Burning Sands

Endless desert where dragons rule and giant scorpions stalk the moonlit dunes.

Capital: None (nomadic clans, dragon lairs)
Population: ~15,000 (11,000 humans, 2,000 dragonkin, 2,000 wyvaran)
Government: Tribal elders and dragon overlords
Religions: Rovagug, Surtur, elemental fire cults
Alignment: Chaotic Evil, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral
Languages: Common, Draconic, Ignan, Terran
Common Classes: Fighter, Sorcerer, Barbarian, Cleric

Regional Arms & Armor: Scimitar, lance; lamellar or hide armor

• Regional Traits & Gear (for common classes):
   ○ Dune Rider (Fighter/Barbarian) — You gain a +2 trait bonus on Ride checks when mounted in desert terrain.
   ○ Sandblooded (Sorcerer/Cleric) — Treat hot climates as one category less severe.
   ○ Additional Gear (all common classes) — A 1 gallon waterskin.

The Burning Sands do not merely test survival—they demand it be earned. To an outsider, the dunes look uniform, endless; but to the nomads born beneath their glare, every ridge, every shift in the wind carries a message: where a hidden oasis seeps beneath cracked stone, where a Sand King’s burrow lies just under the surface, where a dragon’s shadow will stretch at midday.

The tribal elders hold power not through authority, but through memory: they know which red dragon demands a tithe of three young warriors each solstice to test its claws, which rare brass dragon (a temperamental exception to the desert’s cruel overlords) will spare a clan if they bring it tales of distant lands instead of gold, and which dunes shift so fast that even the best riders cannot outrun them. A clan that ignores an elder’s warning about a dragon’s tribute does not last a week—their tents incinerated, their waterskins melted, their survivors scattered to be picked off by scorpions.

The dragonkin and wyvaran of the sands occupy a fragile middle ground between human clans and dragon overlords. Wyvaran clans are smaller, more nomadic than human ones, their wings adapted to glide on the desert’s thermal winds to spot oases or raiders from miles away. Many human clans pay them in dried dates or cured hide to act as intermediaries with the dragons—wyvaran speak Draconic with a fluency no human can match, and a well-chosen phrase can turn a dragon’s wrath into mere impatience. Dragonkin, by contrast, are often exiles: half-blood offspring of dragons and humans, cast out from lairs for being too weak or from clans for being too much like their draconic sires. They are feared and respected in equal measure—their scales resist the sun’s heat, their claws can dig through sand faster than a shovel, and some carry the same fiery breath as their parents. A clan that takes in a dragonkin gains a formidable protector… but risks drawing the ire of the dragon that sired them.

The faiths of the sands are as unforgiving as the dunes. Cults of Rovagug gather in the shadow of ruined ziggurats, where they poison oases or bury captives alive during sandstorms—they believe the desert’s slow erasure of all things is the Destroyer’s true work, and that to speed it along is to honor him. Clerics of Surtur perform rituals in fissures where molten rock seeps up from the earth, branding their skin with fire to prove their devotion; they hunt giant Sand Kings not for food, but to mix their venom with ash and create unquenchable flames. The elemental fire cults are the most widespread: they worship the sun itself as a living entity, and their sorcerers draw power from the heat that seeps into every bone of a desert dweller. A Sandblooded sorcerer does not merely tolerate the heat—they drink it in, their spells burning brighter when the sun is at its zenith.

The dune riders of the sands are not just skilled horsemen (or riders of sand-striders, the fleet, wide footed lizards that do not sink in loose dunes)—they are students of the desert. A fighter or barbarian with the Dune Rider trait can read the way sand ripples to anticipate a sandslide, or guide their mount through a windstorm that would blind an outsider. Their lances are weighted with brass to balance in the dry air, their scimitars curved to slice through sand as easily as flesh. When they raid, they strike at dawn or dusk—when the sun is low enough to hide their approach, but high enough to leave their enemies groggy from the night’s cold.

Even the most mundane gear carries weight here. The 1-gallon waterskin every adventurer from the sands carries is not a trivial item: it is stitched with camel hide and sealed with beeswax from the desert bees that nest in the skeletons of giant cacti. Clans have rituals for passing waterskins down—a mother will carve her child’s name into the hide when they come of age, and a warrior who loses their waterskin is either shamed into exile or expected to die trying to recover it. Wasting water is the only unforgivable sin in the sands: it is a betrayal of every clan member who ever shared a sip during a drought.

The ruins uncovered by the wind hold both peril and promise. They are the remains of an old Empire that fell to dragon raids a millennium ago. Some clans believe the ruins hold artifacts—ward stones that can repel dragons, or urns that never run out of water—but most who venture into them do not return. The giant scorpions that stalk the moonlit dunes make their lairs in the ruins’ shadowed halls; the oldest Sand Kings have shells that match the color of the sandstone, so they are invisible until their pincers close around a traveler’s ankle. Even the ruins themselves are dangerous: their walls are lined with runes that ignite when exposed to sunlight, or traps that flood chambers with sand to bury intruders alive.

Adventurers from the Burning Sands

The sands demand strength and ruthlessness. Hailing from the nomadic tribes that scrape survival from the dunes, adventurers from this region are defined by their tenacity and their ability to endure threats both natural and draconic.

Here are four distinct backgrounds that align with the common classes and regional traits of the Burning Sands:

1. The Tribute Runner (Fighter)

You grew up mounted, trained to view the desert less as an obstacle and more as a testing ground for your skill with the scimitar and lance. Your life was defined by the demands of the dragon overlords. You served as a scout, raider, or, most dangerously, a courier responsible for delivering the tribe's demanded tribute—be it coin, slaves, or rare desert resources—to a distant dragon's lair. This duty required absolute mastery of your steed and a willingness to fight or flee based on ruthless calculation. You wear practical lamellar or hide armor, relying on speed and maneuverability.

2. The Purifier of the Sun (Cleric)

The desert sun is not just light; it is the physical manifestation of Surtur's destructive fire or the cleansing aspect of the elemental fire cults you serve. You believe that suffering and heat are necessary to refine the soul. As a cleric, you wander the dunes, spreading the faith through brutal justice, demanding sacrifices, and using your divine power to call down the purifying heat on enemies and dissenters alike. Your endurance is legendary, viewed by your peers as a blessing from the fiery gods.

3. The Wreckage Diviner (Sorcerer)

Your blood boils with ancient power—a draconic or elemental fire lineage that makes the harsh desert sun feel like a natural extension of your own magic. Unlike the tribal elders who fear the secrets of the sun-swallowed ruins, you are drawn to them. You believe the collapsed temples and half-buried cities hold the key to unlocking the true potential of your bloodline. You often wander away from the safety of the clan, driven by visions and the need to retrieve ancient artifacts touched by primordial fire.

4. The War-Scourge Barbarian (Barbarian)

Survival in the Burning Sands requires brutal strength, not civilized restraint. You are the vanguard of your tribe, riding into battle mounted with a lance to break rival lines, or standing firm against the monstrous threat of the giant scorpions that stalk the night. Your rage is a terrifying phenomenon—a primal scream fueled by the need to protect your kin and secure precious resources, such as a temporary oasis or a new water source. You are accustomed to bloody, exhausting conflict under the killer sun.