Ledo is the northern most island in the chain that marks the transition of the Silt Sea into the Estuary of the Forked Tongue. It is a rocky and almost completely barren island with little in the way of vegetation anywhere except on the east side. Not coincidently, this is where the only sentient inhabitants, the giants, live.

The island is dominated by the central peak called 'Muku Kraga' by the giants - literally, burning hill. It is called this because of the enormous amounts of flint that make up the mountain. The mountain and the surrounding rock are colored black and gray, for every stone seems to have at least a trace of the useful mineral. Surrounding Muku Kraga are dozens of low hills and valleys.

Ledo has very few sources of water - two, in fact. One lies on the east side of the island, where the old giant village of East Ledo was located, and the other is located a mile south of the current village, West Ledo, on the opposite side. Both sources of water are in steep, narrow wells with stone buckets and giant hair ropes to collect water.

The make up of the edges of the island, where it meets the Silt Sea, vary depending on which side of the island one is at. The east side is either bare rock or beaches of small to medium sized stones. As one moves closer to the west side of the island, the edges are sandy beaches, changing quickly to the rocky terrain which dominates the inland landscape.

At the top of Muku Kraga is Lake Ledo, a shallow collection of water that has accumulated during the occasional Tyr storms. The water is only a few dozen feet at it's deepest and fills the crater of a long extinct volcano. The giants do not use this source of water for several reasons. It is generally stagnant, and not pleasant for humanoids to drink. It is covered with a thin layer of silt, which only adds to it's unpleasant flavor. And, bahaks nest around the lip of the crater, attacking those who move too closely.

Flora & Fauna

Vegetation is sparse on Ledo. Neegha trees are the only type of trees found on the island. It has a tall, thin trunk with long stringy leaves. Most Neegha trees do not have branches for twenty to thirty feet above the ground. Other than the Neegha trees, only scrub grass, hardy mosses, and the occasional scrub bush can be found on the islands rocky slopes.

There are very few species of animals on Ledo. The predomidant species is sheep, which the giants use for meat, wool, and their skins (for clothing and silt-proofing their roofs.) There are also several dozen goats on the island, used for their milk.

Only two kinds of wild animals are native on the island. The first is the dashir, lizards that range in color from dark green to pale yellow and come in a variety of sizes, from the small, skittish six inch newly born dashir to the fifteen foot long aggressive elder dashir. The giants prize the dashir for their meat, but generally avoid the older and aggressive lizards - dashir have a mild poison transmitted through their bite which, while not fatal, is very painful. Larger lizards are quite capable of taking a foot or hand off even a careful giant with their powerful jaws and sharp teeth.

The other native inhabitant of Ledo is a large hunting bird, bahak, that nests in the upper crags of the central peak, Muku Kraga. A typical bahak has a twelve foot wingspan and is has light brown to white coloration. They do not attack humanoids unless their nests are threatened, but will attack sheep if left alone, so shephards must take care.

Society

Ledo is populated by only one race - a tribe of miner/trader desert giants. The giants are generally friendly and tolerant of those who come to Ledo, as long as they are there to trade and do not wander about the island, especially the areas near their mines on the south face of the mountain. However, they are outwardly hostile towards dwarves, who they think are trying to steal their flint (see below), which they jealously guard. Groups of dwarves who try to come to Ledo will be met with force, and those who are with other races will be treated rudely and watched closely.

The village of the desert giants, West Ledo, is located on the northwest side of the island, where it receives partial cover from the mountain. In addition to the protection from the weather, this area of the island has a natural harbor which allows silt skimmers to approach quite close to the island without fear of grounding. The giants' village used to be on the east side of Ledo, but it had to be abandoned because of the fierce storms that occasionally pummel the island.

Homes are located on natural indentations in the ground, with the walls made of broken rock from the mines. The stones are held together with mud from the mud flats which form on certain areas of the island after it rains. The villages sixteen homes, each once of the same circular style of construction. The ceiling is a type of thatched roof, using Neegha trees to support sheepskin coverings. Houses are typically one room, though an additional room is not unheard of. Cooking is done on a spit outside the house. Their diet consists mainly of meat - either sheep or the lizards they can catch, though they receive differing food by trading with the merchants.

There are 59 giants currently living on Ledo. The population had previously been higher, but many giants were killed in a particularly fierce Tyr storm. It was after this that the decision was made to move the village. There are 23 males (1 3rd level warrior, 9 lst level warriors, 10 0-level giants), 21 females (4 1st level, 14 0-level), and 15 children. Most homes have an extended family. Adult children often live with their wives in one of the parents home until they have children of their own, at which time they build their own home.

Morga (N War5) is the chief of the tribe. His home is the largest in the village, partially built into the base of a steep, rocky hill. The chief is quite proud of his collection of twelve dwarf skulls in the entrance of his home. Most of the other giant warriors have at least one dwarf skull of their own.

There are a few other area of interest in West Ledo. A sturdy pen sits on the south edge of the village. It was created to hold prisoners, though it is usually empty. A large pit next to the prisoner pen holds the supply of flint. During the day, there are no guards per se, as the activity of village makes it impossible for someone to sneak in to still any, but during the night, a single guard keeps watch.

The mine is relatively shallow in depth, being only a thousand feet deep, but is very wide, reaching nearly five hundred feet. The mine is forty feet in height, and the mine is level, and only begins to descend slightly as one reaches the rear of the mine. The giants have been mining this area for several generations, and would have made better progress but for two reasons - their general lack of quality tools and the hardness of the stone through which they mine. The mine is located four miles from the village, on the south edge of the Muku Kraga. Flint is hauled from the mine to the village in sacks reinforced with giant hair.

As the mine is their primary resource for trade, they guard it jealously, and most nights, two giants of either sex can be found patroling the area. The giants mistrust of dwarves began almost twenty five years ago when a dwarf expedition led by Boramek, a vicious fighter, raided the mine, killing several giants and stealing several bags of flint. The animosity towards dwarves has continued to this day.

The main export of Ledo is the massive amount of flint that Muku Kraga supplies them, a seeminly endless supply. Flint carried from the mine to a place near town. All men and most women are involved with mining. It is difficult to remove without good tools, so it takes a while to mine effectively. The islands other export is giant hair, which is much easier to acquire.

Because of the scarcity of vegetation, feed for the many sheep that the giants keep for food is a necessary import. Tools are also of prime importance, and quality picks and shovels (giant sized, of course) could profit a merchant greatly. Other items of interests to the giants are meat, grains, and vegetables.

Points of Interest

On the northeast side of Ledo is a chimney like structure a half dozen feet high. From it comes a foul smell, one of death and decay and other, equally repulsive scents. The giants avoid it - they sense it is a place of evil. Occassionally a thin cold black mist rises up from below, pouring out like overflowing water. Those who have been touched by the mist say it has a numbing effect, and for a time afterwards, they hear whispering voices.

A cave entrance sits just inside the lip of the crater holding Lake Ledo. The giants have no idea of what lies inside, as even the smallest of them are too large to explore it. But, they have seen twinkling lights in the depths and can see the movements of small figures.

East Ledo, the old giant village, has been destroyed by neglect and fierce storms that blow in from the east. Adding to the destruction, a large crack has formed down the center of the village. Large, fierce black spiders are now found throughout the village, their bites leaving painful red welts and weaken those bitten for days.