Atagua is a rugged country of tropical grassland plains and gallery forests—a great savanna known locally as the Llanos. Spread across the basin of the twisting Holroro River, the peoples of this land dwell in scattered outposts connected by walkways called the Grassroads. > [!DM VERSION]- > ![[map-14.4-atagua.jpg]] > [!PLAYER VERSION]- >![[map-14.4-atagua-player.jpg]] #### The Grassroads The Grassroads are a system of elevated, 15-foot-wide roads ranging from 5 to 20 feet in height and punctuated by lean-to shelters; the roads and shelters alike are constructed from wood, reeds, and stone. The folk of Atagua use these roads to ensure safe passage above the many hazards of the Llanos. Traders and farmers walk the roads day and night, protected by the elite fighter-scouts known as Cababa warriors, who patrol constantly for poachers and bandits. Thri-kreen can often be found scavenging the ground beneath the pathways for items dropped from above. They then trade these items for panela—cones of brown sugar cooked in mills across Atagua. #### El Caparazón Hundreds of farming villages dot the Llanos, bordered by sugarcane fields and orchards of cacao trees. El Caparazón (“The Shell”) is the largest of these settlements and the capital of Atagua. It was named for a latticework partial dome built by the Flood People hundreds of years ago. The dome provides precious shade to the central square known as the Mercado Sucre and to a grand hacienda roofed with amber-hued tiles. Called the Sugar Alcázar, this hacienda is home to Alfonz Rubinaz-Zumdi, the powerful landowner known as the Sugar Man. About 5 miles outside the city, Port Panela serves as Atagua’s port. It boasts dozens of wooden docks as well as thatched huts on stilted platforms, and the harbor teems with sleek trade boats returning or departing with sugar, cacao, goods, and travelers. #### The Outposts Three remote settlements, collectively known as “the outposts,” are home to the most notable factions of Atagua. One is a busy encampment that serves as a base for the Tribe of Builders, the engineers and workers who repair and extend the Grassroads. Every six years they rebuild this encampment, which they affectionately call the Devil’s Hammock. The second outpost was once the El Chapán rum distillery; after it closed down long ago, it became a trading post for the thri-kreen of the Llanos. The third outpost is the Silver Tapir Monastery, which serves as the sanctuary and school of the Green Doctors.