Aughcer Red Desert

Place

Place Name:

Aughcer Red Desert

Biome:

Red Desert

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Aughcer Red Desert stretches nearly 21,400 square kilometers. Its coarse sand is a mix of reds, browns, and oranges. During the middle part of the day, it takes on a bit of a golden red color. Sand dunes can reach heights of almost twelve feet. The climate varies greatly between the scorching day and the frigid night. Temperatures can reach well into the triple digits during the day in the hotter time of the year and the high eighties during the winter. The heat and the sun often lead to dehydration, heat stroke, and hallucinations. At night, temperatures can drop to the lower thirties during the summer and the lower tens during the winter. Snow and rain are extremely rare and never last more than a day.

There is less than five inches of rain throughout the entire year. Sandstorms are normal and occur often, sometimes kicking up biting and cutting wind. The air is dry and retains very little, if any moisture. Behind the Risihu tribe’s settlement is a canyon that stretches nearly a hundred miles long, almost thirty miles wide, and has a depth of almost a hundred feet. It’s incredibly rough terrain with deep crevices in the ground and the canyon walls. Some of those crevices are miles deep and lead to caves that are inaccessible with the current era technology. Water sits in some spots at the bottom of the canyon, but it is dirty and undrinkable due to the sediment. It’s one of the few places of hard earth in the desert.

While plants and animals inhabit it, dead zu’aan and kin’toni are also thrown in it; another reason for the water being undrinkable. The sun is directly on top of the canyon during the middle of the day, so it’s best to travel either morning or later in the day as the heat and glare of the sun becomes overbearing. At night, it’s best to find a place to huddle into due to the cutting wind that goes through the opening. The Risihu tribe built their settlement at the southern edge of the canyon as a defensive move. It’s the highest point of the desert and it allows them to see enemies coming from all sides. The settlement circles around the edge a bit. With the canyon at their back, they only really have to worry about the open front.

The canyon is wide enough to give them a clear view of anyone trying to climb up its walls. There are three large oases and a handful of small ones scattered throughout the desert. They serve as one of the main sources of water. Getting water from them can be dangerous due to the animals that also use it. The second main source of water are plants. There are certain plants that have the ability to store water and also act as markers that lead to water. Aigrina is one such plant spread all around the desert that retains several gallons of water within.

Plants

Plants in the Aughcer Red Desert are capable of surviving the harsh temperatures, lack of rain, and arid air. Some have the ability to store water or even find sources of water with their roots. Aigrina is the largest and one of the few green plants amongst the reds, browns, and oranges of the other plants. It is a thick, green, stem that stands at nearly six feet. Six star shaped stalks grow diagonal from one stem and there are usually four or five aigrinas growing around each other. The stalks vary in size and width, growing up to nearly two feet in length and a foot in width. Each stalk is filled with enough water to satisfy at least four zu’aan, while each plant as a whole is enough for at least five average families.

They grow all over the desert and can be used as markers that lead the way towards oases. Aigrinas are edible, but they have an extremely bitter and unpleasant taste. Despite this, they aid in long travels through the desert. Their outer shells are sturdy but soft as well. While rare, it is possible to find a small, yellow, four petaled flower growing on the stalks.

Crestania is a small red flower that can be found all over the desert, often blending in with the sand. It grows to just four inches from the ground. It has almost a hundred rounded petals that surround a yellow, bulbous center. Its roots can stretch for dozens of miles beneath the ground, bypassing the sand and going straight into the earth. 

While the roots soak up any moisture within the ground, they actually need very little water to survive. Crestania has no medicinal purposes and is inedible. Consuming any part of the flower can lead to nausea, fevers, hallucinations, and even death if enough is consumed. The Risihu tribe use them for decoration. It is also dried, crushed, mixed with a small amount of water, and used to make red and yellow dye that they paint their skin and color their clothing with. There are thousands of these flowers growing throughout the desert, with several dozen growing per bunch. Crestania blooms year round. Terka is a bright yellow flower that grows out of the crevices of the canyon walls.

They can only be found in this area, usually growing near the top of the canyon. Its large, red tipped petals form a shallow bowl by growing close together. Usually two terka grow per stem, but a third will grow sometimes. The zu’aan consider this a sign of luck. Terka is a sacred plant to the Risihu tribe due to its medicinal properties. Fevers are a common occurrence, and a common cause of death, in the desert due to the extreme heat. By boiling terka into a tea, it not only reduces fevers, it breaks them. Lucky for them, the canyon is large and an abundance of terka grows within. Terka blooms year round, but closes at night.

Animals

Animals within the Aughcer Red Desert are able to survive in extreme heat, frigid nights, dry air, and limited water supply. Nearly all of them are of carnivorous nature, with a few omnivores and even fewer herbivores mixed in. While most of the animals stick to themselves and only attack when provoked, there are a few species that actively go out and attack both zu’aan and kin’toni. The largest, most aggressive, carnivorous animal in the desert is the ranear. Standing at a shoulder height of nearly five feet, this four legged reptile is considered the king of the desert. They have thin, brownish-red skin that retains moisture in order to endure the heat. Ranears have a spiny tail stretching nearly six feet and sharp claws.

They are sand burrowing reptiles that spend the majority of their time in it. Despite their large size, ranears can move quite rapidly beneath the sand. Due to their vision being obscured by the double eyelids that protect their eyes, they use vibrations instead. Ranears are able to distinctify their prey through the strength of the vibrations on top of the sand. Not only are they aggressive towards zu’aan and kin’toni, they are also aggressive towards each other. Females are the most violent and will often kill their mate after a successful mating. They kill any of their young that are born with defects and will allow their siblings to eat them. Females usually have up to three young at a time.

While the ranear is the largest reptile, the kipu is the largest bird. They stand at nearly four feet and have a wingspan of almost ten. Wispy feathers in different shades of red cover its body; light red at the top and dark red at the bottom. A tuft of almost pink feathers sit at the top of their heads, in an almost mohawk fashion. For males, their tufts are darker. Their eyes are a startling shade of light blue. Kipu make their nests in giant holes in the canyon walls. They mate for life and usually lay at least ten eggs in their lifetime. If one dies, their mate is not far behind. Kipu are one of the few omnivores in the desert, but their diet leans more towards meat. They usually attack other animals, but will attack zu’aan and kin’toni every once in a while.

The red siwop is a small invertebrate with ten legs and a small stinger on its tail. At just six inches in length, it is one of the smallest animals in the desert. It has a hard shell to protect its soft underbelly. Its stinger holds enough venom to kill a small child in a matter of minutes and a full grown zu’aan in a matter of days. There is no antidote for the venom. Luckily, they are pretty docile and only attack when provoked and to protect themselves. They live beneath the sand in interconnected tunnels and there are at least a hundred per colony. They crawl out when they need to eat or when the colony has been disturbed. They are one of the few herbivores in the desert.

Historical Timeline of Ages

Age Name	Dates	Controller
Stone Age	Before 1E 0	Unknown
Copper Age	1E 1–1E 2200	Unknown
Bronze Age	1E 2200–1E 4400	Unknown
Iron Age	2E 0–2E 700	Unknown
Ancient Age	2E 700–2E 2200	Unknown
Middle Age	3E 0–3E 2050	Unknown
Early Modern Age	3E 2050–3E 2600	Unknown
Industrial Age	3E 2600–3E 2700	Unknown
Machine Age	3E 2700–3E 2800	Unknown
Atomic Age	3E 2800–3E 2850	Unknown
Space Age	3E 2850–3E 2875	Unknown
Information Age	3E 2875–3E 2900	Unknown
Genetic Age	3E 2950–3E 3000	Unknown
Awakening Age	3E 3000–3E 3415	Unknown
Twilight Age	4E 0–4E 500	Risihu Tribal Zu'aan

This article is written by DreamCatchie#3401. Copyright 2026 DreamCatchie#3401. All rights reserved.