The name says it all: Demon. Wastes. Not a nation, but the stretch of land across the Icehorn Mountains and the Shadowcrags, recognized as no-man’s-land to any civilized creature. To say that demons rule the Demon Wastes is a bit of a misconception; the rakshasas, their fiendish cousins, and the rajahs buried beneath the earth merely occupy the land, perverting it to their whim. Ruling involves administration and regulation, which demons seldom do. Eons ago, when the couatl and dragons imprisoned the rajahs, they picked locations around the world where magic was focused enough to create jail cells capable of holding the demon princes. The plains of Syrkarn, the jungles of Q’Barra, and other out-of-the-way locales proved ideal for isolating the rajahs. But their presence also created a zone of evil and maddening magic, and in the Wastes, several rajahs were imprisoned close enough to create wide swathes of desecration. Ashtakala, the Lair of the Keeper, the Lake of Fire, and several points in the infamous Labyrinth all hold ancient rajahs beneath the surface. The once green and lush land has been reduced to desert and cold tundra, interspersed with volcanic fissures and horrific weather.

Ghaash’kala

Geography

• The Demon Wastes is cut off from the rest of Khorvaire by the Shadowcrags and Icehorn Mountains. To the south, it borders the Shadow Marches, and to the east, it borders the Eldeen Reaches. On its west coast is the Barren Sea, and its northeast peninsula touches the Bitter Sea.