The Glass Sands
of Ekkhe
On the eve of the Rahesari Festival, Swutti Fenuku is found murdered and his heik'iir is missing. Seen as a bad omen, the Spire is placed into lockdown until answers can be found and the murderer brought to justice.
Swutti Madu - newly-promoted and eager to prove himself - is thrust into the heart of the investigation and quickly finds himself ankle deep in sinking sands and his training pushed to its limits. For it is not only rogue sorcerers walking the hallowed Glass Sands now, but strange specters have been seen haunting the ancient battlefield, and if Madu's dreams are to be believed, the gods walk those sands, too.
With time running out and the pharasi fearing another mage uprising, Madu must learn to put his biases aside and learn from the past to protect the future. If he fails, the entire continent will become like the Glass Sands.
EMNUPATA
The continent of Emnupata is one of many on the desert-planet Arakhekh. Though there are a few oceans and rivers, they are few and far between. Because of this, civilisation has built up around these waterways and there are vast dunes of barren wilderness where many predators now dwell.
Many races have migrated to Emnupata - notably the mau'itt (a race of humanoid cat people), nethysi (half-human-half-bird), and the shoberek (crocodilian humanoids).
Magic on Arakhekh is known as Sand Sorcery and encompasses utilising different types of sand to aid said sorcery. Sorcery is feared in Emnupata, made illegal after the War of Sundering Sands. As such many sorcerers now hide away and work from the shadows, whilst those caught practicing such arts are arrested and taken to the Spire where they can be watched.
Ekkhe
The capital of Emnupata is the vast city of Ekkhe - located on the Bes Delta where the many distributaries meets the ocean.
It is home to thousands of humans as well as a number of other unique races. It is also the location of the Spire, a vast obelisk that houses captured sorcerers so they can be watched by men and women known as Shades, who are impervious to the effects of the vile sorcerey.