The Zaan Wastes
And he will be born a son of fire in the land of winds, the last of his line. On his birth the great temples will fall, and his people will feel the coming of their last days.
-prophecies of the Last Wind
Introduction
Nestled between the Elysian Mountains and the mountain range edging the top of the Maw, lies the largest desert on the northern continent of Akia. To its northwest lies the great frontier plains and the deadlands, to its west the swamps and hills of the free cities and to its east the Sulfur coast. The Zaan Wastes. The Great Dividing Sand and home of Zaan Lords, the Zaan Wastes are often thought to be the edge of the world by the inexperienced, crossing its vast distance seemingly impossible. To the south lies only the Maw itself, and the Wastes are one of the major reasons for the area's isolation. The Land is desolate, the only signs of life guarded by the regions native inhabitants. Collecting information on the area was a monumental task, not only for the great difficulty of travelling the region, but also due to the secrecy of its people. Each fact listed here was the work of years of immersion in the natives culture, and gallons of sweat from the crossing of dunes. Even still there is much we still don't know. The Zaan Wastes are divided evenly amongst six major regions, four of which are ruled by one of the Zaan lords, and two left uncivilized. Each of the populated regions is home to a single major city, around which the vast majority of the population lives, as these cities are built atop the little fertile ground found in the Wastes.Zerrack
On the western coasts of Zaan lies Zerrack, first city of the Zaan Lords. The city serves as both the halfway port between the denizens of the Maw and the cities of Dorn, as well the entrance to the Elyn River. it is for this reason Zerrack is sometimes called the city of gold, buying spices and strange artifacts from the Maw and selling to the rest of the continent, especially the ever curious Elysian's, has made the city prosperous. Zerrack is also the only one of the major regions to feature a significant portion of its population outside of the main city of Zerrack, due to the floodplains of the Elyn River. The river gives Zerrack the greatest variety of flora and fauna in all the Zaan Wastes, and makes it the perfect region to study such wildlife. The most fascinating, and dangerous, of the regions wildlife is the amphibious hydran, a large, three-headed beast which lurks in the waters of the Elyn. While they may not match the raw might of their ancestors up the river in elysian, the hydra, hydran nearly make up for it in their guile. They are fantastic swimmers, able to outpace most trading vessels and stay underwater for up to eight hours. Combined with color changing camouflaged skin, and a horn a top their head capable of piercing straight through the bow of a ship from its underside, and you will soon find this beast more trouble than any land walking monster. A favorite hunting method of the hydran is to sneak under a vessel transporting food, pierce a hole in the bottom just large enough to stick their long, coiling neck through, then gorge themselves on the cargo within. if the loss of cargo wasn't bad enough, once they pull themselves out of the whole, you know have a flooding ship as they disappear downriver. If only we were so fortunate to only need worry about large, multi-headed monsters, the bigger danger you'll find in the Zerrack region is the ever-present hum of the spear fly. This pest breeds in the waters of the Elyn each summer, and by mid-year millions can be found swarming the region. While the majority of spear flies are anoying but harmless, their long spiky mouths used to drain necter from river flowers, some spear flies carry within themselves a horrific plague, and an unnatural urge to spread that plague to Lawful creatures. Often called the wasting plague, a single bite from one of these flies might later have you find your bones decaying from the inside out. In the first week the affected bones become brittle, and acquire a blackened color. then they dissolve, leaving the appendage they were once in weak and flobby. The black powder the bones became moves quickly through the body, attaching to other bones and the inside of the longs. Where it attaches a similar effect occurs, and a dark sludge fills the lungs. Most die by this time, and the body is left in a horrific state, but some, i have heard, are able to live through this stage of the disease. How the plague progresses past this point i do not know, as wnyone found to be afflicted by the wasting plague was summarily executed as soon as possible. The people handled this incredibly seriously, although given that the disease did not seem to be contagious, I am unsure why such measures are taken. Perhaps for once i am glad not to knowAlet
On the north-west slopes of the Maw's Tooth, guarding one of the few passes through that mountain range lies the city of Alet. Alet is a military fortress of nigh impenetrability, and it is whispered that its great temple will be the last to fall of the four. The great Iron Wall of Alet is forged from iron taken from countless mines along the southern pass, topped by strange artillery gifted to them by the Ekavarians south of the pass, in exchange for allowing them passage and guide through the desert for any Ekavarian researcher who wishes to leave the Maw. Not far from the south side of the pass lies one of the great Ekavarian cities, said to house their military academy. Trade between the cities is not just limited to passage and artillary, but training as well. The Zaan frequently "war" amongst themselves, although the process looks far different, than traditional warfare. The Zaan select a small number of their people to serve as a warrior class, and fighting is limited to ritual combat and assassination between those chosen. While this style of combat isn't particularly useful for the vast majority of Ekavarians, who have a tendency to treat war as an all-out affair. it does result in individual elites of incredible skill. So it is that the Ekavarians send a small number to the Zaan to train amongst these elites, and serve as infiltrators for their people, and the Zaan send their leaders to the Ekavarian's to learn the tactics of total war, in the event that an outside threat is able to one day become a danger to the Zaan, and they need to abandon their traditional warfare. For thousands of years the Zaan thought this unneeded, after all what army could cross the great waste? But after the Scarlet War its necessity is starkly apparent.Alkaraat
Spread throughout the Wastes are the Waters of the Earth, Oasis's from which clean water bubbles up from below the sands. The largest of these pure lakes is known as The Central Waters, Jealously guarded by the lord of Alkaraat, third of the cities of the Zaan. Alkaraat is the most populous of the Zaan's cities, owing to the great swathes of fertile land afforded by the Central Waters.Nen
Nen is the last of the Great cities of the Zaan, and the most mysterious. Sometimes known as "the Hidden City", very little is known about Nen. Many theories abound about how its people have secluded themselves so effectively for so long, from underground construction to wild magic space shifting. The only ones who know for certain are its inhabitants and the Zaan Lords themselves. If any outsider has ever discovered Nen, they certainly never returned. The region itself seems empty save for the dunes, with little wildlife to speak of. I find myself having great difficulty describing the region at all, as my time spent there makes only a fog within my mind. I cannot recommend any trips to this region.The Expanse
In the center of the Wastes lies the Expanse, a region of flat earth with nothing in sight for miles. The area is considered to be the holiest of lands by the Zaan, and they will fight with a zealous fervor nearly unmatched against anyone who attempts to enter the empty region. Why this land is so holy is the subject of much speculation, all that is known is that it is described in the Prophecies of the Last Wind to be the sight of the King of Winds great castle. Beyond its religious significance, the area seems mostly uninteresting.The Pit of fools
The final major region of the Zaan Wastes is known as the Pit of Fools. the entire area is pockmarked by a large number of large holes, all of which lead to a precipitous drop. What made these holes and why they never seem to fill with sand is another of the Wastes many mysteries, but what isn't mysterious is the danger of the region. A traveler moving through the area might feel safe atop a "stable" dune one moment, then find themselves tumbling away into a pit the next, almost always to their death. Pit of Fools indeed, the region earns its name. So then, who are the Zaan Lords? Where did they come from, and how do they manage to hold such a ubiquitous hold on such a large region. In such a sparsely populated region, how do they stave off the dangers of the Wilds, and what do they even eat anyway? Unfortunately dear reader this text is a geographical one, for any interested in learning about the history and culture of this secretive people, you must read my personal book, The Howling of Winds: Secrets of the Lords of Sand.
Type
Desert
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