The Óssidian Sands

The Óssidian Sands of Nijhtrieva

Spanning out on the western side of the central mountain range of Aelwyn is the largest region in the land, known as Nijhtrieva. Also known as the 'Óssidian Sands', the landscape is heavy set with unforgivable black sands and protruding óssidian* formations. What was once a thriving nation of advanced culture and magic use, became a mockery of the Gods themselves. The once capital city of Nijhtrieva, the Great City of Elzibar, began to build constructions tall enough to reach the skies, and dabbled in magic far greater than they ever should have been able to wield. And when the people of Nijhtrieva attempted to summon a God from beyond the Veil to harness their power for further advancement, not only did it spark the immediate eradication of the Great City of Elzibar, but it also launched The War of the Gods, as they debated if mortals should keep the magic bestowed upon them by the Pantheon.
When a side was won by the Gods, The Siphoning* stripped all magic from the land of Aelwyn (excluding only the Ethid tribes who were seen fit to keep it) causing the once green and luscious region of Nijhtrieva to be transformed into a barren wasteland.
4000 years later, the region is now a great and deadly expanse; plagued by the mass of souls from Elzibar unable to pass on, who now scream endlessly into the night in manifested electrical ghost storms. And let's not get into the horrifying Night Crawlers* hiding under the surface of the sands.

"Being caught out in the desert can go one of two ways; either your lost during the day, feeling the heat burn through from the black sands into the souls of your feet. Or you're lost at night and something larger, faster or more desperate than you, will kill you for food."

*Óssidian is a strong mineral made from the fallen body of a God left behind after the War. Unlike the other godly stone known as Óssinite, this inky black formation does not hold magic within it, but the crystal can make for strong weaponry if procured safely in Nijhtrieva's harsh conditions.
*The Siphoning was the extraction of all magic from the mortals of Aelwyn, using Nijhtrieva as an anchor point. Like a sponge being rung out, this once thriving region is now metaphorically and physically, nothing. That is why when traveling to the outskirts of the region there is a visible curve where the black sands stop, and life seems to begin again.