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Ysahara

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BySuraia Silverbell

Desert Isle of Wastes, Wilds, and Whispers

Overview

Ysahara is the great southern desert island of the Xaverion realm. The island is mostly a harsh expanse of desert and dry wasteland, broken only by rare patches of vegetation and one legendary, wandering oasis.

Three regions define how most scholars and sailors think of Ysahara:

  • The Desolate Wastes – bleak, wind-scoured lands where the last orc tribes still roam.

  • The Stormglass Wilds – a dense, almost impassable jungle in the north-west, rumoured to hide goblins and stranger things.

  • The Ysahara Desert – the vast southern sands, barren, blinding, and home to the elusive Ysahara Oasis and the hidden Riuma Pyramid.

Officially, Ysahara lies within the Xaverion Islands’ sphere, but in practice it remains a frontier island: lightly touched by law, sparsely settled, and treated with great caution by those who know its reputation.

Geography & Climate

  • Position: In the south of the Xaverion archipelago.

  • Landscape: Dominated by

    • Desert and dry wastelands

    • Pockets of scrubland and “green spots” where hardy plants cling on

    • One major jungle region in the north-west

The climate is hot, arid, and unforgiving. Water is scarce, and travellers quickly learn that on Ysahara, the land itself is often the first and deadliest enemy.

Regions of Ysahara

Desolate Wastes

The north-eastern part of the island is known as the Desolate Wastes.

  • A vast stretch of stony desert and blasted plain, with very little natural shelter.

  • This is where most of the remaining orc tribes roam in the present era.

The orcs of the Wastes are known more from rumour than formal treaties:

  • They travel in nomadic warbands and clans, following scarce resources and old tribal routes.

  • Some trade occasionally with rare caravans or Wanderers League expeditions; others meet outsiders only with spear and arrow.

From the perspective of the northern islands, the Desolate Wastes are often simply described as “orc land”, though in truth there are likely other, smaller peoples hiding among the rocks and canyons as well.

Stormglass Wilds

The north-west of Ysahara is called the Stormglass Wilds.

  • Said to be a vast, nearly impenetrable jungle, a sharp contrast to the deserts further south.

  • Humid air, dense canopy, and twisting paths make navigation treacherous even for seasoned travellers.

It is widely rumoured that:

  • There is at least one goblin town hidden somewhere in the Stormglass Wilds—or perhaps in the desert, or both. “It’s hard to tell,” as the records dryly note.

The Wilds are rarely charted in detail; maps disagree, and those who venture too far without a guide sometimes never return. Stories tell of glasslike stones that hum in storms, strange lights between the trees, and crude totems marking territories best not crossed.

Ysahara Desert

The southern third of the island is taken up by the Ysahara Desert itself.

  • An ocean of sand and heat: dunes, salt flats, and cracked earth.

  • Even the hardiest plants and animals are rare; most life clusters around hidden springs and seasonal watercourses.

Travellers must contend with:

  • Mirages and shifting landmarks

  • Sudden sandstorms

  • The constant risk of losing both direction and sanity in the shimmering haze

It is here, amid this merciless landscape, that tales place the Ysahara Oasis and the Riuma Pyramid.

Hidden Waters & Ruins

Ysahara Oasis

The Ysahara Oasis is one of the island’s most famous legends—and one of its least reliably mapped locations.

  • Described as a large oasis, with enough water and greenery to support a temporary settlement or camp.

  • No one knows exactly where it lies, because the desert itself “plays trickery on everyone travelling there.”

Accounts from those who claim to have found it (and lived to tell the tale) often disagree on direction and distance, but they agree on one thing:

If you are lost in the Ysahara Desert and stumble upon the Oasis, you take your blessings, refill your water, and leave before the desert changes its mind.

Some scholars speculate that shifting sands and intermittent, Ghor-touched illusions may keep the Oasis partly “out of step” with the rest of the desert—never in quite the same place twice.

Riuma Pyramid

According to the same survivors, hidden within or beside the Ysahara Oasis stands the Riuma Pyramid.

  • A concealed pyramid, impossible to reach without first finding the Oasis.

  • Its origin, purpose, and builders are unknown in current Xaverion records.

Very few details are recorded:

  • Those who speak of it often do so only once, in hushed tones, and then refuse to return.

  • Some Wanderers League reports reference “Riuma” only in passing, as if the name itself is considered unlucky to write more than necessary.

For most islanders, the Riuma Pyramid is a story of a story—a rumour buried inside another rumour, somewhere out in the endless sands.

Ysahara Port

On the northern coast, between the Desolate Wastes and the Stormglass Wilds, lies Ysahara Port.

  • A small, neglected harbour consisting of a simple dock and a handful of abandoned houses.

  • “No one actually lives there,” according to recorded accounts; the buildings are used mainly by travellers with business on Ysahara who need a place to tie up their ship or pass the night under a roof.

However, Ysahara Port offers no guarantees:

  • Leaving a ship or cargo unattended is explicitly described as “at your own risk.”

  • Everyone knows the Desolate Wastes and Stormglass Wilds are not uninhabited, even if one rarely sees their inhabitants unless they choose to appear.

As a result, Ysahara Port is less a town and more a door left on the latch—a liminal place between sea and a land that does not welcome strangers.

Inhabitants & Peoples

While there is no major, permanent Xaverion-style city on Ysahara, the island is far from empty. Known and rumoured inhabitants include:

  • Orc Tribes – roaming the Desolate Wastes, they are “most of the remaining orc tribes” known in the region.

  • Goblins – believed to maintain at least one hidden town, either in the Stormglass Wilds, the desert, or both; the records honestly admit that “it’s hard to tell.”

  • Scattered Hermits & Camps – occasional notes speak of lone mages, outlaw bands, or research camps from the Wanderers League who brave Ysahara for study or to disappear from public view.

Most permanent residents from the Xaverion perspective are non-human, and most official maps simply mark Ysahara as dangerous and sparsely charted.

Ysahara in the Present Day (Year 22, Fifth Era)

By Year 22 of the Fifth Era, Ysahara remains:

  • A harsh frontier island at the southern edge of the Xaverion realm.

  • A refuge and battleground for orc tribes, goblin communities, and whatever else has chosen to survive beyond the reach of ordinary law.

  • A place of mystery and risk, where stories of the Ysahara Oasis and Riuma Pyramid still tempt foolish adventurers into the sands.

The Seafarers Accords patrol the seas around it when they can, but there is little call for regular trade: most ships that anchor at Ysahara Port do so for quiet business, dangerous contracts, or expeditions inland rather than commerce.

For scholars and storytellers across the islands, Ysahara is a reminder that not every part of the Xaverion realm has been tamed, mapped, or safely folded into the golden comfort of the central isles. Some lands are still waste, wild, and waking, and Ysahara is the greatest of them.

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