Banon's Desert
Rising Dunes
In the south of Ustrana is Banon’s Desert, the resulting landscape after a catastrophe caused by The Ancient Mage Banon. The large desert was once a lush jungle, with a thriving civilization. Now it is home to only ruins and a central dungeon called The Vault. Magic is in constant flux in this enormous space, and there are few who can navigate the shifting sands easier than the guides found in Dragonpass. The town started life as a small settlement for those who sought wealth and fame by exploring the dungeon and developed as adventurers realized the enormity of the task and were overwhelmed by the sands beyond the Dragon Fangs.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
Getting Across the Sand
Guides will post how many adventurers they have lost and the lowest numbers command high prices. Desert Satyrs boast some of the best reputations and a widely held belief is those who are attuned to Fae magic are better at moving through the desert, owing to the nature of the desert’s creation. With or without a guide, getting across the sands is no easy feat. The dunes rise to impressive heights and high winds whip the sands into blinding storms that blanket the desert without warning. Most guides will recommend travelling in the early morning and evening when temperatures are more hospitable. Day time temperatures soar while the nights drop to nearly freezing temperatures.
Choosing to go without a guide could mean getting lost for days or even dying, but it isn't unheard of for adventurers to make an attempt. Those who push to try an unguided exploration of the desert and return will be among the first to recommend a guide, no matter the expense.
Entrance to The Vault
The Vault is an impressive structure in the centre of the sands and has several entrances that all connect to a subterranean tunnel system that snakes beneath the dunes. Its pillars and arches are large and there are a few well-known entrances guides will use. Each guide will have a preferred entrance to lead an adventurer to, which helps ease competition but can also be a source of conflict if a guide is caught using someone else’s preferred entrance.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
Flora
Among the sparse desert scrubs and twiggy bushes are trees that defy the arid environment. These trees seem to suggest that there is a water source beneath the desert, although no one has found one. Aside from these trees, the desert is home to a variety of succulents that are found in areas approaching oases. Short scrubby grasses are a hardy resident of the desert and can survive dormant for decades without water.
The largest sources of water available to plants outside the protected oases is fog that occasionally rolls off the mountains to the east. These dense blankets of fog can cause the desert grasses to reanimate and explode into a riot of colours in the morning and seemingly dead by early afternoon.
Desert Clava
A curious tree that usually stands alone in the desert. Its trunk reaches heights unheard of for other plants in the area. Research has revealed that it is in fact a species of carnivorous plant with relatives scattered in different environments. The Desert Clava’s hunting technique involves long flexible branches that will snag any living thing that comes close to it, including young plants that start growing near them.
These discoveries came at the price of several scholars who set off on their own to study the trees. After most failed to return, academies recommended scholars set out in small groups and hire guides. Samples of leaves, bark, and branches are found in museums around Sleyterra. These samples are often displayed alongside the other varieties of Clavas.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
Pathfinder Succulant
This desert specialist has long broad leaves that are plump with the water it needs to survive. Its name references its ability to point a hapless explorer toward an oasis by digging into the sand and finding the long, thick root of this plant. This root will always grow in the direction of water, and more plants sprout along the root’s path. The closer to an oasis the root gets, the more plants there are.
Fauna
Very few animals have the constitution to forge a life out on the sands. Most animals that live out here are small insects that are rarely seen in the light of day, often preferring the cool of night to forage and hunt.
Closer to the oases and the mountains, where temperatures are less intense and water is more available, is home to most desert mammals. These creatures also take advantage of the cooler nights, often preferring to be nocturnal or crepuscular.
Research suggests the mammals and insects in the desert are derived from jungle species that were transformed by the surging magic. The striking similarities between extant jungle varieties of animals and their desert counterparts support this theory.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
Orycosti
Rarely seen, these rabbits pose a bevy of problems for scholars. Their round bodies can create pulsing blue lights that these creatures use to communicate danger and groups will post a sentry to alert individuals that are foraging. This often means sneaking up on a group is nearly impossible. Despite their rotund appearance, these creatures are fast and light, often using dunes as ramps to roll down before sprinting into their dens. Curiously, these den entrances seem to change abruptly and nightly. As a last defence, their fur sticks out at odd angles and by burying their belly and head, an orycosti can easily pass for a patch of scrubby grass.
These defensive stratagies are necessary due to the Desert Tyrix which hunt the small rabbits.
Desert Tyrix - Glow Owls
An imposing hunter, this owl has haunting blue eyes and fears nothing out on the sands. Locking wings make the glow owl unique among their species. These locking wings allow the large birds to stay aloft on the warm desert air currents, using almost no energy as they survey the sands for prey. They aren’t picky eaters and will hunt anything they can catch, although orycosti are a common item on the menu. Glow owls are one of the largest birds on the continent and there have been cases of the birds hunting people who wander off alone at night. The desert tyrix gets its common name, glow owl, from the way their eyes glow blue and the collar of feathers around their heads glows white. Families of tyrix will hunt together or share meals, communicating when food is available with a combination of haunting hoots and flashing lights.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
Ground Tyrix - Sand Owls
While related to glow owls, sand owls often find themselves on the menu. Sand owls are much smaller than their cousins, and hunt insects and small rodents. Their long legs and wide feet allow them to run along the sands at high speeds. They will chase anything smaller than they are and dig with their powerful legs to get their prey. They stand at a foot tall, with half their height in their legs. Their small size makes them agile in the air, which helps them evade glow owls. These birds are crepuscular, another strategy to avoid the nocturnal glow owls.
Oases
Water is worth more than gold in a desert environment, as such watering holes and oasis are guarded fiercely. While none would outright refuse a person in need, there is little sympathy for rival guides. Adventurers can sometimes hire a guide in the middle of the desert if they happen across an oasis. The prices could be called criminal out in the desert, but many are willing to pay any price to make it out alive.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
MidJourney, RandoScorpioFor those who choose to travel the forbidding sands of Banon's Desert, it is this humble Wanderer's advice to hire a guide in Dragonpass while you are able. The prices are often steep, but if you should find yourself in need amongst the shifting sands prices can soar to ten times as much as in town. An ounce of prevention will save you from bankrupcy.
A Night On The Sands
Vezza’s heart hammered in their chest. Plotting new routes always meant walking the sands alone, and their boss was eager to find an even safer route. Cursing the House of Siman’s Guide Post for lowering their prices, Vezza pushed forward. The pathfinder succulents were still far apart and if they didn’t make it to an oasis soon, there might not even be bones left for anyone to find.
Never was Vezza more grateful for their long camel-like legs than on expeditions. They didn’t struggle as much as the humans and elves, and as the night came alive with glowing lights, they picked up their pace into a gallop. The long, low hoot of a glow owl made the hair on Vezza’s long ears stand on end and sent a wave gooseflesh over their body. After a near miss with a glow owl on their first trip, Vezza’s nightmares were filled with those sounds. Chancing a glance at the sky, they could see the blue eyes that looked like stars, and white collars flashing wildly. Muttering a string of curses, they dug into their Fae magic and it seemed like the world around them slowed. Their stride elongated and running became easier.
More low hooting sounds echoed in the night, and Vezza’s blood ran cold as they realized it was a large family unit of birds. Pulling their dagger out of its sheath, Vezza didn’t break stride but resolved not to go down without a fight. The pathfinders multiplied, and they could smell the water of an oasis. A piercing shriek almost made Vezza stumble, breaking stride for just a moment. There was a blur of blue flashing lights to their right and more shrieking sounds. Relief swelled in Vezza’s chest. A bushel of orycosti were being hunted.
Gasping for air and shaking from the chill night air on their sweaty skin, Vezza slumped against a rock to rest at the water’s edge. They would need to set up a small camp and dry off before hypothermia set in, but for now, Vezza just needed their nerves to settle down. While collecting dry leaves and pulling fuel patties out of their bag, Vezza resolved to ask for a raise.
MidJourney, RandoScorpio
Well that place sounds dangerous....and amazing. I'd totally get me a guide and journey on in just to see the owls. My owl-loving self would risk it for a majestic sight like they sound to be.