Al'Sahra The Desert Wastes

Just before the Collapse occurred on Apeladorn, the great continent of Earth, a subset of the gods broke away from the pantheon, pulling up a landmass to the east. Most of these were minor gods, previously human and deified, and created the land mass in order to grow their power. The rest of the pantheons were enraged by this, and cursed the land to suffer drought, war and deforestation whilst it remains under their control.   This curse seemed to be baseless, with the loss of the rest of the deities powers during the Collapse. However, after the Reascension, war descended on the continent, tearing up the land. The armies tore down and burnt the forests and fields, ruining the agriculture of the land. After the wars ended, the land never recovered, and the desert swept across the continent.   Since then, civilisation rebuilt in the new environment. Cities and countries formed, fighting for control over the little resources available. The greatest of these was Must'Adiq, built into the Spire (Muwd), an immense column rising beyond sight into the sky. Slowly, all other cities fell, until only Must'Adiq remained, surrounding by feudalistic clans.   The power in this city grew from magical technology, powered by the oil found in abundance in the sand. Magical constructs became commonplace, and the Artificers Guild holds the most control. Though officially no war is currently ongoing, the city is always under threat from these outlander lords (rayi) striving to take control.