The deserts remained as hot as they always were. The scorching, dry heat was one of the few constants in a world that was seemingly full of change, where nothing was truly certain. The simple reliability of the desert was comforting, in a roundabout way. After all, what else was there to rely on out here? Seemed like everything else had sort of fallen apart, and now they were trapped in a bubble. That's what it felt like, some sort of piece of the desert frozen in time, where nothing happened. The unchanging visage beyond the walls didn't exactly help break this illusion, as the sights never changed from the same barren wasteland, aside perhaps from the shifting dunes under the wind. Curiously, even the Defiled had stopped appearing during the nights. She didn't know what it meant, but it seemed like something had changed. Or perhaps the otherworldly forces were simply idle once more, but the silence was eerie, and with the state of the sands, she had no way of knowing what had become of the outside world. With the world beyond the walls having gone quiet, all she was left to do was think and wait and endure. She wondered what had become of her comrades and her mentor, all of the people who had departed to go north and rally against the Defiled threat. Who knew what became of them? Did they succeed? Were they even still alive? Was her mentor alive? Perhaps the recent absence of the Defiled was a testament to success, but at the end of the day, it was all merely speculation. Nonetheless, she imagined that, in the end, they were successful. In times such as these, hope was one of the few remaining tools one could apply, and she had great faith in the ability of her people. If anyone was capable of achieving victory against the insurmountable odds of the Haze-bound horrors, surely the House of Devante could do so. After all, the desert was still here, so they couldn't have lost anyhow. Had they, the Defiled would have surely come to claim the rest of the world. For now, she waited in the town. What was she waiting for? Well, she wasn't really sure. At the very least, things were calm. She wouldn't exactly say she was content, but the everpresent dread of the world ending had grown familiar, and the isolation was only slightly comforting, so she had learned to stop complaining. Once more, she found herself sitting atop the battlements of the wall, this time facing inwards, overlooking the town. Despite everything, they were still here, and so it would stay for the foreseeable future, hopefully.

The ocean was bizarre, and foreign. At best, she had seen it from the coastline of the sweltering sands, gazed out at the waters. It was always strange; so much water, yet none of it drinkable. She recalled her first experience with it, at Al-Shedan, smelling the city air mingle with the salty sea breeze. Being out on the open sea was even stranger to her. It all felt... wrong. Leaving behind the desert, the canyon, that town, didn't seem right at all, as if she were tethered to it. For a time, she had been. A guard, a traveler, a guard once more, all the same she had belonged in the sands, but now that was to change. With any stroke of fortune, she would pass beyond the wall and into the green lands beyond, and no longer would she have to live in fear of the coming days and despise the stagnation of her homeland, living in a remnant of its former glory. There was some consolidation in the fact that the rest of her people had chosen to stay, despite the opportunity the Khan had given, and yet she felt that she had abandoned them nonetheless. It had been her job to protect and serve the Canyon and its people, but now she was running away from it, from all those troubles. On one hand, it alleviated a great burden, all of the stress that came with the end of civilization. On the other. now there was a lingering since of guilt and anxiety. She didn't know why, but she felt as if something nefarious, or simply misfortunate, would transpire. There was no reason for this, considering she and the Mer were likely safer than they had been for months, out of reach of the Defiled and any thugs and their skullduggery. What truly concerned her was the wall. There was no reason that their journey at sea would end tragically for any reason she could discern, but the people who guarded the structure were unpredictable variables in their attempt to survive. All she could do was speak the truth to them; she was of the former government of Obsidian Canyon, first a soldier, later an apprentice learning under a member of the House Devante, her master Tahira Quil'Kovesh. Due to misfortune and poor circumstance, her attempts to leave the sands alongside her people were staved, and she missed the original convoy. Now, she sought asylum in the verdant lands like the rest of her kin who came before. It was simple, really, clean cut and straightforward, yet she couldn't help concern herself with the situation. It was just paranoia, perhaps, that subtle, unshakeable dread, anticipating something to go wrong. She could only hope, she supposed, and perhaps things would go just fine. She turned her attention to the elf she shared the ship with, looking away from that distant shore and towards her traveling companion. She spoke little, but having him was better than not speaking at all for however long this journey would take before they reached the north of the sands, and could travel on foot to the wall. He was really the only one she could bring with her, not that she had necessarily desired to bring anyone else. Had he not arrived, she would have gone alone. The other kitsune had chosen to stay, and were not reliable. They knew each other, they could tell of her decision, but he was an outsider, and one with skills that made him a skillful traveler. "This was the right decision." She'd say, mostly speaking to herself. He had nothing to lose, after all, he was already a nomad, a nameless traveler with no family and nothing left to lose. In a way, she was similar now. That town had been her family, in a way, for a little while, but any other ties she had: Tahira, her father, they were beyond the wall. They were similar in that manner, nothing tying them down now. It was freedom, in a way, but this freedom was disconcerting. Now she just wanted order and stability once more.

The sands seemed quieter than they used to, ever since the two Houses departed. This town was on the fringe of the Canyon, yet it seemed that little to no traffic came here nowadays. It wasn’t all too surprising, considering the fall of civilization. Perhaps it was for the best. The deserts beyond were in disarray, and she could only imagine the state of the Canyon as it was now. Alas, the township she inhabited was somewhat stable, and that was more than most could attest to nowadays. At least she had a roof over her head. It was nice to have a home here. Being settled down after her long travels with Tahira was refreshing, in a way. Now, she had some sense of community here. She had the expertise to offer, and they had taken her in exchange. She was glad to be of service to the people, at the very least. She was building a militia here, training the guardsmen of this town into a formidable force, or at least, as formidable as she could produce on her own. She was glad that nothing had plagued them yet. The Defiled remained placid, and bandits had yet to accost their borders. Eventually, word of this defended bastion may spread beyond into the sands, though. Who knew what the future held, though if others did not know of the Khan’s departure, the lingering threat of the Obsidian Canyon’s defunct military may serve as a deterrent to potential belligerents temporarily before those who existed outside the Canyon realized the extent of this collapse. Now, she stood atop the town’s ramparts, staring outward at the sandy sea beyond. She and many other of her men remained vigilante, even during these uneventful days, guarding the township through the heat of the day and cold of the night. She would have duties to attend to later, but there was a serenity amidst the silence of the sands beyond, a stark contrast to the bustling hub of civilization that rested behind her. There seemed almost to be a divide between the town and the world beyond. In a way, it had been like that in the Obsidian Canyon, and then it had been like that when it was only her and Tahira. There always seemed to be a bubble, of sorts. An isolation that estranged the world beyond it to nothing more than a distant, unknown existence. All that mattered right now was this town here. There were thousands of people here, and they all needed one another to survive, especially if there was any hope of prolonged existence.

These desolate sands had seen much, but had they ever seen something of this scale? Surely this must be one of the most devastating events in the land’s recent history. The sands were hardy, and had been through thick and thin, but this was different. The guiding hands of the land departed, forsaking their people to die in the endless dunes. The lioness abandoned her den, and the lights of Nirvana would darken once more, permanently. Even the great Khan of the Beastkin vanished beyond those distant walls, apparently taking half of the Kitsune with her, and traveling somewhere more amicable. To be left behind was a dreadful thing. Everyone else departed for greener, verdant lands. Her master, who she had grown fond of, was gone now, and with her went any insight and wisdom to be further shared. Her training had been cut short after only a year's time, an eternity in the moment, yet no more than a blink of the eye in retrospect. Far too short, there was still so much more to learn, so much that she would never learn. The rulers of the sands had taken anything of value with them, whether it be knowledge, or people. It felt now that Roha herself may very well be the most proficient fighter in all of the sands at this point. With the gates of paradise shut before her eyes, she returned home to find a fragment of what had once been a glorious nation. With the Khan gone, her homeland fell from grace, devolving like the rest of the sands. The halls of the Devante were empty now, they had all left with their mistress. Her once proud people were no more than any of the other pitiful remnants of civilization left behind in this desert. It was jarring to see firsthand, to leave the reaches of the canyon, only to return to a shattered kingdom, the union collapsed and her people in disarray. To think that she had departed in high spirits, in hopes of becoming more than what she had been. Now, she returned home having achieved little, left behind among these poor, unfortunate souls who had damned themselves to anarchy. The world was falling apart around her, it seemed. She returned to her home to find it empty. Her father had left with the Khan, no doubt expecting to meet her in the lands beyond the walls considering her apprenticeship under a Devante. She was scared, and now, she was alone. If she could thank Tahira for anything, it was giving her some semblance of freedom, even if unintentionally. Her first lesson found her severing any bonds to her old life, and now that her father was gone, she truly had nothing. In a twist of irony, her apprenticeship had seemingly set her on the path to join her master as a dog of the state, either a Devante or Inquisitor under the Eternal House. Neither of these were an option now, they were gone, leaving behind empty wastes in their wake. With them gone, though, her responsibilities had all but faded away. She was free now, but the price for freedom was being left in this desert. What a brave, new world she inhabited. The old tree had been felled, but in its place came a seed from which new life could emerge, even amidst the arid desert. That seed had yet to be planted, however. Surely the sands would survive this, and in time, be renewed. With the rulers of old departed, a new era of leadership must claim the mantle and lead the people of the sands into the future. Her year of traveling the sands alongside her mentor opened her eyes to the strange, wonderous world around her. It was truly amazing, yet cruel, and unforgiving. To live in it and learn from the Inquisitor allowed her to truly live. She became more than a soldier in the background, her life gained meaning and purpose. To return to the Canyon and slide into obscurity wasn't something she could stomach, the thought was unbearable. To live a menial life in the fading corpses of civilization wasn't something she could accept. Alas, the woeful state of the world around her was of great concern. Her hopes and ambitions had been curtailed by this catastrophe. No longer was the honorable position of monster hunter an achievable goal, there were far more concerning matters. The first and foremost concern on her mind was the Mist, the ever present threat that stalked the night. Without the sentinels of the Union and Eternal House to guard the sands, the night terrors were far more of a concern. There was no telling how they would react to this void of security. These people were surely lost, were they not? Their leaders abandoned them, left them for dead. Now, they have lost their sovereignty, their infrastructure, even their culture. She had lost all of this. Someone needed to take initiative, though. Someone needed to bring order, the seed of civilization could only be sewn through stability, through unity. Her people were awry without their Khan, without that stalwart House which had served as a pillar of their civilization and culture. In this new era, there was no Khan or Lioness to save her, or these people. They were on their own now. New leadership was a necessity in times like these, that much was apparent. The strength of the old sands was built off the backs of titans, and with their departure, everything fell into ruins. Someone must pick up the responsibility that they held, that burden of leadership. It was hard to say if Roha herself was fit for the task. After all, she was just a scared child with a blade, but even this distinguished her from the common peasants who surrounded her. After all, she had an affinity for the sword, she had served in the military, more than most of her kindred could say. She was determined to live a life more than what was laid before her, and if leading her people was a means to do so, she would accept the task ahead of her, no matter how daunting it was. Her people were scattered in the wake of the Khan's departure, the Canyon had fallen into chaos. This seemed to be the most opportune time to unite her people once more, if such a time were ever to exist. With everything crumbling around them, they needed a common cause, a purpose, a leader to guide them, lest further chaos befall the Canyon and anarchy engulf the remnants of the Union. She had little knowledge, and currently, little care of what had happened to the Union’s other species, the Gnoll and Wulfgar. The Kitsune were her primary concern, at least for now. Her only hopes were to quell the mayhem in the wake of collapse and attempt to preserve any iota of civilization that was left among her kin. There was no telling what would become of them without order, without the Devante or the Khan to lead. Banditry. Starvation. The Mist. These people needed union, lest they all become victims of some cruelty of the lawless world. Her travels eventually brought her to a village, a hamlet of sorts. It was one of many across the sands, within the Canyon, but travel was expensive, especially in times like these. She couldn't keep wandering forever, especially if things were going to change. This was surely as good a place as any to rest and begin working towards her goal. To earn her keep among them, she had a skill she could offer, namely the art of combat. As a former soldier and apprentice under the Devante for some time, it seemed certain that she could offer skills that no others in the settlement could. She could train them into a garrison, at least as best she could. Anything was better than nothing. They needed security first and foremost. And so, Roha would adopt the position of garrison commander in the quaint village, being the most qualified for the position among them. This was a good start. Once security was ensured, stability could be enforced, and once that was complete, she could expand further into the Canyon, bring some semblance of civilization once more, like it had been under the Khan.

Roha found herself just beyond a settlement in the Canyon, having trekked outward to find a sort of tranquility one could only find outside of a city. She was off-duty at the moment and had found free time today, leading her on a stroll that had brought her just outside the city itself. It wasn't often she had a chance to do such a thing, she had a job, after all, among other things. As such, this was something she had planned to do for some time, but had never gotten around to doing until now. Granted, this was nothing special, it was just a walk, after all. It was a time to think, though, to ponder things, even if the city lay right behind her, and all she truly did was pace down the well-trodden path. Being off-duty for the time, she dressed more like a civilian, wearing a pair of trousers and a tunic, though she kept her sheathed blade at her side, and a leather cuirass equipped on her torso. The day had already reached its half-point and the long, yet steady descent of the sun had begun as it passed its peak and moved towards its end, where it would beckon in the darkness of night. She hadn't gone far from home, and yet staring down the long road ahead that lead onward aroused a subtle curiosity. The lands beyond the Obsidian Canyon were always strangely fascinating, in a way. Somewhat surreal, even. The vast expanses of the dunes seemed to encompass all outside of her homelands. These white sands were a stark contrast to the rocky, somewhat lush canyon she had known as her home for all of her life. And here she was, on the edge of her reality, yet only the beginning of the true world, and what lay beyond. Despite her innate interest in those distant lands, she was bound to the Canyon, as she always had been. Bound to her duty, dedicated to protecting her people. Such was the noble obligation of a soldier, a necessity in the world they lived in. Those that had chosen to defend these lands had kept the peace for this long, after all. The Obsidian Canyon was a relative safe haven for her people, and things had been pleasant, something more than what many could attest to. At the end of the day, it was all she could ask for. A home, and a purpose. And yet, there was much to be seen beyond the towering walls of obsidian and stone she had lived in for so long. A vast, expansive world yet to be explored and appreciated. There was a tantalizing allure to the unknown, and yet alas, here she was, on the edge of the Obsidian Canyon, on the edge of infinity.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ta2QLvd60WD8Jwl1ROHmGub1j4-XBblSUakALpYHi_0/edit?usp=sharing