Athas geography

"“Almost all the Tyr Region is a desert wasteland, though it is beautiful and spectacular in its own fashion. Over each hill, behind each sand dune, the terrain appears more awesome than the land before. In my travels, I have often been overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of this land, cowed by its indifferent brutality, even frightened by the unrestrained might of its elements—but I have never been bored. Can I impart the grandeur and majesty of this area with mere words? I wonder. I can describe the queasy feeling of sliding down the glassy slopes of the Smoking Crown, or make your eyes sting with tales of walking the salt flats on a windy day. My words are but transparent reflections of this magnificent land, but perhaps they can be of use.” ―The Wanderer’s Journal"

Athas is still a largely unknown world. Millennia of misinformation, wars, and natural barriers have created isolated pockets of civilization between large expanses of desert terrain.

The known world is currently divided into the Silt Sea, the Tablelands (also known as the Tyr Region), the Ringing Mountains, and the Hinterlands. The Tyr Region is defined as the area bordered by the Sea of Silt on the east, the Hinterlands to the west, and the Endless Sand Dunes to the south.

Outside of those regions, the Jagged Cliffs and the Deadlands wait to be discovered, charted, and plundered. The surface of Athas stretches from horizon to horizon, a patchwork of fields and forests, oceans (of water and sand) and mountains, deserts, swamps, jungles, and more. Beneath the crimson sun, Athas’ varied environments give way one to another across the Tablelands. Mountains rise, valleys fall, and desert surrounds the land.

Athasian Environment
Much of Athas is a desert: sun-scorched and wind-scoured, parched and endless. From the first moments of dawn to the last twinkling of dusk, the crimson sun shimmers in the olive-tinged sky like a fiery puddle of blood. It climbs toward its zenith, the temperature rising with equal relentlessness: 35°C by mid-morning, 45°C at noon, 55°C—perhaps even 65ºC—before the sizzling day gives way to night. The wind doesn't help matters. As hot as a forge’s breath, it blows up sandstorms that last for as long as a month or more. Even gentle breezes feel like flame licks, carrying throat-searing and nose-clogging dust.

In most locations, the greatest danger is the lack of water. Much of Athas sees rain but once a year, while a few locations experience storms no more than once a decade. Even with the advent of the deadly Tyr-storms, actual rainfall has increased only slightly across the land. Evidence exists that water was once as plentiful as sand in this burning world, but now it’s as rare as a cool breeze at midday. Nights are as brutal as days. Low humidity allows the day’s heat to escape into the clear sky, plunging the temperature to 40°F or less. In higher elevations, the temperature can plummet to zero. The light of Ral and Guthay, Athas’s twin moons, provide no warmth as they shine over the darkened land.

Extreme temperatures and lack of water aren't the only features of Athas. Since the Great Earthquake that struck in the Year of Friend’s Agitation, tremors and aftershocks have been a constant threat in the western Tyr Region. That same year saw the birth of the Cerulean Storm over the Sea of Silt. This huge storm of lightning and rain hasn't abated since it appeared. In fact, it seems to be growing stronger. Periodically it spins off a smaller tempest that sweeps across the Tablelands as a dangerous Tyr-storm.

Still, the deserts and sandy wastes do give way to other terrain types in some locations. A few lush forests, for example, cling to the earth with a desperate desire to survive. Jagged mountains rise into the sweltering sky, dividing one barren landscape from another. To the east, the ever-present and seemingly endless Sea of Silt fills the horizon. To the south, vast plains of blackest obsidian form a desert of chipped stone. To the north and west, great cliffs overlook grasslands that stretch off as far as the eye can see.

Athas is a rugged world with a majesty that commands admiration. The land has personality and a beauty that’s as awe-inspiring as it is deadly. One must respect the land and learn to anticipate its capricious moods, for its relentless cruelty and indifference will sweep away anyone who does less.

Boulder Fields
Boulder fields consist of broken, jagged rock. Some are old lava flows long since cooled, and others are valleys choked with rock slides or slopes of scree. They usually lie near mountains, and most are no larger than a few miles across. Boulder fields are formidable obstacles since they lack water, vegetation, and shade, and if travellers do not have sturdy boots or sandals, the sharp rocks can cut their feet to ribbons. Deep gulches and crevices criss-cross boulder fields, offering plenty of hiding places.

Dust Sinks
Windblown dust, ash, and silt accumulate in depressions to form dust sinks or silt basins. The largest known example is the Sea of Silt, but smaller sinks exist in almost any low-lying terrain. Even a light wind stirs the dust into billowing clouds. On calm days, a dust sink appears to be a smooth plain of pale grey or dun powder. Appearances are deceptive. The dust is too light to support a traveller’s weight, but it is thick enough to suffocate anyone who falls in. Sometimes, the ground beneath the powder is uneven, concealing a dangerous drop. One misstep, and a traveller can disappear beneath the dust.

Large bodies of silt often extend like the rivers of old into more solid terrain, following narrow channels called estuaries. Many estuaries of silt are shallow enough for human-sized travellers to wade with care. Very tall creatures such as giants can navigate correspondingly deeper silt; a giant can wade through silt 10 feet deep without difficulty.

Many large sinks and estuaries are sprinkled with islands of high ground, isolated from the “mainland” by stretches of dust of varying depths. Some of these islands are rocky protrusions just large enough to accommodate a giant or two, and others can support an entire village. Miles of silt have sheltered many islands over the years from the touch of defiling magic, and those islands remain surprisingly verdant.

Mountains
Low ranges such as the Mekillot Mountains, the Stormclaw Mountains, and the Black Spine Mountains dot the Tyr Region. They are daunting obstacles. Their bare, rocky peaks—sometimes as tall as 6,000 feet—offer little water or shelter to make the climb worthwhile. After a daytime temperature of well over 100 degrees, temperatures at night can plunge near the freezing point. Most of the exposed rock crumble under the twin hammers of heat and cold, so great slopes of broken rock and frequent rock slides make for arduous travel.

Mountain vales, on the other hand, often are watered and filled with heavy scrub, cacti, or sparse forest. Little of the land is suitable for cultivation, but savages and monsters such as goliaths, gith, and kirres make their homes in vales. Large networks of caverns lie under most of the low mountain ranges, home to all sorts of strange creatures that prefer to hide from the sun.

A truly awesome mountain range marks the western border of the Tyr Region the Ringing Mountains, whose highest peaks reach 20,000 feet or more. Some of these peaks have thin but permanent snow caps.

Mudflats
Little open water remains on the surface of Athas; most is buried underground. In a few places, water seeps upward, saturating the land to create mudflats. Most common near or in dust sinks (especially the shallows of the Sea of Silt), mudflats hide beneath the churning dust, revealed only when the winds clear an area and expose the soupy mess to the air. Uncovered mudflats usually dry out in short order, leaving behind hard, cracked clay that might or might not be solid enough to support a traveller’s weight.

A few mudflats manage to survive, sometimes through cultivation and sometimes by happenstance. These areas are lush with vegetation, including desert grasses, thorny bushes, and small trees. Where mudflats stand in silt basins, low islands of dense vegetation rise above the dust. These mudflats are rarely large; most measure only a few hundred feet across. Tangled underbrush and mucky ground make travelling through these areas difficult but not impossible. In general, mudflats offer little to travellers; there isn't much standing water, and dangerous predators hunt creatures that subsist on the greenery.

The Dead Lands (Obsidian Plain)
The Endless Sand Dunes eventually give way to a steep drop in the land. At the bottom of sheer, jagged cliffs, a vast plain of blackest obsidian stretches beyond the limits of the known territory. Most of the plain is smooth, flat, black glass, though in places the plain is shattered and great jagged chunks of glass jut into the sky. Other areas appear to be flat and smooth, but are actually covered with sharp grooves and rivulets that can slice even the toughest boots to shreds.

No living creatures inhabit this desolate area. There’s nothing to eat on the obsidian plain, little to drink, and few places to find shelter from the wind and sun. There are no breaks in the glass where vegetation can thrive. No fresh sources of water bubble up among the cracks and fissures. Some water does collect in depressions when a rare rainstorm explodes over the plain, but the water quickly stagnates and turns bad before the heat of the day causes it to evaporate completely. A few clumps of bushes and groves of trees rise out of breaks in the obsidian, but whatever foul magic formed the plain has also turned these once-living plants into black stone.

An ancient, terrible battle of the Cleansing Wars was fought at this site. In the battle, the land was slain and hundreds of thousands of beings were killed. Now undead creatures of all descriptions roam the plains and canyons of ebony glass. Most of these undead creatures are the remains of the slaughtered races, beings that no longer exist on Athas — at least not as living creatures. Strange beings with stranger names haunt the plains, wailing over the injustices they suffered and calling for revenge against Rajaat and his infernal Champions. In life they were called kobolds and ogres, orcs, lizard men, and trolls. They had names like gnomes and pixies and goblins. Now they’re spirits, skeletons, and other forms of corporeal and incorporeal undead. The hatred they hold for all living things sustains them, keeping them tied to the physical world long after their bodies have died.

In some places, mindless undead continue to reenact the desperate battles they fought in life against the armies of the Champions. If living travellers come across one of these battle sites, the undead will attack them as though they were their ancient foes. In other places, solitary spirits moan for a world that has long since faded from view. There are intelligent undead on the plains as well, usually acting as leaders for the hordes of mindless zombies and skeletons that have lost their way. In all cases, when a being with the spark of life is detected, the undead flock to that spark for the warmth and sustenance it can provide. Such life sparks are as water is to a living man, and the undead of the haunted plains are very, very thirsty.

Somewhere in the centre of this haunted plain, an Obsidian Citadel rises over the fields of glass. From this bleak fortress, a powerful undead creature gathers the lost spirits and troubled souls into a massive army. The thing plans to eventually lead its army out of the Dead Land and into the realms where the living creatures of Athas still hold sway. On that day, this undead lord hopes to gain revenge against Rajaat and all others who still draw breath beneath the crimson sun.

Rocky Badlands
Most hilly regions on Athas are rocky badlands - highly eroded mazes of sharp-edged ridges, winding canyons, and thorn-choked ravines. Daunting escarpments force travelers into meandering courses along the ravine floors, which often end in blind canyons or loop back on themselves. Badlands can be barren, waterless wastes, but many are filled with thorny brush that can completely clog the ravine floors.

Rocky badlands are difficult to cross, no matter which way a traveller means to go. Sticking to a canyon's floor is easy enough, but a canyon rarely leads in the direction one desires, and the thick, prickly brush makes for very hard going. Climbing up the walls to crest a badland ridge usually involves a dangerous scramble of several hundred feet, and travel along the top of a knife-edged ridge is equally challenging.

Salt Flats
Great flat plains encrusted with salt that is white, brown, or black, salt flats can extend for miles. Some are dotted with briny marshland, but most are barren and lifeless. Any water is usually too brackish to drink and might be poisonous. Salt flats offer no shelter, and the temperatures reach more brutal extremes than anywhere else on Athas. Sun sickness can kill an unprotected traveller caught in a salt flat.

If the salt flats have one asset, it’s that no creatures linger in them for long. A prepared traveller can cross a flat without risking an encounter with a wild beast or roving band.

Salt Marshes
Salt marshes and shallow, ephemeral lakes can form in and near salt flats, dust sinks, and sandy wastes. Most are only a mile or two across, but a few—such as the Salt Meres or the Maze of Draj—extend for as much as hundreds of miles. The water, too salty or alkaline to sustain life, is undrinkable. Many salt marshes dry out completely in the months of High Sun, and some remain dry year-round if the following Lowsun comes and goes without rain.

A salt marsh contains low grasses, reeds, or brush. Ankle-deep channels of briny water encrusted with caked salt wind through the marsh, sometimes open ing out into large, shallow lakes. Here and there, tough stands of scrub or the occasional tree stand above the grasses. Few creatures can digest the tough vegetation, but the marshes buzz with tiny insects that can drive a traveller half mad.

Sandy Wastes
Vast stretches of yellow sand, sandy wastes are the most identifiable deserts of Athas. Some wastes are plains where the air is still and no winds disturb the trackless land. In other wastes, the landscape takes on a rumpled appearance as winds pile up sand to form great dunes. The topography of such wastes changes endlessly; old dunes slowly erode under the wind, and new ones form when deadly sandstorms whip up with little warning. Travellers caught in a storm hear the wind howl in a deafening scream while stinging sand bites their skin. The worst storms can scour flesh from bones.

In the flat areas of Athas, sandy wastes do not hinder travel. Oases, wells, and stands of tough scrub can sustain desert-dwelling creatures and people indefinitely. Flat sand is easy for travellers, although a lack of landmarks increases the risk of becoming lost.

In areas that have dunes, travel is more challenging. Mekillot dunes, named for their passing resemblance to the huge drakes, can be hundreds of feet tall, but most dunes rise no higher than a hundred feet. In wastes where the winds shift or collide, star dunes might form. The ridges of these mounds extend away from the main mass, forming arms that spread out like tentacles in all directions.

Scrub Plains
Scrub plains are savannah, prairie, or chaparral with just enough water to support extensive vegetation. Tough, dry grass punctuated by creosote bushes and tumble weed dominates the ground. One can even find a few small trees scattered across the landscape. By Athasian standards, scrub plains are almost lush, supporting a high concentration of wildlife.

Excessive grazing and the use of defiling magic have reduced some scrub plains in the Tyr Region to ruin. Only a few such areas survive in the wild lands between the city-states, protected by primal guardians who use ancient magic to destroy intruders and safeguard their homes. However, beyond the Ringing Mountains stretch vast scrub plains such as the Crimson Savannah.

Stony Barrens
Stony barrens dominate the Tablelands. Most barrens are bedrock shelves exposed by wind storms. These weathered plains are covered with rocks that range in size from pebbles and gritty dust to huge piles of standing boulders. In places, the bare rock gives way to hard-packed red earth, and yellow sand collects in crevices, forming dunes or drifts. Huge mesas and pointed buttes dot the plains, a testimony to the erosive power of the elements.

Cacti proliferate in stony barrens. Hundreds of species grow throughout, appearing in all shapes and sizes, from small, thorny buttons to towering saguaros. Some cacti are edible, making suitable fare for travellers low on supplies. Others are stealthy predators that can kill careless travelers; in the Athasian wilderness, one can never be certain who is the hunter and who is the hunted.

The Forest Ridge (Verdant Belt)
The Forest Ridge stretches all along the western side of the mountain summit, hugging the spine of the range from north to south. Here, a jungle of tall fir and birch trees, with a thick undergrowth of bamboo, covers the slopes of the high mountains. This area is surprisingly moist; in the morning a gentle drizzle fills the air, in the afternoon a torrential rainstorm may spring up, and at night as much as an inch or two of snow can fall.

The vegetation in the forest is so thick that travellers must cut a path through it. The canopy overhead and the closeness of the trees makes the ridge dark and gloomy. The cries of animals and birds fill the forest with noise, while an almost constant breeze blowing through the treetops produces an eerie ringing that gives the nearby mountain range its name.

Time
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