Dribblydripdry
The area known today as "Pinched Desert" had a stream running through it a long time ago. A small one, but nevertheless, a band of young and hopeful gripplis populated it as soon as they discovered it. The joy of finding a stream that was yet undiscovered and unpopulated lasted them for over a decade. Until the drought struck.
A drought that lasted 3 years desolated what was back then, Dribble village, almost to the point of wiping off the whole emerging grippli clan. Gripplis are adapted and used to living a water environment and are not used to not having water available for prolonged periods of time. However, using their wits and with the help of a clan of drelves, thirteen gripplis managed to survive the ordeal, learning quite a bit from their environment in the meantime.
When the wet years returned, the gripplis did not lose time: they immediately created a spawning pool and set off to find ways to preserve water. Whilst the tragedy had made them realize why no one had ever settled on this stream, they were not going to abandon their home territory so easily!
Less than three moon cycles after the return of the rains the abundance of wax in the region gave them a solution: underground water reservoirs. The impermeable wax keeps the water stored, and storing these wax bubbles under the ground avoids any potential issues of melted wax. Over the following years, wax became such an integral part of their survival, they named their clan after it.
Dribble village nowadays
Aalthough the stream mostly dried out after the elven and tengu hostilities, the Wax clan had learnt to survive in their dry territory. Particularly, thanks to their tradition of storing water underground. This includes a whole spawning pool inside a large mudfish statue.Notably, despite the larger abundance of wax in Dribblydripdry than in Moongrove, it is the latter that is known for its candles. The Wax clan has very little trade with other grippli clans, given their position in the middle of the desert.
Importantly, it is not just water that they hide underground. Below their spawning pool inside a large mudfish's statue is a temple dedicated to creating a field that repels sand krakens and purple worms, two voracious predators which abound in the region.
The Mudfish’s Maw by Fernando Salvaterra
The Mudfish’s Maw by Fernando Salvaterra
The whole thing's good, but I especially love the phrase "When the wet years returned."
Thanks so much! I really appreciate knowing what parts read nicely :)