Black Desert

Of all the great sights on Asrai, none is greater and more disturbing than sunrise over the Black Desert. For like everything else, sun light is unable to survive within the confines of the great wasteland that marks the burial site of the Creator.

Luvon Elanan, Musings of a Lone Traveller (3585)

The Black Desert (Asun: Konako /koˈnako/) is a wasteland on the Aralun continent. Ranging about 450 miles East-West and just under 330 miles North-South, it is the largest unnatural desert in the world. The name is derived from the coarse black sands and compact earth that denotes the area. The Black Desert is also well known as the site where the Betrayers attacked and killed the Creator.
The wasteland encompasses the break in the Dragon Range mountains and still extends well within the borders of Ankara and Asashun. For several hundreds of years, the heart of wasteland has not welcomed life within it despite ongoing efforts from both empires bordering the location.

Geography

The Black Desert is mainly made of stone plateaus and sand dunes, though it does extend within the peaks of the Dragon Range as well. One of the main features of this wasteland is the dark brown to black colours that dominate the landscapes of the area. Another is the fact that, as you near the heart of the wasteland, any form of water evaporates far quicker than normal. It should be noted that both these features are considered to be remnants of the fact that the Creator is said to have been murdered by the Betrayers in the Black Desert over 4000 years ago. It is said that the wasteland is a result of the primal god's death.

Ecosystem

Within the heart of the wasteland, an area roughly 50 by 50 miles made of stone plateaus, no life form is able to survive due to the high rate at which water evaporates. Experiments conducted by a number of researchers in the phenomenon showed that even water contained within a living body is affected, leading to severe dehydration and subsequent death in a matter of hours rather than days.
Surrounding the heart, the wasteland turns to black sandy dunes and the water evaporation rates return to close to normal. An average human would be able to survive and average of 2 days provided they were reasonably healthy to begin with.

History

Very little is known about the area before the First Betrayal. From research expeditions and old lore from both Ankara and Asashun, it is believed that the area was fairly fertile and once the home of a large number of mountain-dwelling species such as griffins, goats, mountain lions and kudus.
On fifth day of Ashfen 56, the area was decimated by a magical explosion believed to have been triggered by the passing of the Creator. The magical charge somehow sucked out the living essences of anything and everything within a 700-mile radius. Even now, people living in the surrounding areas continue to say that the Creator unleashed a powerful curse with his last breath in an attempt to destroy the gods who had chosen to rise up against him and the mortals who had chosen to stand aside in the times of the Divine Struggles.
Legend also has it that the Nameless rose to godhood within the Black Desert in the late 1480's, adding to the already bad reputation of the area.

The Black Desert by Astrid Nicholls

Alternative Name(s)

Konako

Type

Wasteland

Location under

Aralun

Contested By

• Ankara