw from or perhaps deadens all Essaence effects and spells. Better bring the fighters.
Aids
Tribes. The plains tribes to the West could be a great resource for the group.
Gryphon College. A great resource for the group in Jaiman is of course Gryphon College.
If you like your fantasy with blasted lands, mutants, dark Priests, rabid dogs and lost tech, then the Zor Wastes are for you! For some reason, my past player groups have never explored this area but now with my new gaming group I’m sending them in!
Have you used the Zor wastes in your game?