The Ramaal Jayiea Desert
The region of the Ramaal Jayiea Desert remains vastly unexplored and open, covering the entire expanse of land from the borders of Dusty Shore, Sand Wisp , and Olive Branch all the way to the Undullain Ocean , domination a wide portion of the Eastern Wastes. The arid and desolate desert predates that Blight as a naturally occuring anomaly within this territory, though prior to the events of the Blight it was much smaller. Within are dangers not found anywhere else, and a vibrant and well preserved ecological system protected from the more direct effects of the void by the prevailing environmental severity that exists there. This is, however, changing bit by bit as time goes on that unique weather formations that assail the skies of Cairne drop more and more toxicity upon the drifting sands of the Ramaal Jayiea.
Geography
Parched earth lines the borders of this territory and gently fades into a sea of rolling sands beneath a dim, cloud choked sky. Deeper within, even the clouds fade revealing a stark, arid region of burning heat, severe winds, and treacherous mesas and canyons that twist and spiral into hidden caverns below.
Ecosystem
Life within this region has a unique situation, as the fluctuations between day and night are drastic in the extreme. What little vegetation that manages to survive the temperatures and lack of moisture holds a unique place in the flora of Cairne, being found nowhere else, and the fauna is remarkable and sturdy, showing the marks of many mutations but in a much more slow paced manner of change resulting in less drastic developments that seem to fall into the more practical areas of useful alterations stemming from their location and ability to survive there.
Ecosystem Cycles
The climate in this region fluctuates only a small amount with the seasonal shifting, and while it does cause some of the vegetation and animal life to adjust, it causes very little disruption.
Localized Phenomena
Due to the loose sands and high winds, devastating sandstorms roll across the desert constantly, and within these billowing and choking clouds heave forth great expulsions of electricity that arc at strange angles and appear without warning, with no precipitation to be seen. This enigma has perplexed the scientific community who attribute it to the presence of the Void, though some instances of this have been recorded prior, to a lesser capacity. Where these storms pass, in their wake is left scorched patches of black glass, formed from the repeated strikes of the lightning. If left undisturbed, the constant winds and movement of the sand will break it down over time and disperse the smaller particles into the desert itself.
Climate
The main fluctuations here are between night and day, where the nights can drop to below freezing temperatures made worse by the high speed winds that flow across the surface of the place with nothing to inhibit them, and the days can get hot enough to be lethal to those foolish enough to travel there unprotected.
Fauna & Flora
While several strains of various xerophytes exist along the exterior regions of the desert, very little can survive the fluctuating temperatures from day to night, either being scorched by the heat of day, or freezing at night. The strains that have survived have deep roots, and store large amounts of water in their thick succulent leaves, protected by a thick, waxy covering. Deeper into the interior, rumors of other, larger woody plants are whispered, but no proof of this has been discovered, even with aerial observations, the constant winds and storms making it nearly impossible to keep a sufficient low altitude flight stable long enough to gather information. Aside from this, the extreme outer edges are actually a prime location for various drought resistance variants of many common herbs such as thyme and oleander.
The animal life of the region is primarily insectoid, as their unique anatomy make them suitable for the extreme variants and harsh conditions. The Carrier Ant and the Fennex thrive in the outer regions, and the ants are said to have a vast network of tunnels that stretch far below the surface and well into the interior, however, due to the proximity of what is believed to be a queen or even several queens, depending on the scholar discussing it, the ants become increasingly more aggressive and territorial the further into their domain one goes, leaving the locations beyond the outer reaches unexplored. There are many variants of rodent life, arachnid, and reptilian creatures, though most remain mundane and lack any notable mutations aside from a trend in the increase in size.
Natural Resources
Aside from being a vast source of silica, there are several shallow mining operations at the edges of the desert run by independent Ventryte groups that mine phosphorus, iron, and manganese that are traded. Ironically, the Ventrytes have also tapped several shallow, submerged water resevoirs that remain untainted and protected by the desert itself.
History
Those that live at the edges of this remote location have a saying:
"The desert is a timeless symbol of the enduring essence of existence, reminding us that in the face of the constant changes of life, some things remain unchanging and eternal."The Ramaal Jayiea has always held a strange mystique in the realm, and there are places and aspects of it that remain, to this day, unexplored and without explanation. Very few souls are hearty enough to survive there long, but many tales of strange folks in the central and deepest parts of the desolate anomaly have persisted throughout history, and continue to present day. Within the canyons and mesas, and even the subterranean locations below, there remains an entire world of mysterious and strange vistas, some of which no outsider has ever looked upon. In older times, prior to the Blight, the location was romanticized by many, and many explorers would test their mettle upon the outer reaches of the area, several never to be seen again. The lack of proposed resources to make any larger scale expeditions or attempts to claim the region profitable kept most of the curious explorers from being able to afford the needed means to go deeper into the interior, but the dangers there have doubled since the Blight, and now the location stands as an imposing no man's land between the Ventryte Lands and the Undullain Ocean. The rumors of ancient ruins and undiscovered tribes, and lost treasures and artifacts of unimaginable power still cycle through the stories and tall tales of the people of the region, and the location is often a central location in popular pulp fictions where charismatic desolation striders brave the dangers there to uncover the mysteries within, but to date all attempts to delve into the unknown beyond the outer reaches of the desert have ended in disaster, with several attempts lost forever beyond the whirling sands that seem to swallow up all who go there.
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