Scorched Wastes

This was one of our more dangerous treks as of late. We had to maintain the ship's environment shield the entire time to protect from the extreme heat, sand, and the possibility of fire. I am no quitter, however, and we took our time floating over the sandy expanse. These detailed maps aren't gonna chart themselves after all.

— A blog post from Birki Kroon

Located in the northwestern part of Ukrix, this desert is an arid, hot, and overall hostile place to traverse. Most people usually avoid traveling directly through it when possible and opt to take the longer, safer routes around it when accessing the few settlements near it.

Climate

Temperatures here range from over 100 degrees in the day and as low as 30 degrees once night arrives. It is usually the most bearable at dawn and dusk, but only for a brief period as temps change fast. A large portion at the center is arid and almost exclusively full of a red orange sand. There are many dunes and sections of hard, cracked earth. Some rock formations can be found. The closer to the edge one gets, the more vegetation and wildlife appears. Closer to the center there are mainly bunches of dead trees and dried out plants. Around the outskirts of the desert are various cacti and trees suited for the environment.

by jimboChan

by Steven Su

Flora and Fauna

Most species here are seen on the outer edges and rarely in the sandy center. There are numerous cacti along with some trees and bushes evolved to survive drought and hot temps. Camels, wild dogs, desert foxes, hares, reptiles, and various insects roam the sands and rocky earth. There have even been the occasional report of the desert variation of Zugret throughout the years.

Desert Dangers

Extreme temperatures are not the only thing to watch for. One of the other main dangers are the sandstorms. They can happen at any time and can easily take travelers by surprise if they're not familiar with such things. These are fairly unpredictable and have little to no warning before engulfing a large area. Even with proper clothing and equipment, travelers have gotten lost and turned around during particularly bad storms.
The ground is also unstable in certain areas. There are hidden sink holes that can lead to a traveler's demise, or at least hinder them by several days depending on where it deposits them. These random holes can either swallow you whole and suffocate you in the process, or dump your body into an underground cavern hidden beneath the sand. These are practically undetectable, even to trained eyes.
There are also random phenomena that occur from the various pockets of magical energy that litter the land. One of the more common occurrences are fire swirls. Sometimes a patch of magic infused sand will spontaneously sputter and shoot off a poof of fire. If the conditions are right, this fire can swirl and grow into a mini vortex that can travel a small distance. Sometimes it can even swell into a fire tornado that can be devastating to anything nearby. These patches of sand can also spew out other effects like electrical charges or poisonous clouds.

Type

Desert

Settlements

There are none within the wastes itself. Currently there are only three settlements on the outskirts of the desert: Aslataesi, Thumdim, and Nakobei. It is strongly advised that no one attempts to build within it due to the unpredictable environment. There have been reports of bad people possibly using some areas for their hideouts.

Resources

Despite all the dangers, there are some materials that can be gathered from the area. Scattered among the land are patches of magically infused sand. It can be used for various spell purposes or blown into magic glass. These patches can only be identified with UV light as the particles will glow yellow under the beam. Detect magic can be used as well.
Closer to the outskirts are edible cacti. Their hollow insides have clean water for travelers in a pinch. The flesh can be eaten or used in medicine or potions. Their fruits are also edible.