Haunting spires

On rare occasions, travellers hear a mournful wailing while wandering the desolate wastes of Aran’sha. Driven by curiosity and following the sound, they might stumble across a field of man-high, twisted and colorful spires made of a solid, rock-hard substance. Riddled with tiny holes, the unrelenting desert winds blowing trough them sing a haunting dirge, a lament to the unknown sculptors that are nowhere to be seen.

The origin of these colorful spires are shrouded in mystery. Unbeknownst to almost anyone alive, they are build by a rare species of termite that spends most of it life dormant in a deep slumber underneath those structures. Their dormant form resembles grains of sand so much that they are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Only on the rare occasions when a sudden rainstorm or a desert river passes nearby they awaken and start building their artful fortresses.

An unending mass of termites swarms out, gathering whatever ressources they can and expanding their homesteads. There is little time - once the last drop of moisture is gone they retreat back to their slumber, leaving behind only a mournful song blown away by the winds.