Aruku-Dune is an arid land defined by a vast desert that dominates its central plain. The [[Kajit]] who live here trace their heritage through a network of ancient cities marked by the towering pyramid-tombs of long-dead pharaohs. Life is shaped by scarce water, and long distances. Trade routes, oases, and old stone roads guide travel across the sands, while the silent pyramids stand as ever-present reminders of a deep and enduring past. ![[Image - Location - Aruku-Dune.png]] # Time Line ## The Desert–Plains Interchange Time leading up to the [[901st Cycle - Winter Season - 01st Day|1000 cycles]], movement between N’garba and [[Aruku-Dune]] is constant. There is no border beyond shifting sand and grassland. Caravans, shamans, and spirit-speakers travel freely. The two regions evolve differently but remain culturally entwined. ## The Era of Kings The first of the great pyramids is constructed between [[901st Cycle - Winter Season - 01st Day|the early first millennium]] and [[1500th Cycle - Spring Season - 22nd Day|the mid fifteen-hundredth cycle]]. Over the next three thousand years the pharaohs continued to build elaborate tombs, each greater than the last. This age defines the rise, glory, and monumental ambition of the ancient kings of the desert. ## The Age of Chains and Fire A massive slave uprising erupts on [[5377th Cycle - Turnfall Season - 88th Day|the mid five-thousandth cycle]]. Cities burn, tombs are pulled open, and the old kingdoms collapses under the weight of revolt. For generations Aruku-Dune is ruled not by pharaohs, but by fractious slave-kings, war-chiefs, and short-lived councils. The pyramids become battlegrounds and symbols of oppression, and the symmetry of the old world is shattered by fire. During this time many [[kajit]]s seek refuge in [[N'garba]] to the south and across [[The Mirthic Ocean]] in [[Egoss]] ## The New Dawn The slave-rule period is eventually overthrown, and a new generation of pharaohs re-establishes authority on [[6001st Cycle - Winter Season - 01st Day|the early six-thousandth cycle]]. Though the desert is harsher and the roads fewer, the restored line brings stability and a renewed reverence for the past. [[Kajit]] culture, scarred but enduring, becomes the custodian of the land’s ancient memory. The pyramids return to being sacred markers of lineage and legacy, inaugurating the New Dawn of Aruku-Dune. ## Major Events - The construction of the first of the great pyramids begins on [[901st Cycle - Winter Season - 01st Day]] - The first of the city burnings by the slave revolt happens on [[5377th Cycle - Turnfall Season - 88th Day]]