| Category | Wastelands |
| Continent | Karterus |
| Region | Hive |
| Map | Klak-tak Wastes |
Klak-tak is a harsh, rugged landscape that bisects the core of the Hive Region. Carved by hills and craggy formations, the area features numerous box canyons, chasms, and deep subterranean pits, which contributed to Klak-tak being largely overlooked during both the Creation War and the Demon Spawn War. The arid conditions and abundance of concealed locations made the region an unappealing target.
In the Lith-Crillion Era, during the rise of the Auhtai city-states, this region was rife with banditry. The rugged and treacherous terrain made traversal difficult, yet the presence of civilization and wealth attracted ruffians, bandits, and beastly predators. These malcontents subsisted on the traffic of eight roads and numerous side paths, known collectively as the Cutthroat Roads, which led to the edges of the area and into the surrounding jungles and verdant grasslands, home to the holds of four major peoples. The oldest of these were the Auhtai, a people determined to increase their short lifespans. Next came the Khazarkar, a people of three castes who were refugees of the Otriring Rebalancing of 255 LE. The other two were the Gorantin and the Arachnoid. The Auhtai city-states, the Mantodea, were the primary importers of goods, which necessitated the construction of the Cutthroat Roads through the inhospitable landscape.
The Auhtai Banking System, the ABS, along with its robust security measures, was a key factor attracting many to reside on the borders of Klak-tak. Only Auhtai individuals were permitted to own property and dwell within the Auhtai city-states, based on the rationale that the inclusion of non-insectoids would introduce too many variables to their experiments. The Khazarkars, Gorantin, and Arachnoid populations constructed settlements near the Auhtai borders, adhering to the ABS's single currency policy and commercial oversight. The ABS managed the imbalances stemming from Mantodea's status as a significant net importer, through the implementation of periodic high taxes, fees, and re-coining processes. The coins utilized in these transactions were referred to as "mez-coins," a designation that alluded to the Auhtai's renowned mental acumen.
The truth behind mez-coins was uncovered during the First Epoch Explorers from the island city-state of Mechantus, known as the 16th Expeditionary, learned of a grand scheme backed by a Higher Power called Semuanya. To maintain the rapid progress of Auhtai research, Semuanya provided off-world currency. Semuanya's justification for this violation of the Mandate of the Heavens was to improve the short, thirty-year lifespans of the Auhtai, his most prized work of Creation.
Beginning on 12 Bloom 1512 HE, and throughout the ensuing decade, numerous settlements, both significant and modest, succumbed to the relentless Hive Swarms. However, those situated deep within Klak-tak, as well as along the far southwestern periphery, ultimately managed to rebuild and fortify themselves against the ever-looming menace of the Hive's ravenous insect hordes.