Ghray-Lekor

Ghray-Lekor is a land of somewhat homogenous geography and biome types. In the northern subcontinent, it is an arid, dry combination of foothills and plains that form up a somewhat more hospitable but no less unpleasant area. Dry, rigid grasses sway in hot, humidless winds. Beginning in the north of this subcontinent, the most obvious stand out feature is that of the massive volcano known as Tarim el-Vradar, or 'The Fire of God'. This mighty, raging volcano has never stopped erupting. Luckily, it is placed in a very low elevation area, surrounded by the Red Basin, which pools much of the lava. Cities are built in a ring around the coast of Ghray-Lekor, with the exceptions being in this northern subcontinent as it is a bit more hospitable.   Moving farther south lies the geographic formations of the Hills of Hasaf, the Handless Bluffs and the Arid Foothills provide some manner of elevation change and uniqueness in the northern subcontinent. Other major and important landmarks and cities here are that of Oasis and Anasis and the inland sea the Lifegiver Sea, a localized and entirely freshwater inland body of water, the only major one in the continent.   The Baral'tu Bazaar is a permanently established trading town that has some of the most valuable, rare, and illict goods across the Empire. You just have to know where to look, and who to ask...   The City of Nomads serves as the capital of this desert continent, the major governmental buildings and agencies centered here. It is a major shipping and production city.   Moving south to the narrow band of land that connects the north to the south subconinents, The Pass is the only major city, a waystation before one enters the truly hostile and deadly area of this land. Beginning farther north of The Pass and progressing down and around from the western side of Ghray-Lekor, curving and hugging the southern coast essentially is a chain of various mountains, this chain known as 'The Sand Chain', as it is believed to be what causes the extreme desert arid conditions of the southern subcontinent. If one stays inside the chain and travels south, they enter the Endless Wastes. From here, one is truly putting their life in danger. Hostile fauna, roaming bands of bandits, cultists, or heat-mad travelers may cross your path and try to end your journey. The sun beats relentlessely down, with the nights being brutally cold. So intense is the sun it is known in some of the most desolate sections of the Endless Wastes and its eastward cousin the Axxanit Dunes, that the phenomenon known as 'Sun-Storms' are not at all uncommon. The intensity of the sun will increase to a point in which the very rays of the sun burn the skin and potentially cause great harm and even death if exposed long enough.   The Axxanit, in their ever ingenious creations, have invented a natural and easily procured special form of a tent. This tent is known as an A'janix. It is made of the pelt of a native wolf-cousin known a Janix. Janix have special fur that is amazingly excellent at retaining body temperature and cooling down. This transfers to being a skin as well. There is some form of biochemistry the Janix evolved with that absorbs sunlight and emits a cooling aura on the opposite side of the skin. As such, A'janix tents are sewn with Janix pelts as well as minor magical enhancements to even further seal the cool temperature.   There are very few refuges in these godless wastes, but there are two. The Hole, and Leper's Sanctuary. Further east, is the grand and ancient city of Axxanit. Axxanit has stood for 5,000 years, only falling once in it's immensely long and storied history, that being at the command of Immortal General Sha'kan, who dueled the legendary nomad king of Yasim al-Far and took both his hands as a legendary trophy.    Beyond the Sand Chain lies a more temperate and almost good climate. The major towns of Redfall and Khar-Etel's Gate provide some manner of normal life and sanctuary from the punishing heat and brutal life and death that one might experience on the other side of this mountain chain. Continuing south around the coast, one will eventually arrive at the idyllic city of Yasir-Etel, which is actually surrounded by a tall, thick trunked forest of trees that drink deeply from the earth. This is noted as being one of the only truly liveable towns in Ghray-Lekor, and as such has a large population, with many of the embassies from other continents being here, rather than in the capital or another city.

The ecosystem of Ghray-Lekor is a brutal, ruthless system that is an extremely dog eat dog world. Lifeforms have evolved upon this hellish desert and arid land to hunt one another in a ruthless chain of predator and prey. The sun is a major factor in this system. Ghray-Lekor operates off of what is called a 'dual existence competition chain'. This means that two entirely unique ecosystems have developed due to the extreme differences in temperature and climate with the sun is up versus it being down. These ecosystems are entirely unique with their own nocturnal and diurnal forms. They feed off of each other, reproduce with each other, and so on.

The ecosystem cycles of Ghray-Lekor are notably divided between the northern and southern subcontinents. In the north, there are two major seasons that occur. These are the seasons of Akir, or Water, and the season of Falir, or Dry. During the season of water, light rains pepper this northern subcontinent, refilling underground reservoirs, and refreshing the Lifegiver Sea. In the season of dry, a withering dryness takes hold in combination with an increasing heat, bringing forth punishing humidity and heat indexes.

The most major localized phenomena is that of the Sun-Storms. Beginning closely after the Empire was established and the Godless Aegis was placed into effect. Intense, brutal and lethal solar storms wrack the southern and in especially bad instances, even the northern subcontinents of Ghray-Lekor. These are known, in their more intense forms, to easily scorch and burn skin, nearly instantly evaporate water, dry any form of wetness out, and cause immense dehydration without much exposure. As such, it necessitated an immensely accurate and reliable calendar system, as these sun storms disrupt trade and travel for those who must travel across those desolate wastes.   Imperial scholar Fatima al-Far (distant blood relative to Yasim, the nomad king) developed the Ghray-Lekor Sun Storm Calendar (GLSSC). This is a reliable and effective manner that has best enabled the inhabitants of this sun scorched land to predict when the sun storms that wrack their homeland will be able to travel, and when they will not be able to travel.    Sun-Storms have another unique byproduct upon the dune wastes of the The Wastes and the Axxanit Dunes, that being the byproduct of Black Spark. The intense solar radiation cooks upon the sands with such heat, and there is a chemical, magical, and otherworldly reaction with the magical leylines that lie beneath the sands, that it produces beautiful black crystals.    Black Spark, is an intensely powerful energy source that will be discussed in its own article.

The long term temperature in Ghray-Lekor is one of intense aridness, as well as intense heat and at times, depending on the season, humidity of a terrible type. This is covered in previous sections of this document, as there is not much to say in regards to the climate, aside from the fact that it is relatively stable all year round in the southern subcontinent, that being a miserable, horrific heat. The north has some variation, but only ever between two equally as unpleasant seasons of the year.

There are few natural resources of value that can easily be harvested in this hostile and arid land. In the northern subcontinent though, it is noted as there being a large population of an arid evolved strain of bison, known as Yarson. Yarson are lightly furred but highly muscled and have evolved an immensely interesting system of preserving water through their bodies via a self filtration system that heavily cleans urin, turning it back into usable hydration, and then distributing it to their bodies. This makes a Yarson capable of surviving up to a month in extreme heat without water. Ores can be found at the mountain chains, but are only every utilized from the southern sea-side of the continent, as attempting to establish any sort of mining/trading outpost in the utter depths of the wastelands would only result in death.

Ghray-Lekor's long and storied history is one of warring nomadic tribes warring against other large nomadic tribes. Very few cities were established in these ancient days, only one. That being Axxanit, the Great City. Built as a parlay and neutral zone between the eternally warring nomads, it was seen as one of the greatest wonders of architecture both mortal made and magic made. Brilliant spires of gold, iron, and gems harvested from the mountains when the heat was not so intense. Merchants hawking exotic and oftentimes exclusive goods of the continent from his now destroyed agricultural ecosystem in the south and heavily damaged in the north. It was a city of worlds, one that oddly had a sense of community inside it. It is said that this is due to the Axxanit people, the largest, and by the time of the Wars of Consolidation, the only remaining tribe. The Axxanit, early into the history of their great tribes, built the city on the sight of a glorious, massive open sea-bay that ventured to the east out into the open waters.   Their leader, Sand Lord Hedra mi-Sol, proclaimed that their god Amhaptu had spoken to him, and that here is where they would build the city of the world, and that under it lie the secret for future generations to uncover. And so it was. The city of Axxanit was built. Centuries passed. Those who had stood with the Sand Lord and he himself vanished into the embrace of death, returned to the sand from which they were born. Yet one of the key tenets that Amhaptu had laid was clear. Upon the Great City, no man, woman, or child of Axxanit origin would shed another Axxanit's blood. This was sacred, and all who defied this edict would face harsh punishment.   Since that day it is alleged that not one individual has broken the sacred tenet of their near divine lord who founded this great city. As such, Axxanit and it's inhabitants take this decree very seriously, bordering on murderous to outsiders that threaten the sanctity of their city, for the decree has taken on a more involved term now, involving all who visit the city. As such, Axxanit is a remarkably peaceful city, with all who abide by the code being able to witness the cities' rich culture, food, wealth and potential opportunity that awaits an aspiring businessman, scholar, or adventurer.

Ghray-Lekor has little to no genuine tourism value for a citizen of the Empire. It is regarded as a lawless and extremely dangerous backwater.