The Land of High Sun

 

Topography:

The land of high sun is a largely desert plane. The temperature is hot (usually over 110 degrees F) and there is little shade. Heavy winds blow relentlessly across the desert surface. The wind is stronger near the surface of the sand, but due to a small layer of hot air caused by the reflection of the sun, there is little dust carried by the wind off of undisturbed sand. Most of the desert sand is a very fine grain and very soft. A person who stands on the sand will quickly sink, almost like water. It is possible to swim in the sand if necessary. Most avoid this, as many strange creatures live in the soft sand, almost like in the oceans today. Quite a number of these creatures would not hesitate to eat a human. With the shifting sand being so dangerous, the entire population lives on rocky plateaus that jut up occasionally from the sand. These rocky outcroppings range from a few hundred yards in surface area to several miles and can be several feet above the sand to nearly a quarter mile high. The entire plane can be thought of as a sea of sand with small islands of habitable rock.

 

Population:

On these small plateaus of rock are where the inhabitants live. They set up villages on the more hospitable tops. Many of the plateaus have ancient lava tubes running through them that make natural wells for ground water. On some plateaus, water seeps close enough for grass and small shrubs to grow. On these Plateaus, farming and livestock are grown for food. Others have ground water that must be drawn up from long wells or must have water brought in and these have no vegetation at all. Like other planes, humanoids have settled wherever there is enough food and water to support them. The larger plateaus have bustling cities, while some of the smaller outcroppings have small villages or single-family groups. Since most work in the blazing sun, they have tanned skin. Actually, pale skin is a sign of beauty, breeding and wealth.    

 

Transportation:

The main means of transportation between the islands of rock are ships. The soft sand necessitates a ship to protect its crew and keep them a float. The strong winds help push the sails. All trade and all life revolve around these ships. Any village that wants to survive must have some sort of port. The ports may be hundreds of feet below the top of the plateau, so stairs and cranes are common. The ships themselves are much the same as their water borne siblings of other planes. The bow tends to be narrower and the bottom flatter. Also, faster ships will have booms that lay over the sides and close to the sands to pick up the slightly more powerful winds.

 

Days and Seasons:

The world is lit by two distinct suns that never share the sky with each other. Actual night happens only once every 5 months and lasts for 3 days. When night does fall, the temperature plummets and there are rumors that ghosts stalk the living during this time, but most grown-ups don’t believe in these fables. Since there is little need for lighting during most of the year and little burnable wood, the night means pitch-blackness. Due to the lack of light and cold, most people hate and are scared of the night. Many villages mark the coming of the night with festivals to prepare and pray to the gods that the sun will return. Of the two suns, one is slightly smaller, redder and less intense. This smaller sun gives slightly cooler temperatures and a second distinct season. Typically, farmers grow different crops during the two seasons.

 

Plants and animals:

The most surprising plant is a tree called Sandwood. This leave less tree grows on the sides of many of the rocky plateaus, even where there is no water. The tree trunk is cut into planks that make all the realm’s sand ships. It is light, strong and slides easily through sand. Most of the rest of the plants are hardy grasses and sage type bushes. Crops such as potato variants and grains are grown in less arid lands. Most of the livestock are goats, although cows and oxen are not unheard of. Most of the pests are insects such as the Sand Beetle and Scurrier Scorpion (both of which are about the size of rats). Smaller insect (especially flying ones) are also common. Because of the wind, birds are also a common sight. A few are even dangerous to humans such as the blood-sucking Sparrow and a Pterodactyl sized featured raptor. Then, there are the things that live in the sand which are numerous and have never been studied. It is known that there are Sand Sharks, 3-armed octopus and the Razor Fish attack sailors who fall overboard.  

 

Civilization:

In this land of sand seas, the Rakasha (tiger people) are the ruling class. The Rakasha are the nobles of the land and control all the shipping that is the life of the land. Humans and other humanoids are seen as slaves. Generally, a “royal family” of Rakasha will control an area of several islands. These families often fight amongst themselves to get bigger pieces of land and more prestige. Humans generally fight and die in these skirmishes. A few humans have gone ‘rogue’ (or rouge) and stolen ships, which they use on pirate raids against the Rakasha. It is a sign of power for a Rakasha to have strong fighting slaves as it shows that he is that much more powerful to not be scared of his slaves uprising. Most Rakasha have a large numbers of Working slaves and a few who act as protectors, bodyguards, disciplinarians and occasionally Gladiators.

 

Religion:

The Rakasha only acknowledge the pantheon common to Mulhorand in the Forgotten Realms book. Others are worshiped in secret though.