Sangora Desolation

Do not speak of time to the desert.

—Common Akwarai proverb

The Sangora Desolation (pronounced san-GORE-ah) is a massive desert that covers hundreds of thousands of square miles. Dry and inhospitable, the Sangora Desolation is the realm of dangerous creatures both mundane and magical.

Inhabitants

Despite the harsh conditions of life in the desert, it is by no means uninhabited. Khapesh is by far the largest of the nations in the Sangora Desolation. Centered around the Aur River, Khapesh has an ancient history and culture that is inextricably tied to its narrow stretch of prosperous land.

Elsewhere in the Sangora, populations are far lower than they are in Khapesh. Some settlements have grown around the rare oases in the desert landscape. Sahramina is a loose alliance between three of these oasis towns, all of which prosper by selling to passing caravans. To the west, the deep elf realm of Xorshala is one of the few places where dark elves can be found on the surface - their city, Siadrish, rises suddenly and jarringly from the desert.

Other settlements in the Sangora Desolation consist primarily of scattered communities that survive around oases or underground sources of water.

Many nomadic peoples live in the Sangora as well - Seshem kasatha tribes and the Akwarai dwarves regularly travel hundreds of miles across the desert.

Geography

The Sangora Desolation stretches from the Kilche Sea in the east to the Gulf of Aserdus in the west. In the north, the desert fades into more temperate climes before reaching the Chaska Sea. In the south, the Sangora turns into dry and scrubby grasslands before reaching the Fangs of Khurazar and the marshes and floodplains of Xatabra.

The Aur River is the only major river that passes through the Sangora. Fed by Lake Nulukkhaz, the river winds its way through the desert before ending in the Aur Delta on the Chaskan coast. Oases can be found across the Sangora, though they are almost always far apart from each other. Palm trees around the oases provide welcomed shade for people and creature, and enough other plants and animals can thrive well enough to support small communities.

Much of the desert is a barren wasteland of rocky sand and dunes, while other parts include elevated plateaus, salt flats, or other features. Small shrubs and grasses, well adapted to live in these dry conditions, are frequently the only vegetation to be seen. Despite this, a wide array of creatures survive in the desert. Dragons, dust diggers, death worms, and other creatures pose constant threats to travelers.

In Khapesh it is common to hear the desert referred to as the Red Lands and the region surrounding the Aur River as the Black Lands.

Trade

Despite the difficult journey, many caravans travel the trans-Sangora trade routes. The most significant of these is the route that connects Yarma and Khapesh, passing through Sahramina on its way. Goods travel both directions on this trail, as items from the nations around the Chaska Sea move south and those from the peoples south of the Fangs of Khurazar move north. This trade route is one of the most significant links between the inhabitants of these two disparate regions.