The Tower of Words Lost

From the introduction: The endless sands of the Numehara Desert whisper of a lost civilization that discovered a great power. With a word they called upon the power, and with their power they flourished. But as time passed, they forgot how to summon their power. And so the civilization faded away. Fools have wandered the deserts for lifetimes, searching for the lost power of the ancients. But if the power could be lost so easily, was it ever really theirs to begin with?