Location
The Black Glass Desert
The Black Glass Desert stretches across the known world as a vast, desolate expanse of obsidian-dark sand that catches the light like shattered crystal and precious gemstones. Formed millennia ago when the First Fire consumed the ancient crystalline mountains, the sand itself has become a weapon—each grain razor-sharp and capable of drawing blood through even reinforced leather. The brutal environment claims countless lives each season, as the fine particulate matter infiltrates lungs and corrodes exposed skin, while the oppressive heat creates mirages that lure the desperate deeper into its depths. Periodically, catastrophic windstorms sweep across the dunes with terrifying velocity, transforming the landscape into a maelstrom of cutting glass that can strip flesh clean from bone in mere moments, announced only by an eerie, high-pitched vibration that builds to a deafening crescendo. The desert's only native inhabitants are the notorious black-glass scarabs, armored creatures that tunnel through the dunes and feed upon the unfortunate souls who succumb to the harsh conditions. Yet beneath the treacherous surface lies one of history's greatest mysteries: a legendary temple from the Golden Age, rumored to contain vast repositories of pure Light-Essence and priceless artifacts of unimaginable power. The temple's entrance remains hidden beneath shifting dunes, exposed only when violent storms carve deep trenches into the sand—making treasure hunters eternally dependent upon the very forces that threaten their survival. Those rare few who have returned from the Black Glass Desert speak of glimpses of gleaming architecture buried deep within the dunes, fueling an endless cycle of expeditions that end more often in death than discovery.
Open in Summon WorldsLandmarks
The Obsidian Throat
A colossal natural chasm that plunges deep into the desert floor, its walls composed of smooth, glassy black crystal that reflects and refracts the sunlight into dizzying patterns. The chasm is roughly 200 feet wide and descends into darkness, with jagged crystalline formations jutting from its sides like teeth. A faint luminescence emanates from far below—whether from bioluminescent organisms, trapped Light-Essence, or mere mirage is unknown. The rim is littered with the bleached bones of creatures and adventurers who miscalculated the distance or were caught by sudden windstorms. Adventurers report hearing strange harmonic tones echoing from the depths during calm moments, almost musical in nature. The chasm's location shifts subtly with major storms, and locals believe it may be a natural ventilation shaft leading to the legendary buried sanctuary. Descending requires careful rope work, as the glass walls are slick and treacherous, and loose shards constantly rain down from above.
The Crystalline Maw
A colossal depression in the desert floor where the black glass sand has been carved away by centuries of windstorms, revealing a jagged chasm of exposed crystal shards that jut upward like teeth. The shards are translucent and catch the light, creating a dizzying kaleidoscope of refracted sunlight that can disorient travelers. At the chasm's base, approximately 40 feet down, lies a pool of liquid that shimmers with an otherworldly luminescence—possibly pooled Light-Essence seeping from the buried temple below. The edges of the Maw are unstable; the black glass sand constantly crumbles inward, and the whine of shifting crystal warns of imminent collapse. Adventurers who descend risk being trapped by a sudden cave-in, but the luminescent pool below suggests a direct route to the sanctuary—if they can survive the descent and the razor-sharp walls that line the way.
World connections