Professor Nafezz's Taishan Travel Guide

Excerpts from Professor Nafezz's Taishan Travel Guide, 5802NG

On the Rhegev Desert; Surviving the Endless Light

The Rhegev Desert is not the barren expanse most newcomers imagine. They should be so lucky! The desert is alive; insistently, maddeningly, and vibrantly alive! It has no interest in letting you, or anyone else, pass untested.
Despite its reputation for desolate wastes and lifeless gorges, the Rhegev desert has bustling corridors of caravan routes running from the southern extremes to the market at Cannat Glaine. The traveling scholar should know that the greatest danger here is the wind, shearing across the dunes like a knife in the right situations. It is imperative to take cover at the first sign of a windstorm; as the washerfolk say, "better to waste a night of travel than to die a horrible death".   Hospitality customs vary by region, but the Water Way forbids the refusal of water, even to enemies. As the saying goes, "no one shall die unoffered". On the flip side of that, refusing offered water is one of the few ways to start a blood feud in the Rhegev Desert.   "If you wish to stay alive in the desert, travel with a Singer guide. They can hear the dunes whisper before the rest of us do."  

On the Seraph Mountains; Where the Air is Thin, and the Gods are Thick

Every ridge in the Seraphs tells a story, and most of them are contradictions.
Spiking between the Rhegev Desert and the Nyssan Jungle, this treacherous mountain range is deadly. Hermits make the ascent into the peaks often enough, using one of the Seven Graven Paths, but the stone beneath one's feet is prone to crumbling at the most inopportune times if one wanders off the path. The cloud spirits that drift between the peaks enjoy startling travelers, and playing diabolical pranks. The writer lost two notebooks to their mischief.   Wildlife is sparse, but formidable! Wild goats are the most plentiful of the larger game, the sheerclaw Ibex being one of the species prized by bards for its horn curvature, and by shephards for its meat, wool and milk. The silver-throated harp eagle is another of the mountains' curiosities. Said to sing only when someone below is lying, this story has never been independently verified.   “Bring warm layers, a respectful tongue, and lungs that do not fear betrayal. The Seraphs reward the determined and ruin the arrogant.”  

On the Nyssan Jungle; Wet, Green, and Trying Very Hard to Kill You

The Nyssan Jungle is a marvel. And marvels are rarely polite.
The Nyssan Jungle is overwhelmingly loud. It is a cathedral of dense greenery in which every being shouts to be heard. Beware the Nyssan Dusk, when the land still retains the heat of the day and the Chorus-Hunters roam freely. If you hear someone call your name, do not answer unless you can see their eyes!   Of particular note are the Ichik'i Lizardfolk, whose society is ancient and meticulously stratified. They consider the jungle a "shared body", with the waterways as veins and the root mazes as nerve centers. Outsiders stepping carelessly upon sacred roots is akin to a slap in a loved one's face.   "Respect the jungle's rhythm. Do not wander alone. And under no circumstances eat anything that glows!"