Known History
Official known origins
No one alive today truly remembers how the desert came to be. The tribes of the Shifting Sands pass down fragments of song and tale, hinting at a time when the land was different — greener, richer, filled with rivers and strange towers of stone. Yet these are no more than whispers carried in oral tradition.
Most simply believe the desert has always been. Endless sand, scorching sun, and wandering tribes — the natural state of the world.
Though no unified story exists, scattered traces remind the curious that something came before:
Ruins Beneath the Sand: Half-buried stone walls, strange carvings, aqueducts and shattered obelisks dot the land, though most are eroded and incomprehensible.
Ancient Relics: Traders sometimes find old coins, blades, or tools unlike anything made today. Some whisper they hold strange enchantments.
The Spirits’ Whispers: Spiritual tribes, like the @Karkrei Tribe , speak of voices in the storm that guard forgotten truths. But even they disagree on what those truths are.
To the vast majority of individuals, the desert is simply the desert. Its past is irrelevant — survival and honor are what matter. Scholars, warlocks, and mystics may debate forgotten empires, but the common folk shrug at such notions.
After all, what use are the ghosts of history when the sands demand every ounce of strength just to endure the present?
History
History is divided into Eras of the Sun, each lasting until a major cataclysm or pivotal change occurs.
First Sun: Age of @Scorvian and @Lizardfolk
Second Sun: @Sun-Scorched Orc Dominion
Third Sun: Arrival of @Dune Dwarf and @Sand Elf
Fourth Sun: The @Desertborne Human Exodus
Fifth sun: The Great War Against the @Sun-Scorched Orc
Sixth sun: The calm before the storm. Present day
First sun, the Firstborn of the Sands – Scorvians and Lizardfolk
Just after turning into a desert, the land is unstable: sandstorms rage endlessly, water vanishes, and wildlife mutates into monstrous desert beasts. From the shifting creatures of the newborn desert emerged the @Scorvian , the first sentient race to claim the arid expanse. Masters of survival, they thrived in the dunes and oases. Soon after, the @Lizardfolk appeared on the southern margins, carving out their dominion across half the desert with their spiritual ways and martial discipline.
Second sun, the Orcish Supremacy
Some centuries after, from beyond the eastern mountains, orcish hordes stormed into the desert. Fierce and unyielding, they crushed both @Scorvian and @Lizardfolk , driving them into isolated pockets. For generations, the orcs held dominance, ruling the desert with raw strength and imposing their supremacy across its breadth.
Third sun, arrival of Dwarves and Elves
From the deepest of desert’s northern mountains came @Dune Dwarf , digging into cliffs and mountains. And from the northern forests @Sand Elf also descended to the sparse forests and shaded valleys. Both races resisted orcish dominance, clashing with them in countless skirmishes. Yet, despite their resilience, neither @Dune Dwarf nor @Sand Elf were able to overthrow @Sun-Scorched Orc control.
Fourth sun, the Human Exodus
From the fertile @The Green Plain , under the yoke of tyrannical rulers, vast numbers of @Desertborne Human fled southward into the desert’s northern fringes. Hardened by exile, they adapted quickly to desert survival, forming a formidable and rapidly growing presence. Unlike the scattered @Scorvian or spiritual @Lizardfolk , @Desertborne Human multiplied and organized rapidly.
Fifth sun, the Great War Against the Orcs
@Desertborne Human , bolstered by alliances with @Sand Elf and @Dune Dwarf , forming the Desert Tribes Alliance and waged a long and grueling war against the @Sun-Scorched Orc . Over decades, their combined forces shattered orcish supremacy. The conflict culminated in the exile of the @Sun-Scorched Orc to the desert’s southernmost, most brutal reaches — a land of fire, salt, and endless storms. There, the @Sun-Scorched Orc splintered, diminished, and hardened into scattered clans.
Sixth sun, the calm before the storm. Present day
The present era is one of precarious balance, a fragile calm stretched thin across the desert. The tribes wander, trade, and clash in cycles as they always have, yet beneath the shifting sands lies an unease no storm can match. Scholars whisper of signs—the @The Great Dune ’s march northward, beasts stirring in the @Sand Ocean , and omens traced in starlight—while common folk dismiss them as tales. Still, the air feels heavy, as though the desert itself holds its breath, waiting for a storm far greater than any of wind or sand.