The Sehirizan Desert

Home of the Southern Tribes

The Southern Tribes

To the south of the Great Divide, the canyon that bisects the continent of Kharza, is a massive, near-inhospitable desert called the Sehiri Desert (or Sehirizan). Miles and miles of flat wastes and steep, blistering sand dunes dominate the landscape, making travel hellish and exhausting. Nomadic tribes down here are significantly less common than up north in the Uru Scrublands, but these tribes are twice as hostile and desperate. They share a common ancestor with those of the north- the mother tribe of Naizuud and the mother language of Zuddi, but the culture to the south has evolved.
These tribes have a higher percentage of orcish blood than human as over the centuries many groups of human tribemen have instead attempted to join the kingdom of Va'Sehir. Historically there have not been many dwarven tribesmen down this way, however in recent times the number of dwarves in their tribes has swelled due to those leaving Dren'Mordenaz. These tribes have next to no minotaur or centaur members among them. Many of the humans live in tribes composed strictly of humans. The tribes here are overall less tolerant of otherness and more divided compared to the north, but they may still accept strangers into their ranks if they can prove themselves worthy of the trouble. Conversion to the cult of their chosen god is also often mandatory. They are deeply, deeply religious as a result of their constant struggle to survive the elements and their religion has slowly come to revolve around tenacity and strength. They also value survival skills and knowledge about nature. A good number of druids live among them, without which they likely would have never settled here. These druids are often the tribe leaders and they can easily find water sources, and in a pinch even make enough water for their tribes to survive. These people know this desert like the back of their hands- they know all the small hidden oases and springs where animals gather, they know the hidden valleys which can still bear some plantlife, they know how to tap certain cactai and make the tough desert shrubs consumable. They suffer through sandstorms and unrelenting sun and they do not complain.
For all its harshness, this region is what these tribes know and what they call home, and their society reflects this harshness. The ill and disabled are often left to die and they do not take prisoners. Strength, bravery, and ruthlessness are virtues and things like weakness, clumsiness, and mercy or coddling are sins as they weaken or endanger the whole of the group. Weakness must be purged swiftly so it cannot contaminate their bloodlines in subsequent generations. Survival of the fittest is the law of the land. The god many of these tribes revere is a god or goddess of war and violence and they take whatever they can from anyone weaker than them. They kill any competitors that they can. The tribes are often at war with one another, all hoping to one day have the whole of the territory to themselves.
Others look to the north at the kingdom of Va'Sehir with hungry eyes. They call these people the Zalichin, pathetic weaklings who rely on magic tricks to survive in the desert and keep their people at bay. This kingdom has long walled off land access to the north, including the only rivers in the region, hoarding those life-giving waters for themselves- a great and terrible act of sacrilege. Many tribes have discussed at length the prospect of joining together as one to overtake these fools who dare deprive their people the divine right of water. There have been attempts off and on through history to raid and pillage Va'Sehir, but none that have fully succeeded. The magical wards around that walled kingdom are seemingly impossible to bypass, leaving only a small number of extremely well guarded gates as the way in. These tribesmen are the definition of stubborn- especially with the new addition of dwarven blood, and they will keep chipping away at these walls until they find a way in someday. To some tribes, this is prophecy, and they will one day inherit the sacred waters and so-called Plains of Tashuk that should have always been theirs. Their raids are akin or religious crusades and they will not rest until they they breech those sorcerous walls, break every Zalichini talisman, and slaughter every godless man, woman, and child inside. They will tear down those walls from the inside and free the captive rivers- only then will their misery and desperation end. Some say that will just be the beginning- then they will move on to conquering the rest of Kharza, and perhaps beyond. It is said that this region was once more like the north- more shrubby grasslands than blinding desert. The desertification has intensified the past few thousand years, the sand dunes getting ever higher. The tribes say it is the result of Va'Sehir walling off the rivers, and once the rivers are freed the land will bloom once again. Obviously this is not scientifically sound, but its a commonly spread prophecy.

Remnants of Qusura

This region is riddled with the ghosts of a long lost civilization. The oldest known human civilization was the vast empire of Qusura, and though the majority of it now lays beneath the sea, much of this area was once a part of this society. During the era of their fall, their greatest rival was Va'Sehir, and upon the destruction of the heart of their empire, most of the surviving settlements near the Va'Sehirian border were raided and their people slaughtered or taken as slaves. Much of Sehirizan is dotted with these forgotten ruins, most eventually swallowed up by the sands and later revealed when the winds shift. Some of these ruins are now home to small groups of desert Lizardfolk or other more monstrous creatures. One of these ruins is also the hidden location of a famous monastery- The Monastery of the White Sands, which trains some of the most skilled and feared fighters in all of Kharza. They claim to be as old as Qusura, that this is the origin of their unique fighting styles.

Ports, Trails & Pitstops

There are very few permanent settlements in Sehirizan. Most any settlements would be swallowed up by sand, raided by barbarians, or simply have no way to support a large number of people logistically. That said, there are three independent (and well defended) ports which have survived; Port Mazuhr (an infamously violent pirate port), Barakaz (an independent trade hub for folks who want out from under the royal thumb of Va'Sehir) and Migglehythe (a largely rock-gnomish entry point for travelers from Geddri). Barakaz Trail, which is more a line of tall glowing obelisks than a road, marks the way through the disorienting desert all the way to the mountains and the newish dwarven stronghold of Dren'Mordenaz. Along it is a marker that points in the direction of the monastery as well as a small pitstop oasis known as "Bruselle's Mercy". The obelisks ends at Bijanu Pass, a canyon between Endling's Ridge and Fireglow Ridge of the southern Sunset Mountains. This road eventually leads to the pirate port of Sunken Dock on the jungled west coast, making this trail the only one that reaches from west coast all the way to the east coast.

Largest Populations:
Orcs, Humans, Hill Dwarves, Lizardfolk

Common Languages:
Orcish, Common, Zuddi, Dwarvish, Combinations of all

Governments:
Tribe leaders, Port Town Mayors


Major Settlements:
Port Mazuhr, Port Barakaz, Migglehythe, Monastery of the White Sands