The Scorchveil Desert
"The Vultures' Kingdom"
- Controlling Faction
- The Dust Vultures
- Hazards
- 3
- Settlements
- 1
- Landmarks
- 1
A vast, merciless expanse that kills unprepared travelers within days. Temperatures swing from 120°F at noon to below freezing at midnight. The sand seems semi-sentient, shifting to cover tracks or expose ruins.
This is the domain of the Dust Vultures, who have mastered Sand-Sailing using wind-skiffs. Ironbrand contracts occasionally bring mercenary squads into the desert, but they are visitors. The Vultures are the land, and the land is the Vultures.
Threats & Features
| Feature | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ashborn | Dust-spirits stirred up by storms. HP 2, Defense 11. Reform unless killed by water or Psionic attack. |
| Mirages | Current-illusions. Interacting causes 1 Strain. Insight (TN 13) to identify before engagement. |
| Quicksand | QUICK + Athletics (TN 11) or sink. Allies can pull a sinking comrade free with IRON (TN 13). |
Settlements
Greystone is the cliff-fortress town built into a mesa face on the Scorchveil’s edge, accessible only by steam-winch lift. Source also names Brannoch, a fortified trail outpost serving as neutral smuggler ground (“Ask No Questions, Tell No Lies”) — no settlement file yet.
Landmarks
Ojo del Diablo, the twenty-mile sinkhole lake at the desert’s heart, is the only currently-filed landmark. It is a Stable Breach where time runs sideways.