A vast and unforgiving desert, Lupentra has as many ways to kill you as it does grains of sand.
There are Giant carnivorous cactus-like creatures that lay buried in the sand waiting to swallow you whole the second you step onto their sand coloured leaves.
There are bands of Thri-Kreen raiders, far more dangerous than a normal raiding party. Not just because of their strength, stealth, and mastery of their environment, but because they’re not just after the loot in your backpack, they’re after the meat on your bones.
There are giant, mile long sandworms that can swallow entire villages into their gaping maws. These creatures are so unbelievable in size, speed and power that many cultures within Lupentra worship them as gods.
There are many more beasts, people, and natural occurances that can kill you in Lupentra. But unfortunately, the two most likely ways to die in this country, are impossible to truely avoid. The sand, and the Sun. The heat and lack of water kill far more per year than all the beasts and people COMBINED. Lupentra is a massive desert, twice the are of Greater Prilentin. And if you want to have any hope of surviving it, you’ll need help. Unfortunately, the Thri-Kreen aren’t known for their hospitality
Gaining the favour of the Thri-Kreen as an outsider requires both luck and skill. You have to hope that you not only stumble across a Thri-Kreen, but that they also don’t attack you on site. Then, you must prove yourself worthy of the Thri-Kreen’s shelter.
The Thri-Kreen don’t survive the desert by braving its harsh conditions, or finding ways to fight back against the monsters that roam it. The Thri-Kreen believe that the desert is a living thing, something close to a god, and thus should be respected. The Thri-Kreen believe that they are merely the desert’s gracious guests, and thus try and take as little as possible from the desert. They only hunt the creatures of the desert when they absolutely must, and that is why they typically hunt the people who wonder into the desert instead. They spend most of their time in caves, away from the desert. They refer to the desert as Kasae.
They are thankful for Kasae’s harsh environment and dangerous monsters, as it is because of it that they are not invaded by other countries.
And so, to be allowed entry into the Thri-kreen’s shelters, and assistance in crossing the desert, the party must prove that they too share the Thri-Kreen’s beliefs. The Thri-Kreen will guide the party to an oasis, where animals come to drink. No matter what, this helps the party, and the Thri-Kreen will inform the players that they are being tested for the next 4 days before “leaving”. The party is allowed to drink from the oasis, but if they kill any animals or even eat any fruit, they will not be allowed to stay in the shelters. with just drinking, they will gain 1 level of exhaustion per day, due to no food and the heat. While drinking and eating, they will gain only 1 level every 4 days.