The World:

While the Lanian Desert does not comprise the entirety of the world of Medara, it
comprises approximately 70% of the continent. This desert land has a rich oral history
of fantastical events, mythic heroes, and lost wonders waiting to be uncovered. The
shifting and swirling sands of Lania can uncover the ruins of past glories one minute,
then bury it for centuries the next. Magic is an ever present part of society, but much of it
is tied to ancient tools and mystical relics of ages past. Magic is something to be feared
and respected, but is sometimes taken for granted. A magical cistern can sustain an
entire village, or could be used to wash out an entire valley. Destructive, dangerous, but
necessary.
The absence of direct divine intervention for centuries has led to a variety of religions
and cults springing up. Normally formed around powerful demagogues and
personalities, a few myths and legends have survived for longer than any can
remember. With no defined set of beliefs, many tend to dismiss any deity as a silly tale
or hopeful thinking. But there are those who believe strongly, and many of them can do
things that would be impossible without some kind of higher power.
Today, the people of the desert live by a few simple rules. The strongest have carved
out a place for themselves, and others gather around them for protection. Only two have
managed to erect what could be considered a city, built around the two largest Oasis in
the desert, the walled city of Galam and the valley of Detrin are the focal points of what
could be considered modern civilization.
Three Things to Know:
1. The Desert is everything. Everything in this world, from the problems faced by most
people, to the biggest threat the PCs will face is the realities of a massive, magically
infused desert. Sandstorms, heat, and fantastical locations can be a hurdle, and will
make quick work of the unprepared.
2. Tone and attitude. Competing factions, limited resources, ancient magic. This game
combines traditional D&D fantasy themes with a more mystical flair. Good and Evil can
be somewhat relative, and law is often determined by who has the biggest stick. This
does not mean that everyone is evil, but it does mean that often good people must
make hard decisions. Intrigue and combat have equal place in problem resolution. And
sometimes it may be easier to simply get two foes to fight each other than it would be to
fight them both yourself.
3. The world is vast. If there is something you want to get or find, odds are it is out there
somewhere in the shifting sands. It may be locked in an ancient tomb, guarded by
dangerous foes and difficult traps, but if you can think it, it may be out there, just waiting

for the right person to stumble upon it.

Major Factions:
Galam - Galam is the largest city in the wastes. Huge spires, towering palaces, stacks of
ramshackle huts, and enormous walls define this city placed roughly in the middle of the
vast stretch of desert. Built around an oasis that may be better defined as a mid sized
lake, and founded by King Galam I, The First Sword King. While The Sword King
founded this city, many of its buildings and structures already existed when he arrived.
Beneath the city, labyrinthine tunnels crisscross, extending deep into the earth. Within
these tunnels are hidden vaults and tombs from ages past. While many have attempted
to map out these tunnels and caverns, they seem to be constantly shifting and
changing, rendering most maps useless. Only the upper most series of tunnels remains
navigable.
Detrin - The second largest city in the wastes, built in a canyon near the upwelling of an
underground spring. Where as Galam is a hub of trade and the starting point for many
explorers, Detrin is a hub of the more vicious and dangerous nomads of the wastes.
This more lawless city has no definitive ruler, and instead maintains a Council of 15, with
the heads of the fifteen largest tribes that use the city as a resting spot on their travels. If
anything is to be had, it can be had in Detrin, for a price. No good or service is forbidden
here, but one needs to be wary. It is easy to become lost in the winding streets of the
canyon city, and once lost, many dangers can be found. Still, there are some things that
can only be had here.
Vandori - The Vandori are the largest nomadic tribe in the desert. Raising and
maintaining massive wurms of the sands, they tend to live in volcanic regions, although
they range from one end of the wastes to the other at any given time. Valuing
community, personal strength, and honor, the Vandori are very dismissive of the Detrin
tribes. They have an uneasy truce with Galam, using it as an occasional rest stop, and
place to trade their wurm scale crafts for needed goods or services. the Vandori worship
the Four Legged Wurms, a group of dragons that live in the volcanic range to the south
of the wastes.
Ventures Guild - A guild of adventurers, explorers, mercenaries, and other fortune
seekers, this is actually a term that covers a loose conglomerations of various guilds.
After a pair of mercenary guilds went to war over who would serve Galam, The Tenth
Sword King Erandis II decreed that there would be one central Guild which licensed all

other guilds. While this Guild is officially supposed to be loyal to the crown of Galam,
there are so many differing groups within it that it has grown to be its own organization.
However, as long as the Guild keeps the peace the Throne of Swords does not meddle
in Guild affairs.
Elves - The Desert Elves are a rather isolated lot. Living in the Western Vallis, they
make their dwellings high up in the cliff faces of the rocky chain of valles. Decorating
themselves with clay and dyes made from the abnormally red and yellow sands of the
region, they have a rich artistic culture, as well as a strong warrior tradition. Artists and
warriors are revered in their society, with many of their greatest artists being capable of
affecting the world around them with their paints, using a unique form of druidic magic.
Dwarves - Not much is known of the dwarves. They can only be found in the mountain
merely known as Dwarf Mountain by the denizens of the wastes. They periodically send
a trade caravan to Galam to trade rare, refined, and interesting minerals and gems for
tools and resources that are not easily found in the mountain. Otherwise they keep to
themselves.

Thought lost by sand, you find your prize. Follow the sun, but not your
eyes.
'Tween paradise and purgatory the sand does hold. And ancient tomb
filled with gold.
The lion roars, the eagle cries. Yet even still, trust not your eyes.