The Ocean of Israa : Room 3: North to the Pole

The Black Sands: Echoes of Eternity As the characters journey northward from Zaharra, they soon find themselves at the edge of a haunting expanse known as the Black Sands—a desolate portion of the Ocean of Israa where the very ground beneath their feet is as dark as the shadows that dance across the dunes.
Endless Black Horizon: The Black Sands stretch for miles, forming a vast, ominous sea of ebony granules that shimmer faintly in the pale sunlight. The once golden desert has given way to an otherworldly darkness, casting an eerie ambiance that chills the air. The horizon appears almost like an abyss, swallowing the warmth and light.
Voices of the Departed: As the characters tread upon the blackened sand, distant murmurs and whispers begin to fill the air. The voices of the departed, lost souls, and echoes of ancient conversations intertwine, creating an ethereal symphony that seems to rise from the very depths of the Black Sands. The boundary between the living and the dead blurs in this spectral realm.
Remnants of Time: The ground beneath them, once blackened by a mysterious force, is now a graveyard of memories. Skeletal remains of long-forgotten travelers and beasts litter the landscape, their forms preserved in an eternal embrace with the ebony sands. The wind, carrying the essence of the departed, causes the bones to shift and clatter in a macabre dance.
Flickering Shadows: As the day progresses, shadows cast by the skeletal remains elongate and stretch across the Black Sands, creating a surreal tableau. The characters might catch glimpses of phantom figures or spectral shapes that seem to dance just beyond their vision, hinting at the presence of the restless souls that linger here.
Temporal Distortion: Time in the Black Sands seems to lose its steady rhythm. The characters may experience moments of déjà vu, as if retracing the steps of those who walked the same path centuries before. The whispers of the dead sometimes transform into distant cries or laughter, creating a disorienting tapestry of sound that defies the laws of time.
Navigating the Abyss: Journeying through the Black Sands requires careful navigation, as the very ground seems to resist intrusion. The whispers of the departed may offer cryptic guidance or veiled warnings. Those who are not cautious may find themselves trapped in the labyrinth of memories, facing illusions or echoes of their own past.
A Place of Reflection: While the Black Sands exude an undeniable sense of foreboding, they also serve as a place of reflection. The characters may encounter fragments of forgotten lore, lost artifacts, or mysterious symbols etched into the darkened dunes. Those who listen closely to the voices of the departed may uncover hints about the nature of the curse and the path ahead.
As the characters venture further into the Black Sands, they must navigate not only the physical challenges but also the haunting echoes of eternity that permeate this desolate portion of the Great Desert.

Possible Encounter:

1. Swarm of Scarabs Scarabs

Connected Rooms

• The Ocean of Israa : Room 1: Northgate
• The Ocean of Israa : Room 6: The Sunken Circle

Related Plots

• Skill Challenges - Mors-Rel

Temperatures:

• Range from 90 to 115 degrees

NPCS:

• None

Clues:

• Inspection of the Sand (Nature) - It is not silica, this is pure dried bone dust.
• Inspection with magic (Arcana) - The ground is seeped in Necrotic magic.

SKILL CHECK PARAMETERS:

• We’re starting a skill challenge to describe how you get from The Northgate of Zaharra to the Black Sands to the North. This area has more rolling dunes.
• For each day, describe the trip and choose a skill to check. DC 16, Days 6, Successes Needed: 3
• On Success. Congrats you've made it. Worn and tired but otherwise ok.
• On Fail, encounter with the swarm of scarabs.