Umbragelb Desert
Geography
In the northern shadow of the Misted Mountains lies the Umbragelb Desert. It is the largest desert on the fae continent. Dry and desolate, it only rains there twice a year, during the flooding season of the TurkisMittel River, getting less than 6in of rain a year on the edges (fae have never ventured deep enough into the center of the desert to fully map it, let along get rainwater reading in it’s most desolate parts). The center of the desert contains sand dunes that rise over 1000 ft, an almost bright orange in color, and seem to be completely, and suspiciously devoid of life. The temperature fluctuation in this area is quite extreme, with an almost 90-degree swing between day and night.
The harshest sand dunes of the middle of the desert are encircled by a barrier of semi-arid desert about 6 miles (or a half a day’s walk) deep. This barrier is called the GelbRing, and anyone who talks of traversing the desert is talking about their travels to this region. The majority of the life of the desert is in this area, containing hundreds of different species of plants and animals. The GelbRing is also home to some of the most magnificent rock structures around: limestone spires that the locals believe are sleeping gods in the west, a grouping of hundreds of natural rock bridges and arches in the east - home to the most drawn landscape in the world, and towering buttes of hexagonal layered stone just unbelievably tall enough that they need to be seen to be believed.
Where the GelbRing meets the central desert, a thick layer of grey fog creeps out of the sand dunes as the sun rises, making it seem like crossing that barrier is like crossing into the afterlife itself.
Localized Phenomena
Back long before recorded history, and long before the fae inhabited the continent, there is evidence that this whole area used to be a giant lake, with the desolate center being completely underwater and the GelbRing being a sort of oasis. The harsh desert winds have completely eroded any surface evidence of underwater lifeforms, and the sands of time have left this to only myth.
The center of this land now represents a sea of sand, with strong winds blowing waves of sand into the landscape. The weather here seems harsher than most places on the continent - if the extreme heat in the daytime won't kill you, the frigid night will present quite the problem. Storms come on suddenly, as if some all-seeing force has willed it so, with winds picking up to life-threatening levels, and the sky lighting up with heat lightning. More tornado touchdowns are recorded here, than anywhere else on the continent.
History
Even though this region is geographically not the farthest from the capital, without river access, it might as well be on another continent for as much control as the Fae King. It is part of the StarRise Kingdom, but only because it falls geographically within their borders. They have no love or care for the region; their royal family prefers to let the harsh landscape of the desert rule itself. Most people in the kingdom believe the center of the desert to be cursed.
Crossing the GelbRing used to be much more important to trade in the kingdoms. The dangerous trek used to be the only way to transport the highly valuable metals out of the Green Wave Hills. The trek was not only dangerous, but it was also long, cutting into its potential profitability. The head of the StarRise Kingdom at the time invested 1 Billion dollars into the creation of the Skyway Pass connecting the Green Wave Hills through a previously unpassable section of the Bramblewood in a building project that took over 70 years to finish.
With the Skyway Pass completed, the UmbraGelb Desert was cut like a cancer from the rest of the kingdom and left to rot. Settlement cities that once were home to tens of thousands, can now barely support a thousand people, with the most infamous example of a near-abandoned city being nearby Rose City. Caravan lanes that were once as highly traveled as any road on the continent, you now can walk and go days or weeks without seeing another soul.
The desert has been forgotten about. The rumored riches that could once be found here, now only a whisper in the right ears.
Tourism
Most would say it is unthinkable to cross the Umbragelb Desert. They would say that this is a place you would never go to and that you would never survive the journey through. And while they are not wrong about the central part of the desert, the Dune Seas, the GelbRing is actually highly visited, especially by artists looking to paint the numerous unbelievable rock structures that seem to rise out of the ground without reason or purpose. The Gelbring and all of its desert beauty has been written about by some of the most famous playwrights and poets - with the most notable being "The Sound of The Wind" by Jaque Lina, about a pair of lovers traversing the desert to find each other. The area is also highly studied by scientists who want to know how these rock structures got there, and how we got here as well.
There are no settlements directly in the GelbRing, with locals preferring to make camp outside on the more hospitable plains, and if you go to visit, you will most likely stay at one of these settlement cities, with few local guides encouraging staying overnight in the GelbRing (the danger from storms is just too great).
A caravan will ring the desert, connecting the many settlements to the thriving river trade routes. If you need to get from one place to another, it is best to pay for passage with one of these caravans than seek to find your own way. The desert is a traitorous place for those who do not know it. And if the landscape itself doesn't kill you, large bands of bandits roam ready to pick off caravans and unsuspecting travelers.
Alternative Name(s)
"the land the creator made in anger"
Type
Desert
Owning Organization
Related Ethnicities
Inhabiting Species
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