Editing Shattered Sun (section)

===The Gateway to Hell===
There were other gigantic Shards which streaked across the blazing sky. One such specimen struck one of the vast deserts of the south shortly after the birth of the Phoenix. Due to the massive sandstorms raging through there at the time, the Shard's downwards course was hastened through the miles of endless storm and debris and eventually crashed into the ground with indescribable force felt even during the worst of the Awakening across the world.

The shard plowed through the ground for miles, burning sand into the pure crystal in every direction much of the way down before it finally stopped and lay still. Rather than fill with sand from around the impact, the area soon afterwards began to calm down as the Shardstream above eventually changed course, broke apart, or simply fell to the Earth below as they were won't to do at the time. The intense storms finally stopped as the land began to turn to eternal night. In the darkness, the Shard became the only source of Light in the entire desert. Its golden-red glow, a mockery of sunset caused by the dust particles in the air, could be seen for miles in all directions. The brilliant glow lit up the sky for hundreds of feet upwards, refracted by the tunnel of crystal encircling the Shard.

====''Hell's Gatekeepers''====
As the local animal and fauna died out all around, the ones near the Shard seemed to thrive as its magical properties rapidly reformed them from the inside out in a matter of years. Cacti grew to massive, gnarled, and twisted sizes, their tendril-like arms interlocking and forming an organic maze around their new source of nourishment. As the cacti sucked raw energy from the air, they eventually evolved into entirely new species. The animals, or more accurately, the scorpions, evolved to their new surroundings, feeding on the swarming insect population and any living creature stupid enough to come to the light looking for warmth. Their already dangerous poisons brewed to new heights of potency by the energy wisping underneath the cacti's reach underground.

====''Into the Scar''====
The actual Scar however, was the most dangerous place yet.

A constant stream of sand whisked into the tunnel by the winds were burned as they passed into the Gateway and drew too close to the Shard. The intense heat surrounding the Shard caused the sand to glow a brilliant yellow as it was thrashed upwards by the scalding air, and the overall effect being that of an endless stream of embers creeping up the tunnel. These embers regularly set fires to the Cacti, whisking a flurry of ash onto the surface which provided the survivors with precious nutrients. The burning smell lingered through the desert as it was spread out towards its many corners.

The Shard glowed an angry red from above. Those who descended into the Scar itself were blinded by the diffused and refracted Light with a multitude of rainbows from all directions, making it even harder to navigate the tunnel's smooth surface. Even worse, it made such poor souls more likely to fall in too deep and be burned to cinders by the sudden increase of temperature. The air within was dry as bone, without a drop of moisture to be found, causing trouble for the throat and lips only a fraction into the cavern.

====''A New Oasis''====
Overall, the massive amounts of fire, ash, poisonous animal life, twisting walls of needle, and hellish glow gave everyone who saw it but even once the impulse to run for their lives from what was surely the home of demons, and gave birth to it's local nickname.

Until recently, that is. In the last few years the Shards Light and heat has begun to die. The fires became fewer, and one can even venture much deeper before the heat begins to become stifling. Because of this turn of events, foolhardy adventurers and businessmen alike now lead expeditions down the Gateway in search of the treasures of the Gateway. Awaiting the successful are the valuable resources of the Shard which could still be exploited for profit, as well as the poison of the scorpions, a very sought after ingredient for both Alchemist's potions and assassins daggers alike.