Desert Fiefdoms infodump

[Anastasia]

Research into the Desert Fiefdom nets you the following information.

The Desert Fiefdoms are a desert kingdom ruled by Mustafa Pasha. He rules from the capital of Arad, with various noblemen ruling cities and oasises. These men take names like Emir, Sultan and other such titles. The fiefdoms live by water and trade routes, surrounded by barren sands of the deserts. See the map in the map topic for more information.

Hot season: 5 months of the year. 115-140 degrees. From May-September.

October is a neutral month.

Cold season: 5 months of the year. 5- -35 degrees. From November-March.

Note for Eb: F, not C. So it's colder than the freezing point of water by a fair bit.

April is a neutral month.

Hazards

Lack of water:

Even more than the heat, the cold and the sand, the lack of water defines the desert. Life lives in isolated clusters around where water comes forth. Rains are rare in the deserts; most of it is a forgotten, forsaken wasteland.

Diseases:

Sandeyes: A gradual loss of sight caused by dehydration and bacteria.
Desert Fever: When certain kinds of hot sands are inhaled, this disease results. It burns one from the inside out, leaving behind a sizzling corpse.
Red Ache: This disease flourishes in the desert, especially amid small vermin. It's a more robust version of the normal malady.*
Frostgrit: In the colder months, this disease has been known to occur. It's rare, causing the victim's body to be riddled with lethal ice crystals.**

Sandstorms:

When the howling winds of the wastes pick up, loose particals can be swept up with them. In these conditions, the quiet desert becomes a flaying hell of grit and sand. There are many dangers to this. Lesser sandstorms merely cause visibility loss and minor terrain changes, but stronger ones pose many hazards. In particular:

- Physical damage for each round of exposure. In lesser storms this is non lethal damage; stronger storms inflict lethal damage.

- Disease transmission, especially frostgrit and sandeye.

- The sandstorms quickly make missile attacks difficult and any serious storm renders non magical ranged attacks impossible.

- Sound and sight are so obstructed that seeing things is nigh impossible beyond 5 to 10 feet. This can become blindness in the stronger storms.

- Stronger storms make medium creatures unable to progress without being held back, and very strong storms make it impossible to do anything but be knocked over. The strongest can outright blow a normal human away, never to be seen again.

- After a sandstorm, the wide roads can be covered for long distances. The Fiefdom takes great pains to ensure the travel roads stay clear; if you are on a patch of road and the way has been lost, waiting a few days will usually bring regular relief crews. Usually.

Precautions against sandstorms take a few forms. Thin cloths can help prevent sand inhalation and disease, though this does not prevent damage from strong storms. A successful survival check will allow a traveller to identify a sandstorm about 5 minutes before it occurs.

Monsters:

Ashen Husks

Every so often, travellers tell tales of horrible, dryed out bodies that walk the deserts. Those that get close become as horribly thirsty, even as they fight off the assault. These creatures have been called 'Ashen Husks', said to be the last remains of long lost travellers.

It is even whispered that a horrible abomination controls them all. One mage long ago wrote that they are all of one mind, a story that has stayed in popular myth since then.

Dire Animals

Dire Jackals, Dire Puma and Dire Vultures are all spoken of in the deserts. The strongest of the strongest hunters, dangerous indeed.

Dire Scorpions

Of special note are Dire Scorpions. These huge monstroties thrive in the desert and come out to hunt prey. This includes humanoids, should any be so unlucky. The poison in their stingers can paralyse.

Giant lizards

Given many names and many descriptions, there are occasional reports of these strange things.  Little solid information is known of, but it's noted that most will go for water at the exclusion of anything else.

Sandstars

A child's song goes like this:

"Pasha, Pasha run away
Sandstar is here to stay
Pasha, Pasha was brave
Sandstar took him to his grave."

Sandstars are burrowing sand worms of huge size. They appear very rarely, said to be portents of calamity or blessing. In the case of the above, one erupted under the camel of a war bound Pasha, consuming him before the campaign could even begin.

The liver of a sandstar is said to have a purpose; one who knows the purpose will pay a city's ransom for one.

Map information:


The blue dots are oasises and often cities. They lie on the trade routes, or the trade routes diverge to meet them. They are springs of life in the harsh desert. From roughly east to west:

1. (The blue dot near the red dot) Seljuk Oasis. A source of water for those heading to the Firewind Mines. A medium sized city lies here.

2. (The small blue down below the northern blue dot.) Atarum Oasis. This is a trading stop for those heading to the port of Wetwind.

3. (The most northern dot.) Wetwind harbor. Here the Desert Fiefdoms keep their only port. It has heavy protections and is largely run as a independant city-state in the form of a fiefdom. A high ranking lord is given it as his own domain, as long as they stay loyal to the Pasha. Emir Muscat rules currently.

4. (Dot past the white dot. Past here it's a straight shot anyway.) El Kufra oasis. A very small city is here, it's largely just an outpost since it's a watering hole just before trade from Kelara reaches the capital. Due to the water logistics, most caravans have to divert to rewater here.

5. Free Sultanate of Tash. A semi independant state in personal union with the Pasha. With the second largest water supply and a strong base on the trade routes, it is a rich and vibrant city.

6. Blackwind Oasis. A small oasis that fuels expiditions to the northwestern quandrant of the Fiefdoms. Old legends often speak of lost treasures and places deep, deep within, attracting adventurers.

7. Coolwater Oasis. The last oasis before the desert moderates and Kelara begins. Some Kelarain influence can be seen here, as well as a small community of expatriates.

Red dot:

Firewind mines. The sands here shallowly cover strong bedrocks, where platinums, adamantite and even mithril are mined. However, natural logistics make it quite expensive to do so. A private company runs things with oversight from the Pasha.

White dot: The capital of the Desert Fiefdoms, Arad. A vast city sitting on a large aquifer, full of water and peace. This area grows 95% of the natural food made in the country; even so, trade with Kelara and the Baronies is needed to feed mouths. The Pasha rules absolutely from this place, his grand palace said to be over a thousand rooms of splendors.