The Great Desert

The Great Desert—known also as the Land of Forgotten Horizons or the Blighted Maw—stretches endlessly under a scorching sun, yet amidst its cursed sands lie a few fixed landmarks: places that defy the desert’s restless, shifting nature. These steadfast sites are revered as near-mythical by the hardy few who know them, for they offer rare glimpses into the desert’s complex past and mysterious energies.

Key Features of the Great Desert

• The Last Oasis Inn– A small outpost with tent city out in the unforgiving wastes of the desert.  It stands a bastion for those in need, and a home base for many adventures.
• Sandcrest Encampment– Nestled at the base of the cliff that holds the high-perched Last Oasis Inn, the Sandcrest Encampment is a sprawling and ever-changing tent city
• Village of Ashen Well– A tenacious settlement carved from the unforgiving wastes, a day’s travel down the parched riverbed road from the Last Oasis.
• The Mud Flats – This bog is thick with sucking mud, scattered pools of still, brackish water, and slow-moving rivulets that glisten with greenish hues under the sun

 

• The Greenhold

Deep within the heart of the desert, hidden atop a towering plateau, lies the Greenhold. This elevated oasis is a marvel of life amidst desolation, bursting with vibrant flora and clear pools that seem untouched by time. Despite the cursed nature of the desert, the Greenhold remains lush and teeming with rare plants and animals, attracting scholars, adventurers, and even the desert’s halfling tribes, who defend it fiercely. The ascent to the Rise is treacherous, and only those skilled in survival or well-versed in local lore can find the paths leading to its hidden heights. Legends say the magic that fuels the oasis dates back to the Old Kingdom, where forgotten enchantments keep it perpetually nourished, as though preserved for some ancient purpose.

• The Godfang

To the east stands The Godfang, an immense mountain that juts sharply into the sky, dwarfing the surrounding dunes. The Godfang is one of the few fixed points in the desert, a dark and looming sentinel that offers no mercy to those who attempt to scale its steep slopes. The mountain’s base is littered with debris and the ruins of failed expeditions, while its caves hold a mixture of natural treasures and eerie remnants of the desert’s magic. Some say the Godfang was once the heart of an ancient fortress or tower, toppled and reshaped in the cataclysm that created the desert. Rare herbs and valuable minerals are rumored to be hidden in its rock faces, but the Godfang is a perilous place, frequented by stone-burrowing creatures and rumored guardians of unknown origin.

• The Dryvein River

Cutting a jagged path from north to south is the Dryvein River, a wide, dried-up riverbed that serves as a silent reminder of a time when water flowed through this land. The Dryvein’s banks are cracked and white with ancient salts, and some explorers claim they can see traces of aquatic fossils embedded within its bedrock, hinting at a rich and verdant past. Despite its desolate appearance, the Dryvein remains a reliable guide through the shifting sands, as it remains unchanged, stretching like a scar across the desert. The riverbed is often used by caravans and nomadic tribes as a stable route across the sands, though travelers must still contend with desert creatures and remnants of past battles scattered along its path.

• The Black Glass Fields

Fields of jagged, dark glass mark a desolate stretch west of the Godfang. This shimmering, treacherous expanse is thought to be the site of the Old Kingdom’s most powerful magical explosion. The glass fields are razor-sharp and dangerous to cross, with jagged reflections said to cast haunting visions of the past and sometimes glimpses of distant places. Few who dare enter emerge unscathed, and it is considered one of the most cursed places in the desert.

• The Shifting Labyrinths

Beneath the desert’s sands lies a hidden network of caverns, only briefly exposed when fierce winds clear the dunes. These tunnels, known as the Shifting Labyrinths, are believed to be remains of an ancient underground infrastructure or burial complex from the Old Kingdom. Inside, explorers encounter relics of forgotten times, often guarded by long-dormant, arcane wards or even magical constructs. The sands can shift unexpectedly, collapsing parts of the caverns or sealing explorers inside—a constant danger that has claimed many lives.

• The Bone Dunes

In certain stretches of the desert, skeletons of gargantuan beasts lie half-buried, mingling with the bones of those who dared enter the desert and never returned. These dunes are notorious for being haunted by desert spirits, strange wraiths, and echoes of battles fought long ago.

• The Sunken Cities

Hidden far within the desert are rumored to be the ruined cities of the Old Kingdom, places of splendor now swallowed by sand. Their remnants hold relics, inscriptions, and arcane constructs, but those who seek them must first pass countless perils. It is whispered that some of these ruins are guarded by automatons still active and programmed to defend their lost civilization.

• Mirage Lakes

Scattered throughout are areas where magic and reality blur. These mirage-like oases appear to be clear lakes surrounded by verdant greenery. Those who try to drink from them find only burning sand, but those skilled in illusionary magic claim they can glimpse fragments of the Old Kingdom in these visions.

• The Reach and the Great Cities

The inhabited southern arc of the Great Desert is known as The Reach. This stretch of land curves through the lower desert, where the remaining cities of the Sorcerer Kings cling to existence around sparse resources and ancient remnants of a once-great civilization. Each city rises around a monumental ziggurat, where sacrifices empower the Sorcerer Kings’ magic and fuel their hold over the desolate land. Beyond the Reach lies the Great Scorched Desert, the vast and treacherous heart of the desert, shrouded in mystery and legend, where the sands are said to guard secrets lost to time.

The Seven Cities of the Reach

Zharoth, the Drowned Spire

• Ruler: Sorcerer King Asherak, the Drowned Lord
• Location: Near the Great Silt Sea
• The city of Zharoth sits at the edge of the dried-out Great Silt Sea, its vast ziggurat rising from the remains of an ancient shipwreck and extending high into the desert sky. Zharoth is known for its trade in rare minerals and salt harvested from the silt’s depths, as well as a booming market for exotic fish and creatures trapped within ancient seabeds. Asherak’s subjects labor under harsh conditions, extracting whatever value remains from the dry, barren sea. Each year, sacrifices are held at the base of the ziggurat, with hundreds offered to the mysterious depths below to fuel Asherak’s powers and keep his ancient masters sated.

Khurzak, the Iron Maw

• Ruler: Sorcerer King Vulkar, the Iron King
• Location: On the Crater’s edge, over ancient mines
• Khurzak clings to the Crater’s edge, where deep mines still yield small veins of iron, though it grows scarcer each year. Known as a harsh industrial hub, Khurzak’s people are forced into grueling shifts extracting iron and metals for Vulkar’s smelting forges. The city’s ziggurat, shaped like an enormous blackened anvil, casts its shadow over a marketplace where metal tools, weapons, and salvaged artifacts from the desert are traded. Vulkar’s sacrifices take place within the ziggurat, with the ritualistic forging of iron masks that symbolize those offered to empower him and the spirits of his ancestors.

Nyssath, the Blooming Abyss

• Ruler: Sorcerer Queen Melaith, the Thorned Empress
• Location: Within a twisted forest of mutated flora
• Nyssath lies hidden within a strange, lush forest of enormous, mutated plants—twisted creations of Melaith’s magic. The city thrives on the trade of rare, dangerous flora, known for their poisons, hallucinogenic properties, and alchemical uses. Melaith’s ziggurat is vine-covered and alive with vegetation, designed to resemble a colossal flowering plant. Here, sacrifices are conducted in elaborate ritual gardens, where the very essence of those offered is absorbed into her twisted plants. The mutated flora’s byproducts are exported to other cities, making Nyssath a feared yet essential provider of rare, potent ingredients.

Skalath, the City of Shattered Dreams

• Ruler: Sorcerer King Malix, the Shard-Binder
• Location: At the heart of the desert, surrounded by mirages
• Skalath is a city of illusions, known for its unique trade in enchanted glass and mirrored artifacts that are said to capture and distort reality. Malix’s ziggurat, the Obsidian Prism, is a shimmering structure that warps in the desert sun, casting reflections that flicker and distort the landscape. Craftspeople skilled in glassblowing and illusion magic labor under harsh conditions, creating objects that are prized across the desert. Malix conducts his sacrifices within the ziggurat, using rituals that draw from the twisted reflections, feeding his masters through the shattered mirages that lie within his city’s glassworks.

Droz’Gul, the City of Scorching Shadows

• Ruler: Sorcerer King Tzarak, the Shadowflame
• Location: Built into the base of the eastern mountain range
• Droz’Gul, with its smoldering ziggurat at the mountain’s edge, is known for its extensive forges and weapon production. Tzarak’s people mine obsidian and other volcanic rocks, using them to craft deadly blades and sturdy armor that fuel the conflicts between desert cities. The mountain’s blackstone deposits and the relentless labor of enslaved miners make Droz’Gul a center of martial supply and a hub for mercenary recruitment. Tzarak’s ziggurat looms over the city, where hundreds of slaves are sacrificed each year to the Shadowflame in order to maintain his power and ensure the blackstones continue to yield their resources.

Rahk’naar, the Bone City

• Ruler: Sorcerer Queen Ithral, the Weaver of Bones
• Location: Near a dried riverbed oasis
• Rahk’naar sits on a parched riverbed, where bonecraft and necromantic artifacts drive trade with other cities. Ithral’s ziggurat, known as the Bone Tower, is woven with skeletal remains of fallen slaves and sacrifices. It serves as the site of Ithral’s sacrifices, where those offered are stripped of flesh and made part of the macabre structure itself. The Bone City is infamous for its twisted necromantic experiments, and bone-carved charms and relics are sold at a high price, believed to provide protection against the desert’s curses. Rahk’naar’s exports are dark, yet they serve as a reminder of Ithral’s powerful necromantic abilities.

Xar’zarith, the Free City of the Sands

• Ruler: Tyrant Warlord Azhurak, the Iron Mind
• Location: Western border of the desert
• Xar’zarith is the only city free from a sorcerer king’s rule, but it is by no means free of tyranny. Azhurak’s iron rule is enforced through psionics, and his templar-like guard, the Iron Guard, protects the city. Xar’zarith’s ziggurat, while unused for sacrifices, stands as a symbol of Azhurak’s triumph, where he overthrew the former king in a bloody uprising. The city is a hub for psionic rebels and escaped slaves, and its markets trade in rare psionic relics and desert contraband. Though brutal, Azhurak’s rule allows for some freedoms, making it a refuge of sorts for those seeking to escape the sorcerer kings’ oppression.

 

Mystical Properties

The Great Desert pulses with chaotic magic, warping the lands and skies with mirages and illusions that can lead even the most skilled wanderer astray. Those with magical inclinations find their abilities amplified but dangerously erratic within its bounds. These energies are thought to stem from the ancient calamity that tore apart the Old Kingdom, mingling with the curse of the False One to create an atmosphere both alluring and deadly. The unique, unchanging landmarks—like the Verdant Rise, Godfang, and Dryvein River—draw countless seekers hoping to find stability and secrets among the desert’s turmoil, yet all too often, they find only peril.

The desert itself is alive with strange creatures adapted to its magical aura: spectral apparitions, sand-dwelling wyrms, and even constructs and automatons from the Old Kingdom that still roam, programmed to guard secrets long since forgotten. Many believe the Great Desert is a timeless graveyard, a silent reminder of the dangers of unchecked magic and ambition. To those who dare, it offers countless wonders and riches—if they can survive its harsh embrace.