Welcome to Telisar...
The Second Era ended in fire. The Empire of Yanrin Didan -- "Glowing Sands" in the common tongue -- spanned half the continent of Vosh, from the Sea of Storms in the south and across the jungles of Dewa Q'Asos to the peaks of Hoard's Vault. Its civilization stood unchallenged for an age, until a great power swept aside their magics, destroyed their cities, and scorched the earth leaving behind only dry, dead rock. No one knows just what caused destruction on such a scale, for it is said that not one soul survived the cataclysm and now, a thousand years later, their name and thousands of miles of desert are all that remain. The Empire's arcane wonders, their secrets, and their doom all lie buried under the dead sands of the Sahwat.
But there are whispers. Rumours of hoppers returning from the desert streaming gold from their packs and long-dead artifacts suddenly glowing with new enchantments. Sightings of strange, twisted creatures appearing on the dunes only to disappear like a mirage. And rumours that somewhere in the heart of the Sahwat, through the magical storms, across the dunes, at the very seat of that dead empire: history is stirring.
The Dead Sands
The Dead Sands, our group's second campaign, is a post-apocalyptic gold rush weird western set in a realm of Telisar. Our first campaign explored the meaning of story and the interplay of myth, religion, and fate, and led to grand adventures on a huge scale with gods, demons, and the fey. For the Dead Sands I'd like to explore stories more grounded in local events: in civilized areas, the tension between magic and technology, the politics of factions, and the effects of a gold rush transforming societies. In the desert, exploration and survival will be key themes.
We'll dig into these themes using some new mechanics; A Hopper's Guide to the Dewa Q'Asos is the compendium of information unlocked by the party as they explore the world.