D20 SYSTEM✦ Normal

The Scorched Plains: Wheel-Devouring Sand and the Varnish of Desperation

# Wilderness# Intrigue

The endless dunes of the Scorched Plains hide a deadly secret: the sand itself is alive. Great worms, stirred by ancient magic, consume metal, wood, and flesh alike. The only safe passage lies in a cheap, alchemical varnish originally developed for waterproofing cart wheels—a substance now worth more than gold. Two desperate factions, the Sandstriders and the Iron Covenant, fight for control of the last remaining varnish-producing springs, each with a claim to survival that is both logical and tragic. Veterans will navigate shifting alliances, scarce resources, and a landscape that devours the unprepared.

Chronicle Prelude

The players arrive at Dusthaven, a fortified oasis town built around a small varnish spring. It is a crowded, tense hub where Sandstrider nomads and Iron Covenant traders uneasily coexist, both dependent on the dwindling supply of the protective varnish. The air smells of sulfur and alchemical reagents. The town is a crossroads, offering access to the outer dunes, the Covenant's fortified mine, and the rumored heart of the worm migrations.

Environmental Traits

The regional crisis is the accelerating consumption of the varnish springs by the ancient worms, which are drawn to the planet's metallic ley lines. Without intervention, the springs will dry up entirely within months, dooming both factions to extinction. The players must uncover the truth behind the worm migrations and choose which faction—if either—deserves to control the dwindling hope for survival.

Legendary Archetypes

Rayan

HP:45

STR:16

WIS: 12

CHA:11

Key Factions & Autonomous Nodes (12)

Korvath, Sandstrider Captain
A weathered nomad clad in layered leather and worm-chitin armor, his face hidden behind a dusty wrap. His eyes, visible above the mask, are sharp and constantly scanning the horizon. He wears the faction's symbol: a stylized worm encircling a water droplet.
Greta, Iron Covenant Chief Engineer
A woman with soot-streaked skin and intricate brass goggles pushed up on her forehead. Her hands are calloused from machinery, and she wears a heavy leather apron over a Covenant uniform. Gears and small tools hang from her belt. Her expression is one of intense focus, haunted by shadows of past failures.
Maeve, Town Elder
An elderly woman with deep wrinkles and kind, weary eyes. She wears simple but clean robes dyed with faded desert pigments. Her hands are often clasped around a polished piece of ancient wood, a relic of Dusthaven's founding.
Lyra, Sandstrider Scout
A lithe nomad draped in camouflaged cloaks that blend with the dunes. She moves with a silent, predatory grace. Her eyes are lined with kohl to reduce glare, and she carries a long-hafted spear tipped with worm bone.
Foreman Brugg
A hulking, muscular man in Covenant mining gear. His arms are bare, showing off tattoos of gears and pickaxes. His face is set in a permanent scowl, and he rests a hand on the haft of a large, industrial pickaxe.
Shaman Torren (Captive)
An elderly Sandstrider shaman, gaunt and bruised, chained to a wall in the Deep Mine. His clothing is torn, but his eyes burn with fierce, unbroken faith. Worm-bone fetishes hang from his neck, and his skin is covered in ritual scarification.
'Slick', Scavenger Fence
A wiry, nervous man with shifty eyes and a perpetual smirk. He wears mismatched armor and keeps his hands near multiple hidden pouches. He operates from a shadowy corner of Dusthaven's scrap market.
Dune Burrower Alpha
A colossal sandworm, easily fifty feet long, its segmented carapace glistening with iridescent oil. It moves with a terrifying, undulating grace through the sand, its gaping maw lined with concentric rings of grinding teeth. It radiates an aura of territorial fury and ancient power.
Animated Worm-Husk Guardian
The reanimated, desiccated husk of a giant sandworm, puppeted by the strange energies of the Spawning Grounds. Its hollow eye sockets glow with a faint, sickly light. It moves with jerky, unnatural speed, snapping with bone-crushing force.
Covenant Tunnel Guard
A soldier in heavy, padded armor bearing the Iron Covenant's gear-and-pickaxe insignia. They carry a short sword and a reinforced shield, standing rigidly at their post.
Sandstrider Raider
A fierce nomad warrior, clad in scavenged armor and worm-hide. They move with a wild, unpredictable fighting style, aiming to drive intruders from their sacred territory.
Scavenger Thug
A desperate, dirty fighter wearing a patchwork of stolen gear. They lurk in the ruins and scrapyards of the Outer Dunes, ready to ambush the unwary.

Chronicle Prelude

Environmental Traits

Legendary Archetypes

✦ Related Cases ✦

The Goblin Plight of Rivervale and the Cryptic Mine

The Lost Workshop: Heart of a Raging Core