The Singe

> Everything burns out here, the singe takes it all and gives nothing back.
>
> - ???

One of many metal husks found in the Singe

Sand, nothing but sand for as far as the cyber-eye can see. However, the lands that stretch out from the Optipan are anything but barren. Don’t let its appearance fool you for what lurks beneath the sand not many have actually survived to tell. Every trek and every attempt to explore its endless horizons result in either death or the birth of a new fear. The fear of the choking sweltering heat in every fiber of your body.

Image used is still a placeholder, original image can be found here.

## Geography

The Singe has been theorized by many scientists to currently be the largest desert plain on the planet. It's entire size has yet to be measured as the borders of its sandy mountains have yet to be found. Some local merchants have made claims of finding the edges of the sand in even the most surprising of places.

Singe is mostly made up of oceans of sands and outcroppings of stone plateaus. Strong winds bombard its flat plains throughout most of the day and still frozen air rests over the skies when the sun sets. Sand charters have made observations in seeing very distant landforms with unusual shapes but have made no progress in closing the distance. A few scientists that have made their journeys out into field have theorized that there is a "centre" to the Singe. This centre is said to be hyper-arid where moisture suits are necessary to sustain life. Not much else is known about the central region as of yet.

Over a millenia ago, the earliest explorers from Firnas, modern day Optipan, ventured out into the Singe in search of new opportunities. They had search for weeks with nothing to bring home until one faithful night, as one of these earliest adventurers that went by the name Gaude, saw in the distance a large natural stone formation that glowed in a bright ruby hue. He made his journey out into the frozen desert alone and as he approached, the glows grew brighter.

By the luck of the ancient gods, Gaude had found the first of many Rhoka Crystal veins. Just by virtue of its glow alone did they bring it back to Firnas for testing. Now, Rhoka crystals are a commonly found resource in the Singe and is mined in large amounts for construction use.

## Spice

Spice can be found in the singe in extremely small quantities. Not much is known about this elusive element, as most of the research is done behind closed doors. Specialized Spice-search teams are sent out in the cover of night to harvest this resource near the centre, taking advantage of the colder weather and a lower chance to be seen my raider groups.

## History

A city is nothing without its roads as many over the years have made journeys out and found other cities and lands beyond. In their place, trade, spice and commerce grew and those lines in the sand have grown to tarmac and steel. Many a those in the Optipan have found their place in high society because of the roads they made/exploited and many others still seek to find the next big treasure in their journeys beyond.

Those that brave the never ending fire of the Singe are either fools or have come to call it their home. Dressed in rags and moisture dispensers to keep them alive in the burning air, these people are hardened and even have their own stories to tell from the lines they have made in the sand.

A common sight that can be found while navigating the Singe are rusting war machines from the aftermath of the Burning War, much of those above the sand have already been picked clean of useful resources but it is said that millions more are still buried beneath the hot sand waiting to be found.