Desert (ROG)

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No one would deny even a glass of water, if it were valued, for example, in dollars, at 1 million dollars, just one glass, and someone who has a single 200-liter tank is capable of buying more than 100 hectares

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There's also a rule of silence in the deep sand. In some desert regions, loud vibrations or heavy machinery can attract creatures or cause dune landslides. Travelers usually walk carefully and avoid making too much noise. Another rule often repeated among nomads is "don't waste anything." Everything has a use: old fabrics, rusty metal, machine parts, bones, even mineral dust. The ancient world left ruins everywhere, and every fragment can mean survival. And finally, there's the most unsettling rule of all, one many whisper around campfires: the storms of 2026 weren't the end, just the beginning. No one really knows what happened to the water that vanished from Earth, and some explorers claim to have seen strange things on the desert horizon—places where the sand seems to move in impossible ways, as if something gigantic were still stirring beneath the parched planet.

There is also a rule respected even by enemies: if someone offers you water in the desert, do not betray them. Breaking this rule is one of the worst things anyone can do. In several cities, anyone who betrays someone who gave them water is marked, and no one ever trades with them again. Another law learned over time is "the sun kills the reckless." No sensible person travels at midday if they can avoid it. Most long journeys are made at dawn, dusk, or during the night. Settlements are usually nearly empty during the hottest hours. There is also the rule of constant movement. Dunes shift, storms change paths, and old maps quickly become obsolete. A safe route today may disappear tomorrow under kilometers of sand. Among the caravans, another warning circulates: if the wind suddenly changes, take cover. Many sandstorms arrive without warning. Experienced travelers observe the sky, the color of the sand, and the sound of the wind before deciding whether to continue. Another rule everyone knows is “ruins always have an owner.” The buried cities of the old world often appear abandoned, but there’s almost always someone living nearby: explorers, hidden communities, or creatures adapted to the desert. Entering without permission can be very dangerous. The adapted also taught another important lesson: differences are survival. In the new world, people with animal-inspired traits like the honey badger, the fennec fox, or the desert cat fulfill distinct roles in society. Instead of rejecting them, many communities learned to rely on their abilities.

The descendants of the jerboa are famous for their agility. They walk and run with quick leaps that allow them to cross loose sand without sinking too deeply. Many work as messengers between desert cities, covering long distances quickly. Among the humanized reptiles, the descendants of the Horned Lizard have thicker skin and tolerate extreme temperatures. They can remain in the sun for hours without becoming exhausted. Many work guarding solar installations or patrolling open territories where other humans would not withstand the heat. The lineages inspired by the Desert Gecko developed more adaptable fingers for climbing rocky surfaces. In the ruins of ancient cities, these humans move along walls, collapsed towers, and leaning structures, searching for remnants of lost technology.

In this world born after the storms of 2026, humanity learned that surviving in the great desert depends not only on strength or technology, but also on unwritten rules that everyone respects. Some arose out of necessity, others out of fear, and still others because those who ignored them simply didn't survive to tell the tale. The first and most important is simple: water is everything. Water buys, controls, dominates, or destroys anything. It is not just a resource; it is power. Cities are founded where there is water, wars begin over water, and caravans travel for weeks just to obtain a few reserves. In many places, water is worth more than any technology of the old world. Another well-known rule among desert travelers is “no one survives alone forever.” Even the most resilient wanderers eventually depend on someone: a caravan, an oasis, or an underground community. The desert always wins in the long run.

The descendants of the jerboa are famous for their agility. They walk and run with quick leaps that allow them to cross loose sand without sinking too deeply. Many work as messengers between desert cities, covering long distances quickly. Among the humanized reptiles, the descendants of the Horned Lizard have thicker skin and tolerate extreme temperatures. They can remain in the sun for hours without becoming exhausted. Many work guarding solar installations or patrolling open territories where other humans would not withstand the heat. The lineages inspired by the Desert Gecko developed more adaptable fingers for climbing rocky surfaces. In the ruins of ancient cities, these humans move along walls, collapsed towers, and leaning structures, searching for remnants of lost technology.

Coyote-inspired hybrids have adapted to living in small groups that roam vast territories. They are opportunistic by nature, finding food where others cannot. Their routines include hunting small desert animals, exploring ancient ruins, and following caravans at a distance to trade or exchange resources. Many live as nomads, wandering the dunes for weeks at a time. The descendants of the Desert Cat are silent and agile. Their communities specialize in moving through buried ruins or destroyed cities. During the day they rest in the shade or inside collapsed buildings, and at night they roam the remains of ancient civilizations searching for tools, technological fragments, or forgotten water sources. Some bloodlines were created with traits of the Caracal. These humans developed rapid reflexes and great physical coordination. In settlements, they often work as guardians or hunters. In the deep desert, they are renowned for their ability to react quickly to creature attacks or sudden storms.

The Honey Badger's adaptive individuals became legends among the survivors. They are known as the Unbreakable. Their skin is tougher, their pain tolerance is high, and they possess an extremely strong will. Many work as shelter diggers, miners of ancient underground facilities, or explorers of dangerous areas. Others simply wander the wilderness alone, surviving things that would kill anyone else. Kangaroo Rat-inspired communities live near deep dunes. They are experts at storing resources and water. Their cities are underground, filled with tunnels where they keep seeds, dried food, and moisture condensers. They spend much of the day underground organizing stores and emerging at nightfall to gather more.

In the world that emerged after the 2026 storms, scientists didn't just create resilient humans; they also developed human lineages inspired by desert animals. These aren't animals walking like people, but rather human communities with physical traits, senses, or behaviors inherited from those species. Over time, these characteristics became part of their culture, their daily routines, and how they survive wandering the planet's vast desert. The descendants of the dromedary camel are known as Carriers. They are tall, incredibly resilient, and possess a metabolism that conserves water to the fullest extent. In their daily lives, they can walk for days on end carrying equipment or supplies for caravans. Instead of humps, they have the physical capacity to store energy and endure long journeys without drinking. Their routine consists of traveling slowly between settlements, guiding caravans along ancient routes they know by heart. Many wander the desert as traders, messengers, or guides, moving patiently as the sun beats down on the sand.

The Bactrian camel-inspired adaptations are similar, but better suited to extreme temperatures. Their communities typically live in regions where the daytime heat and nighttime cold are brutal. During the day, they work protected by heavy clothing and sand masks, and at night they gather around small campfires, discussing routes, storms, and lost caravans. The descendants of the Fennec Fox are called Listeners. Their hearing and senses are extremely keen. In desert settlements, they often act as night watchmen. While most sleep underground or inside stone shelters, they remain awake, listening for the movement of the sand, the passage of creatures, or the approach of storms. They are also swift scouts, capable of detecting danger before anyone else.

Meanwhile, on the surface, the world continued to transform. The lack of water accelerated global desertification. Vast plains turned into seas of dust. Entire cities were buried under sand blown by relentless winds. Giant storms eventually disappeared, but left behind an unstable atmosphere and a brutally dry climate. Fresh water became the most valuable resource on the planet. The few remaining reserves were protected by fortified settlements or hidden in vast underground reservoirs. By 2030, what remained of humanity had finally stabilized. It wasn't a complete recovery, not by a long shot. The world's population had been drastically reduced. Traditional governments had virtually ceased to exist and were replaced by alliances between fortified cities, scientific laboratories, and nomadic communities traversing the new deserts in search of resources. But, for the first time since the disaster, the human species had a real chance of survival.

Genetic research advanced rapidly thanks to technologies previously restricted by strict ethical laws. Those laws disappeared within months. The survival of the species became the sole priority. Laboratories began experimenting with hybrid genetic engineering, incorporating traits from extremely resilient animals. Among the most studied was the honey badger, renowned for its toughness, thick skin, and ability to survive attacks and poisons that would kill other animals. Traits of the domestic cat were also investigated, particularly its agility, reflexes, and balance—qualities useful for navigating uneven terrain and ruins. At first, the results were modest: humans with more efficient metabolisms or greater heat tolerance. But within a few years, the Adapted began to appear—individuals genetically modified from the embryonic stage. Some had sharper senses, others could withstand extreme dehydration for longer periods. Still others developed quick reflexes or enhanced healing abilities. These new generations were raised in underground facilities and trained to survive on an increasingly hostile planet.

By the end of 2027, the Earth was unrecognizable. Many regions that had once been humid or fertile began to dry up. The continuous loss of water, combined with agricultural destruction, triggered a global food crisis. Vast areas of farmland turned to dust. The soil became saline or sterile. Gigantic deserts began to expand across several continents. By 2028, the talk was no longer about a climate crisis: it was about the survival of the species. Scientists and governments that still had resources decided to focus on one goal: ensuring humanity's survival. To do this, a network of secret projects and underground laboratories, informally known as the Continuity Programs, was created. These programs brought together geneticists, engineers, doctors, and artificial intelligence specialists. The plan was brutal but simple: adapt humans to the new world rather than try to restore the old one.

Each hurricane and tornado seemed to suck moisture away in an impossible way. Rivers dropped in levels within hours. Entire lakes were reduced to mud. Even parts of the ocean seemed to momentarily recede as storms passed nearby. At first, it was thought to be an illusion caused by the extreme atmospheric pressure, but measurements confirmed something far worse: water was literally being extracted from the planet's natural cycle. No one knew where it was going. Some scientists theorized that the storms were sending enormous quantities of vapor into the stratosphere; others believed it was a still-unknown phenomenon related to Earth's magnetic field or to fractures in the atmosphere. Amid the confusion, the world's infrastructure began to collapse. The first few weeks were pure chaos. Power grids were destroyed, satellites were lost, airports were razed, and coastal cities were flooded by storms and then abandoned once the water receded. Millions of people died during that first year. Governments tried to coordinate global responses, but the scale of the disaster was too great. The storms didn't last just a day or a week. For months on end, new formations appeared in different parts of the planet, as if the atmosphere had entered a permanent state of fury.

Throughout human history, there have been many natural disasters, but none like the one that occurred on the last Sunday of March 2026. For decades, scientists had studied the behavior of tropical storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes, but nothing prepared them for what was about to happen. That morning, atmospheric anomalies began to be recorded simultaneously on several continents. At first, they seemed like simple storms, but within hours, the entire planet entered an impossible phenomenon: hurricanes and tornadoes appeared all over the world at the same time. From the plains of North America to the Andes, passing through Europe, Africa, Asia, and even reaching the slopes of Mount Fuji, the storms began to multiply. What was most terrifying was not just their number, but their strength. Each tornado reached an intensity equivalent to or greater than EF5, the highest known level. The columns of wind surpassed anything meteorology considered possible: some measured more than five kilometers wide and six kilometers high, with speeds that leveled entire cities in minutes. Weather satellites captured images of dozens, then hundreds of giant spirals tearing across continents. But what was truly strange was something no one could explain at the time: the water was disappearing.

Dromedary camel Bactrian camel Fennec fox Coyote Arabian wolf Desert cat Caracal Kangaroo rat Gerbil Desert hare Arabian Oryx Addax Dorcas gazelle Lady Gazelle African wild ass

Rattlesnake Egyptian cobra Desert horned viper Sand snake Horned lizard Gila Monster Bearded dragon Desert Gecko Uromastyx Desert iguana

Desert scorpion Yellow scorpion Desert beetle Desert ant Desert locust Praying mantis Desert bee Tarantula hawk wasp Camel spider Desert Tarantula

Ostrich Desert owl Golden eagle Peregrine Desert Crow Desert Lark

Sonoran Desert Toad Excavator frog

Among the most important tribes is the Long Dunes Tribe, composed primarily of adapted descendants of the dromedary camel. They are the great traders of the desert. They travel in giant caravans that can take months to cross vast territories. Their leader is Sahir Al-Dunas, a man known for remembering ancient routes that no longer appear on any map. The dominant family within the tribe is the House of Al-Rakeb, who control most of the caravans and mobile water supplies. No one controls the routes between oases better than they do. Another powerful tribe is the Sand Shadow Clan, descendants of adaptive beings inspired by the fennec fox. They are explorers and spies of the desert. Their settlements are usually hidden among rocks or ancient ruins. Their current leader is Naia Vek, famous for being able to detect sandstorms hours before others. The dominant family is House Vekhar, which controls desert information: secret routes, caravan movements, and the location of technologically rich ruins.

There is also the dreaded Unbreakable Brotherhood, formed by adapted descendants of the Honey Badger. They are explorers of dangerous areas and warriors who are very difficult to defeat. Their leader is Torv Madrek, known for having survived a storm that buried three cities. The dominant family is House Madrek, which controls underground mines, ancient bunkers, and tunnels of the old world where technological resources still remain. Another influential tribe is the Hopper Folk, composed of adapted descendants of the Kangaroo Rat and the Jerboa. They live almost entirely underground in vast networks of tunnels where they store seeds, dried food, and moisture. Their leader is Kelrin Doss, a strategist who controls subterranean routes between settlements. The dominant family is House Doss, which possesses enormous hidden reserves of condensed water.

Finally, there is the Order of the Horizon Watchers, composed of descendants with the features of the peregrine falcon. They are observers and guardians of trade routes. They build tall towers on sandy hills or the ruins of ancient cities. Their leader is Arkan Vel, a strategist who can identify caravans from miles away. The dominant family is House Velkar, which controls several watchtowers and collects tributes for protecting these routes. In the middle of all these territories there are three oases considered vital for survival, but which have such great dangers that no one can live exactly on top of them. The first is the Nahr-Sombra Oasis, a vast underground reservoir surrounded by palm trees and ancient ruins. The water is clean and plentiful, but beneath the oasis lie unstable caverns inhabited by giant colonies of scorpions related to the yellow scorpion. At night, they emerge in great numbers, making it impossible for anyone to establish a settlement above the oasis. Therefore, the tribes build their camps several kilometers away and send protected groups out to collect water.

The second is the Black Glass Oasis. This place was formed when storms in 2026 melted part of the desert into enormous slabs of vitrified sand. There is water in the center, but the glass floor reflects sunlight with extreme intensity. During the day, the heat becomes almost unbearable, and the light can be blinding. It can only be accessed with relative safety at dawn or dusk. The third is the Oasis of the Deep Whisper, probably the most mysterious. From the surface, it looks like a small lake surrounded by vegetation, but the sand around it constantly vibrates. Many believe that beneath the oasis lies a vast cavern system or even giant creatures moving underground. Caravans only approach briefly to fill containers and then quickly depart. Staying there too long has led to disappearances.

The Kar-Drom Tribe dominates the major caravan routes. Its people are descended from genetically adapted dromedary camels, granting them exceptional resistance to heat and dehydration. Their leader is Sahir Kar-Drom, a patient strategist who governs from mobile caravans rather than a fixed city. The ruling family is the House of Rakeb, which controls the mobile water supplies and decides which caravans can cross into safe territories. The Vekhar Clan controls the desert's information. They are descendants of adaptive beings inspired by the fennec fox, possessing highly developed senses and a remarkable ability to detect changes in the wind and sand. Their leader is Naia Vekhar, a renowned explorer who discovers hidden routes through towering dunes. The dominant family is House Vekhar, which maintains a network of explorers and messengers.

The Madrek Brotherhood is known for its almost brutal resilience. Many of its members are descended from adaptives inspired by the Honey Badger. Their leader is Torv Madrek, a warrior who survived several sandstorms that buried entire settlements. The dominant family is House Madrek, which controls underground mines, ancient shelters, and tunnels of the old world. The Doss people live primarily underground. Their adaptations come from animals like the kangaroo rat and the gerbil, allowing them to conserve water and move quickly through loose sand. Their leader is Kelrin Doss, a brilliant administrator who manages vast tunnel networks. The ruling family is House Doss, which guards secret stores of seeds and condensed water.

The Velkar Order watches the horizon from towering towers and ruins. Its members possess features inspired by birds like the peregrine falcon, with exceptionally sharp eyesight. Their leader is Arkan Velkar, who rules from a tower built atop a buried skyscraper. The dominant family is House Velkar, tasked with monitoring routes and warning caravans of storms or attacks. Among all these territories there are three oases vital for survival, but too dangerous to live directly on them. Nahr-Sombra. A large oasis with clean water and palm trees, but beneath it lie caverns filled with giant scorpions descended from the Yellow Scorpion. The tribes collect water quickly and leave before nightfall.

Black Glass. An oasis surrounded by sand melted by the storms of 2026. The glass floor reflects the sun so intensely that during the day it can be blinding and burn-prone. It can only be visited at dawn or at night. Deep Whisper. A small lake where the sand constantly vibrates. Many believe that enormous caverns or creatures move beneath it. Caravans never stay there for more than a few hours. Besides tribes and oases, there are some scattered cities that managed to survive.

Black Glass. An oasis surrounded by sand melted by the storms of 2026. The glass floor reflects the sun so intensely that during the day it can be blinding and burn-prone. It can only be visited at dawn or at night. Deep Whisper. A small lake where the sand constantly vibrates. Many believe that enormous caverns or creatures move beneath it. Caravans never stay there for more than a few hours. Besides tribes and oases, there are some scattered cities that managed to survive. Khar-Torum. A city built inside an ancient, buried stadium. Its concrete walls protect it from the wind, and it serves as a central caravan market.

Velastra. A vertical city built inside a skyscraper, partially covered by sand. The lower levels are sealed, while the upper levels serve as residences and observation towers. Ferrox Dunes. A mining settlement built on the ruins of old factories. Its inhabitants extract metal and machinery from the old world for trade. Salka Tower. A small town built around a massive, fallen communications tower. From there, storms and movements across miles of desert can be observed. Under-Kel. A completely subterranean city created by the Doss people. Its tunnels store seeds, water filters, and moisture reserves that could sustain the population for years.