WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0105 0105

Chapter 5: TRAVERSING THE WASTELANDS and electrum, though not quite yet Anyone forging platinum or electrum into tools and weapons does so purely out of need Gold and silver exist but remain in use more as decoration or coin, given their rarity, value, and poor strength in comparison to steel objects Copper and tin remain abundant, making their alloy bronze a reliable, common metal used for everything, and reliant only on a sufficiently stable civilization where it can be mined, smelted, and forged In an ever-widening swath of Khitus, many now lack the infrastructure or materials to this They turn to obsidian, bone, and chitin substitutes for their tools, weapons, and fittings, all easily gathered and fashioned by the unskilled The iron virus’s origins are the subject of much speculation Most accept that all the world’s iron came from the body of an ancient iron god; thus, the virus stems from that god’s demise Others suggest a change more essentially psionic in nature that perhaps the Dragon Kings held at bay during their reigns but which runs rampant in their absence Regardless of the cause, the cure is at hand, albeit in an unexpectedly dangerous locale: a remote valley in the depths of the Krikis Hivelands Ganshyer, the Black Steel Ganshyer is a new Khitan alloy of steel and “bright lode,” a brilliantly reflective metal dug exclusively from a single immense deposit at the bottom of an unmapped valley somewhere in the Krikis Hivelands What little bright lode exists outside the “bug lands” comes from the corpses of Krikis warriors or traded willingly by the few Krikis who know human languages and approach in the folded-claw gesture of peace Alone, bright lode is a brittle metal that is difficult to work However, smelting it in combination with steel creates the black metal called ganshyer, which is equivalent to steel in strength but immune to the iron virus Ganshyer resists the virus completely even with only a 10 percent alloy, so even a small amount of bright lode can protect far larger quantities of vulnerable steel Those who know how to create the alloy jealously guard their valuable skills and the wealth earned through them The Krikis seem to have no knowledge of ganshyer, and most humans prefer they never learn of it Regardless, the human demand for bright lode will no doubt make them curious As far as anyone knows, the Krikis hold an unwitting monopoly on bright lode, which drives many efforts to either wrest control of it from them or initiate diplomatic relations with the strange, alien society Their “Megha Stone,” the rich deposit from which all bright lode is mined, cannot be easily reached by outsiders No known non-Krikis has viewed it and lived to tell the tale Bright lode and its alloy ganshyer offer a promise of great wealth, as the most sought-after materials on Khitus, at present No city, merchant prince, or caravan master has yet laid claim as the material’s predominant concentration Quiet speculation suggests the first to so may come to dominate the entire world Persistent Dangers The rigors of the wastelands chill brave men’s hearts Staying alive there demands more than carrying enough water Each area and each danger has a unique way of leaving its marks upon an adventure or encounter Dust Wells Dust wells gather and fill a rut or ditch, making them appear solid They are a clear hazard to ground travel Shallow wells can twist an ankle or break a leg, whether man or beast Deeper wells can submerge victims in an instant, trapping someone beneath its surface where both breathing and escape are especially difficult Dust wells are among the most dangerous yet common features of the open wastelands, claiming victims unfamiliar with the local terrain Intentionally dug or built dust wells are very common defenses, gouged out to protect a camp or well and rarely refilled with solid earth after construction Mud Geysers Moisture hides beneath the surface of the wastelands, collecting in deep shafts and vents that reach far underground They are especially common near the Pock and the Scab Baked by the relentless Khitan sun above and the roiling near-surface lava flows below, the resultant mud eventually boils and unleashes its tremendous energies in the only direction available to it—straight up Geysers gather energy over time—between a day and a week, depending on the size of the deposit—before expending their towering gouts of boiling-hot mud Some of these natural geysers are obvious, marked by steaming, bubbling pools and ringed by accumulations of mud and clay Some can be dangerously hidden beneath otherwise unremarkable terrain Geysers erupt with little or no warning and enough of a blast to knock a man off his feet or topple a wagon at the very least The largest eruptions can spray several tons of mud over a wide area, enough to bury unwary man-sized creatures beneath scalding layers of mud Far more dangerous than the mud is the heat that scorches unprotected flesh to the bone Where there is a 103