Anupharis

Anupharis unfolds under a relentless sun, a vast tapestry of ochre and gold
woven from endless dunes and shimmering heat haze. This southern jewel of the
Godrealm is a testament to both divine might and mortal tenacity. Ages ago,
drawn by the earth’s hidden wealth, gods shaped the very sands, raising
cyclopean monuments and cities whose geometries defy mortal understanding. The
grandest, Aethelgard, the City of Brass and Sunstone, stands not upon the
sands but seems to grow from their depths.

The city is constructed around a colossal sundial that serves not only to mark
the passage of time but also as an intricate calendar predicting celestial
events. The High Priests of the Sun Temple control access to the city’s
central oasis, the largest in all Anupharis, using this power to maintain
their authority.

Scattered throughout the dunes are the Life Wells, oases that serve as vital
waypoints for desert caravans. Each is jealously guarded by nomadic clans who
have developed intricate water-sharing rituals and laws older than many
kingdoms. The most sacred of these, the Oasis of First Dawn, is said to have
waters that grant visions of the future.

Beneath the sands slither the Dunebreakers, colossal sand serpents whose
passage creates temporary valleys and whose shed scales are prized for armor
that turns aside both blade and spell. The desert also harbors the dreaded
Grit Storms, localized tempests of sand that can strip flesh from bone in
moments. Some claim these storms are sentient, hunting those who disturb
ancient burial sites.

To the west, the Godspine Mountains rise like the vertebrae of some primordial
titan. Their caves and deep valleys serve as sanctuaries for the undergods,
lesser divinities who find the politics of the greater houses too treacherous.
Deep in the mountains is the Sunken Quarter, a region where ancient cataclysm
caused miles of desert to collapse, revealing a lost city of black glass and
tarnished silver.

In the deep desert, where even the nomads fear to tread, stand the Titan
Bones, massive skeletal remains of beings that predate even the gods. Some
ribs arch hundreds of feet into the air, creating natural shelters where
strange cults perform rituals to entities best left unnamed. The marrow within
these ancient bones is known to be a valuable ingedient for many arcanists.