Hoerild Red Sand Dune

Place

Place Name:

Hoerild Red Sand Dune

Biome:

Red Sand Dune

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

Hoerild Red Sand Dune spans an area of around 33,856 square miles. Despite its name, the sands of this region are not naturally red. It is actually more of an orangish brown color. When the sun shines down on the sands, they take on a red hue. Travelers passing through the desert saw the illusion that sun cast and believed the sand to be red. The red vegetation and red colored animals that inhabit the region also aided in its name creation. Thousands of dunes, big and small, are spread throughout the desert. About over two thirds of the region is covered in sand. The rest is cracked earth, deep valleys, high cliffs, and a few small oases. The Dran tribe have carved their main part of their settlement into the largest cliff in the southwest of the region.

Simple holes big enough to house a few zu’aan. They also have portable tents that they carry with them when they go out in search of water and food. Thanks to dry quicksand, there are many areas with deep, hidden sand pits. The sand is packed, but the smallest disturbance can cause a hole to form. Some of these pits are several hundred feet deep. Most of them are less than five feet wide. Falling into one of them spells almost certain death. If not by the fall itself, than by the animals that dwell deep beneath the sand, dehydration, or starvation; whichever comes first. Suffocation has also been known to happen as the sand sometimes refills some of the pits. The climate is arid.

Days are extremely hot and can easily rise to over a hundred degrees. Nights are frigid and can drop to temperatures in the low twenties, and even lower during the winter. Rain is not something that occurs often and it only brings about ten inches through the whole year. Snow, while rare, does occur but it never lasts longer than a few days and the snow never sticks. Any rivers that may have been are long dried out under the heat and dry air, leaving cracked riverbeds. Any water collected comes from the rare rainfall, plants, and the occasional water vein found by the zu’aan. Winds are strong enough to create powerful sandstorms that are extremely hard to navigate through, can actually cut skin, and have even claimed lives.

The storms are why the Dran tribe have tents when they leave their settlement. While there are many dangerous animals above the sand and in the air, the most dangerous ones are those beneath the sand. Some are capable of moving quite quickly and silently. Some have venom that is capable of killing a fully mature zu’aan in a matter of hours. They can pop up out of nowhere and attack within a split second. Plant life can be dangerous as well. Since water is hard to come by, some of the plants that are able to store water have defenses in place to protect the water they collect. Some have poisonous spikes, stinging hairs, and some are even carnivorous.

Plants

The plant life in the Hoerild Red Sand Dune is sparse. Most of what is able to grow is dangerous for zu’aan to consume, and some are even dangerous for them to touch. There are plants that survive on little water and plants that store water within themselves. Phrengan is a unique plant native to Hoerild. They look similar to a short tree, but they are actually succulent. They grow up to three feet tall and their pale red stem is straight and has a diameter of almost two feet. Their yellow, branch-like limbs are short stumps that start growing about three quarters of the way up their length. They have small bunches of serrated-edged, very narrow, long leaves that come in shades of red and yellow.

They are soft and flexible and hard to detach. These leaves, along with the trunks, store water in them. The skin covering the plant is thin, the flesh beneath is crispy and a dark purple, and the water has a slight purple tint to it. Despite the color, the water is safe to drink and the flesh is safe to eat. They can be found all over the region and there will usually be three growing around each other. Shie is a modest-sized flower mostly found in regions like this. They can grow up to almost a foot tall. Their deep orange stem is thick and straight, with many small, light orange and white, perforated leaves with ripped edges growing along the entire length of the stem. Each stem splits around six to eight times, with a single small flower growing at the end of each split.

The flowers are about two inches wide, with bright red, orange, and yellow triangle-shaped petals. The petals curve downward before curving upwards at the ends. Several dozen petals grow on each flower head. There is a small amount of water stored in their edible stems. Hundreds of them can be found growing around each other. They grow on the outer edges of the oases. Oaknu is a carnivorous pitcher plant native to Hoerild. They can grow up to two feet tall, with the pitchers growing up to seven inches deep with a rim diameter of around three inches. The bottom of the pitcher is rounded and almost four inches wide. There are usually three pitchers per plant. The pitchers grow in an alternating pattern up the light red stem.

They are dark red on the outside, pink on the inside, and yellow on the rim. Oaknu feed on small insects that they lure with their sweet smell. Inside of the pitchers is a sticky, acidic liquid that traps their prey and slowly dissolves it. Escape is nearly impossible. Oaknu fully digests their meals in less than forty minutes. For the zu’aan, getting the liquid on their skin can cause burns. The longer it stays on the skin, the worse the burn will get. They are also inedible and have no medicinal benefits. They can be found all over the region.

Animals

Most of the animals in the Hoerild Red Sand Dune are aggressive and territorial. They have developed physical characteristics that allow them to survive the harsh climate and rough terrain. Shells to hide from the sun, claws to dig through the sand, double lids to protect their eyes during sand storms, and even diets that allow them to survive long bouts without food or water. Maaning are small invertebrates that can be found in sandy regions like this. They grow to about four inches in length. They have hard, armored shells that either come in dark red or dark orange depending on their sex. Females are red and males are orange. They have six legs, three on each side of their oval-shaped, yellow bodies.

Maaning are blind and rely on vibrations and sounds to get around. Their heads are wider in comparison to their bodies. Despite their small size, they are violent and territorial. Their bites sting and can cause rashes. Their colonies can be anywhere from a hundred to a thousand strong. There are about twelve males to every female, and each female can lay up to thirty eggs. They live beneath the sand and only come up to feed or defend their territory. Maaning are omnivores but lean more towards plants due to their size. The only time they really eat meat is when they find a carcass that hasn’t been completely devoured. Nusora are one of the largest, if not the largest, animal in the region.

They have four thick legs and stand a shoulder height of almost eight feet. Their bodies are thin, but packed with muscle, making them weigh almost two hundred pounds. They have soft, but strong skin covered in thin, coarse, deep red hairs. Their heads are round, have long, pointy ears, and a short horn sticking out of the middle of their forehead. Their eyes are yellow and have horizontal pupils. Their teeth are sharp enough to tear through skin and muscle, aiding them in their carnivorous diets. One of the reasons nusora are considered unique is due to the fact that they are the only mammals in the region with two heads. They mate two to three times a year and usually with one partner.

Females can give birth to up to three young every year. There are around two dozen per herd. Nusora are one of the few docile animals here. Their size and strength are what makes other animals hesitant to approach them. Along with the fact that they can become aggressive. The zu’aan use them to get around and to carry their things. Dewet are a rare and nearly extinct species of bird. There had been efforts to help the repopulate before the outbreak. They’re rather small, only growing to about a foot tall. They have two sets of wings, with the larger set having a wingspan of about four feet and the smaller set about two feet. They have four strong legs and a long, wispy tail.

Their thin skin is covered in thin, wide, yellow feathers with red tips. There are two tufts of shorts, orange feathers stick up on the sides of their heads. Their beaks are small and straight, but strong. Their eyes are red with star-like pupils. Dewet are aggressive in nature and become more so when protecting their territory and they’re young. They mate for life and usually follow their partner in death. This is one of the reasons they’re on the verge of extinction. Females can lay up to two eggs per year. They make their nests in the crevices of the cliffs. They are herbivores.

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	Dran Tribal Zu'aan

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