Kelashaari Desert

Stretching for vast miles across the Kelassyn mountain range that seperates the two human territories of the Carvejan Empire and the Esalvian Freehold, the Kelashaari Desert is the largest (but not the only) desert expanse on the continent of Quel'marae. Life of any type is as scarce as the few small clusters of oases that run through it but humans are never one to turn away from mastering Asperyon's more difficult landscapes if it means colonising to capitalise on a precious resource.   The largest of these oases is at Threepoint Pool, a trading hub of tent camps that stands at the interconnection of the main route from the Oshmiri capital of Osphenus to the many tiny mining outposts in the region. Though these mining towns are small and life is harsh there in the daylight heat and freezing nights, their turnover of valuable resources is both a financial boon and makes them highly contested territory between men and elves, especially as both cities formed from the bones of the ancient elven ruins that still dot the landscape.   The ruins draw explorers, archeologists and students of magic from around the continent - often, members of the bored and idle nobility who have more than enough money to throw around (and waste) on financing sellsword expeditions and digs. The miners are happy to just watch them pass through with little more than a shake of the head at their foolishness, often, as they never last long. If the active traps left behind by the Duermir dont kill them, the adventuring parties often give up long before they mess up any mining ventures too much...

Although the rewards of a life out in the desert sands often match the risks, there are a number of predators well outside of the ruins that give the denizens of the Kelashaari more than enough to worry about.  

Fauna

Giant Sandworms

Though the average Sandworm is still large enough to eat a humanoid, the true behemoths of the Kelashaari are the Giant Sandworms. Weaving in and out of the dunes in search for prey no different than a shark through water, the Giant Sandworm rarely breaches the surface but can even tunnel into solid rock, leaving behind networks of tunnels some 15-feet in diametre - moving 'waves' in the sand is often the last thing a creature sees before the sand turns into a churning pit beneath their feet and they are swallowed hole.  

Flora

Kelashar Man-Trap

Known for preying on the unwary desperate for their first drink of water in a while, these carnivorous plants grow around the edges of oasis pools. Only identifiable by their sickly red leaves and the spines left poking up out of the muddy terrain on the banks of the water, the leaves can span out to ten feet in a circle around the trap section of the plant, and lift up to close around prey and push it into the acid that collects in the centre when it attacks. Operating similar to a venus fly-trap but on a much bigger scale, the 'trap' funnel of the plant stays almost completely buried until detecting adequate movement and heat through it's spines. Often it opens wide enough to allow water from the oasis to pool shallowly in it, and will wait until an unwitting prey stops to drink from the water. Then it slams shut, trapping the creature inside, and retreats further into the mud to digest what it caught.  

Corkscrew Cactus

A primary source of water for travellers and animals, this cactus has a wide, circular base with spiked ridges that grow around it's centre at asymetric angles, making a 'Corkscrew' effect from the ground up around the central body, their height and sloped angle often creating a shallow pooling of water inside the space between the ridge edges and the centre of the cactus when it rains. The bulb at the top puts out blue and yellow flowers occasionally, if there is enough water for the cactus to flower.

Aguaverde

a green, nutrient-dense plasma found in old sandworm nests (on land - sourced from kraken nests in the oceans) that can be converted into fuel or a goo-like food source.

Floatstone

a teal-white quartz stone that naturally floats a little way above the ground, occasionally arcing with lightning as it discharges the build-up of the magical energy that keeps it floating. Dangerous to harvest (due to the electrocution risk) but highly prized for it's use as a building material for making hovering transports and other architecture.

Quelenite

faintly purple-tinged glasslike substance that grows in clusters in rocky climes in response to areas with high concentrations of magic, useful as armour plating due to it's strength and density. It conducts both electricity and magical energies exceptionally well and is prized by elves as a material for the production of decorative jewellery, who tend to associate it with areas of divine importance.