Desert's Promise
Desert's Promise of the Cradled Canyon Awaiting the weary in the Sun-Baked Expanse, or "Desert's Promise" For short, is a commune in the southwest of Galda
Demographics
Baruk "Barleycorn":, Gnome, Sprout farmer. A community member in Deserts Promise who specializes in arid sprout cultivation, growing a number of grain plants, including hopps and barley. His home and farm is south of the Living Pond, benefitting from the way the wind funnels moisture from the Living pool over to his farm. Spouse of Kinlae, and parent to 6 children .
Kinlae "Hoppy"; Gnome, Sprout Farmer and Council Member. Sprout farmer with her husband Baruk and one of the standing members of the Desert's Promise Community Council.
Bzrt’ Dhaka, "Daka": Dwarf Engineer and Scholar. He helped design the community tower and serves as the local smithy. He lives underneath the community pond, where a small diversion of the water is used to make spirits, which he brings to community gatherings and trades in the market. Is one of the oldest members of the community and his underground pub also serves a protected repository and library of community knowledge.
Glenim Hort, "Nickname Pending": Human, A recent addition to the Community who traveled south when the Hakkak war broke out. He is a deft tradesman who speaks many languages and has been helpful in negotiating with the tradesfolk who visit Desert’s Promise. Seems to have taken a shine to Cactus Flower and is hopeful to join her polycule, if a little overeager.
Umaima "Heartstring Mirage" Harara: Biological mother of Arderia Harara, Umaima is a kindhearted and strong willed mortal human. She was devastated after her husband, Malek Harara, dissapearance and was forced to raise Arderia in the harsh desert lands of Galda signlehandedly until moving to Desert's Promise. There she took up the name "Heartstring Mirage" as the commune practice of second names and bonded with another villager, Cactus Flower .
Harmony "Songbird" Dusberry: Harmony believes in the power of music to heal the soul and unite the community. The problem is, Harmony's singing voice is… unique. It's often off-key and accompanied by enthusiastic but rhythmically challenged strumming on a lute made from a hollowed-out gourd. Despite the auditory assault, Harmony is perpetually optimistic and interprets any grimace as a sign of "deep emotional resonance."
Kai “Whirl” Court is a creature of perpetual motion, a stark contrast to the languid peace the rest of Desert's Promise seemed to strive for. Always climbing the canyon walls, tinkering with discarded scraps of metal, or coaxing stubborn desert plants to bloom in unexpected places. They are Arderia's closest friend.
Elara "Dune Singer" Swiftfoot : A nimble and artistic halfling who gathers desert fibers and dyes them with natural pigments to create intricate tapestries and practical textiles for the community. Her home is filled with colorful threads and various dyes. She is cheerful, gossipy, and her fingers are always stained with various colors.
Bram "Clay Hand" Tanner: A quirky human who claims to read the future in the patterns of sand, the shimmer of heat haze, and the alignment of crystals. Their predictions are a bit more entertaining than accurate, but who are we to judge? The Sands know all after all.
Jeweled Wind (Jules), he/him, vishkanya, a craftsman and very protective, hardest to convince Cactus Flower will be alright when they leave. Jules is a mason and a sculptor.
Palm Fan, they/them, duskwalker human, keeps things light, but very deep personal struggles. Probably most down about Cactus leaving, but keeping a brave face. Palm Fan is a chef and technically in charge of the communal meal hall, but they have a hard time ordering people around, so they end up taking on everything and overexerting themselves. Their partners remind people to step in to help and try to keep Palm rested.
Comfort: Elf, She/they, is a powerful motherly figure of six and unofficial mom to a lot more of the community’s children. Her biggest indulgence is tea and much insightful advice has been doled out of their teapot.
Passion Sparks: Human He/ him is the community's primary teacher. Although many learn skills and trade from experts, Sparks handles general education in writing, math, and world history with a strange mix of cheerfulness and seriousness. Short, stout, and bearded, many mistake him for a dwarf, though he is human.
River Stone: She/her, orc, many are surprised to find River Stone is a practitioner of both druidic and arcane magic, not just because of the unique skill set, but her refusal to solve a problem with magic when hard work will accomplish the same thing
Mushroom Tear: They/them, Verdan, is the medical expert of the community and, although a wheelchair user in a community that gets around via ropes, ladders, and rickety bridges, they keep up a rigorous round of house calls. May have the best singing voice in the whole community, but not interested in showing it off. Well known for their libido.
Sazla Chipfang: A Snakefolk Barbarian who heads up the Desert’s Promise Defense group.
She is a little blunt, and short tempered. Can often be found at Dhaka’s when off duty, which isn’t often. She takes her role as the leader of the community defenses very seriously and is suspicious of outsiders, having left the oppressive atmosphere
Government
The community is run by a council that debate and vote on decisions for the entire community.
Defences
The most natural defense that Desert's promise has is the great Colossus that houses all the residents. Its outer curve faces the Northwest, and most of Galda, and just getting around it to the southern or eastern edges of Galda is a feat that deters most bandits and would be attackers. However, there are escape tunnels and passageways directly through, known to only the DP Defensive Contingent and a few council members, and of course, the Citiy's original designer and founder, Dhaka, who also has many secret passages accessible via The Library under the Omega Pool.
In addition, the walls around the Omega Pool can be raised in an emergency, giving the people of Desert's promise somewhere to hold out, in case of invasion.
Geography
Deserts Promise lives in the shadow of a great crescent shaped Colossus to its Northwest, with fields of fertile farmland covering much of the southwest region, made more tropical by the sea breezes that bring moisture from the great ocean a few hundred miles east. The people of Desert's promise live in homes carved directly into the rock of the colossus, forming a kind of communal hive which wraps around the manmade structures to the southeast.
The central area of population is also know as the "Towers of Life". These are massive passive cooling towers that top the curcular structure, which cool the surface of a conical structure that leads down to the 'Omega Pool', in which almost all major gatherings in the commune happen. The cooling cone causes the sea air to condense and drain into the 'Omega Pool', which is then irrigated out to the commune farms and pumped up into the many apartments in the colossus. Being over 200 years old, a bustling village has sprung up around the towers.
Alternative Name(s)
Desert's Promise of the Cradled Canyon Awaiting the weary in the Sun-Baked Expanse
Type
Village
Population
200
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
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