EP14: JTQ - A Walk Through The Black Desert - TRANSCRIPT

 Hi! You're listening to HIW and I'm your host, Hyba. Today, I am going to guide you on a journey through the Black Desert and to the very gates of Ramadi, a province perched upon the border of the great Empire of Sissa. You will see many things on this walk, including fantastical creatures, environments, people, and architecture. So, kick back and relax, and let yourself dive deep into this mini-tour.

Are you ready?

We begin our journey in the midst of the Black Desert. You are standing on a sea of sand, stretching out into the horizons and beyond. The sand itself is black, giving the region its title. The sky is a bright, clear blue, without a cloud in sight, and the sun beats down against you, its heat attracted to the dark ground you stand upon. There is a wind that whips through every now and again, a rush of hot air that carries with it fine grains of dark sand. It is peaceful, quiet, and vast. You feel you are but a speck in the middle of an infinite universe, and so you are.

You start walking, your feet sinking into the sand with every step. The sand is hot - almost too hot to bear - but not quite. As you make your way forward, you know, though you cannot see it, that there is something beyond that horizon. A great wall. A gate. A fortified city leading into an empire so great it is a world of its own.

Suddenly, your foot lands on something hard that has been hidden under the sand. It flinches and begins to move, and you step back, watching as the creature shakes the sand off its black armor and rises our from where it had been buried. It is a monstrous creature that you have awakened. It reminds you of a scorpion - perhaps a crab - or perhaps a mix of the two. Its hard exoskeleton shines under the harsh sunlight, and its eyes - soulless - watch you with a warning.

A kahlaqrab - one of only two creatures that can survive in the Black Desert. You have heard of this nightmarish beast - of how it devours men and animals alike - and you start to run. The sand sucks you in, slows you down, and you realize as you gasp and pant and try to make it to the great walls of the empire you know lies ahead that you cannot outrun this predator, that you will soon be nothing more than a meal.

But when you glance back, the kahlaqrab is not there. It does not follow. Instead, as you watch from a safe distance, it burrows itself under the sand again, until not a single piece of its body remains in sight, and becomes completely still. You are lucky - were it hungry, it would have hunted you, despite its nocturnal nature.

With a deep sigh of relief, you continue on your way, careful to watch your step as you tread through the Black Desert. Almost an hour later, you come upon a ruin, a remnant of civilizations past, and make your way towards its walls, eager for some shade.

You know, of course, of the Qorsan who live in the desert. There are stories told by traveling merchants of their greed and their aggressive nature. They attack all who pass their way, stripping them of their belongings. You have also heard that they live within the ruins, though nobody knows for certain if this claim is true, since nobody dares find out. But you are tired and your legs are weary, and so you make your way into the black stone ruins and find some shade and lie down.

You promise yourself that it will only be a few minutes, but it is not long before sleep lures you into its sticky web. When you awaken - and you are lucky that you awaken at all - you are surprised to find a small, thick, worm-like creature inching its way past you on the sand-covered stone floors of the ruins.

A sorranid. This, too, you have heard of. A harmless creature that survives by burying its head into the sand and digesting the grains, while soaking in the energy of the sun through its back for the majority of its day. It is edible, unlike the kahlaqrab, but you do not have anything to build a fire with, and you do not wish to eat it live.

Evening has fallen, and with it, the creatures of the Black Desert have begun to stir. You realize that you must make it to the empire before the sun has set completely, or you will be at the mercy of monsters that see much better in the dark, and move much more swiftly over the sand, than you.

You begin to walk again, in the same direction you have been walking since the start of this journey, and as you do, you pause to admire the moons above and wonder at their luminous beauty. You wonder at the stars - so many, so far away - and you wonder at your place in this world you have been born into.

As dusk begins to fall, you see the grand silhouette of a wall - a gate - a looming stone structure reminiscent of a fortress, though a hundred times larger than any fortress you have ever seen before. You hurry towards it eagerly, and small lights begin to twinkle above the walls and at various locations on the walls - lookouts, where guards are stationed. It is a beautiful sight, this small flickering flames and the warm, honeyed glow they throw upon the black stone bricks.

As you come closer to the gate - a gate made by wood and iron and had undoubtedly seen centuries of history - you realize there are others there, too. A merchant caravan has arrived before you, and the soldiers at the gate are checking their trading permits, checking their wagons and carts, and waving them in bit by bit. They, too, glance nervously out into the desert, aware of the dangers that lie in wait. You huddle closer to the caravans, and await your turn.

You are not a merchant - you are but a visitor here - and when you finally get the chance to speak to the guards, they search your person quickly before determining you are no threat and usher you in. You are the last one to enter the gates of Ramadi, and inside, you breathe a sigh of relief to be alive and well after such an uncertain journey.

This concludes the first part of the journey. In the next edition of this tour through the world and settings of The Pirates of Sissa, you will stroll through the streets of Ramadi and take in this small but significant part of Sissa.

Thanks so much for tuning in! As always, I'd love to hear any comments, thoughts, suggestions, and questions that you may have. You can leave them for me at any of my social media, which are linked in the episode description.

Until next time!