The Blood Gate

The vast emptiness of the desert has inspired poetry and myth alike. Believed to be a gate way to or even Hel itself, the Metisians have long had good reason to steer clear of it. In the days before the empire, it was often the site of exhile and execution for various criminals. This however is not the whole reason for it's color. High among its minerals is Metisian iron which, like regular iron, rusts into a redish color.

It has historically been believe to be completely void of life save for the stray vagabond or exhile, however, recent expeditions have discovered a veriety of subsoil dwelling organisms.

In Mythology

One myth associated with this area is the earliest the Hronian myth of Sroenba—the woman born without a father. According to the story Soenba got into a disagreement with Mrrook in the form of a blood ray—Hronian goddess of dust and soil—over the heroine's worthiness to seek counsel with Hel. Sroenba was challenged to build a mound of dirt that could hide the sun. The result was the plateu at the base of which sits the city of Mrruuk'grug. The position of the plateu sheilds the city from the sun and cools it down in the late afternoon.

How dare you come here? Don't you know that only goddesses hold to strength to reach Hel's door?

— Mrrook, Goddess of the Dust of the Earth

This city has become a tourist attraction particularly for hikers and paleontologists for it's rugged landscape and diverse fossil record. Among the areas historic lifeforms area tunnel dwelling grain slugs, blood rays, as well as shelled sand gulls.

Alternative Name(s)

The Red Desert; The Crimson Sands;