Mal'ek Desert

It is a tradition among many towns and cities that the 'tale' of the Mal'ek Desert is shared among the people, sometimes taking a life of its own. The story, however, that is generally agreed upon follows as such:

''Before the elvhen settled in Eibolen, weary from their journey through the Aegis Seas, the Mal'ek Desert was not dusty and barren expanse. It was filled with lush flora and fauna, teeming with life and water. An ancient people were said to have inhabited its shade, living off the land and thriving within its boundaries by magic and the earth.''

''When the elvhen arrived from the Old World, they did not become aware of these people until much later, and left them to their own devices when they did. The memory of an elf runs deep, and working with strangers in an ever stranger land was not appealing to the elvhen. Then ancients did not mind either way. They had always survived off the land, and did not need trading or communication to live. And thus it was until the dwarvhen arrived.''

''The dwarvhen, searching for a new home from their previous lands, stayed in their mountains warm and snowy peaks, and had no reason to come down the steep slopes of the Andari range. So the ancients were left alone once more. ''

''When the elvhen and dwarvhen tensions came to a head over distrust and the experiences their people had gone through to arrive in Eibolen, the Mal'ek became the hotbed for skirmishes between the two races. The ancients, who had lived in peace for as long as they had been there, were frightened. Death and anger polluted the Mal'ek, things the ancients had not experienced before - not like this. ''

''The dwarvhen and elvhen did not understand why these people shied away from choosing a side. Eventually, they turned on the peaceful ancients as well. If they were not with them, they were against them. ''

''It is unclear what happened, truly. The dwarvhen and the elvhen both have their own versions of history, and perhaps there are traces of truth within them. What is clear is that the ancients seemed to have had enough of being the scapegoat, and instead of moving on from their paradise, they removed it and themselves. Any who remained within their space were gone as well. No trace, no mess - just gone. And thus the races pulled back their armies, holding each other at arm's length and building a wall of silence that would last long into the years.''

Search parties, scholars, and everyone in between looked for any signs of what has actually happened, but nothing has turned up. Everything, and everyone, that had been within that sphere simply ceased to exist.