Submission (#1419) Approved

Gift Art Submission Link: https://worldofeyre.com/submissions/view/1407
Related Prompt: Festive Gifting Spirit
1st or 2nd Submission: 2nd Submission
Regional Affinity: Ahza
Elnin: https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN616

Traveling through Ahza, Benji will have to remain careful. The desert that covers half of the region must be scorching hot most of the year. The lack of food and water, as well as the high heat, are a killer combination. If he can find an oasis filled with glistening, shimmering, real water, that would be a lifesaver. Otherwise, like he assumes most passengers to the dry region must, he’ll keep a fully stocked pack with him at all times. Maybe if he’s unlucky, he might come across the bones of another weary traveler, long forgotten in the sands. The weathered bone would peek out, taunting Benji with how sun-bleached they are. It’s scary, to think that that could be him, if he isn’t careful. 

By the time he’s reached the green grasses of the region, he’s already tired beyond belief. The mudbrick buildings and markets are a welcome relief to take refuge in, offering him shade and temporary shelter. He might save some money just to buy additional room and board, making a brief stay in the compact mudbrick homes for as long as he’s willing to spare. He must move on from there, though.

Once he’s forced the leave, he isn’t out of the hot water. The thunderstorms that plague the northern parts of the region are their own demon Benji must suffer through. The packs that he will have packed that were a boon in the desert and a mild comfort in the grassy areas are now downtrodden and heavy with rainwater, bogging him down and forcing him to take shelter wherever he can. The thunder and lightning charges the air with static, and Benji has to be careful not to touch anything that might shock him. Even beyond that, he’s worried he’ll become a target for a lightning strike. Being deep fried doesn’t sound quite nice, and he’s unsure if there will be anyone living there to help patch him up. If he can manage to make it out, though, he'll find himself on the last stretch of his journey.

The massive, ominous bones that surround the Ahza region's eldertree is the main attraction. Elnin visit it to look upon it's twisting death, the tree rising out of the ashes of another one's fall. It's almost poetic, and it makes the view even more wondrous.