====== The Sunshade Desert ======

> When travelling through the Sunshade Desert, don't spend too long out in the sun. Press SHIFT to hide behind rocks and regain some of your stamina.

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To the West of Mydreign, in between the dense forests of [[heartwood|The Heartwood]] and the towering steeples of [[lizardsfangs|The Lizard’s Fangs]] is the Sunshade Desert. The Desert is a large expanse, a sea of red sand littered with canyons and occasional dry shrubbery.

{{ :sunshade.jpg?300|}}

In the mornings, the desert heat is unbearable to most Mydreignites, with only the sparse shade of the canyons and constant shadow of the clouds as companions. Nights, on the other hand, are much friendlier in terms of the temperature -- but [[monsters|monsters]] that lurk in the darkness begin their hunt when the sun goes down. Between difficult terrain and unwelcoming enemies, the Desert is often void of Mydreignites, save for those with the savvy to navigate the sands -- and until just a few generations ago, not many have tried. The most common form of travel through the Desert are guided tours.

Those who are most familiar with the Desert and who often serve as guides are its Mydreignite inhabitants: the [[shadecrawler|Shadecrawlers]], a bipedal frugivore arachnid species that most comfortably reside in the darkness. They can establish their homes wherever there are caverns formed by the Desert's canyons, but Shadecrawlers are. most often found in the sprawling underground cave system they call Lux City -- accessible through a cavern mouth at Eagle Rock

===== Eagle Rock =====
{{:eaglerock.jpg?350 }} 
Hidden within the walls of the Sunshade Desert’s largest canyon is the entrance to Lux City. Eagle Rock refers to the area directly around this entrance, where Sunshaders -- primarily consisting of Shadecrawlers, though other Mydreignite inhabitants have become more common in recent years -- tend to their farms and canals, where they grow and maintain their main sources of food and water. It is a much more lush area compared to the rest of the Desert, but the production of fruit is not constant throughout the year, and thus requires intense irrigation and agricultural planning.

Eagle Rock takes its name from the stone figure that marks the highest point in the area: a part-natural, part-manually sculpted formation of a bird in flight. Not much is known of the origin of this formation.

===== Lux City =====

Lux City is an underground network of caves that boasts a dense population of Shadecrawlers. Small cosy burrows, where families live, are littered throughout the city. Many of these burrows are adjacent to **the Tunnel**, the City's central area and main business centre. The Tunnel is a long spacious cavern that hosts a plethora of buildings and establishments, from large bazaars to theatrical enterprises to taverns that serve exotic food from beyond the Desert. Most popular of all are so-called game centres, patronised often by Sunshaders who are looking to show off their mastery of cards or who wish to put their fortunes into the hands of fate. The popularity of these game centres has extended beyond the Desert's borders, bringing in tourists from across Mydreign. 

Lux City is so named because of the abundance of luxite, glowing rocks that light the Tunnel and much of the cavern network. While Shadecrawlers are able to navigate the darkness without luxite due to their natural Darkvision, it is a culturally important material, and is present in pretty much all Shadecrawler celebrations in many different shapes and sizes. Luxite is the Shadecrawlers' main export, and can be found as far as the Lighthouse in the [[seaoflight|the Sea of Light]].

===== The Temple of Life =====
Across the Desert from Eagle Rock and Lux City lies the Temple of Life, a towering stone structure jutting out of the sands. Similar to Eagle Rock, the area around the Temple is lush, and farms and canals have been set up here.

Every year, pious Shadecrawlers embark on a week-long pilgrimage to the Temple of Life to prepare for the Day of Life, an annual celebration dedicated to the [[religion#Life in the Desert|life in the desert]]. Shadecrawlers begin their pilgrimage at the City right before dusk. In the mornings, they follow a trail of shadows set by the clouds above. Between rest and rituals, this should take a few days of travel -- Shadecrawlers often try to arrive at the temple at dawn.

The Lifekeeper, the Temple's leader, has announced that the very rare desert rain is expected very soon, making this year's pilgrimage particularly bustling and festive. Beyond the Day of Life's celebration, however, the Temple is a quiet and sacred place. It is maintained by a small, private monastery of Sunshaders who live at the site.

===== Notable NPCs =====

^ Name ^ Pronouns ^ Species ^ Description ^
| Khashi Kno | xe/ve | Shadecrawler | The owner and operator of Khashi Kno’s Games and Entertainment Centre, the most popular game centre in the Tunnel. Xe often splits ver time between Myddul and Lux City. |
| The Lifekeeper | she/it/they | Shadecrawler | The lead eldress of the Temple of Life. It is said nobody alive has seen her eyes, which it keeps hidden behind their veil. |
| Wimzi Gamerunner | they/them | Beastkin (leopard) | Proprietor of Wimzi's Bowling Bonanza in Lux City. Packmate of Funn. |