the Lotus Vale

The Lotus Vale is a grassland region of Suthurhart bounded by the two northern branches of the Marble Hills on the South, East, and West and by the shores of the Trade Sea to the North. Due to various natural hazards, it is largely uninhabited. A stone rubble wall was built in ancient times by the Fahrans to deter passage to and from the Vale.

Geography

The Lotus Vale is generally a flat region, though sprinkled with elements of the underlying karst topology such as freestanding pillars and, it is believed, numerous monster-filled caverns. Many of these above-surface features, despite the natural state of such things as landmarks, are without official names, though some have been given unofficial names by the crews of the few airships that fly over the region for whatever reason.

Fauna & Flora

Tall grasses five to fifteen feet in height dominate the landscape, making navigation by land exceptionally difficult. Hidden among these grasses is the dangerous spitting lotus, a carnivorous plant that spits venomous seeds into the bodies of its prey. Additionally during summertime, the very air of the Vale turns yellow-gold with blinding, stinging pollen.
Also among the dangers of the Vale are enormous beasts of various types that feed off the grasses of the Vale, whose origins are debated among the few scholars interested in this region. Some believe that it is some local phenomena, possibly some nutrient in the grass that causes them to grow to immense sizes. Others believe there may be one or more portals to a Giant's Domain, yet all expeditions to find such a portal have ended in failure.

Natural Resources

There have been no natural resources worth exploiting in the Vale save for extracts of some, specific plants that lure specialists to here for alchemical reasons.

Type

Grassland