The Vas'kii Deserts

-Wrapped around the Eastern & Southern borders of The Kingdom of Ascensia, The Vas'kii Deserts are a collective of tribes, micro-nations, and city-states that, while similar in a lot of ways, are too different and too vast to name individually. Most of these smaller collectives do not identify with each other, nor are they aware of each other's presence. There isn't a collective government between them.

-The Vas'kii Deserts are quite inhospitable, largely infertile, and extremely perilous to attempt a crossing through. The deserts are also incredibly large, taking up a significant amount of landmass on the continent of Karia; this makes navigating around them in either direction a brutally expensive and time-consuming process.

-These sandy dunes, while not the definitive origin point, are often considered the homelands of the Nek'ko race due to how many reside here.

-Three of the most notable places within these deserts are: Vas'vanu, Vas'varu'nai, and Vanu'kai.

-Vas'vanu is located south of The Kingdom of Ascensia's mining town of Black Gem. Its name means "Fertility before the sands" in the local dialect. Caravans sell passage through the deserts heading Eastwards, but it isn't uncommon for these caravans to not survive the journey due to the harsh conditions.

-Vas'varu'nai can be found in the dead center of the northern strip of The Vas'kii Deserts. Its name means Guardians of the sands and the clay". Here, a small oasis capable of providing enough water to sustain the small population surrounding it rests. The oasis, unfortunately, doesn't provide enough water to allow for venturing very far into the inferno that surrounds it. As its name suggests, there is an abundance of clay beneath the sands nearest the oasis, of which the locals have used to make housing, similar to that of adobe, to escape the heat. An ancient artifact that sealed away Kurang’duraath was buried in an underground cave network beneath the oasis, itself.

-Found in the western strip of The Vas'kii deserts, Vanu'kai is one of the few civilizations in the swaths of sand and rock that has relations outside of the cruel and dominating deserts. Fed by the only river in the region, the general area is incredibly fertile and capable of providing enough water for the massive population surrounding it. Beneath the ground lays incredible deposits of copper and iron for whoever is willing to buy it. While they don't have any direct allies, they do export their metallic goods to The Kingdom of Ascensia and The Nation of Xylotile; although the ruler of this city-state is fearful and reluctant towards the latter and worries about their expansionist nature. According to legends, the city-state was settled on a mountain that sealed away a massive tomb containing one of the artifacts used to seal away Kurang’duraath. Its name means "Of the fertile river" in its native tongue.