Daervoth stood in the hot, sweltering sun

the leather carapace molded around his chest

as protection seemingly doubling the heat.

He took a swig of water from his canteen

swishing the liquid around in his dry mouth

before swallowing.

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Athas is a brutal home, filled with dangers both environmental and mortal-made. There is the relentless heat, lack of water and endless wastelands filled with dangerous mutated creatures that have adapted to survive the rigors of their ruined homeland.
The Dragon ravages the region, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake, bringing ruin to entire villages while the Sorcerer Kings vie for power against one another. Giants from the Sea of Silt wander ashore to attack and plunder the coastal regions and bandits waylay merchant caravans carrying precious and needed goods to market. A list of actions and other game-related envrionmental considerations can be found in "The Environment" section, while descriptions of the terrors of the Athasian deserts are found in the "Beasts & Monsters" section.

Finally, on the burning sands under the Dark Sun metal, wood and other such resources are scarce. Though Tyr is famed for its iron mines and holds the monopoly on both raw iron and iron-craft items, even in Tyr iron is still rare and expensive. Thus the people craft the majority of items from other available materials such as clay, stone, shell, bone and obsidian. Prices, trade and other related information can be found in the "Economy & Craftmanship" section.

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