They were a legendary figure, feared by their enemies and revered by their followers. Their sand cloak was their most prized possession, a gift from the mysterious Sand Dwellers who inhabited the hidden caverns beneath the desert.

To many this warrior is a myth and a legend. To some, simply a story to read to their kids at night and to others, a god. While there are many depictions of this warrior between tribes and communities in the desert, all know them by the same name, Shai.

Shai is known to the people of the desert not only as a warrior but a protector and thee who bestows judgement upon those who do their people wrong. Shai is portrayed both as a man and a woman in their stories, and many epic tales of them shape each tribe’s beliefs and principles. In present day, Shai is best known for being the protector of ancient relics within the dunes.

Though every tribe has their own stories of Shai’s doings, all share the same story of how Shai became to be the spirit they believe in today. As legend tells, Shai the warrior found themself embroiled in a fierce battle with a band of ruthless marauders who sought to plunder the ancient ruins that lay buried beneath the sands. With their striking sand cloak billowing behind them granting them the powers of the dunes, Shai fought with unmatched skill and ferocity, cutting down their foes with ease. But in the chaos of battle, the cloak was torn from their shoulders and lost in the swirling sands.

Vulnerable without their beloved sand cloak that granted Shai their elemental powers, Shai fought on, determined to avenge its loss. Even without the cloak Shai put up a fight that even as outnumbered as they were, was almost won. But the marauders were relentless, and despite their valiant efforts, Shai was overwhelmed and fell in battle, their lifeblood mingling with the sands of the desert. Red bleeding into the soft whites and yellows of the earth.

The marauders took everything the ancient ruins had to offer and Shai lay helpless watching them plunder the thing they held most dear to them and that they fought so long to preserve. The marauders took everything and while they spent as much time as they could spare to locate the cloak, they couldn’t find it. It had seemingly disappeared into thin air, becoming one with the desert. They eventually gave up their search and left Shai there alone to die under the relentless sun.

As their spirit faded and darkness fell over the dunes, Shai felt a strange sensation, as if they were being pulled towards something greater than themself. Suddenly, they found themselves lying before a towering quadrupedal figure, clad in robes of shifting sand, much like Shai’s sand cloak. A single horn sat atop its head and its pale blue eyes glowing, staring into Shai’s very being.

Shai was at a loss for words, holding onto whatever life they had left in them. This is the end. They thought, lowering their head and giving in to the sensation.

"You have fought bravely, warrior of the sand," the figure intoned, their voice, soft and feminine echoing through the empty expanse of the desert. "But your story does not end here. Your sacrifice has not gone unnoticed, and I offer you a chance at redemption."

The wind around them quickened and the cloak twisted and turned, the fabric flapping and cracking around the figure, merging with and becoming sand. And within it, a shimmering portal of sand and blue energy emerged before Shai, beckoning them forward. Without hesitation, Shai used the last of their strength to crawl through the portal, leaving a trail of blood in the sand behind them.

As Shai pushed through the portal, the pain seemed to evaporate as their spirit merged with the fabric of the cloak itself

And so, the legend of Shai, the warrior of the sand who lost their life in battle, lived on, their spirit forever bound to the windswept dunes and shifting sands of the desert and appearing as the quadrupedal cloaked figure; the protector of the desert’s relics.

The story believed by the desert’s tribes is not far from the truth. While the warrior, Shai did once fall in battle with their cloak and does now roam the desert’s ancient relics as a quadrupedal cloaked figure; another spirit had something to do with Shai’s transformation into the spirit they are known as today. A red-faced horned creature with fire for eyes and smoke for skin provided Shai with their chance at redemption. She is known as Kinder, the soft embrace of death.