Threxan (THREHK-suhn)

The Dune Warden Threxan (a.k.a. The Barren Titan)

Unlike the other Great Beasts, whose origins are rooted in divine purpose or natural harmony, Threxan’s creation was born from cruelty, desperation, and power beyond comprehension.
Long ago, before she became a force of nature, Threxan was a desert strider—a creature built for endurance, trusted by nomads and merchants alike to traverse the unforgiving sands. But fate was unkind. She was captured, torn from the wilds, and sold to an arcane scientist, a scholar obsessed with unlocking the secrets of life itself. Subjected to torturous experiments, her body was twisted by unnatural magic, her mind forced to endure agony beyond measure.
It is said that in her darkest moment, when her body was broken and her spirit nearly shattered, Thalor, the God of Beasts, took notice. Perhaps he pitied her. Perhaps he saw her suffering as an affront to the balance of nature. Whatever his reason, he granted her the strength to rise—to tear her captor apart and escape into the wilds once more.
But something had changed.
The divine power meant to free her combined with the residual effects of the arcane experiments, warping her into something far greater—and far more terrible. She was no longer a mere beast, no longer a servant of mortals. She had become Threxan, the Relentless Sentinel, the Living Storm of the Sands.
Now, she roams the desert—not as a kind protector, but as an enforcer of its brutal law. The desert gives nothing freely, and neither does she. Those who seek to cross her land must prove their worth through endurance and strength. She does not offer guidance to the lost, nor mercy to the desperate. Only the strong deserve to survive.
Yet, despite her merciless nature, she is still a guardian. The desert is sacred, and those who seek to exploit it—poachers, slavers, defilers—are met with unforgiving wrath. The dunes shift at her will, swallowing caravans whole, concealing oases, ensuring that the weak perish and the worthy endure. To the desert tribes, she is a god of hardship, a beast of trials, whispered of in warning rather than reverence.
No one knows if she regrets what she has become. Some believe that, deep beneath the hardened exterior of a being forged in suffering, a trace of the desert strider she once was still lingers. But if it does, Threxan has long since buried it beneath the sands.

Physical Description

Special abilities

Threxan’s power is as unforgiving as the desert itself, forged from a blend of divine intervention, arcane corruption, and the raw resilience of the sands. She does not simply protect the desert—she enforces its laws with brutal efficiency.

1. Sandstorm Sovereign

• Threxan can summon sandstorms at will, obscuring the landscape and making it nearly impossible to navigate.
• The intensity of the storm depends on her intent—she may conjure a swirling haze to disorient intruders or unleash a cataclysmic tempest capable of erasing entire settlements from existence.
• Some say that when she is truly enraged, the storm carries whispers—the voices of the lost, warning others to turn back.

2. Buried Doom

• The sands obey her command. She can sink entire caravans, encase trespassers in shifting dunes, and collapse rocky outcroppings with a single, earth-shaking movement.
• She is a master of ambush—submerging herself beneath the dunes, waiting for those who defile the desert, then erupting in a devastating assault.

3. Scorchscale Resilience

• Her hide is as tough as sun-hardened rock, capable of withstanding blades, arrows, and even magic.
• Striking her with fire is futile—the desert’s heat fuels her strength rather than weakens her.
• Wounds close at an unnatural rate, as if the sands themselves knit her flesh together. However, wounds inflicted by pure water-based magic or enchanted weapons designed to combat desert creatures are harder for her to resist.

4. Mirage Stalker

• Though she is a titan of raw strength, Threxan also wields deception. She can manipulate heat mirages, causing travelers to see oases that do not exist, shifting dunes that swallow paths, or even ghostly figures that lead the unworthy astray.
• Those who seek the desert’s bounty without respecting its balance may be led in circles for days—until they collapse from exhaustion, their bodies claimed by the sands.

5. Trial of the Worthy

• Unlike Cernithan, who blesses the land and its people, Threxan grants no kindness, only trials. Those who seek her favor must endure the harshest tests of the desert—crossing the dunes without supplies, facing the creatures of the wastes, or enduring her relentless storms.
• If a mortal proves themselves strong and cunning enough to survive, she may allow them to pass unchallenged—or even guide them to hidden waters or buried secrets.
• But if they fail, she does not save them. The desert takes what it must.

She is not a mindless monster, but nor is she a benevolent guardian. Her power is neither good nor evil—it is the embodiment of the desert itself: beautiful, deadly, and indifferent to the struggles of those who cross it.

Current Location

Ashara Desert

Species

Giant Riding Lizard

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Sandstorm Sentinel, The Trial of the Dunes, Thalor’s Fury, The Relentless Guardian, The Buried Wrath, The Dune Warden, Scourge of the Sands, The Endless Stride, The Barren Titan

Pronouns

She/Her

Sex

Female

Eyes

Orange

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

A mixture of deep sandstone, cracked ochre, and pale desert beige.

Height

16 feet at the shoulder

Weight

12,000 to 15,000 pounds

"We thought the desert was empty. Just sand and stone and the bones of fools who walked too far without water. But we were wrong. The desert is alive, and it has teeth."
"The storm hit us without warning. One moment, the sun was scorching our backs—the next, we couldn’t see our own hands. Sand slashed at our skin like a thousand blades, the wind howling like a beast from the underworld. We tried to run, but the dunes shifted beneath our feet, swallowing the path we came from."
"Then we saw her. A shadow, massive, moving through the storm like it was part of her. Her scales were the color of the desert itself, her eyes burning like embers beneath the stormclouds. She wasn’t just a beast—she was the storm. She didn’t charge, didn’t roar, didn’t need to. She just watched."
"One of my kin raised a spear. Fool. Before he could throw it, the sand beneath him swallowed him whole. The rest of us stood frozen, knowing what she was: judgment. We bowed our heads, not in prayer, but in understanding. We had taken too much from the desert, and she had come to remind us of our place."
"When the storm finally passed, half our warband was gone. No bodies, no weapons—just the endless sands, smooth as if we had never been there at all. Some say the desert is cruel. But I say cruelty requires intent. Threxan doesn’t hate, doesn’t love, doesn’t care. She simply is. And that should terrify us more than anything."

— Ghazrak Bloodtusk, Warband Chief of the Sunscarred

Plot Hooks Involving Threxan

Plot Hooks Involving Threxan

1. The Oasis That Wasn't

The players come across an oasis that isn’t on any map, its water clearer than any they’ve seen, its air unnaturally cool under the desert sun. Locals warn them not to drink, claiming it is Threxan’s Mirage, a test laid for those desperate enough to take what is not theirs. Those who drink are never seen again—unless the party can unravel the trial set before them.

2. The Forgotten City

A shifting dune has uncovered the ruins of an ancient city, lost for centuries beneath the sands. Treasure hunters and scholars rush to claim its secrets, but those who enter do not return. Some believe Threxan is protecting something buried within—others say the city itself is cursed. The party must brave the ruins and discover the truth before the sands reclaim them.

3. Stormwalker’s Bargain

A powerful desert warlord claims to have struck a pact with Threxan, wielding her power to summon sandstorms at will. His enemies are swallowed by the dunes, his strongholds hidden beneath ever-shifting sands. But something feels wrong—his power is too controlled, too unnatural. Has he truly earned the desert’s favor, or is something far more dangerous at play?

4. The Dune That Watches

Travelers speak of a massive dune that moves in the night, always appearing on the horizon no matter how far they travel. Some say it watches them, waiting for a misstep. When an entire caravan disappears, leaving only untouched sand behind, the party must investigate the truth behind the wandering dunes—and whether Threxan is testing them or hunting them.

5. Trial of the Worthy

A desperate desert tribe, on the brink of collapse, sends their strongest warriors into the sands to earn Threxan’s respect and beg for her guidance to hidden water. None have returned. The elders now turn to the party—will they take on the trial, knowing that failure means being swallowed by the desert?

6. The Silent Wrath

A noble seeking to expand his kingdom’s borders has begun constructing an outpost in the heart of the desert, claiming the land for himself. At first, things seem fine—until entire work crews vanish overnight, and the fortress itself begins sinking into the sands. Something watches from the dunes. Something vast. The party is hired to find out what’s happening… and they may be the only ones who can stop the wrath that is coming.

7. Echoes in the Sand

A scholar has discovered ancient texts detailing the true origins of Threxan—but before they can share their findings, they are taken by a sandstorm that no one else witnessed. The party must follow scattered clues buried beneath the dunes, uncovering the forgotten truth of the Great Beast. But some secrets are better left buried.

8. The Buried Wrath

A reckless mage seeks to harness Threxan’s power for themselves, performing a ritual to bind her essence. The desert trembles with her fury. The land itself is rebelling. If she is not freed, the balance of the sands will be shattered—and the world may witness the full force of her unrestrained wrath.

To walk the desert is to know suffering. To survive it is to know strength. To challenge it? That is to know Threxan.

Threxan's Stat Block

Threxan, Great Beast of the Desert CR: 27

Gargantuan monstrosity (great beast), neutral

Armor Class: 22

Hit Points: 512 (30d20 + 200)

Speed: 50 ft , burrow: 40 ft , climb: 30 ft

STR

28 +9

DEX

14 +2

CON

30 +10

INT

10 +0

WIS

22 +6

CHA

18 +4

Saving Throws: Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Threxan fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead. Str +16, Con +17, Wis +13

Skills: Perception +13, Stealth +9, Survival +13

Damage Resistances: Fire, Lightning, Psychic

Damage Immunities: Poison, Necrotic, Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing from non-magical attacks

Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned, Paralyzed, Exhaustion

Senses: Tremorsense 120 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 23

Languages: Understands Primordial, Common, and Terran but does not speak

Challenge Rating: 27 ( 105,000 XP)

Proficiency Bonus: +8

Scorchscale Resilience. Threxan's body absorbs the desert heat, granting her immunity to fire damage. If she takes fire damage, she instead regains hit points equal to half the damage dealt.
Mirage Stalker. Threxan can create heat mirages that distort reality, making it impossible to track her in the open desert. Non-magical attempts to follow her footprints automatically fail, and creatures attempting to discern her true location must make a DC 22 Wisdom (Perception) check or be misled by an illusory afterimage.
Sandstorm Sovereign (Recharge 5-6). As an action, Threxan can summon a powerful sandstorm in a 300-ft radius centered on herself. The storm lasts for 1 minute, heavily obscuring the area and causing ranged attacks to be made at disadvantage. Each creature within the storm at the start of its turn must make a DC 22 Strength saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute and restrained by shifting sand.
Buried Doom. As a bonus action, Threxan can cause the sands beneath a creature within 60 feet to collapse. The target must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or be pulled 20 feet underground, becoming restrained. The creature can attempt to escape as an action with a DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check.

Actions

Multiattack. Threxan makes three attacks: one with her bite and two with her claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 48 (6d12 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, they must make a DC 22 Strength saving throw or be grappled. A grappled creature is also restrained.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (4d12 + 9) slashing damage.
Tail Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 42 (5d12 + 9) bludgeoning damage. The target must make a DC 22 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed 20 feet away.
Devour the Weak (Recharge 5-6). Threxan selects one creature within 30 feet that has fewer than 100 hit points. The creature must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it is buried alive in the sand, disappearing without a trace. Only divine intervention or a wish spell can recover them.

Legendary Actions

Threxan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn. She regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
Tremor Step. Threxan moves up to half her speed, ignoring difficult terrain. Any creatures within 10 feet of her must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mirage Leap. Threxan vanishes into the sand, reappearing in an unoccupied space within 60 feet. Until the start of her next turn, all attacks against her have disadvantage.
Crushing Sands (Costs 2 Actions). The sands in a 30-ft radius around Threxan shift violently. Each creature in the area must make a DC 22 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and restrained until the end of their next turn.

Threxan is more than a beast—she is a force of nature, the embodiment of the desert’s harsh, unforgiving law. Towering over the dunes at 16 feet at the shoulder, her massive, scaled body blends seamlessly with the shifting sands. Her hide is cracked and sunbaked, resembling the hardened earth of the desert floor, each plate of armor-like scales bearing the marks of time, battle, and divine intervention.
Her eyes are golden like molten sunlight, piercing through the mirages she commands. When she moves, the ground trembles—not with the lumbering weight of a mindless brute, but with the precision of a predator that has hunted for centuries without rival.
Despite her monstrous form, Threxan moves with eerie grace, her steps silent upon the sands, her presence often felt before it is seen. Some claim they have heard her before they’ve seen her—not in roars or growls, but in the sudden, deafening stillness of the desert, where even the wind dares not blow.
She does not tolerate weakness. She does not offer kindness. She is not a savior—she is the final test of those who dare to traverse her domain.

Suggested Environments

Threxan roams the endless deserts of Tanaria, a phantom of the dunes whose territory stretches for miles without boundary. She has no lair, no nest, no place of rest—for she is never at rest. She moves with the storms, vanishing into the sands only to reappear where she is least expected, watching and waiting for those who would defy the desert’s law.