The Only Shadow That the Desert Knows

Combat is not the focus of the game. Immediately descending into caves is not necessarily the best option.
Books are vital to beating the game.
Acquiring enough books may require travel to different times and places.
Take notes with pen and paper!
If you're having trouble, try replaying the same seed (and reusing your notes).
Don't forget to rest when low on HP.

HELP
The Only Shadow That the Desert Knows is a mystery game. If you feel confused, that's OK! The real challenge of the game is understanding it.

THE CALENDAR
The game starts in the year 500. Each turn takes exactly 1 full day. The in-game calendar consists of 360 days per year, 30 days per month, 12 months per year (Echlun, Omnlun, Esslun, Angruna, Drasun, Warosuna, Charilun, Rayaslun, Rodacklun, Dynerlun, Kaworlun, and Cerun).

TIME TRAVELLING
You can travel to any time during or after Year 0. However, time travel consumes a limited resource, Xenotime. Xenotime is a magical mineral that exists outside of time. It can be found all over the world, but will be permanently removed from the world once collected. Time travel is vital to unlocking the game's mystery and can also be very useful in combat.

WORLD MAP
Throughout the game, 4 races vie for control of territory on a global scale. The world map shows which areas are currently controlled by which race as well as which are controlled by none (wilderness). In this game, unlike others with world maps, walking around on the world map is not always efficient. Quick travel will usually be interrupted when passing through wilderness because monsters roam free in those areas.

Quick travel on the world map takes about one month (30 days) per move because each world block is 40 by 30 tiles.

THE SEED
The name you enter on the main menu is the seed for your playthrough. Entering the same seed repeatedly will reproduce the same history. Therefore, reusing the same seed is a way to make the game much easier if you so desire.

CONTROLS
Movement: Mouse, QWE/AD/ZXC, numpad, arrows, or vi keys
Stairs/zoom: <> or [] or {}
Read: R
Time travel: T
Wait: S, numpad-5
Message log: M
Rest: Spacebar, numpad-0