Alindae

Alindae is the Northernmost province of the continent of Akharal. The nation's Northern border touches the Athtel'Ar Ocean. Although the province touches the nation of Khuurai to the Southwest, and New Kossad to the Southeast, the vast majority of the Southern Border is breached by the province of Rhodesia. Though most of the Alindae-Rhodesia border region is covered by the Ogalthis Bluff, a limestone mountain range, and the sandstone-based Cliffs of Selfaen. The gap between these two mountain ranges serve as a meeting ground between the Rhodesian Steppe and the Greater Moonsands of Alindae.

## People

### Sand Elves

*Main article: Sand Elves*

The majority of Alindae is primarily inhabited by the Sand Elves, or Ul'Quessir (*"Dry Elf"* in Sand Elvish). The Sand Elves are the result of the banishment of Urutan during the 1st Cycle. This exodus of the Urutan into the Cliffs of Selfaen split the Senex population in two, with the northern half forced into the sands of Alindae, evolving over time into the Modern Sand Elves. The Sand Elves feel a sacred attachment to the deserts of Alindae, which they have named the Moonsands, or the Nakdel'ul in Sand Elvish. They do not worship any particular deity, but revere the 3rd moon of Auron, the Nakholin (*"Secret Moon"* in Sand Elvish), which was put in place by Estur; a sign of the reinstating of the Senex Truce. The Sand Elves are the only race capable of seeing this moon, and it serves as a guide for them while navigating the vast Deserts of Alindae.

### Urutan

*Main article: Urutan*

The Urutan are a race of dry-skinned Crustaceans who were cursed by Valuuhhn during the Advent Cycle. They claim the Yensa Sandsea as their home, at the base of the Cliffs of Selfaen. Though they can be found in other areas and even other provinces, it is very rare that such a thing happens. They are seen by many races as a savage folk, and constant conflict brews between both tribes and individuals. Many would consider the Yensa Sandsea (Or, colloquially, the *Lesser Moonsands*) the most difficult part of the Moonsands to traverse, as the majority of the sand there is like an ocean and cannot be traversed on foot. The Urutan don't struggle doing so, though, as they are skilled at taming and riding the Yensa Sand-Koi from which the Sandsea gets it's name. The Urutan recognize no state and don't see any deities as someone worth worshiping. Although they do not worship her, they have a deep respect for Maecillia and the Shroomfolk she created. They despise Valuuhhn and the Yurian, and would show no mercy to either, given the chance.

### Ogal Dwarves

*Main Article: Dwarves*

The Ogalthis Bluff has a major Dwarven Settlement in it, named Vortaga ("*Hardest of Sand*" in Dwarven), and throughout the First Cycle contained the city of Vishnuk. This city was the capital of the Ogal Empire at the time of it's reign over Alindae. The Dwarves are overall on great terms with the Sand Elves of Alindae, or as they call them in Dwarven, "*Agaeth Olv*". Although they mostly just stay within this mountain range, the Dwarves consistently trade with the Sand Elf settlements of Saaden-Tas and Alus-Aelo. (*"Below walls" and "Water Reach"* in Sand Elvish, respectively). They serve as the nation's main source of metals and other ores.

### Gharif Presence

*Main Article: Gharif*

In the furthest Western reaches of Alindae, at the edge of the Sandsea, the desert begins to fade slowly into the grassland present primarily within the Province of Khuurai. Much like throughout Khuurai, this grassland is dotted with Gharif tribes. The Gharif stay quite distant from the rest of Alindae, and mostly are ignored by it's other inhabitants. Occasionally, the Urutan may wander into this area, but they know that their small tribes cannot take on the large, calculated tribes of Gharif, so it's rare that there is any kind of conflict or communication between them.

## History

### Advent Cycle

* Hastur creates the Ogal; the ancient Dwarves, placing them into the Ogalthis Bluff.
* The city of Vishnuk is founded by the Ogal.
* Vahluuhhn creates the Althiri, who are placed into the Kaddesh Bay, and vanishes into the Vericci Ocean.

### The Althirian Interval

The Althirian Interval is a term used to describe a brief period of time of uncertain length which took place between the end of the Advent Cycle, and the beginning of the First Cycle. The events understood to have happened are catalogued and ordered almost entirely based on speculation by historians. The period gets it's name from the understanding that most of the known Althirian history took place during this time, and very little is known of other things that happened during this period. Some historians believe this period takes place within the Advent Cycle and/or First Cycle; some even deny it's existence entirely.

* The Althiri found the settlement *Kaddesh*, ca ***-50 1C***.
* The Althiri expand territory to cover most of the modern-day Sandsea, ca ***-40 1C***

* Althiri Expansion spreads into Khuurai, ca ***-35 1C***

* The Althiri found Lavkesh, a city near the modern Alindae-Khuurai border, ca ***-35 1C***

* Tusev is formed by the Eastward-expanding Althiri, ca ***-30 1C***
* A lack of food related aid being sent to Tusev by the other Althiri Settlements creates a fracture in the Althiri populace. Tusev declares independence from the other Althiri, who would come to be known as the Kaddish, ca ***-30 1C***
* Arives is founded by the Althiri, ***-25 1C***

* Vortaga is founded by the Ogal, ***-23 1C***
* Zodiark's Calendar is Implemented among Althiri and Kaddish nations, as well as among the Ogal Dwarves ***-21 1C***

### First Cycle

#### **1C 0**

* The Ogal Empire is formed, with the seat of the empire being Vishnuk, and begins spreading throughout the Ogalthis Bluff. They do not take much of the Moonsands due to the difficulty of traveling through the ground there, and an unwillingness to combat the Althiri populating it.

**1C 4**

* Alus-Aelo is founded by the Althiri.
* Senex Collective begins to expand into the Cliffs of Selfaen.

**1C 6**

* Urutan presence begins to become noticeable in the Yensa Sandsea, being present in Senex records regarding the fauna of Selfaen.

**1C 11**

* The Ogal Empire digs under the Yensa Sandsea, claiming Sunpoint and founding Bennoth.
* Saaden-Tas is founded by the Althiri.

**1C 26**

* The Ogal Empire violates the Senex Truce by invading the northern Senex Collective in modern day Alindae.
* Gikdith is founded by the Ogal Empire.

**1C 28**

* The Ogal expand into the Ogalthis Shrublands, pushing Althiri out of the Southern half, putting pressure on these tensions.
* The Gharif tribes are first seen by Shroomfolk, denoting Northern Gharif expansion happened sometime before this point.

**1C 30**

* The Althiri have expanded across the entire northern coast of Alindae, aside from the Sunpoint Peninsula.
* Arives is founded by the Althiri.

## Geography

Alindae is primarily made up of dry but cool environments. It is split up into the following 6 major areas:

### Greater Moonsands

The largest geographical area of Alindae, the Greater Moonsands cover the central area of Alindae, and share a border with all other areas except Sunpoint. Every Rhodesian trade route enters the nation through the Moonsands, and few will go beyond it. Large sand dunes dot the landscape, and very little foliage is found here aside from the rare jaenau (Jeye-new) tree. These golden-leafed plants rarely reach a height of 6 ft, and have gnarled, light gray trunks. The trees are notable due to their medicinal uses in treating burns. The capital of Alindae, Saaden-Tas (Sah-den-tas), is one of two notable settlements within the Greater Moonsands; the other being Arives (Ah-ree-ves). The namesake of the Moonsands lies in the claims among Sand Elves that the sands shift depending on the phases of The Nakholin.

### Yensa Sandsea

Possibly the most dangerous area of Alindae, the Yensa Sandsea (also known as the Lesser Moonsands) is easily the most spoken about throughout the other provinces of Akharal. The name comes from two places; "Sandsea" referring to the large expanses of quicksand that flow below the islands of rock found across the landscape, and "Yensa" being the name of the large sand-koi which swim freely throughout them. These Yensa are integral to the culture of the Urutan, and serve as the easiest way to travel across the Sandsea, despite their difficulty to tame. Aside from the stray drygrass, the only foliage found here are various cacti. There aren't any notable settlements throughout the area, but the terrain is spotted with Urutan tribes. Though not exactly hot, the Sandsea is the warmest location in Alindae.

### Ogalthis Shrublands

Sitting across the Northern base of the Ogalthis Bluff, the Ogalthis Shrublands contain the most fertile soil and most annual rainfall in Alindae. As a result of this, the settlement of Alus-Aelo (Ah-less-i-low) is the capital of Alindesian agriculture, and various smaller farms are found across the shrublands as well. The Errek River flows from the Ogalthis Bluff across the shrublands, and is often credited as the reason the various farmlands in the area serve as such successful food sources -supposedly due to the rich minerals within the Ogalthis Bluff. The Shrublands are named for the abundance of red-orange colored shrubs that grow in the slightly sandy soil.

### Ogalthis Bluff

One half of the southern border of Alindae, the Ogalthis Bluff is a mountain range composed primarily of Limestone. Within the mountains are various deposits of water. Some of these deposits serve as the source of the Errek River, as well as the Eastern and Western Forks of Rhodesia's Iaspe Stream and Sinos River. On occasion, these deposits prove to be an inconvenience for the Ogalthis Dwarves. In the late First Cycle, the capital settlement known as Vishnuk was destroyed when a deposit broke, flooding the city. It was since renamed Vjakludjemed (*"Flooded Past"* in Dwarven). This event became known as the Ogalthis Collapse, and effectively lead to the removal of the Ogal Empire's reign throughout Alindae. "Ogalthis Lake" was the name of the water deposit which broke in the Ogalthis Collapse and is now the origin of all other names containing "Ogalthis".

### Cliffs of Selfaen

The Cliffs of Selfaen are a mountain range in Southwestern Alindae, which continue into the province of Khuurai, where they are referred to as Blue Selfaen. There isn't much for settlements throughout the cliffs, though there are various Urutan Villages found mostly among the foothills of the cliffs. The main cause for the lack of settlements is the absence of reliable water sources among the sandstone based terrain; This is also the cause of a lack of foliage in the area aside from various forms of drygrass and occasional monkey's tail cactus.

### Sunpoint

The Sunpoint Peninsula (usually shortened to Sunpoint) is the Northernmost region of Alindae, and is also the coldest. Some would say the extreme cold, the thick snow, and the large mountain range which covers the peninsula make the area even more difficult to traverse than the Yensa Sandsea. The extreme cold means that the majority of foliage consists of pine trees and among lower elevations, pale cactus with dark red flowers. Despite the adverse environment, Arvil, the 2nd largest city in Alindae is found here. The city is the location of the Temple of The Nakholin, which makes it significant to the Sand Elves.