Short History of the Salt People by Ahmed Al Yosuf, ex Hourglass

My name is Ahmed and this is my story. I was born as everyone in the desert we called Khun 120 years ago. I started my training at the oral tradition of my people from the age of 10 until maturity. 100 years ago i heard my first whisper that carried through the wind and the sand. It was the time before of what we now call Night of the Betrayal. At that time the clans under the charismatic Ahid was about to gather in hope of a union between our people. The whispers were dire as dark secrets and vile emotions overwhelmed my young body. I tried to warn them about the incoming danger but i failed so. The night came and my people slaughtered each other and only few managed to escape the madness. And then the moon exploded. Flaming stones hit the continent while large parts of desert was consumed by salt waters. Mountains died and earthquakes shaked the eternal sands. Under blood and destruction we travelled to the east towards the great seas. Woman, children, old people and wounded clansmen. Amidst the apocalypse we managed to avoid the slaughter only to be challenged by the perils of the desert. During our travel we encountered a new mountain we named Spine as it seemed to pierce the earth and the sky at the same moment. There our people made their choices. Half decided to move North from the Spine and so city-state Akra was found. The other half moved south and so city-state Denal was found. I choose to go north to Akra as i followed the last whisper of the desert. The cities started to grow and in a couple of years they became major ports. So the years of exploration begun. The sundering left behind a new archipelago in place of our great sea and within many new islands spawned. At the Spine we found rich metal veins and a old book. The book itself taught us the lesson to be free from the shackles that bind us. We were thirsty for a new beginning so we break our bonds. But we were and are people of the sand so the desert punished​ us as we no longer could hear its secrets… Now we are called Salt People…