PASSAGE of VOICELESS KINGS

The Anax Pass is a small, seasonally grassy valley (fed from an underground source?)…a shallow fissure, really…approximately a third of the way to the devil’s home of A’Raf. The Muties have named this stretch of desert trench (the only relief to be had for many kilometers in an arid sea of sand) after having slain approaching enemies between its rocky walls. In their twisted minds, “kingdoms” have crumbled for having lost so many to these “head harvests in the pass.”

Empires may not have fallen, but many have died for naively seeking shelter in Anax. Ignorance is no excuse in these unforgiving lands… The typical wanderer is enticed by relief from the unrelenting heat of the area, so the only difference was how one ultimately died. It is widely understood to be folly to enter the Anax Pass as anything short of suicide. Only the Moncs and The People have the expertise to sidestep this all but indispensable shelter on their way to A’Raf. Who in their right mind goes into that hell among hells…aside from us loons…is beyond me. It apparently happens quite often as the piles of superbly bleached bones can attest. I suspect much of the fine dust in this crusty gap is bio matter that surrendered to the sun. The mere thought of walking through this place is steeped in the trappings of insanity… Being broiled alive under the searing sun for days on end… Well, yes. Perhaps that insanity does have some justification.

Enemies fell (and their remains used to construct the ghastly skull columns) as a warning to others.