This desert was once a rich, flourishing land that was home to the ancient Netherese Empire. During a war with the mysterious and powerful phaerimm, this region became magically drained of life and was transformed into a broad wasteland. This desert swallowed the human empires and states of this region, and is now only sparsely populated by desert tribes. Recently, however, it has witnessed the arrival of the Shades; the strangely-transformed descendants of the original Netherese.