Schaum Sand Dunes

Place

Place Name:

Schaum Sand Dunes

Biome:

Sand Dunes

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Schaum Sand Dunes is a region located in the desert territory to the west of the Oughray Boreal Forest region and north of the Tinedel Granite Ridges region. To the east of the region, the Iroughough Kin'toni Clan’s home the Umum Verdant Sands sits. Rain is common in the region, though due to the nature of the soil in the region, the precipitation is drained out of the area almost near immediately. This makes water an extreme scarcity for many in the region. There are pocket type area in the region that allow mini oases to form though, with both the caravan zu’aan and Sirin kin’toni locating themselves near one.

Before the kin’toni outbreak, there was only one merchant route in the Schaum area, monopolized by the region’s caravan group. After the outbreak though, the changing climate and instability of the nations at the time allowed for a second route to form. The second route often has travelers and merchants not part of the caravan- making them the Sirin’s main prey when they would send out hunting parties. The region is covered in sand dunes (hence the name) that are extremely large and unless at the top of one, it is extremely easy to be surrounded without knowing.

The dunes also can change from season to season in scale and location, so its not uncommon for new or inexperienced travelers to get lost even when following a map. The Sirin live in a semi-permanent tent camp type of civilization. The majority of the homes are tent like in nature, with their anchoring spikes and supports over time being made as a permeant structure, though the outer shell of the tent can be removed easily if needed and with some effort, the supports transported as well.

There are a scant few solid ‘traditional’ built homes in the region as the Sirin never placed much stock into building and only had them made through various trades and deals with other groups. Those that were permanently built were made partly above and below ground and were larger than the tent homes. Depending on the group that made the structure, some roofs were domed while others were flat on top; those with flat roofs had water collection and storage systems built on the top. The insides were broken up into multiple rooms that would allow hosting of the poorer members of the clan in their homes without running out of space too quickly.

The Sirin had a number of smaller camps surrounding one larger main camp. Each camp tended to have at least one member who would partake in placing heads of enemies on spikes around the perimeter of the camp (sometimes even inside), as well as those who carried banners with the tribe symbol making it impossible to confuse them for the caravan zu’aan group. At the end of the year, when the next leader was voted on, all the smaller groups would congregate to the largest Sirin camp where in the center a large bonfire was hosted.

Plants

Due to the draining nature of the soil in the Schaum region, there are very few types of plants that can thrive or even survive in the dunes. The most commonly found plant is a type of ‘air plant’ that largely collects water from moisture in the are surrounding it. The alrielaera has little to no grounding roots, so it will often be blown away from where it sits with the slightest of breezes. Alrielaera is extremely hardy and will often be buried under the dunes’ sand for years before reappearing. They can survive due to the rain that drains from the surface, as well as remaining relatively ‘dormant’ while buried.

Alrielaera goes into a kind of frozen state where it works more to maintain what is already there as opposed to attempting to grow more and expand to the surface. Alrielaera looks similar to a tuff of thin bladed grass connected to one root. Alrielaera blades are blue green in color, though they often end up sun burned which turn their tips red. If extremely sunburned, the entire skyward facing side of the blades will turn a bright red. The alrielaera often grow smaller than a zu’aan finger, and with no nutritional value, they are often ignored unless used for convenient decoration.

The second common plant is the yijaja, which is more of a mold than anything else. Unbeknownst to the Sirin (and the rest of Taerel) the yijaja is partly to blame for the clan’s affinity for getting weaker and ill extremely quick. The clan, due to their history of sub-par working conditions, had a unique susceptibility to becoming ill from inhalation of yijaja. Other clans and zu’aan were more resilient so they never had an issue with being unknowingly exposed. yijaja is heavy enough that it usually settles into the sand and won’t be lifted into the air by light breezes, but during the region’s monsoon season when winds are the strongest.

Yijaja gets kicked up into the air during dust storms. Once inhaled, if the body doesn’t wipe it out, it will cultivate in the lungs making breathing difficult. Without some kind of treatment, over time as the oldest pieces of the yijaja die, they further infect the body with toxins that lead to weaking of muscles and can even cause the body to attack itself with neurotoxins. The Sirin are partly aware of yijaja’s existence, as the mold thrives in dark damp areas- this leads to their water collection systems needing to be cleaned at least every week, if not every other day during the monsoons.

With optimal conditions such as with water collection systems, a single piece of yijaja can explode into a complete infestation within a handful of days. The last major plant in the region is the jajich. The jajich was actually native to the Striamtan Sandpit Plains, though it had been brought over to the Schaum region by a traveling bird who still had it in its system while passed through the region. It was about a week before the monsoon season, so when the rains started, the plant was carried to one of the oases where it took root. The Schaum version of the jajich mutated slightly as it doesn’t act as a barrier of types that collects water while keeping it in a lake type area like it does in the Striamtan.

Animals

Most of the animals that live in the Schaum region are small or thin in size. Most are nocturnal to an extent as well, waiting to travel until it’s the cooler time of day. The most commonly found lizard type creature in the region is the sostassa. It is a colorful lizard that looks similar in appearance to the Namib sand gecko, though the sostassa has a patagium and extendable spinal spikes connected with a scaly membrane. Sostassa uses the patagium for gliding across the dunes- due to their small size they are never too far off the ground.

At the top of a sand dune, the sostassa will jump while extending the patagium and use the heat waves coming off the dunes to allow them to glide miles long distances. When in the air, they extend their spine spikes and use them as a second level of steering. At night, or when going to sleep, the sostassa will bury itself about 2 inches underground to protect itself from predators as well as from the sun. They can absorb moisture through their skin, so they will often be found rehydrating themselves by sitting out in the open during rain or laying on the surface of the various oases.

Sostassa is paid little attention to by the natives of the region, but some of the various travelers found them to be interesting and cute so they caught a number of them that were basking and kept them as pets. The Sostassa main food source is a beetle called the ksajichi. It is a plain looking bug with a pale blue iridescent color reflecting off its shell. Its legs are covered in thin hair like spines it uses to detect movement as well as for griping, with two sets of pincers by its mouth. The largest set of pincers are weak and mainly for show when finding a mate, while the smaller are extremely strong (capable of enough force to break bone).

Ksajichi congregate near the oases and usually travel in swarms when they leave the area for an added layer of protection from other predators. This often backfires on them though as they are easier to spot and, with their close nit flying pattern, easier to catch. Riralnucal is one of the creatures that uses the Ksajichi’s swarming to its advantage. With a large billed beak like a pelican, riralnucal will often swoop through the middle of the swarm and catch a large number of Ksajichi with ease. The riralnucal travel all through the desert region, never staying in one area too long.

In the past, Riralnucal would harass the zu’aan of the region in attempts to steal food from them and attempted the same treatment with the Sirin clan for a short time before they were chased off. While not an actual threat, their beaks are lined with sharp teeth that can wounds that break skin when they nip at their target. After the kin’toni chased them off, they pulled back on their harassment campaign as they could not tell the difference between the two, but the boldest continue without being phased.

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	Sirin Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Schaum Sand Dunes

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This article is written by Crystal Iris. Copyright 2026 Crystal Iris. All rights reserved.