Vélyphola Desert

Table of Contents

A large desert near the equator on eastern Gysuphun.

Geography

Defining Features

The desert measures up to 2400 km from north to south and up to 1400 km from west to east. It is mostly covered by yellow sand dunes. Towards the west, beige rock formations begin to rise up on the way to the jungle. A wide, regularly flooded beach runs along the desert's eastern side.

Rivers

The northeastern boundary is defined by the Golunyó River which emerges from a spring in the Vógónol Jungle. In the south, approximately a fourth of its area is cut off by the Nalényó River.

Forests

Numerous forests are scattered throughout the desert. Their locations keep shifting between the years, making them rather useless as landmarks. They are known as mudanolé which translates as "wandering forests".

Ecosystem Cycles

Plantlife in the mudanolé thrives in the colorful light of the Kaleidoscope. The forests are most lush in summer when Chryphóra's orbit around Saphéne brings the planet closest to this phenomenon. In winter, however, the majority of these plants dies off.

History

Etymology

Vélyphola is the name of the clan which first settled in the northeast of the desert. Among the clans of the northern forest, their name became synonymous with the characteristic heat of these lands. The word was eventually adopted as a noun in the Nimýric language.

Expansion to the South

The first major expedition through this desert was lead by Malórin the Explorer and began in the year 72 PN. Despite the scorching heat, the desert was ultimately the safer choice compared to the dense jungle in the west, due to the latter being infested with venomous animals and toxic plants.

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