Samarahd - The Desert City

The desert sprawls for weeks in all directions, monotonous and deadly in equal measure. However, for those who know where to go, there exists a safe haven that is home to thousands.

Nestled at the base of a solitary mountain, a small group of sparkling green oases are protected from the raging sandstorms that plague the region. In the past, it was said that an emerald dragon would appear to those who were lost amongst the sands and guide them here. This site became a seasonal meeting and trading place for many of the wandering nomadic groups that called the harsh desert home.

Over time, some of these tribes chose to settle here all year round, building a new diverse community. The city thrived and grew, attracting more and more of the wanderers and slowly outsiders became aware of the jewel in the desert. Some came to trade peacefully, others to learn, but a rotten few thought to take this city for themselves. Infighting among the different tribal leaders had led to poor defences and a lack of any cohesive guard meant these few saw the city as ripe for taking.

A great army was sent to traverse the desert and conquer the city, but their passage was hampered. The desert is a dangerous place at all times, but it was almost as though the endless sands and their denizens were deliberately targeting the invaders. When they finally arrived at the city, they were less than half their original number, and found themselves facing a newly erected wall built of wet mud and sand, twice the height of a man.

They gathered their strength and flung themselves at the walls, but as they did so a mighty sandstorm gathered about them and struck. It blew for half a day, and when it abated none of the soldiers remained, but the walls still stood. A few of the defenders later told stories of huge beating green wings in the centre of the storm.

In the five hundred years or so since, the city has continued to grow, and is now more than capable of defending itself. The mud wall has been replaced by a towering stone fortification and the people have an elected council and strong leadership. There have been no recent sightings of the emerald dragon, but some of the citizens believe it still sleeps in the mountain above them, and you will often hear tales in the many caravanserais of lost travellers being guided to safety by an unseeable presence.