The sand dunes rolled by inch by inch as the pair made their way back to the village. Half way, Rowan had stopped Buttons to let Maddox climb on. It was almost a miracle the creature could support both of their weight, but she did. She even had energy to canter back home. The village entrance was a gaping cave carved out of a large stone, perfect for blocking wind and sandstorms. As they dismounted and ducked inside, they followed the winding path down into the earth, breathing in an aromatic mixture of dense dirt and warm bodies. Neither were mouth breathers, but this tunnel was rather stuffy. Buttons followed quietly behind them, also heaving in the humid gloom.

Finally, the air pressure let up and before them was painted a magnificent scene; Ecrin. Between the intricate tunnel work and all the support beams, it was a sight to behold. The ceiling was high, the pillars large in girth, and into each archway above each tunnel was delicately carved a street name. Lining the main tunnel were vendors and tiny shops advertising trinkets and goods. Resources were hard to come by in the dessert, so nothing was particularly affordable, but that was just the standard of living. Most everything that they had besides food and clothes came from their mountain cousins, the Aerians. Although, trading with Aerians was always rocky because they looked down on most everything Orthians had. They seemed to take a great interest in a few select items: the jewels found while mining, root vegetables that didn't grow well in the mountains, and animal skins.

Rowan took a sharp right as soon as they started down the main street. Buttons followed immediately, but Maddox hung back a bit to admire his home. He was always so impressed by their creations. Like the farms Rowan was currently on her way to. Each had a massive sky light, but they were far enough underground that it was cool. A nice contrast to the heat of the desert. The farms were three acres each, all with at least two different types of crops, and there were grass pastures for raising livestock.