Ramlat al-Sab`atayn

Vast, ancient, and radiant with lingering magic, the Ramlat Al-Sab’atayn is a sweeping desert expanse in northwestern Mordonia, stretching from the edge of the The Threshold Plains to the shimmering The Sea of Antiquity. Once a fertile, magical bed of life during the Age of Pandemonium, this region was forever changed by the catastrophic event known as The Great Bloom—a violent explosion of concentrated arcane energy that scattered raw magic across the continent. What was once lush and overflowing became arid and sun-blasted, leaving behind a landscape as beautiful as it is dangerous.
Today, Ramlat Al-Sab’atayn is ruled by the powerful Sultanate of Al-Zandhar, a sprawling coastal metropolis of spires, domes, and floating towers. The city is a nexus of magical thought and experimentation, where magic is both an everyday tool and a wild, unpredictable force. Arcane scholars, spellwrights, and inventors thrive within its walls, and the city’s skyline is dotted with airships and sky barges gliding in from over the Sea of Antiquity. But progress comes with peril—arcane mishaps and magical duels are not uncommon, and non-magical residents must tread carefully in a society that favors the gifted.
Suspended high above the golden sands in the heart of the desert floats the miraculous city of Ephaesia, a lush, skybound realm inhabited solely by the Aasimar. Cloaked in divine enchantments and hidden from mundane sight, Ephaesia remains nearly unreachable to outsiders. It is a place of reverence, mystery, and near-celestial law, often spoken of in hushed tones by travelers who catch only glimpses through enchanted dust storms.
To the far northwest, amidst buried ruins and whispering dunes, lies the shattered temple complex of Lost Shilvani—an echo of a forgotten empire. Said to be cursed from a war waged with infernal powers long ago, the temple still radiates ancient, unhealed wounds. Explorers often vanish near its gates, and those who return speak of mirrored halls, phantom battles, and cursed sand that drinks the life from their limbs.
On the northern coast, Qalb Al-Sahil clings to life as a rugged fishing town on the Ataraxia Bay. Recovering from a devastating magical assault by the enigmatic House of M, this humble settlement now keeps a wary eye on the floating House still looming in the bay’s heart. Rumors swirl that the attack was penance for a long-forgotten pact with the Blackmoon Witch, though no records survive to confirm this.
To the west, beyond storm-wracked dunes, lies the treacherous Glass Sea—a stretch of desert perpetually caught in a vicious, unrelenting lightning storm. So intense is the heat and fury of the strikes that much of the sand has fused into vast, mirror-like plains of glass, reflecting the sky with a cruel, blinding glare. Nestled among a mountain outcropping in this deadly region is Qasr al-Ra’dah, a temple dedicated to storm gods long forgotten. Pilgrims and heretics alike make the dangerous journey here in hopes of divine communion—or power stolen from the heavens themselves.