Sandrock

Sandrock
Downtown⁠ City⁠
General information
Type	Town
Location	Eufaula Desert. Between Portia, Atara and Highwind.
Region	Alliance of Free Cities
Map

“	Sandrock is a great place if you can get past the arid environment, frequent sandstorms, constant bandit attacks, incessant conflict over resource distribution, wandering sentient beasts with the goal of global conquest... yep, I do miss it sometimes.	„
— Mason in My Time at Portia

Sandrock is the titular city in My Time at Sandrock, the second game in the My Time series. It is a desert town with the smallest population in the Alliance of Free Cities, and is bordered by Portia, Atara, Walnut Groove and Highwind, all of which are other members of the Alliance.

Sandrock's region is extraordinarily hot and dry, characterized by large swaths of warm orange sand punctuated with reddish rocks, earning it its name. There are patches of yellow grass as well as more hilly areas with low shrubs and small trees.

The town is connected to both Highwind and the Alliance capital, Atara, by the Atara-Highwind Railway and to Portia by the Eufaula Tunnel. The Eufaula Tunnel does not exist at the start of either My Time at Sandrock or My Time at Portia, but is built as part of the main story. Sandrock imports most of its water from Atara and Portia and exports Fire Stone, Eye of the Tiger, Sand Tea, and earthenware like Ceramic Jugs.

History

“	Like a pure sapphire in the desert, the beauty of Martle’s Oasis is truly a sight to behold.	„
— The Travels of Mayet Bee

Early Sandrock

Sandrock was founded around Martle's Oasis, a once beautiful oasis full of plants, fruits, and strange animals. 71 years ago on Peach Year 27, Martle, a traveler journeying from Atara to Highwind, stopped at an oasis in the Eufaula Desert. Abundant in water, fruit, plants, and wildlife, she chose to stay, establishing Hotel Sandrock for fellow travelers. Martle and her husband Mort lived in harmony with the natural surroundings and insisted that her hotel's guests do the same, fostering a respectful relationship with the local environment.

Sandrock during the Relic Rush

Initially, Sandrock was a modest rest station with only a few settlers. As trade between Atara and Highwind began to surge, it attracted caravans and with them, the potential for profit. At the time, the town offered little more than a picturesque oasis and a small forest, amenities that were not scarce in Atara or Highwind. In Peach Year 32, five years after the establishment of Hotel Sandrock, during the first Alliance-Duvos War, prospectors made a significant discovery: the hotel was situated near a buried metropolis. This revelation triggered a massive influx of prospectors and Ruin Divers, eager to unearth the wealth of Relics and Power Stones from the Old World for the war effort. The arrival of these prospecting companies marked a period of environmental disregard, as they depleted the local prairie of trees for construction and disrupted wildlife to establish ranches. Additionally, the oasis was heavily exploited and polluted, as they pumped water directly from the oasis to cool their machines. This period of frenzied relic hunting and extraction came to be known as the Relic Rush, drastically altering the landscape and ecosystem of the area.

Destroyed extraction equipment

The huge surge in population and the booming extraction business led Atara and Highwind to construct the Atara-Highwind Railway linking Sandrock to these cities to support the extraction industry. Martle tried to repair the damage to the oasis and to replant parts of the destroyed forests, but her efforts were in vain. The scenery that had inspired her to open her rest stop had been destroyed beyond repair. Martle watched as her beloved oasis became a shadow of its former beauty. She spent her remaining years attempting to restore the oasis, planting trees and cleaning up as best she could. Despite these efforts and those of successive leaders, Sandrock struggled with ecological damage. Once a bustling hub, it dwindled to a quiet town, its future uncertain as the environment continued to deteriorate.

Due to Sandrock's history, wood has become a scarce resource and water even more so after the pollution and destruction of Martle's Oasis. These setbacks caused most residents to leave the town.

When the player enters the story, the town is close to collapse.

Characters

Concept art

Concept art

Listed below are residents of Sandrock with whom the Builder can develop bonds with:

• Amirah, a pottery artist. Arvio is her brother. Originally from Barnarock.
• Andy, a boy. Member of Logan's gang.
• Arvio, owner of a general store. Amirah is his sister. Originally from Barnarock.
• Banjo, a stray cat.
• Burgess, a devotee of the Church of the Light
• Captain, a cat member of the Civil Corps.
• Catori, runs the Golden Goose entertainment complex, Catori's Museum and Catori World. Originally from Atara.
• CoCo, a pig nose owl, friend with the raven X.
• Cooper, a rancher. He is married to Mabel. Elsie is their daughter.
• Dan-bi, youngest member of the Church of the Light. Married to Rian.
• Elsie, an independent minded young woman. Cooper and Mabel are her parents.
• Ernest, an author intrigued by Logan's story.
• Fang, a doctor. Owner of the raven X. Originally from Seesai.
• Grace, an "archaeology student" from Atara. Works as a cook at the Blue Moon Saloon. Owner of Squeeze the Day.
• Heidi, an architect. Hugo is her father and Vivi her grandmother. Studied together with Gust.
• Hugo, a blacksmith. Heidi is his daughter.
• Jane, a teacher.
• Jasmine, a young delivery girl. Trudy is her mother.
• Jensen, a train conductor.
• Justice, the sheriff and leader of the Civil Corps.
• Krystal, married to Rocky and mother to Pebbles.
• Logan, an outlaw and former resident of Sandrock. Son to Howlett. Also mentioned by Mason in My Time at Portia.
• Mabel, Cooper's wife and Elsie's mother.
• Macchiato, a stray cat.
• Magic Mirror, an AI wardrobe assistant.
• Mason, the previous local builder. He retires to Portia in My Time at Portia
• Matilda, Minister of the Church of the Light. Stands in for the absent mayor.
• Meerkat, an animal found by Elsie.
• Mi-an, a fellow builder. Originally from Tallsky.
• Miguel, a pastor of the Church of the Light. Originally from Doss.
• Mort, the graveyard keeper of Sandrock. Husband of Martle, the founder of Sandrock.
• Nia, a student of botany and the player's childhood. friend who lives in Highwind.
• Nemo, a stray dog.
• Owen, owner of the Blue Moon Saloon.
• Pebbles, a boy. Son to Rocky and Krystal.
• Pen, self proclaimed protector of the town.
• Pablo, runs the local hairdressing salon Pablo's Parlor.
• Qi, a researcher.
• Rian, the local carpenter. Married to Dan-bi.
• Rocky, the boss of Eufaula Salvage, a mining company. Married to Krystal and father to Pebbles.
• Sandy, a trained camel.
• Trudy, the mayor. Jasmine is her daughter.
• Unsuur, member of the Civil Corps.
• Vivi, a tailor. Hugo is her son and Heidi her granddaughter.
• Venti, a member of the Eufaula Salvage team. Originally from Lucien.
• Wei, twin brother to Yan.
• X, a raven. Dr. Fang's pet.
• Yan, the "president" of the Commerce Guild in Sandrock.
• Zeke, manager of the Sandrock Moisture Farm. Son to Mort.

In addition, some characters from My Time at Portia make an appearance in My Time at Sandrock:

• Mint (MTaP), an engineer from Vega 5.
• Penny (MTaP), a traveling musician.
• Albert (MTaP), a construction management consultant from Portia.
• Gale (MTaP), the mayor of Portia.
• Ginger (MTaP), daughter to Gale, comes to Sandrock to be treated by Fang.
• Gust (MTaP), son to Gale, comes to Sandrock together with his sister. Studied together with Heidi.

Locations

“	Sandrock is a resource rich city, it's located on top of an ancient megatropolis. But due to a lack of water, their population is low. Portia supplies much of their water.	„
— Lucy, teacher at Portia's school

• Sandrock:
  • Sandrock City Hall
  • Milky Way
  • The Breach
  • The Blue Moon Saloon
  • The Tumbleweed Standard (local newspaper)
  • Unnamed ranch
  • Unnamed stable

• Ruins:
  • Abandoned Ruins (excavation only)
  • Hazardous Ruins (combat only)
  • Half-Explored Ruins (contain both combat and excavation)

The areas surrounding Sandrock feature a number of different terrains: canyons, valleys, salt plains, drylands, deserts and mesas.

Politics

Like the other Alliance members, Sandrock is an independent city state. Little is yet known about its government except that its mayor is a tough woman named Trudy. The local sheriff is named Justice.

Treasures

Main article: Treasure chest

Relations with Portia

Portia and a number of its residents have some connection to Sandrock:

• Portia exports water to Sandrock as a part of their trading relationship.
• During the My Time at Portia mission Long-Haul Bus, the player has the opportunity to help develop a new bus route that brings tourists to and from Portia. The player can then see and interact with the tourists as they wander around town.
• Mint has been there a few times.
• Mason was a Sandrock resident and later retires to the Somber Marsh in Portia.
• Siwa once considered moving there.
• Albert visits Sandrock often. He comes back from a business trip there as a part of the My Time at Portia mission: Perfect Appearance.
• Paulie has clients from there.
• Mei picked up her hat in Sandrock.

In My Time at Sandrock, Mint, Ginger, and Ginger's family will visit Sandrock.

Trivia

My Time at Gobi Desert

• The landscape near Sandrock is inspired by the Gobi Desert.
  • For inspiration and authenticity, Pathea Games staff took a research trip to the Gobi Desert to learn about it firsthand and ask locals about the environmental trials that they face there.

Gallery

Amirah, a Sandrock pottery artist

Male NPC

A Beautiful Day in Sandrock

Concept art

Train to Atara and Highwind passing a landmark

Promotional

Closeup image of the train

Buried metropolis

See also

• Sandrock on My Time at Portia Wiki