Hunt, collect water and ballfruit at one of several springs in the foothills. Despite being a desert, the Wastes aren't as unforgiving as one might think. Original Enclosure systems take care of most basic needs. It's austere, but the real threats are other. 🧵1/5

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#OctoberWorldbuilders
In the world of Unsaved, the Medish Arh who live in the Shimmery don't drink water as they can't trust it. Instead, they draw blood from their animals and distill it.
Though on special occasions they will drink it straight from the animal.

There is no desert society in AElit. Well, I guess there could be a society of the dead? 🤔 The people who handle the dead no longer go into the desert for burials; when they did, they carried temporary shelters and provisions--just enough for the job.

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#OctoberWorldbuilders
Reclamation being a pretty big deal.

#OctoberWorldbuilders
In growhouses built into settlements, or is some rare farms where oasies allow, but a very large quantity is imported from other, more fertile regions.

Water is the big one, with every settlement being near a deep aquifer or oasis of some kind, and water processing and

#OctoberWorldbuilders
Are taken for non-Dwarven denizens (dwarves have an innate heat resistance, so the elevated temperatures don’t bother them, just sunlight). Thankfully Chillweave is common throughout the Alliance, so this is just where everyone uses it, not just elves.

For food, some is farmed

#OctoberWorldbuilders
So, the main way that folk survive is by staying the heck away from the sun; ie, underground. Hollowed out plateaus, canyon walls, etc, are where most settlements are built where the suns rays can’t reach.

But given the volcanic activity in the desert as well, further steps

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The Wastelands is basically a wilderness preserve, preserving the lifeless quality for research and training purposes. You drag it in, you drag it out. Leave no trace. (Eventually, things will evolve and migrate and begin to find ways to thrive out there, but thats a…

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The caves are the best means of survival for the ParDafi. Especially the larger systems that have tapped into the springs.

They also avoid (as much as possible) activity during the day. Markets don't open until dusk, and they shutter at dawn.

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#OctoberWorldbuilders 6
A big problem is the lack of accessible water, so they know all the locations of streams and springs and guard them jealously. There aren't a lot of these so the water is precious. You can melt snow sometimes in some places.
For food, they're mostly reliant on their herds
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#OctoberWorldbuilders The people of Suzamna are of two camps when it comes to survival: those who rely on magic and those who adapt to reality. A LOT of Empire citizens rely on fae contracts and the talents of the gold-touched to try to defy the reality of desertification.

5- #OctoberWorldbuilders- One of Amarlock's stories is about cobwebs. It is believed that these webs hold the story of the places and things they cover.
In The Clay Figure, someone creates these mud dolls that are nearly indistinguishable from humans, except for their lifeless eyes.

4- #OctoberWorldbuilders- Most important to Amarlock's culture are the wolves. They have been driven out of all the other kingdoms due to their associations with death. Another important creature to Amarlock is the spider, who they call the Weaver of the World.

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6: The Avendrals of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) have built their culture around surging the Avenad desert. Between building underground (to stay out of the heat), frequency of scarves, shawls, and other head and face gear (to manage dust), to the…

#OctoberWorldbuilders

The main source of water is a network of rivers to the northwest that stem from one major river dubbed Mercy's Backbone. Around the rivers it's easier to find food, but also things that might want to eat you, and bandits. So, if you're walking the rivers outside town...

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Most of the Seven Cities of Ghan obtain their water in one way: living beside it, either the Ghan Meridia, a massive inland sea in the far eastern quarter of the desert, or the rivers that feed that.

One or two may set 🧵

#OctoberWorldbuilders
Oasis City does, in fact, have an oasis. Powerful magic from well-paid wizards keeps the water clean and plentiful - or maybe there's a sleeping water elemental beneath the sand.
Food isn't a problem, thanks to the city's status as a major center of trade and commerce.

#OctoberWorldbuilders, hello friends! Alright, it's time for the survival question I promised a few days ago! Tell me how the people who live in your desert actually survive in it. How do they get food and water? What kind of clothes do they wear? How do they stay warm/cool otherwise?