Illenhall

Illenhall refers to large central region of Cauron flanked to the north and east by the Veinhammer mountains and to the south by the mist-shrouded Wraith Peaks.  This vast region that covers the majority of Cauron is the greatest testament to the destruction caused by the Great Divine War.  Prior to the Scouring of Cauron was a vast plain of grasslands and prairie.  Low rolling hills that only became a true desert deep within the enormous rain shadow of the Veinhammer Mountains.  Yet in a single act of titanic destruction the entire region was torn asunder, resulting in the desertification of the entire region.  Now Illenhall is a near-inhospitable land of sun and sand.

Geography

The defining characteristic of Illenhall is its dry climate. The entire region is extremely arid consisting of large swaths of arid, stony plateaus and especially to the north-west, vast dune seas. This arid terrain is in some ways enforced naturally by the surrounding mountains but it was the effects of the Scouring that transformed Illenhall. Modern geographical surveys of the desert have been limited due to the harsh conditions of the vast desert. For the purposes of their studies the regions has been broken into four regions:
The Reaad:
The Reaad is the largest region of Illenhall, covering the desert's most northern regions along the valleys of the Veinhammer Mountains and south to the northern shores of the Bay of Illenhall. The Reaad is characterized by it's vast variety of desert landscapes contained within it. Along it's northern and north-western borders the Reaad the greener, covered in hardy shrubs and tough grasses and other plants. Further within the Reaas the terrain becomes harsher. While the Reaad contains dunes, these are spaced out between the vast flat lands of the Reaad. Vast swaths of rock, stone, and dry earth the extend out past the horizon is a common sight within this area of Illenhall. With these flat landscapes the Reaad is known for the common and large dust storms that will sweep across the landscape.
Deepsand:
Deepsand is the most western major region of Illenhall, the name carries with it the key defining characteristic of this major portion of Illenhall, the sand. Deepsand is covered in extremely varied and dense sand dunes. While this region of the great desert is perhaps the closest to civilization it remains among the least-explored regions. With the vast [need a name] ocean to the west, the mostly flat Reaad to the east Deepsand is extremely exposed to the effects to these large-scale wind patterns. These winds meet here and form a twisting maze of towering sand dunes. At the borders of deep sand it is known for dunes to commonly reach heights in excess of 300 ft. while it is clear to see much higher dunes deeper within Deepsand. The tallest dune recorded in Deepsand was performed by an expedition from the kingdom of Ceir'Umai, a nation in the south-west of Cauron. Using triangulation they were able to measure the height of a dune some 150 miles deep within Deepsand. The dune measured some 6,500 feet above sea level, the researchers estimated that the dune and those around it were probably in the realm of 3,500 - 4,000 ft. tall from their base. However, there have been conjecture that the dunes at the center of Deepsand could be even taller, perhaps significantly so. However, exploration into the heart of Deepsand has been marred with tragedy. No known expedition has succeeded in reached in center of Deepsand, which is estimated to be some 300 miles from the coast line at any given point. Several expeditions have been lost in attempts to reach it's center, while perhaps an expedition reached the center of the vast dune sea of Deepsand, no known expedition has reached it's center.
Mehtru:
Mehtru is perhaps the most inhabitable region of Illenhall. Mehtru is characterized as a transition area, between the varied terrain of the Reaad and the scorching heat of The Far-Lands. To the north and west, Mehtru retains much of the varied landscape of the Reaad, large sand dunes interspersed between large flat expanses of rock and stone. The winds off of the Bay of Illenhall in particular have triggered significant dune formation near the coast of Mehtru. The further east into Mehtru the most the region begins to more closely resembles the landscape of The Far-Lands, with larger rock formations becoming more common. Mehtru is then separated from The Far-Lands by the Ubam-raki, a massive plateau that rises dramatically from the low-lands of Melhtru. The border between Mehtru and the Reaad is much more nebulous, it is based on the key defining characteristic of Mehtru, it's rainfall. Mehtru receives on average nearly four to five times the rainfall of any other region of Illenhall. This rainfall often times collects between the sand dunes of the region, creating numerous, disconnected lakes as the dry and salty rock ground only absorbs the water extremely slowly. Some of these patches of dune are close enough that the water will flow from one to another, eventually pooling into enormous lakes. Some of these lakes drain a large enough area to be continually filled with water. This abundances of oases has lead to Mehtru being called "The Green and Silver Desert."
The Far-Lands:
Located far to the east and cradled by both the Veinhammer and Wraith mountain ranges, the Far-Lands, also known as the Ryattkai, is the most isolated location on Cauron. To reach this region one must traverse over 100 miles through Mehtru before scaling the towering cliffs of the Ubam-raki, a towering plateau with cliffs measuring over 2,000 ft. in some locations. There are few known passes through the Ubam-raki and fewer still that are usable by large expeditionary parties. The majority of expeditions into the Far-Lands have come from the south-western nations of Cauron. These expeditions, of which nearly 1 in 3 disappeared with no trace, returned with stories of a harsh and barren landscape. The Far-Lands are covered in tall and jagged rocky outcroppings, some reaching a staggering 400 ft. into the air. The ground is covered in large gouges into the earth, some narrow, some forming large canyons. Sand is not as prevalent in the Far-Lands as it is elsewhere in Illenhall but it poses a unique danger here. The sands are blown across the rocky landscape and begin to fill the numerous gouges and cervices in the rock. Through a process not understood, the sand at the bottom of these pits seems to erode, leaving large voids. The Far-Lands also seems to continually rise in altitude to the east. It is unknown to what height the region eventually reaches as no expedition into the region has traveled far enough to even reach the center of the region.

History

Illenhall, is among the largest regions modern historians know the least about. It is accompanied in these by the depths of the Feywild to the north on Alnn, and the homeland of the Half-Orcs. Yet, Illenhall perhaps may be the best at hiding its secrets as modern historians are free to search it, where the depths of the Feywild have swallowed any attempts to explore them and the Half-Orc's homeland is only known through the oral histories of the Half-Orcs. Like hall remains known and can be explored, yet it still remains a mystery.
The earliest history of Illenhal is nearly entirely lost to time. There are only a small handful of locations that the leading archeologists estimate can be dated back to the first age. Due to this small base of information, there is no consensus on what the state of Illenhal was like during this time. There are estimates that there were between five to thirty civilizations that existed.
Despite the destruction, there is much know of Illenhal in the second age, especially during the late stages of the divine war. During this time the fallen deities were forced out of their initial city and formed the city of Vol’tierheim. They waged war for many centuries from the city, in a final climactic battle the gods destroyed Illenhal. This event, known as the scouring of Illenhal, took place over a single day.  The ground of Illenhal was ripped asunder, burned, melted, thrown, and blasted apart.  In mere moments the lush, lands of rolling hills, tall grass, and forests had become an inhospitable landscape.  The fallen deities fled their home, while nearly an entire continent had been rendered uninhabitable.
After the end of the divine war, the climate of Illenhall began to stabilize.  For most of The Abandonment the area was wracked by ferocious storms and other weather as the climate stabilized.  Into the Third age Illenhall remained sparsly populated.  The grand magic of that age was unable to conquer the region, though this may be due to the after effect of the scouring.  Illenhall remained relatively free of harm from the effects of The Storm of Chanting Nights.
In the current age Illenha is still sparsly settled.  Civilization clings to life on the edges of the great desert but very few venture deep into the sandy deoths of Illenhall.

Alternative Name(s)

The Great Desert, The Scoured Lands

Location under

Cauron