I know – just how exciting can a map of a desert be? Well, truth be told, it’s not the map itself that is exciting here; it’s the story behind it.

On Arnathia, the Muioqa Desert is a mysterious desolate place where few dare to go and even fewer return. It is the epicenter of The Cataclysm that destroyed 85% of life on the planet and sent it into a 30-year winter where little sunlight reached the planets surface and most survivors were forced to flee underground. It is considered both a holy and a cursed place.

And yet, in the southeast of the desert is located a seemingly impossible feature: A snow-capped mountain, Mt. Niaholm.

As the story unfolds, there will be more and more references to things that happen in the Muioqa Desert, and more questions. What caused the Cataclysm? What was the MZS? And what lies at Mt. Niaholm?

I was able to knock the beginning of this map out in a couple of nights. I plan on adding some detail, though not sure exactly what yet. But I thought I’d share the work-in-progress.