The Mirage Desert, a seemingly endless expanse of sand and scorching heat, lies at the very heart of Ralador. Despite its inhospitable terrain, the desert is a crucial crossroads for those who wish to traverse the continent, forcing all who seek to cross its wastelands to endure its grueling conditions. With the boom of adventure and the founding of the human empire’s Third Kingdom, the desert has become one of the most frequently traveled regions in Ralador, with trade flourishing throughout it and turning parts of the desert into bustling hubs of trade and commerce. For some Mara, a race of intelligent beings native to this unforgiving land, they remain disjointed still from this newfound prosperity, continuing their lives and customs unaffected by or even unaware of the growing world around them. For others, this shift has transformed their lives completely, for better or for worse.
Life in the Mirage Desert is an unrelenting struggle, a battle against a hostile environment that few can endure. By day, if one of the desert’s many monstrous gods does not claim a traveler’s life, the sun’s unrelenting rays will sap their strength, and the parched, bone-dry air will drain the moisture from their body. And when night falls, the desert comes alive with a new symphony of howls and growls as a host of other threats emerge from the shadows, stalking their prey through the dunes and shadows. Feral wolves and vicious wildcats are just a few of the predators who call this inhospitable land home.
Only the Mara have managed to establish a lasting foothold here, with the city-state of Tora Kra’ah standing as a sole beacon of civilization amidst the vast, trackless sands, but although many may consider it a lone paradise, others consider it a false hope. For those who do not dwell within the city’s protective walls, whether by choice or circumstance, survival is a constant struggle against the desert’s myriad dangers, with most eking out precarious existences in small, isolated tribes and villages. And although understanding of these sands has been rooted in their culture and traditions for ages, not even the Mara fully understand the depths of the desert’s enormity. Few dare to venture far beyond their lands and into the domains of the gods, and fewer still have the temerity to plumb the secrets buried beneath the shifting dunes, for the very sands themselves seem to resist intrusion. Perhaps it is because they knew too well the perils that lurk beneath the surface.
