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Description

The regions known as the Osteo Wastes (or Bone Deserts) are arid lands of scorching sun and bleached bone. Here, the countless skeletons of ancient corpses were left to the ravages of time, slowly eroding away into dust. Now what exists are large regions where this dust has accumulated into endless desert. What exists here are bone dust dunes, broken up by chunks of ancient broken bone that act as rocks, spires and islands in this unending waste. Life here is sparse and rough, vegetation being rare and small, and the animals that exist in this realm are hardy and unforgiving. The sun beats down upon the land, and the dry wind that howls across it kicks up storms and twisters of bone dust. It is a merciless ecosystem, with many dangers. But even then, people live in these Osteo Wastes, building settlements upon the massive chunks of surviving bone. They know the perils that come from the harsh sun, ravaging dust storms and the creatures that dwell amongst it all. One beast, in particular, strikes incredible fear in the hearts of the locals, for they are terrors that lurk beneath the dunes.

To the locals, these creatures are simply referred to as "leviathans," though outsiders typically go for "Bone Dust Leviathans" to separate them from the ocean dwelling creatures. These massive beasts swim through the bone dust, hiding from the heat and prey, waiting for their chance to feed. When they detect the presence of fitting prey, they are quick to give chase below the dust, churning their serpentine bodies to build up speed. When they draw close, they rise to the surface of the desert, their bony spines breaking the dunes like a shark's fin. Their beaked heads yawn open to make a cavernous maw, looking to swallow prey whole. Their size and speed makes them difficult to avoid, and the loose terrain of bone dust makes fleeing difficult. These leviathans burst from the dunes, swallowing prey in one go and then diving back down. Slits within their huge pouch expels any swallowed dust, while prey remains trapped inside. Their end will either be through asphyxiation or being crushed by its muscular throat. The leviathan will settle down in the deep of the desert to digest its meal, though it will still be listening for the sound of prey, for food is rare in this land and no chance for a meal should be ignored.

Any who travel the Osteo Wastes should be mindful of these great leviathans, as they can swallow entire caravans in their gluttony. Walking on foot is not advised, as it is difficult to mask one's presence. There is no safety in numbers, for their maws are gaping and their hunger great. This is why the people of this land travel upon bone ships, using the wind to carry their vessels across the dust, where their speed can outrun the leviathan and their sharpened shapes can prevent them from being swallowed. Even then, precautions are taken to ward off these beasts. Harpoons and other weapons are always ready to attack one on sight, often annoying them enough to leave. In a pinch, the ships will use pots of Blood to summon forth crimson lightning, a very effective element in the Bone Deserts. This electricity causes the dust to fuse together, hardening into brittle chunks of mock bone. While the lightning is capable of harming the leviathan, it is found to be just as effective as using this electricity to harden the earth and trip up the beast. A chunk of fused bone dust cannot be easily expelled from its pouch causing it to choke, thus forcing it to break off the chase in order to vomit it out. The strategy is to lob a pot of charged Blood in front of the open maw of the charging leviathan, thus creating these hazards. While the beast struggles to expel these hardened pieces, the people may easily escape.

For those who chose to travel on foot, the same strategy is recommended. Use the lightning to trip up the attacker, and use the time to find solid ground. These beasts cannot consume the huge chunks of real bone that break up the landscape, so safety can be found there. While Blood lightning is very effective at warding them off, the locals warn of overuse. This weapon should be used sparingly, only in real emergency. Blood is an energizing fluid, and the wastes are filled with ancient dust that once knew life. There is no telling what can rise when the spark of life is reignited....

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What, what else do you put in a desert? Pfft, sandworms? Oh that's not how we do things around here! Gimme a pelican and I'll show you how its done!

Description

The regions known as the Osteo Wastes (or Bone Deserts) are arid lands of scorching sun and bleached bone. Here, the countless skeletons of ancient corpses were left to the ravages of time, slowly eroding away into dust. Now what exists are large regions where this dust has accumulated into endless desert. What exists here are bone dust dunes, broken up by chunks of ancient broken bone that act as rocks, spires and islands in this unending waste. Life here is sparse and rough, vegetation being rare and small, and the animals that exist in this realm are hardy and unforgiving. The sun beats down upon the land, and the dry wind that howls across it kicks up storms and twisters of bone dust. It is a merciless ecosystem, with many dangers. But even then, people live in these Osteo Wastes, building settlements upon the massive chunks of surviving bone. They know the perils that come from the harsh sun, ravaging dust storms and the creatures that dwell amongst it all. One beast, in particular, strikes incredible fear in the hearts of the locals, for they are terrors that lurk beneath the dunes.

To the locals, these creatures are simply referred to as "leviathans," though outsiders typically go for "Bone Dust Leviathans" to separate them from the ocean dwelling creatures. These massive beasts swim through the bone dust, hiding from the heat and prey, waiting for their chance to feed. When they detect the presence of fitting prey, they are quick to give chase below the dust, churning their serpentine bodies to build up speed. When they draw close, they rise to the surface of the desert, their bony spines breaking the dunes like a shark's fin. Their beaked heads yawn open to make a cavernous maw, looking to swallow prey whole. Their size and speed makes them difficult to avoid, and the loose terrain of bone dust makes fleeing difficult. These leviathans burst from the dunes, swallowing prey in one go and then diving back down. Slits within their huge pouch expels any swallowed dust, while prey remains trapped inside. Their end will either be through asphyxiation or being crushed by its muscular throat. The leviathan will settle down in the deep of the desert to digest its meal, though it will still be listening for the sound of prey, for food is rare in this land and no chance for a meal should be ignored.

Any who travel the Osteo Wastes should be mindful of these great leviathans, as they can swallow entire caravans in their gluttony. Walking on foot is not advised, as it is difficult to mask one's presence. There is no safety in numbers, for their maws are gaping and their hunger great. This is why the people of this land travel upon bone ships, using the wind to carry their vessels across the dust, where their speed can outrun the leviathan and their sharpened shapes can prevent them from being swallowed. Even then, precautions are taken to ward off these beasts. Harpoons and other weapons are always ready to attack one on sight, often annoying them enough to leave. In a pinch, the ships will use pots of Blood to summon forth crimson lightning, a very effective element in the Bone Deserts. This electricity causes the dust to fuse together, hardening into brittle chunks of mock bone. While the lightning is capable of harming the leviathan, it is found to be just as effective as using this electricity to harden the earth and trip up the beast. A chunk of fused bone dust cannot be easily expelled from its pouch causing it to choke, thus forcing it to break off the chase in order to vomit it out. The strategy is to lob a pot of charged Blood in front of the open maw of the charging leviathan, thus creating these hazards. While the beast struggles to expel these hardened pieces, the people may easily escape.

For those who chose to travel on foot, the same strategy is recommended. Use the lightning to trip up the attacker, and use the time to find solid ground. These beasts cannot consume the huge chunks of real bone that break up the landscape, so safety can be found there. While Blood lightning is very effective at warding them off, the locals warn of overuse. This weapon should be used sparingly, only in real emergency. Blood is an energizing fluid, and the wastes are filled with ancient dust that once knew life. There is no telling what can rise when the spark of life is reignited....

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What, what else do you put in a desert? Pfft, sandworms? Oh that's not how we do things around here! Gimme a pelican and I'll show you how its done!