Blood Desert

The **Blood Desert** is the largest of the three Great Countries on the continent of Garlen. It is ruled and presided over by Guardian Salaark. It is also considered the strongest but most dangerous, with a harsh climate and yellow gold sands. The Blood Desert is also the richest country in terms of natural resources and mystic treasures, especially magic crystals. The Desert people keep what they need and sell the rest to purchase whatever they lack from merchants. The Blood Desert is even bigger than the Griffon Kingdom, but its population density is nigh-zero except that near the oases.

Mana geysers, while extremely hard to find elsewhere, are more common in the form of vegetation, water and life; rich deposits of Davross can be found in rock formations. The lack of life in the Blood Desert makes its mana geysers much more effective in generating magical resources because there are no living beings that can siphon the energy that comes out of Mogar. It has the greatest number of magical metals and crystal mines among the three Great Countries. Spotting them is easy since wherever there is an oasis there is usually also a mana geyser. On the other hand, however, having so many resources isn't necessarily a good thing - the resources the people exploit need to be kept under constant surveillance as well as those not being used to keep them from being raided.

The climate is always hot in the Desert, and clouds are nigh non-existent. Seasons aren't a thing in the Desert; only the moving from one oasis to another to give the soil time to recover and the trees to grow new fruits marks the passing of time for the nomadic tribes. Early morning in the Kingdom is midnight in the Desert.

Food and water are the top commodities in the Blood Desert, and prior to Salaark's (The Benefactor) arrival, tribes fought for control of the oases. Under Salaark the tribes rotate between zones, sharing resources, and the inhabitants achieved prosperity. However, despite all the benefits, Salaark rules the Blood Desert with an iron fist. Her laws are the only laws, and the lightest violations are punishable by death. Despite the people thriving and the country being at peace, she is considered a heartless monster. All the tribes she subjugated to unify the Desert, all those who would like to try different paths to that she chose, hate her.

Even though Salaark and her fake Awakened Feathers keep the Desert at peace, criminals still exist - sometimes a small tribe of marauders follow a migrating village and attack it the moment its Feather leaves. Despite this Salaark refrains from using artificial constructs/golems due to them having many limitations compared to Awakened that she employs them solely during times of need as peacekeeping forces. The Blood Desert has no lost cities due to Salaark purging any. She keeps track of certain materials and kills everyone involved with creating a cursed object, even the merchants that supply the resources.

## History

After Overlord Salaark rose to power, the only conflicts that took place in the Desert were those against foreign invaders due to being too rich in magical resources and natural treasures to not be under constant threat. One of Salaark's constant problems is that both the free countries and businessmen from the Gorgon Empire and the Griffon Kingdom offer their help to wannabe revolutionaries in exchange for treasures. With so many mines and mana geysers, the Overlord was hard pressed to keep an eye on all of them, even with the help of her nest.

To keep the Desert at peace, she always takes into account and allows small level smuggling from her deposits, letting them grow confident with each heist they pull, checking who reports them, who pretends to not notice, and who actively helps them. She exploits the criminals to find the weak points of her trading routes and the flaws in her security, be they of human origin or not. Every five years or so, Salaark poses as a chivalrous knight to rise against herself and "challenge" her rule, luring those who have the resources and the will to form a new country to the cause. The "knight" racks only victories, making their followers grow in number until even the most cowardly among the traitors crawl out of the shadows. At that point, Salaark makes her move and gets rid of them all at the same time.

By not instigating a rebellion and just riding the wave the moment it takes form, Salaark avoids establishing any pattern for people to notice her ploy. Moreover, since no one ever comes out alive of the slaughter, the only thing that the rest of the Desert knows is that the "valiant knight" falls either due to an ambush of the cowardly Overlord or because of a traitor. She lets each knight have a valiant death so that no one ever questions their loyalty to the cause. The greater their fame, the greater Salaark's grows with each victory.

## Regions & Cities

Using Warp Steps to move a tribe is impossible. Oases are distant from one another and keeping a Steps open long enough for an entire tribe to pass through will take a toll on the mages. On top of that, many oases remain empty for most of the year so they can't have permanent Gates. As a result, moving between oases usually takes weeks, amidst perils such as sandstorms or marauders.

* **Quyntan**: the city lies close to the borders of the Blood Desert and was used as the temporary headquarters of the Undead Courts' War room.
* **Sparkwater Oasis**: the location of Salaark's palace. A circus-sized tent sits in the middle of the camp surrounded by flags, each representing one of the tribes that have sworn their loyalty to her and had their leader been bestowed the power of a Feather in return. A long red carpet travels from the Warp Gate to the palace with huge braziers placed alongside it.
	+ The **Overlord's Tent** uses dimensional displacement to have all the space Salaark needs without making a tent so big that it would collapse under its own weight. The inside of the palace extends as much as the Kingdom's Royal Castle, but everything is placed on the ground floor, requiring an internal network of Gates to not get lost and to quickly reach any destination. The curtains that separate the rooms from the corridors are as thin as regular cloth yet also as hard as enchanted stone. Under the tent is not only a water source, but also a crystal mine and rich Adamant veins. The three of them together absorb most of the world energy and keep it contained.
		- The Overlord's tent cloth is enchanted so that it stores all of the heat during the day, making its inside the same temperature of a cave where the sun never shines. During the night, it slowly releases the accumulated warmth, keeping the temperature steady. This way, those who move in and out of the palace won't experience a wide temperature range and get ill.
		- Each room has a colorful gold-embroidered carpet covering the entire floor, a king-size bed, several closets, a bathroom, and a small thermal spring big enough to comfortably host three people.
	+ Sparkwater lake is the only spring for dozens of kilometers. As the air is too dry to practice water magic and people need to keep themselves hydrated to survive the heat of the day, the spring is heavily guarded at all hours. Mages use it to practice their spells while people take turns to collect their daily ration. It's forbidden to bathe, dirt, or throw anything that might make the water toxic in it including fur from shedding. People bathe only if necessary and everything used to make water spells has to be returned to the spring after purifying it. There are no cultivated fields and the only trees in the area grow near the lake.

## Laws & Customs

Unlike the Blood Desert, where the tribe takes care of its members and guarantees them healthcare and food, life in the Griffon Kingdom is harsher and the life expectancy shorter. In the Desert, a man can marry even past 30, as long as he has a good position in a tribe and the means to support his family. Phoenixes are highly coveted breeding material.

Public displays of affection are considered rude in the Desert.

To survive in such a harsh environment, the humans have developed a symbiotic relationship with magical beasts, the only creatures powerful enough to carry the belongings of an entire family and to protect them from the monsters that roam the desert. Finding a small oasis isn't hard for travelers or peddlers, the problem is surviving the encounter with creatures that elect water sources as their home. Thanks to their true magic, magical beasts are the life companions of all tribes. In exchange for their services, they demand not only food, but also respect. Magical beasts have their own city block and a proper place to live.

Kids have to grow fast in the desert since sand doesn't allow them to build fortifications and the nomadic life makes permanent arrays a waste of resources. Monsters, brigands, or even just sandstorms can strike at any moment. To make each tribe survive, everyone needs to pull their weight, even children. Children train in military games where a Feather reshapes the dunes with earth magic, creating an artificial battlefield. The children split into two groups in a game of tag that requires first magic and ends only once one of the groups is wiped out.

### Code of Salaark

The **Code of Salaark**, also known as the **Desert's Survival Guide**, contains the laws people have to abide by unless they want an angry Phoenix chasing them down. The laws are not up to interpretation. A lawyer's job is to make sure that their client receives the sentence they deserve. If they are found aiding a criminal or hiding their crimes, they are considered accomplices and treated as such, including sharing their client's sentence if they're found guilty. The laws are as follows:

1. Always obey the Overlord and her envoys.
2. Do no harm.
3. Don't steal.
4. Do not practice Forbidden Magic.
5. if you make it, you own it. Mate and dash is not allowed.

### Attire

The women of the Desert make up for the simplicity of their clothes by wearing colorful makeup and accessories. The men, instead, always carry their weapons with them and the regular practice in their use make the inhabitants of the Desert have a lean but fit build. The Blood Desert equivalent of a commoner dress consists of a white robe with long sleeves that cover from neck to toe, leaving only the hands and head exposed. It is made of a special cotton that preserves the precious body humidity during the day and keeps them warm during the night.

## Salaark's Nest

**The Nest** consists solely of Phoenixes who are required to have blind loyalty to Salaark and take care of the Desert. Full-fledged members have bright violet cores, at least several centuries of battle experience, and equipment forged by Salaark. Despite the existence of the Feathers, each tribe is so big and needs to defend against so many threats that no human leader can possibly shoulder the role alone. Therefore, the Phoenixes of the nest only take care of the Desert and its natural resources, making sure that they don't get plundered. It is them that cull the monster tribes and keep oases from going dry. The members of the nest also deal with Abominations of all kinds, invading armies, and even rogue Phoenixes. New members spend most of their time training at first and then tending to the problems of other people. Until they become powerful enough to get rid of most threats quickly, free time is a luxury that they would rarely be able to afford.

As an unparalleled singer and dancer, Salaark forces her children to learn her favorite choreographies.

* Sinmara
* Crevan Gershal
* Lenanna
* Jhet

## Tribes & Feathers

All of the desert tribes are nomadic, forced to relocate periodically to let the oases refill and follow the animals that represent their main source of food. No one besides Overlord Salaark, her fake Awakened, the Feathers, and the merchants they trade with know the position of each tribe.

Tribe leaders are called **Feathers**, and receive wisdom and power from Salaark. Feathers wear heavy white pants and shirt, along with a head turban with a huge ruby to represent status. They rule above their people, but any change small or big has to receive Salaark's approval. The **High Council of Feathers** is led by a **High Feather** spokesman, though this organization is more of a formality, given Salaark's ironclad grip on authority.

* Red Lion Tribe - Ashun Dagfuur (High Feather - formerly, deceased)
* Golden Eagle Tribe
* Silver Wolf Tribe
* Forgotten Plume Tribe - Ilyum Balkor (Feather)

## Trivia

* The people of the Desert treasure greenery.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Chapter 125: Chaos (2)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 1537: Menadion's Apprentice (Part 1)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 1363: Corpse, Feather, and Nest (Part 1)
4. ↑ Chapter 1606: Odd Friends (Part 2)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 936: Friends and Enemies (Part 2)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Chapter 1536: On the Other Side (Part 2)
7. ↑ Chapter 1050: Gods and Guardians (Part 2)
8. ↑ Chapter 1564: Discoveries and Plans (Part 2)
9. ↑ Chapter 405: Birds of Prey (Part 1)
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Chapter 1542: A New Life (Part 2)
11. ↑ Chapter 1327: Royal Summon (Part 3)
12. ↑ Chapter 1300: Fear and Dead Men (Part 2)
13. ↑ Chapter 1098: Well-Laid Plans (Part 2)
14. ↑ Chapter 1366: Travelling Tavern (Part 2)
15. ↑ Chapter 1543: Quality Time (Part 1)
16. ↑ Chapter 1147: Preparations (Part 1)
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Chapter 1536: On the Other Side (Part 2)
18. ↑ Legion on Discord
19. ↑ Chapter 1303: Bloodlines and Powers (Part 1)
20. ↑ Chapter 1614: Chaos and Flames (Part 2)
21. ↑ Chapter 1441: Birthday Party (Part 3)
22. ↑ Chapter 1365: Travelling Tavern (Part 1)