Zaraz

So terrible were they, the Croakers;
The Tower-dwellers, Screamers, Born-of-Crow;
Horrid was their countenance, their weapons
Blood-stainéd, their eyes a-shining coal-black;

Death is brought by all the folk of Zaraz,
To die by Zaraz-kin was no mercy...
~Fragment of an old Clan Amrohar text believed to predate the Zarkul Empire.

Zaraz, according to the ancient texts, was the homeworld of the Zaraz-kin who were the ruling race of the Zarkul Empire. Since the Zaraz-kin themselves kept the location and much of the lore of the planet a secret, very little is known about it.

Topography

Zaraz was rumoured to be a world with very few oceans or seas, as water in general was very scarce. Most of the terrain was very mountainous, which was helpful for the feathered Zaraz-kin. Much of the planet's surface was uninhabited, as the Zaraz-kin wiped out most other sentient life. What sentient life remained was confined to the complex tunnel systems underneath the planet, some of which were believed to lead directly to the planet's core.

Flora and Fauna

The Zaraz-kin brought a few plants and animals with them from Zaraz, and were therefore believed to either be native to the world or experiments that the Zaraz-kin did using parts from these native species. Following the destruction of Wretched Penumbra, some of these animals and plants were set loose on Dreandril:

• Zarazin Ivy: This strange plant has dark violet leaves instead of green or yellow ones. The Zarkul kept it as small trimmed hedges in their fortresses and temples, but after the fall of their Empire, the plants went wild and began to voraciously consume huge sections of plains or shrubland. Those who are pricked by its thorns or eat its leaves will become deathly ill, for even a small dose of Zarazin Ivy is lethal to anyone who is not Zaraz-kin.
• Ashkaynar: Coming from the Amric words for "shred" and "bird", these raven-sized birds were a common shock troop of the Zarkul regime. Looking like otherwise normal ravens or crows, these birds would unhinge their jaws when enraged and fly straight into creatures, carving into their flesh like a rain of barbed arrows. In the more desolate mountain regions, travellers know to avoid any black birds in case they are secretly Ashkaynar.
• Cudgelkin: these gigantic humanoids, also known as "ogres", were large siege troops used by the Zarkul Empire. Evil humanoids will often befriend them and use them to destroy cities or mine deep tunnels. They are named for the fact they have no hands, instead two heavy clubs at the ends of their arms.

An artist's interpretation of the planet of Zaraz.

Existence

Debated

Type

Planet

The Search for Zaraz

While the study of the Zarkul Empire's origins is a very difficult one due to its ancient nature, one or two scholars in every generation seem to be obsessed with the quest to find Zaraz's exact location. Most cannot find anything, for it is only mentioned as being far from Dreandril and near a "fiery-red sun." One scholar, a Vess Borathar, enlisted the help of powerful mages to divine its location, but was unsuccessful, leading many to believe the planet is destroyed or hidden from scrying.