Umbral Sands
articleUmbral Sands
Umbral Sands is a desert region of Ashenfall, ruled by the red dragon Fuzan. Its sun burns so fiercely that the player suffers Scorch in direct light and must build shelter or keep to the shade by day, while by night Fuzan and his red dragons take to the hunt. To cross the open sands the player can summon a magic carpet, which can be earned after earning the trust of a garou tribe. The KotHaar and kalphites make their home here, along with vultures, alongside three Moon Garou clans that are far less hostile than the garou tribes elsewhere on the continent. Icthlarin can be found at the Alcarrid Oasis. Adamantite and yew are gathered across the desert, and the region holds the materials needed for adamant equipment, red dragonhide armour, and infinity robes.
To reach Umbral Sands, the player must first complete the Black Knight's Fortress quest, which opens the door to Umbral Sands within The Bastion.
History
Since the creation of Gielinor, Umbral Sands was an empty region inhabited only by the KotHaar, who had been tasked with safeguarding a powerful device used by the Elder Gods, the Lens. The device ensured the sun gave off a temperature that let the world thrive rather than burn. The KotHaar were also given a tunnel system so that they might return to the Elder Kiln on Karamjah and be reborn when needed. The desert at the time was far greener, with grass and other flora. Shortly after Guthix departed from Ashenfall and sealed it within a veil, a group of dragonkin known as the Cabal arrived and, over time, spread through the different regions. Avisk kept one of his many laboratories here, experimenting on the kalphites he had brought from the mainland to study, fascinated by their hive mind.
Sometime during the God Wars, shortly after Lougrim's defeat by Kuldra during the Dragon Rebellion, a faction of the garou split off and wandered towards Umbral Sands, where they struggled to adjust to the sandy region. There they discovered Elidinis, the River Goddess associated with the moon. A lost garou cub found her at a previously unmapped oasis, she gave it water and comfort. Looking upon these poor mortals, the goddess taught them how to live within the desert, showing them how to build, plant, and place mirrors to guard against supernatural threats. Over time the garou raised great cities and became known as the Moon Garou. Once they could thrive without her, Elidinis left Gielinor for the stars. Sometime after her departure, Fuzan found the Moon Garou and began to terrorise them.
Eventually a new entity appeared, the "Sun Demon", also known as the Queen of Ashes. She came before Fuzan, claiming to be a god and promising to teach him to wield his fire well enough to outshine even his mother. Fuzan accepted, and with her teaching he learned to control not only his own flames but those of the KotHaar, turning the magma that animated them against their nature. He also broke the tunnels by which they had once returned to the Elder Kiln, cutting them off from rebirth. Though puppeted, the KotHaar never forgot their charge, and still turn toward the Lens they were made to protect. Fuzan used this power to torment the Moon Garou, razing the cities they had raised and scattering the survivors into far-flung tribes so that no single hunt could take them all. Rather than destroy the remnant outright, he branded them with his Mark, which drew on their strength to feed his own. Those who bore it were spared his fire, but the dying were compelled to walk out into the sands as an offering. The Sun Demon, meanwhile, recruited followers of her own, reshaping those who worshipped the sun and its flames into devotees. The cursed wolf Dearg Due also came to roam the desert in this age. Fuzan ordered the KotHaar to move the Lens to his tower, where he used it to cast a barrier over the entrance and to raise the region's temperature. Soon the region became impossible to cross without the heat killing those who dared, and any who braved it by night would find Fuzan hunting with one or two red dragons.
After the God Wars, Fuzan continued to rule until the Sixth Age, when the veil over Ashenfall lifted. The Adventurer, having braved Brynmoor, Ghornfell, Fellhollow, and Dowdun Reach, arrives in Umbral Sands, and with the help of Icthlarin puts an end to Fuzan's reign.
Geography
Umbral Sands is made up of several subregions.
Alcarrid Oasis
In the north of the region, the Alcarrid Oasis is the first area the Adventurer reaches from Dowdun Reach. It is home to the Alcarrid clan, the youngest of the region's three Moon Garou clans, and to Icthlarin.
Dunes of Uzzer
To the north-east lie the Dunes of Uzzer, home to the Uzzer clan, who are known for their weaving and teach their children to work patterns into tapestries together. The archaeologist Lehran studies the Forbidden Scrolls here, piecing together the true history of the Moon Garou.
Manafem Plains
To the west, the Manafem Plains are home to the Manafem clan, whose people seldom brave the open dunes. By day the Scorch makes travel deadly, and by night they are hunted by a red dragon called The Radiant, which destroys their caravans and preys on travellers.
The Burning Spire
In the south stands The Burning Spire, Fuzan's volcano and the seat of his power, where the corrupted Lens is kept. Within it lies the Cave of Screams, where the KotHaar are forged and bound in thrall to Fuzan.
NPCs
Nodes
Trees
Plants
Bosses and Mini-bosses
Aggressive
Non-Aggressive
Quests
Journal
Nothing discovered yet...
Music
Nothing discovered yet...
Gallery
Trivia
- Like the Kharidian Desert on the mainland, Umbral Sands was once far more verdant than it is today. The two were desertified by different causes, however, the Kharidian Desert by Tumeken's self-destruction and Umbral Sands by Fuzan's corruption of the Lens.
References
- ↑ RuneScape: Dragonwilds.
- ↑ Dusty Tome, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "My narrator explained that they were guarding some sort of device, a powerful tool that kept the sun shining and brightness that let the world thrive, rather than burn."
- ↑ Journal entry of Toktz-Xil-Ak, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "At the end of their lives, they would take themselves on long pilgrimages through underground tunnels, back to the mainland, where they would be reborn anew in the Elder Kiln."
- ↑ Avisk’s Musings, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "It was trivial enough to steal a royal egg from their hive on the mainland, and bring it back here for study, and with each iteration of the brood I find myself more and more intrigued."
- ↑ Chewed Doodle-Covered Journal, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "I followed it to a great river that wasn’t there yesterday and there was this woman just singing on a rock. She was the prettiest garou I ever saw. Eyes that sparkled like stars and silver fur like the moon."
- ↑ Ancamairon - Alcarrid Elder, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Broken as they are, the mirrors are sacred to us. The River Goddess placed them here as a reminder of who must protect the Umbral Sands."
- ↑ Journal entry of Fuzan, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Faith in a being not of this world: born of celestial fire so bright that it made Fuzan’s own mighty flames seem like mere candlelight in comparison."
- ↑ Journal entry of Dragonblight Shield, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "A voice of true divinity, far surpassing the power of his mother’s dimmed spark."
- ↑ Journal entry of KotHaar-Hur, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Now, the magma that animates them has been turned against them by Fuzan’s Mark, and the KotHaar-Hur turn from labourers to cannon fodder in Fuzan’s twisted games."
- ↑ Journal entry of Toktz-Xil-Ak, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Fuzan put a stop to that, by destroying those tunnels."
- ↑ Journal entry of KotHaar-Xil, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Even if Fuzan puppets their actions, the core of their being still sticks to its task."
- ↑ Dragonscorched Ledger, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Our city is lost to embers, great monuments crumbling beneath the scorching heat of the sun and the claws of the dragon."
- ↑ Sand-weathered Book, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "In doing so the rest of us are spared and benefit from Fuzan's mercy. He turns his flames away from us."
- ↑ Sand-weathered Book, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "The Mark, this symbol of Fuzan's that we carry as protection against his wrath, it compels us to the wilderness. Makes us an offering to the storm."
- ↑ Obsidian-carved Book, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "The demon of embers, reached into his heart, took hold of his future and tore it apart."
- ↑ Dusty Tome, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "A device, they claimed, has now been perverted by the dragon into some monstrous device that is destroying the region."
- ↑ Manafem Midnight, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "The harsh light of day makes travel dangerous and at night there is the constant threat of their “great protector”, Fuzan, always happy for a meal delivered."
- ↑ Icthlarin, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "Souls are coming to me from Umbral Sands at a faster and faster rate. My good friend Death informed me that the culprit is Fuzan, a dragon tyrant of these dunes."
- ↑ MOUNT: Uzzerian Umber, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "This light umber tone is handcrafted by Uzzer children as part of their daily lessons. The youngsters gather round and work together to weave the complicated pattern throughout the tapestry as a means of teaching them patience as well as some useful life skills."
- ↑ Manafem Midnight, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "The harsh light of day makes travel dangerous and at night there is the constant threat of their “great protector”, Fuzan, always happy for a meal delivered."
- ↑ Journal entry of Red Dragon, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "One dragon, known as The Radiant, torments the Manafem Moon Garou. For years now, The Radiant has destroyed caravans, eaten travellers and brought suffering to the camp, for no reason other than their capacity to do so."
- ↑ Journal entry of Elder Curiosities, RuneScape: Dragonwilds. "The KotHaar have lost any memory of their ancestors, and those that have been cast into the Cave of Screams are all in thrall to Fuzan."