The Vernati Desert

Aerial view of The Vernati Desert

**The Vernati Desert** is a massive desert that exists on the western side of Minerva, and extends out to The Kaigan Coast. The desert is almost completely devoid of humans, as intelligent unusuals have assumed control of it. Koshia, an Upper Rank Demon, is protecting the desert, as it is home to millions of desert-dwelling demons. Also existing within the desert, in its center, is the portal to The Spirit Realm, the homeland of the spirits. However, Koshia is currently guarding the portal, preventing spirits from entering or exiting, as the spirits are actively aiding humans in their efforts to eliminate the unusuals.

There are a few small towns within The Vernati Desert that have humans inhabiting them, but the total human population in the desert is estimated to be less than 450,000. The Vernati Desert is probably the most dangerous place to live in Minerva due to the incredibly high demon to human ratio of around 36:1, as there exist some estimated 16 million demons in the desert.

## The Spirit Portal

**The Spirit Portal** is a green gemstone-like structure that was supposedly constructed by Tamashi*.* According to many spirits, the portal was built long ago as a gateway for the spirits to access Earth, though the reasoning behind its construction is completely unknown. It's rumored that The Spirit Portal and The Fallen Portal were constructed around the same time in history.

The Spirit Portal is currently being sieged by Koshia*,* who is blocking the entrance, preventing spirits from entering or exiting. It's speculated that the reasoning for this siege is to prevent spirits from aiding humanity in exterminating The Unusuals, and to hinder their progress by cutting off the spirits' access to Earth.

Entering The Spirit Portal will bring you to The Spirit Realm.

## The Fallen Portal

**The Fallen Portal** is similar in nature to The Spirit Portal, though instead of being surrounded by green magic that emanates life, spiritual energy, and healing, The Fallen Portal is surrounded by violet magic that emanates corruption, malice, and evil power. The Portal's Builder is unknown, though it is rumored to possibly have been constructed by a Demon God, opposite to Tamashi. This would support the theory that both portals were constructed around the same time in history, as well.

The Fallen Portal acts as a gateway for Unintelligent Unusuals to access Earth, as it has been noted that the portal spawns them regularly. Furthermore, the portal was noted to have incredible corruptive qualities, as it is able to turn humans who interact with it into demons, corrupting their body and mind with malice.

Nobody knows that lies on the other side of the portal, as access to it has been completely restricted by The Purorigu, who have constructed a heavily-fortified military base around the portal in order to exterminate any unusuals who spawn from it, as well as to prevent people from entering it. According to legend, the last person to enter the portal was a miner in the 1400s, that individual later became Kojitenski Ankou.

## Towns and Cities

There are a few towns and cities located within The Vernati Desert, though they are quite sparse due to the region's geography disallowing farming and or other types of agriculture, making the desert a challenging place to live. Below is a list of the five most populated towns and cities within The Vernati Desert.

**~Most populous CITIES~**

*Tjizima: ~218,100 inhabitants*

*Jatak:* ~97,400 inhabitants

*Palnera: ~52,300 inhabitants*

*Altikli:* *~21,800 inhabitants*

*Ralbeh: ~19,700 inhabitants*

**~Most populous TOWNS/VILLAGES~**

*Jaradir: ~4,900 inhabitants*

*Khim: ~3,800 inhabitants*

*Alberqi: ~3,650 inhabitants*

*Quantinanto: ~2,600 inhabitants*

*Bawai: ~2,500 inhabitants*

## Trivia

* The Vernati Desert has the highest human to demon ratio of 36:1 in favor of demons
* The Vernati Desert is the least populated region in Minerva at around 450,000 humans total
* The Spirit Portal and The Fallen Portal exist within this region