Country of Tejar
Culture
The country of Tejar has been mute for as long as living memory can recall, even among the long lived races of the land. With the coming of the new era, vocal speech has become more present, no longer outlawed, but the old fears of the past still grip the lands and compel a vast majority to communicate through written word and sign languages. Undead are seen as a fact of life, and make up the primary work force for many manual labor tasks. They are also used to deliver messages from one underground settlement to the next if it much travel above ground, as it is seen as far less risky to send a mindless skeleton on a dangerous, if simple, task then to risk the living falling prey to the dangers of the surface.
Geography
The country of Tejar is made up of vast expanses of deserts and badlands, much of which is not suitable for many forms of life, but the people who live within these lands have found ways to flourish. Methods including living beneath the surface almost exclusively, where the baking sun would not reach them. After the beginning of the Reborn Era, pockets of forests began to spring up in scattered oases across the land. Sharp mountain ranges seperate the country from its naighbors, but the vast majority of the land is relatively flat, only variations being the dunes and sandstone outcrops.
Near the western tip of the land, the desert becomes overtaken by an ancient swamp and forest, guarded by a powerful dryad but also notoriously infested by undead and large monsters. Within these forests is the Death Nexus.
Fresh, untainted waters are difficult to come by on the surface, the largest source being near the south, where a lake feeds one of the few surface cities, Ship's Rest.
Localized Phenomena
Weather is erratic in Tejar, difficult to predict as weather conditions still seem to spontaniously appear with little warning. These can range from rainstorms consisting of light misting of moisture, to sudden spikes in cold temperatures that can leave ice across the previously baking sands. The most dangerous weather, however, are the sandstorms.
Bearing monsters that seek to hunt and devour anything that finds itself within the blinding storm, this natural disaster is among the most feared. There are many a tale from those who manage to escape of their friends and companions being led away and never heard from again. Of strangers appearing and begging for shelter, often injured and claiming to be hunted, only to turn into monsters once within the safety of the group. Stories also tell of people simply vanishing in a flash beneath the sands, as though pulled under.
Prides of lamia, sand drakes, and ankeg all hunt within the sandstorms, picking off those who cannot find adaquet protection in time.
Tourism
Though there are a great many natural wonders and exquisite sights to be found in Tejar, it is recommended that no one travel for long distances without proper means of defense from creatures of the desert and swamps. Even mounts and beasts of burden can fall prey, leaving their human riders to the mercy of the elements.
Alternative Name(s)
Black Kingdom
Owning Organization
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