Though he doesn’t know it, the young nikaal is himself being followed by several other nikaal - a group of his relatives and elders from the tribe. They believe that Tesrar cannot defeat the b’rohg, but couldn’t dissuade him from his quest. Like many youths, Tesrar does not yet grasp the finer points of his society, and does not realize that neither he, nor his mother, bare shame for the tkaesali’s loss (he never possessed the weapon, and such shame comes from losing the weapon and living, not dying to retain it), but his kin could not convince Tesrar of this. The elder nikaal would welcome the return of the tkaesali - by any means - but only wish to see to Tesrar’s safety.

The b’rohg that Tesrar stalks is an escaped gladiator who responds to the name Smash - what the crowds chanted while he fought. ‘Smash’ stumbled into the nikaal camp starving and delirious with thirst, and instinctively defended himself when the nikaal attacked him. He regrets nothing, however, as he found the strange reptilian folk delicious and found a well-made metal weapon in their camp. Smash now wields the tkaesali of Tesrar’s mother in one right hand, a makeshift shield in another, and keeps his left hands open to throw stones as necessary. The b’rohg will defend himself and the polearm to the death, but would happily trade the tkaesali for a lower quality weapon and a few gallons of wine.

Kreen & Roc: Having acquired a taste for the insectoids while feasting on trin in the Hinterlands, a roc has followed a large group of kreen from the Hinterlands into the northern Tablelands. Now the massive avian ranges across the northern Tyr Region, snatching up whole clutches of kreen at a time.

Alcha‐drik, the leader of one of the largest remaining clutches, is said to have declared a “gythtik” - a vengeance hunt - to down the rampaging avian, but is seeking out the assistance of mercenaries to provide psionic and magical firepower.

Wild Kank & Psurlon Adept: Far from the reach of the sorcerer-kings, a hive of wild kanks has dug a nest beneath the shifting sands, bursting into a Green Age ruin. Finding its stone walls to still be quite sturdy, the kanks have situated their queen’s egg chamber within the ruin’s entrance.

Unknown to the kanks, however, the depths of the ruin serve as the private lair of a psurlon adept. Rather than chase the kanks out, the psurlon has instead chosen to make use of them, dominating their simple minds and experimenting on them. Now any explorers will find the kanks to be especially aggressive, and the hatchling kanks are beginning to show signs of increased size, strange mutations, and powerful psionic abilities.

Greater Air Elemental & Hunting Cactus: Quintessent and invisible but nonetheless powerful and deadly, a greater air elemental hovers over a lone hunting cactus in the wastes. Drawn in by the strange psionic energies emanating from the alien cactus and weirdly comforted by them, the elemental has been following the sentient plant now for months. For its part, the hunting cactus is confused by the elemental’s nature but happy to have it around, as the elemental helps defend the cactus from attackers and sometimes assists in defeating its prey.

Scrab & Slig: In a region of sandy wastes, a band of sligs eke out a meager existence as they slowly lose a war of attrition against a scrab hive. The sligs have a fortified warren (though not much more than a cavern, really) beneath a rocky outcrop amidst the dunes, but must send out hunting parties regularly. The hunting parties often return with scrab meat, but also often return with fewer hunters than they left with.

For their part, the scrabs have a nest built beneath the desert sands, with an entrance hidden in a small field of boulders. They often feast on the fallen sligs, but the scrabs’ losses are also beginning to mount.

Both groups moved into the region relatively recently, and their combined depredations have pushed the area’s resources to the limit. Now, little prey remains - except for each other. Any travelers who pass through the region will be attacked mercilessly, but those that survive will be quickly courted by one or both groups to eliminate their rivals.

Bog Wader & Baazrag: A small watering hole lies in a region of stony barrens, nestled between several larger boulders. The watering hole is inhabited by a particularly cruel and powerful bog wader and is said by the locals to be the resting place of a powerful magic bracelet. The watering hole is also frequented by a pack of baazrags.

When threatened or otherwise looking to dispose of dangerous travelers, the area’s local tribes often direct travelers to the watering hole, spinning tales of powerful magic and “fearsome” guardian baazrags, but neglecting to mention the bog wader. Travelers who seek out the watering hole rarely return.

Aarakocra & Ash Golem: In a region of tall mesas, an ash golem trudges unceasing across the desert sands, its ash-filled footsteps tainting the land with every step. The golem’s footfalls crisscross the desert floor because the creature has been chasing a flock of aarakocra as they fly to and from their nests. The hunting and foraging in the region has been devastated since the golem arrived.

Certain that the golem’s presence is the work of one of the nearby groups of humans, the aarakocra have taken to raiding the local tribes of humans and humanoids for food and other resources. Several punitive expeditions have been sent out to find the aarakocras’ nesting grounds, but each has encountered the golem trailing behind the aarakocra and assumed that the powerful automaton was allied with the aarakocra raiders.