Far to the south of Hyerune, in the great desert region known as the Dune Sea, lies the domain of a powerful earth genie known as the Pasha of the Sands. Believed to have been banished to the Prime Material Plane by his cousin the Khan of the Dao, the Pasha of the Sands established a realm of his own and quickly consolidated his power base.

The center of this domain is a magical citadel called the Palace of the Shifting Sands. The structure possesses an almost ethereal beauty like something straight out of the pages of a Hyerunean fairy tale. The Palace appears as a graceful sand castle but with the ability to slowly rise and fall beneath the horizon. To the casual observerer, the Palace of the Shifting Sands appears at first to be nothing more than a simple mirage and is therefore often ignored by most of the local nomads. From a distance, the Palace of the Shifting Sands appears to be nothing more than a toy sand castle carved out of the very desert. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth as it is actually a haven of evil, deceit and enslavement.

In actuality, the Palace is a well-crafted structure build with the aid of powerful creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth along with potent spells of construction and transmutation. The structure itself is formed from sand and stone from the region and shaped into high towers and lofty minarets and onion domes. The great gate itself is wrought iron and bronze said to be guarded by powerful creatures known as sand apes.

The interior of the palace consists of a multitude of rooms and passages. It is home to a variety of creatures, most of whom are as evil as the Pasha himself. Included in this roster are sand giants, dao commoners (earth genies), sand apes, xorn miners, dust and earth mephits and even an earth wierd who serves as the Pasha's vizier. The stronghold is also said to be defended by a basilisk, a personal pet of the Pasha, as well as a number of stone gargoyles who sit in constant vigil upon the multiple turrets of the palace.