The Eastern nation of Arif. It is mostly a dry, hot plateau, although it slopes steeply to the Dark Mesas and Endless Plains of its powerful western neighbor, Zhuma. Alquarest is very poor only loosely organized, but its constituent principalities have managed to unite behind the threat of Zhuman rule and raise an army to defend the long border. Alquarest settlements use qanat systems (artificial springs) as their primary water source.