Local vs. Outlander: A quick, friendly guide to help you choose how to enter the world.
Locals Who they are: People born and raised in the setting.
What we ask of you Read the short materials relevant to your concept first. After you read, we are happy to answer follow up questions. No lore can cover every corner, so curiosity is welcome. Choose a race that exists in the region your character is from.
What you get: Full setting support and guidance. Built-in hooks, factions, and cultural ties. Easier integration into ongoing stories.
Outlanders Who they are: Immigrants and travelers arriving from elsewhere.
Why this option exists It helps players who want to try the world without investing heavily on day one. You can bring in a character from your own original setting and see how they fit, as long as it's fantasy.
Important expectations Outlanders are self-directed. We do not provide setting guidance for them because only you know your character’s home region, race and etc. If you ask setting questions about your outlander, we will politely decline.
What you get Maximum creative freedom for your character’s backstory.A Space to explore at your own pace, with light constraints.
Choosing What Fits You
Pick Local if you want deep integration, community guidance, and immediate story anchors. Pick Outlander if you want to test the waters first or bring in an existing OC with minimal prep.
A few quick notes Everyone is welcome to play. The structure above keeps expectations clear and play smooth for all.
You can convert an Outlander into a Local later. Read the relevant materials, align your concept to a native culture, and we will help you fold in.
Bottom line Locals get full setting support after reading the essentials. Outlanders get full creative ownership and light constraints, but no custom guidance tied to their off-world backstories. Both paths are valid. Choose the one that matches how you like to start.
What can I play? Whatever you want. The lore is a sandbox. Yes, there are some limits, as with all settings. You can't be a sith lord in a Game of Thrones server. However, we understand the need for expression. Write what you want to play, don't become fearful or apprehensive. You are not stepping on eggshells. We would rather have you go insane and big and work down to a happy medium if need be. Then be timid and write a character/role you will invariably never work on. Yes, the community matters, the setting matters, but you also matter.
Template? We can offer you a template. However, we don't force one. We believe forcing everyone's expression into a single pipeline limits their creativity. We acknowledge that there are many ways to make a sheet, and like any art form, you can't force everyone down a single model. I know most servers would disagree. But I doubt anyone would be able to oppose, given the premise. Not unless you support the corporatization of expression or the uniformity of it. We believe you have the intelligence to navigate a sheet as you have had since day one. After all, it's not like every Discord server or community uses the same sheet without variation. And yes, this is a cheeky attack of this common and absurdly flawed logic.
White Sand Empire — Shortform Lore/Need to Know
What it is: A desert theocracy run by the Radiant Covenant (faith + law are the same thing). The Shaitān (desert folk “born of the first Light”) are the core population.
Core belief: The Lord of Light isn’t about vibes; he’s about truth and consequence. Fire = clarity. Rituals and policy aim at “refining” people and systems rather than punishing for sport.
Government, fast: Archon of Flame (figurehead + vessel of doctrine)
Synod of Embers (interprets law/ethics)
Crimson Court (runs cities, budgets, armies)
All three = Triune Covenant.
Culture snapshot: Public water, shade, and ledgers; civic care is a moral duty.
Trials in seven-lamp halls; sentences tilt to restitution/service.
Art = prayer: glass, calligraphy, living architecture.
Outsiders: You’re an outlander on arrival if not playing a race from the setting. Expect distrust, extra scrutiny, and fewer rights until you:
learn the language + customs,
pass the Rite of Illumination (basic ethics + flame rite),
do service that actually helps people.
Path exists; it’s just earned, not gifted.
Cities & tech): Radiant Lattice: a clean-energy crystal grid (light, heat, water pulled from air, waste turned to glass dust).
Architecture: grown and crafted—symbiotic spires (fungus-stone), glassy “carapace” domes, cool courtyards.
Dimming Protocol: in crisis, districts fold light inward and go quiet instead of going full bunker.
Flamekeepers (priest-judges).
Alabaster Legions (disciplined regulars, mirrors and heat-control tactics).
Obsidian Witches (elite alchemy/purification unit; anti-corruption, not necromancy).
Openly anti-undead; they beef with necromantic neighbors.
Getting around: Temple Gates (faith-synced teleport rooms; safe, regulated).
House Links (noble short-range gates; invite-only).
Sky Striders (giant insect couriers; think eco-airbus).
Rivers/sea trade on “Vessels of Light.”
Economy: Alchemy, optics, glass, wards, desert-adapted ag, and crystal energy. Spice trade exists; officially regulated, socially complicated. Harm-reduction talk meets moral panic. So, like home.
Education = service: Al-Madrasa al-Nūr trains engineers, rhetoricians, healers, clergy. Full ride now, six years of service after. Merit matters; piety still required.