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A quick taste of Salt... [ Main | The Basics | Locations | Creatures | Genasi ] [ Magic | Powers | Devices | Stories ]   Greetings, 'walker. Seems folks are willing to go most anywheres nowadays. There was a time when the negative quasiplanes were about as desolate as a Guvners birthday party, but Voila didn't ask me to write the tired musings of an old dwarf. I reckon that I'm about as close to a native of the draining waste as most come, and you won't find many better to give you the low down on Salt. Name's Jhim Ragbrow and I originally hail from abouts the Dwarven Mountain, not a far cry from Spiretown itself. I served in the dwarven armies and walked the plains for quite awhile before I found a family and settled down, and it probably won't be too much longer before I'm off to serve in Clangeddin Silverbeard's armies. I took to mining eventually, sometimes those stereotypes do hold true. And when I heard there was a call for miners out in a desolate land full of unfriendly and downright dangerous locals, well I was packed that day. And make no mistake about it, Salt's about as unfriendly a land as you get. All the lower elemental planes have their own ways of killing you, but to my mind, none's nastier then havin' the water sucked from your bones. And the inhabitants reflect that nastiness. So if you're coming here, remember to bring a keen mind, a cautious attitude, some magic protection, and a good sharp axe. And water, well, that's a whole other matter. Sky and Ground For the most part, Salt is a solid plane, just like Earth or Mineral. A surprising amount of caves and corridors wind their way through her though, and some of these are big enough to make ya think you do have a sky above you. The border regions are a different matter though. The borders with Ice, Dust, Vacuum and Negative Energy all have skies of a sort. And where you have skies, go figure, you gotta have ground. The Light Well, at least it's a short section. There ain't none. If you wanna see, and even those of us with infravision usually do, ya better bring your own light source. The whiteness of the salty stuff that makes up this plane, however, means that your light source is pretty bright wherever you shine it. Planewalkers carrying lanterns glow up like glitterbugs in Baator here, because the translucent nature of Salt means light carries through solid ground too... For monsters that hunt by sight, that's an open invitation.

The Locals All in all, Salt has some of the most unpleasant bashers to roam the planes livin' in it. Quasielementals and mephits are the main native inhabitants to worry about. But up by the Saline Sea near the border with water, you'll find another altogether unfriendly group called Facets. Something about the plane seems to give everyone who stays here long enough an 'every dwarf for himself' kind of attitude. Don't expect help from most, and don't expect it without something in return from any. That being said, don't think there's no one good living here, but like everything else, Salt just tends to drain their merciful hearts dry. Other beasts to contend with include the vicious chivrunners and merciless kel'kerach, to name but a couple. Quasielementals and Mephits I list them together, because in few other places will you find the quasi's (most of us call the Salt quasielementals that. Quasielemental is just too much of a mouthful) and the mephits gettin' along so well. But don't worry, the kinship doesn't extend any farther. Both types are full of mean, tough berks who'll happily drain any planewalkers of all the liquid they can. See, the quasi's seem to have an eternal thirst, one that's never satiated until they take in enough water to explode. The current chant also is that there's an archomental of Evil Salt who's organizing them now. This Khrss, as he's said to be named, has managed to keep himself dark for quite awhile now as he builds his armies, and he does all he can to keep as much about himself unknown as possible. Facets Some other cutter's have already compiled most of the chant on these sods as there is known [in the Planescape MC, Appendix III, - Ed,]. Can't say I can add much, except that they're about as friendly as anyone else on this plane is. Stay away if you can, fight if you can't, and for cryin' out loud, never get them wet! Halflings I used to think I'd seen everything, from the mountains of Arborea to the nightmares of Baator to the vast emptiness of the Astral. I figured nothing more could ever surprise me. Then, what do you know, cannibal halflings. Maybe it just goes to show you what Salt can do to even the most kind-hearted of people. But according to them, they've actually been softened and become kinder from living in Salt. Now that sends a shiver up even my spine! Chant is they originally came from some prime world called Athas, and they ended up here as punishment from their water god. Whatever the story, they're a hard group of cutters, well suited to living in this land. They're also about your best chance if you're lost or dying, for they don't refuse water to anyone. Just don't try to take advantage of 'em. They eat their enemies. They call themselves the Wol'ridae, and the only real thing that identifies them as halflings is their size. They're thin and emaciated in general, with faces like that of human children, but with hard, wise eyes. They dress in hides and leather in a manner that resembles some of the more primitive societies out there, and are fond of bone as decoration and sharpen their teeth to fine points. They use spears like dwarves use axes, but don't think they won't try other weapons. Some of 'em have also taken to using mounts, and I've even seen a few on animental wolves. But one of the weirdest things about 'em, and the one that's led to their survival here, is that they don't seem to be affected a lick by the draining effects of Salt.

The Laws There's about as much of this on Salt as there is light. The unwritten rule of course, is never touch another man's water. Messing with anyone's water supply is about the quickest way into the dead-book. The mining towns are few and far between, and so are their laws. The Harmonium just doesn't come out here much, so it's true frontier justice. In some burgs, killing someone just for cheating at dice or even starting a fight is considered fair, so rogues best beware, because it's a dangerous place to be a thief. The quasi's assault the mines and the settlements, but I think it's more out of thirst then any outrage at us stealin' salt from 'em. And better believe it, berk, there's magical in some of that salt too.... [See the Items page for details]. Powers know there's plenty to go around. The Hazards The main concern of a traveler here is keepin' his water inside his body. The plane itself sucks the liquids from you [doing 2d6 damage per round - Ed.] and absorbs the water you carry with you. The plane corrupts potions and even holy water, unless the makers know the dark of how to protect them. Protection against Salt is even harder to find then that of most of the inner planes, as it ain't really needed anywhere else. The Magic Most dwarves ain't to keen on magic, but I've been planewalking just a little too long to buy into that. Well, wouldn't you figure, magic dealing with elemental water just doesn't work here. Even priests have a hard time getting around this aspect of the driest spot in the planes. The halflings have figured a way, and any spellslinger who learns the dark of the spell keys can make himself rich real fast. The problem there is, the spell keys are liquids themselves, which need to be poured out onto the crystal ground. The Gravity This one's a kicker. In some parts of the plane there's gravity, in some there aren't. Even the spots that have it can be different, one might be like the plane of Air, one like Pandemonium, and one being normal, like the Outlands. Maps you get here will usually also say how gravity works in a specific area, but most of the draining land just ain't mapped. Copyright 2000, the Mimir Team Layout by Jon Winter and Jeremiah Golden