Jabal Ahmes

Geography

Jabal Ahmes is a mountain range that is jagged, uneven, and dry. The lands here hold little water to speak of and life here is unimaginably harsh. Several cave entrances can be found and explored while traveling through the mountains here but most travelers would just tell you to avoid the mountain passes here. The paths here are steep and narrow and most of time just fade into the mountains surroundings until you have lost your way entirely. Farther up the mountains, life can flourish during the winter months when the area cools considerably when compared to summer. Bushes and shrubs grow and grasses can fill a mountain plateau, so long as the rainfall is good that season. Creatures that usually hibernate during the summer months like most frogs, lizards, and small mammals emerge from their burrows and explore the world again, filling their bellies and mating before retreating again until the next season. Some of the regions more predatory creatures however do not hibernate and can be found hunting here all year round.

Mountain Travel. Navigating the Ahmes is particularly arduous because of the unforgiving mountain terrain. At the end of each hour, the character or NPC leading the party must make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a successful check, the hour's journey was not hindered on weather or terrain. On a failed check, the party comes to an impasse and must backtrack, which costs an extra hour of travel. If the check fails by 5 or more, the party is caught in a rockslide as it backtracks. The rockslide starts 2d6x100 feet above the characters.

Ecosystem Cycles

The summer months are so unforgivable here that most animals hibernate until winter. There is little if any water to be found here during the summer and there is virtually no game to hunt in the area. Sandstorms are just as frequent here in summer as out on the dunes of the desert. In fact its during the summer months that sandstorms from the lower dunes kick sand up onto the mountain where it gets drier. In the winter however there is some respite as the cool winter air allows for some weather adjustments and rain finally graces the mountains once again. During these crucial months is when the wildlife of the region re-emerges and rebuilds its ecosystem for the next cycle.

Localized Phenomena

Sandstorms. A sandstorm typically last 1d6+1 hours, and whenever the characters are caught in one, the following rules apply until it ends. A sandstorm’s howling wind limits hearing to a range of 100 feet and impose disadvantage on a ranged weapon attack rolls. It also imposes disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. The wind extinguishes open flames, disperses fog, erases tracks in the snow, and makes flying by nonmagical means nearly impossible. A creature falls at the end of its turn if it is flying by nonmagical means and can't hover. Visibility in a sandstorm is reduced to 25 feet. Creatures without goggles or other eye protection have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception checks) that rely on sight due to the blowing sand. Any creature that is concentrating on a spell in a sandstorm must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of its turn or lose its concentration on the spell unless the creature is sheltered against the elements (for example, in a cave).

Veering off Course. It's easy to veer off course while traveling through a sandstorm, and it's also easy for party members to become separated from one another, which is why the wisest course of action is to stay put and wait for the sandstorm to pass. If the characters travel during a sandstorm, have the players designate one party member as the navigator. At the end of each hour of travel through the sandstorm, the DM makes a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check on behalf of the navigator. On a successful check, the party stays on course. On a failed check, the party wanders off course, putting its members no closer to their destination than they were at the start of the hour. If the check fails by 5 or more and the party members aren't tied together, one randomly determined party member becomes lost or separated from the others. If the group tries to reunite with the missing member, have the party members (including the missing one) make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) group check at the end of each hour. If this group check succeeds, the missing party member is found, but no progress is made toward reaching the groups intended destination that hour. The group check can be repeated at the end of each hour spent searching for the missing party member.

Climate

Extreme Heat. When the temperature is at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a constitutional saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC is 5 for the first hour and increases by 2 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing medium or heavy armor, or who are clad in heavy clothing, have disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures with resistance or immunity to fire damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as so creatures naturally adapted to hot climates.

Type

Mountain Range