Maze Wadi

Scalloped fan-like formations and wind-scoured canyons span hundreds of kilometers west of the dune lands and are known as Maze Wadi for its confusing structure. The steep walls of which, once entered, are too sleek and steep to simply climb out. 
Formed from a wide and deep fluvial plain etched by the seasonal flash flooding this branched ravine system leads out to a wide plain. There is found a small, deep oasis that swells to a wide marsh during the flood season. The soil along the floor of the wadi is a mix of silt, sand, and rough gravel, and makes rough going. Some small pools remain for a while after the flooding and make a refuge for birds, reptiles and other wildlife, but changing waterways may forsake these. The driving winds above the canyons force everything down into the maze, travel across the mesas above is impossible. They call it that, a maze, because of all the dead ends down branching paths that lead to either sheer cliffs, or gradually wind back around. During the dry seasons, it's a deathtrap to any unprepared explorer, and doubly so for the wet flood season.
Local tribespeople maintain a sparse network of ropebridges and trail markers but most are coded and must be used in conjunction with maps that are sold at tradeposts around the outskirts of this wide area.  A frequent destination of anything, or anyone who gets washed downstream, the Windsup is a small town that lets those regroup and journey home, for a price. Windsup is also a home to scavengers and adventurers, and has an active quests boaard posted in its tavern.

Geography

The wadi channels silt, sediment and other debris through its carved furrows and becomes a conveyor of nutrients to the more fertile basin region it empties into. Shifting sands and obstacles make only the most current maps useful here.

Ecosystem

A large fanlike worm inhabits the tidal latitudes of the region, retreating into their rocky homes for most of the year to weather the dessicating heat. When it does extend itself from its burrow, it resembles a large blue fern plant, waving its fronds in the waters to eat and spread its larvae.
Another creature that finds this area home are the cave wasps that find small eaves to attach thier paper nests, drinking from the field cactus that dots the upper fringes of the braided canyons.
Vultures and carrion birds find many lost animals here to eat who have wandered in to the labyrinth and a small band of wolves now lives here, presumably lost but feeding on whatever takes refuge from the sandstorm here.

Ecosystem Cycles

The flash flooding that strikes the region yearly makes a violent impact on the area, resculpting the deep channels and washing through many things, some becoming lost, and others newly uncovered.

Localized Phenomena

The daily sandstorms make this system of deep gouges in the stone an important shelter, but are full of hazards of their own. Quicksand, unstable ground, poisonous reptiles, and the occasional predator demand constant awaareness of explorers to the area.

Type

River Basin