The Dust
Geography
The Dust is perhaps the most unique location on Khthon, an enormous ring-shaped region of shifting dunes of volcanic ash interrupted only by the occasional igneous rock formation and frequent volcanoes. Moving further south and east towards the End increases the frequency of both features, while the northwestern fringes consist entirely of ash. The borders of the Dust are constantly shifting back and forth, eating into the fertile ring of volcanic soil surrounding it with eruptions and ash storms coming from the End, and ceding ground to the frequent typhoons and rainstorms blowing in from the coast. The most constant and recognizable feature in the region is the Channel. A legacy of the Great Dwarven Empire in the form of an enormous trench surrounded by high stone walls which transports lava from the heart of the End to the fertile coast now home to the Xirillian Republic. Luckily, the machinery which disperses the molten rock to expand the coast still functions, but the greatest fear of the Xirillians is that it breaks down before the machinery encouraging the flow does.
Ecosystem
Only the hardiest of plant-life can survive the heat, loose ash and lack of sun in the Dust, leading to most of the animal life being carnivorous except near the edges of the region. All of these carnivores require a significant ability to conserve water and/or to absorb large quantities of moisture from their prey. The undisputed rulers of the Dust are the Sand Snakes initially introduced by the Altayih. The nomads maintain their domesticated population, but there is now a thriving wild population as well.
Ecosystem Cycles
The primary cycles of the Dust are related to the struggle between the rain turning its edges to soil while the typhoon winds push the ash inland, and the eruptions and ash storms pushing the edges outwards in turn. This is an extremely chaotic process due to unpredictability on both sides of the equation. In consequence divination and meteorology are extremely profitable in the bordering republic.
Alternative Name(s)
Gray Waste, Ash Desert
Type
Desert
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