- Of Kittens and Lizards -
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- Of Kittens and Lizards -
Dangerous Desert - by Corendis, Misharr guide
Coming Soon: The Forest / Misharr Territory
Alright kits and cats, listen up. You aren't in the jungle anymore... the desert will be a whole new world for you. We don't have much rain, and we don't have many plants for you to hide you heads in. We have sand, and lots of it. This sand is home to the few plants we have, in addition to our wildlife. Respect the sands for they can take your life when and where you want, even if you have people around you trying to protect you. You need a guide to see you through the desert safely for now, though eventually you might be able to make it among those choice few. The first of these dangers are sand mites, little insects that colored the same shade as sand. They like to crawl in hairs, between scales, and
anything else they can hise in. Few creatures see them as anything other than a parasite. If you see no sandstorms around, however, you are likely in an area they dwell in. Get through that area as fast as you can, they have an annoying bite and are difficult to get rid of, though suffocating them with sap over their area of infestation, of covering the affliction with sand will generally get rid of them. We Misharr can find them, but we have to actively look for them. Of course, there are stories of Misharr who can find them themselves.Another danger is quicksand. Quicksand hides predators that pop up and eat whatever is over them. Nasty little things. One way to know that there is quicksand around is the tell tale little flowers, Lilies the color of sand. If you can actually see them on the sand, that is. These flowers are actually the above-ground extensions of the creature that pops out from
quicksand, used as a lure to attract prey. If you notice these in a circular pattern... don't get near them. That is a good rule of thumb... especially since these things have their own set of teeth and release a secretion to put their prey to sleep. They aren't always present around quicksand, however. So step careful in the desert anyways, always being careful while you travel. Another threat is that of sandstorms.These are rather nasty little things... they cover parties with large amounts of sand, change landscapes, even bury whole cities! I've witnessed a sandstorm that buried an entire Ss'tiss
village before. Hope some of them survived, or the desert claimed another tribe on that one. Meran are sold sometimes in marketplaces in the Oasis and Haasst. Keep in mind during a sandstorm, the best way to protect ones' back and life is to
find a small crevice and cover oneself in a blanket, hoping not to get lost... which one can avoid if one knows how... but you'll have to hire me as a guide if you want to learn how. Mounts are going to run away during a sandstorm usually, so I hope you don't keep all your stuff on them! Simulcrum Cacti are insect eating cacti that do quite well at catching
insects. The reason for this is, the simulcrum cactus immitates the scent of favored plants of choice foods. Not only that, but it makes itself appear to be a large version of that plant. The few elves to encounter them have been in pain from the quills that stuck them. They still have the quills, sharp enough to puncture skin and hard as anything to pull out.
Nomadic raiders are rampant throughout the desert. The further away you are from settled towns with guards and troops, the more likely it isthat they'll attack you. Some guides are known to pay these bandits in order to avoid
having their clients robbed, but I don't like dealing with skum. Avoid these guys, lead them into a quicksand pit if you need to. Most animals will be found near water sources so they don't dehydrate and near caves so they can stay cool during the day, unless they burrow themselves in the ground. If you don't use markers in the desert, you will
completely lose yourself since the desert constantly changes due to sandstorms. The desert is HUGE, you can see for miles around you. In otherwords. hire guides since without them, you would be completely lost in the desert, unable to find your way. Guides can be found for hire near the mountains entering Tahnn, or at the port in Hasst. If your lucky enough to reach the Oasis without one, don't push your luck. Hire one of the guides that occasionally stops there for clients wanting to travel between cities.The Southwestern Mountains
These mountains are home of the mountain bear*, the mountain goat*, the wabbet* and the flying snakes* which nowadays also seem to pester the Human and Elven forests.
Amidst this mountain range the forest of the pantheroid is located. Trees are growing till about 500-1000 meters above the ground here. The higher one climbs the hills the fewer and smaller trees are scattered about the small spots of earth. Bitter herbs and water draining mosses are growing almost everywhere and here and there one may encounter the 'Bearpaw'*, a small, brownish flower which is said to have strong healing abilities. It grows on blue moss and since blue moss needs a special combination of minerals to grow upon it is quite rare and hard to find.
Where trees long gave up growth in the heights and where the wind is fairly cold almost only bitter herbs and grass are growing which the mountain goat and the small wabbets feed upon. The few sheltering caves near the ground are mostly occupied by bears. Those usually aren't hostile except if awoken from their winter sleep or if disturbed when hatching youngs. The mountain bear mostly feeds upon the bark of the trees, the wild berries of scattered bushes and the honey of wild bees. It also likes bitter herbs and even grass though the black mountainbear - a little smaller and also more agile than his brown counterpart sticks to small mammals or even goats if it can catch them and is more aggressive than it's big brown brother.
Every now and then rain is falling in these mountains and especially at the edge of Tahnn's grassland. This rain provides the forest in the south with water as well as the grassland itself though only little rain ever touches the ground here. But the small amount THAT waters the ground is enough to let grass, herbs, small trees and such survive.
*Human name
The grassland between Southwestern Mountains/Forest and Desert
This grassland where sometimes rain is falling and therefore grass, small crippled trees and -scattered though- bitter herbs are growing is home of a variety of animals. Just to mention a few: the desert fox, the goldeath and the arrasa as well as small rabbits, wabbets and mice of course...
Each time when rain is falling here the brownish grass turns green, flowers grow and the whole area looks colorful and attracts a lot of animals who drink from the puddles of water which soon will be soaked up by the ground or dried by the sun again. Such days are always good days for hunters who call this region their hunting grounds. Therefore several nomad Misharr and Ss'tiss tribes stay near to this area on their travels.
Within 24 hours the rain has been dried, within the next few days the grass turns to its brownish color again and the flowers die. The grassland will soon look as deserted again as usual.
Near to the mountain range lots of cliffs and rocks can be found under or behind which animals set up their lairs or nests.
The few broad passes to Garr and Korresh, especially the viper pass are guarded by Ss'tiss watchtowers. The guards keeping an eye on the travellers and caravans entering or leaving Tahnn by these passes live here for about a whole year, then they are discharged by 'fresh' ones coming from Hasst or Ta'ess with caravans.
Since most of these guards are females which don't suffer from the lack of male companionship they usually behave well and are quite glad to see some new faces every now and then to exchange news with.
*Human name
The Northwestern Mountains
For some reason in the nothwestern mountains can't be found such a broad variety of vegetation as in the Southwestern Mountains. Grass, mosses and herbs are the only sorts of vegetation here.
Aside of these one only finds naked stone and few animals out here. The tops of the mountains are adorned by ice and snow and when the heat in summer is at its highest degree then time has come for the 'big melting'.
Ice and snow partially melt and the streamlets of water join up to brooks and those again join up to rivers, rapid streams rushing down the hills and into certain preformed riverbeds which join up to a broad river that will now bring life to this part of the desert for a short while.
Somewhere between two of the dry riverbeds joining up to a single broad one there is a small entrance in the mountain which leads into a low though relatively broad cave. Someone of the size of a Misharr can crawl into this cave though I doubt he would survive this experience. From outside one can already smell the sharp odor of the scalodons living here. If anyone dares entering this cave he would find the excrements of the scalodons and perhaps even one of those creatures though he would not survive this experience i guess.
The Northwestern Mountains are home to a variety of very small animals like mice and the mountain goat is reported to be the only bigger living being surviving at Tahnn's side of this area.
*Human name
The river at the foot of the Northwestern Mountains
Sometimes full of flowers and green grass, dangerous animals and a deep river filled with plenty of sweet water it is deserted, covered with only few yellowish grass most of the year.
In Summer, when the sun is shining most hot and drying out many of the waterholes in the desert it happens that ice and snow on top of the hills of the mountain range in the northwestern part of Tahnn melt.
Small streamlets join together to brooks and those again join to form rivers rapidly rushing down the mountains, increasing in strenght the further they float. And once reaching the desert they discharge into into a couple of preformed riverbeds which soon join up to a broad river.
Every living being that crosses this riverbed when the stream of water is crushing into it will be smashed or drown. Nothing survives this roaming stream. The noise of the water, first a low, deep growling coming from the hills, then increasing in volume is a warning that should be taken serious. The animals recognize this sound, too, but many small animals don't make it out of the riverbed before being catched by the wild stream of water.
As soon as the ground has soaked up water the seeds of the plants that have been scattered about the region surrounding the river last year start growing. Within a day wondrous, colorful flowers will cover the ground as well as green grass and various herbs. The mosses growing here throughout the year will turn from yellow to a bright green color and start blooming and the small crippled trees will have leaves growing, flowers and sometimes even fruits - depending on how long the river is providing the plants with water.
This broad variety of plants now lures the desert animals to the shores of this river. This time of the year is the time when arrasa* usually bear youngs. No matter where they are, they seem to know the moment when the rivers in this region fills and all the wild herds move to this area to feed upon the grass and the herbs. And this movement of herbivore lures the carnivore out of their territories into this region, too.
Goldeath*, greyhead* and cryssopan* as well as desert foxes* and rakals* find their way into this paradise like garden...
A species that is rarely seen anywhere else but in this region are the scalodons*, long (3-4 meters) lizards with very thick, green scales. They spend most of their time outside of the water, enjoying the sun warming their scales. Only for hunting they dump into the water of the river.
The rare, brownish firetail*, a bird, about as big as a falcon though slower and no hunter usually travels to this river through the whole desert. Throughout the rest of the year they live scattered about the oases in the desert but each year in summer they come here to find mates and lay eggs. They like to feed upon small insects as well as seeds and wild berries. The Misharr call it Mrrachti'wrresh, "bird with burning tail" for the long feathers of the male birds' tails look like flames - yellow, orange and little red merge together, shining colorful under the light of the sun.
A small, agile animal looking like a fox with only a short tail and very large ears is the rakal, a small carnivore which likes to dig in the sand for the eggs of the firetails as well as those of the scalodons who lay about 40-60 eggs at various spots. The yellow-furred rakal also feeds on small animals like mice, the youngs of wobbats and rabbits etc. It lives in small, natural caves or digs holes in the grassland for its lair.
*Human name
Known Settlements: HasstHasst, the capital of Tahnn and largest settlement of this Kingdom is located at the eastern coast of Tahnn. Built upon a rocky plateau it is a bustling port city and the trading center of the north.
It attracts both travellers and merchants, researchers and adventurers from all over the Kingdoms.
Ta'ess
The first settlers settling down about this oasis couldn't have chosen a better spot. All the caravans travelling from Tahnn to the other Kingdoms vice versa use to travel to Ta'ess first to provide with water and food for the long journey through the desert towards Hasst or over the mountains to Korresh.
Shha'kesh
This village, home mostly to Ss'tiss and a few Misharr is located afoot the mountains northwest of Ta'ess. It has been built next to the largest resource of special sand for glass creation in this desert. The village isn't built around an oasis but has to provide its citizens with water by wells.
Near to this village a small fort is built; the guards protect the Ss'tiss gem mines some of which are located in these mountains.
Zsethshh
A small miners village at the sandstone quarry south of Hasst. Here only people live who work in the sandstone-quarry. They are provided with water by wells and the village itself only consists of small sandstone buildings or even only tents where people live in, there is one single gambling den where there are also rent a room or two and a marketplace where once a month some merchants coming with a caravan sell their wares.
The employers of the miners once a month send the loans and goods - food, clothes, alcohol etc.
- which the miners earn to Zsethshh with a caravan - usually the same caravan the merchants travel with.