Scorched Plains of Aqshy

-The Scorched Plains
- The Charred Steppe
- The Broken Plains
- The Dying Plains

The Scorched Plains

This region of Aqshy stretches between the Southern Mountains of the Caldera, and the waters surrounding the Island of Aqshy’s Greatest Volcano. It is a hot and arid region full of rocky crags, scorched earth, and petrified trees. A constant haze of ash blocks most of the sunlight from reaching the ground. Strong winds blow across the barren lands* carrying with them the acrid sulphur and ash of Aqshy's Heart clouding the sky and scouring the Plains barren. Darting across this region are lakes of fiery lava which contain gargantuan spires of rubied Realm Stone wreathed in flames. These spires act as beacons of crimson light and stand out amidst the gloomy haze of this barren land.

This region is hostile to most life however Tuskux and amphibious Iron-Tooth salamanders live along the shores, whilst Magmadroths are known to make nests near the lakes and mountains. Strange fiery monstrosities have been seen preying upon the few weaker creatures that call this land home. This land may be considered inhospitable to an outsider, but its great draw is its richness in metals and minerals.

Few people call the Scorched Plains home however, it is a land of extremes, and few can survive there. The The Sundered Clans however are the exception, grim and weathered humans, they survive by hunting The Scalding Sea for food. Other arrivals to the Lost Archipelago have settled in the Scorched Plains, those who are eager for the challenges of such an extreme environment, or those who seek safety within the constant veil of ash.

The Charred Steppe

Also known as the Southern Scorched Plains, the Charred Steppe used to be a huge grassland, but now is nothing but a charred remnant, a land of ashen soil and the burnt remains of grasses. It is the largest area of the Scorched Plains, and as such, the hot winds fly long and low over them, stirring the scorched earth and ash filled air into deadly storms. During these the air grows thick with ash, choking those caught out, filling their lungs with ash and scorched earth.

Clan Aaziv are the largest of the tribes in this section of the plains, numbering just over one hundred, and they are brutal and aggressive raiders. Unlike most of the Clans they live far inland, their village built around the largest of the Realm Stone spires which they worship as an embodiment of the Mountain of Fire. They survive not through hunting and fishing, but by raiding the other tribes. They fight like ghosts, led by their Raidlord - Terzat - they silently appear out of the ash, slaughtering all in their way. When all lie dead, they strip their victims and the village of food and possessions before returning to the ash.

The Stompa Skorchas are a warclan of Ironjawz living in the Ash-Storm Plains, they make their armor from the metals found in the plains, which they hammer and bend into shape to make their crude war-plate. They colour their armour and tattoo their skin with red-orange oxides.

The Broken Plains

The Broken Plains, or Western Scorched Plains - so called due to the mountains that break up its surface - is the most hospitable. It is largely sheltered from by the broken ranges of the Caldera Mountains so the clouds of ash lie less heavily here and it's coast meets in many areas the temperate ocean waters with only small sections meeting the The Scalding Sea, as such cooler air currents blow off the oceans, enough to occasionally bring rain. However, fiery spells run rampant on this area of the plains, endless spells with a beastly conscience rampage through the plains, while spirits of fire and lava burst forth from beneath the ground. It is thought that these phenomena originate from the volcano, the Caldera's Wound as it is often seen shaking and roaring like a furious beast, and some believe some powerful creature or spirit of the fire lives within it.

Due to the slightly more habitable conditions more animals and plant species live here, including many insects and several small mammalian species such as the Aerrtar, rat-like creatures with large front paws they use to dig their burrows.

The herbivorous Entater is a large four legged mammal that stands about the height of a man. They travel in herds and feed on the tubers and mushrooms hidden beneath the ashen earth, which they find by sifting through the dirt with their long trunk-like noses.

The main plant life in the plains is the Tarnin, a small plant with a bulbous tuber that only grows after the rain. When it does, it grows swiftly into a small green plant with a bright red flower, it then quickly goes to seed spreading them on the wind until they come to rest and lie dormant until the next rains come. The mother plant will then soon be eaten or die back down to a tuber.

The Dying Plains

In the shadows of the Caldera Mountains, the the Dying Plains is the hottest and driest of the plains, denied by the mountains even the incredibly rare and sporadic rainfall that reaches the other plains. So close to the mountains the Dying Plains is wracked by constant rockfalls and landslides, leaving the ground a mess of shattered rock with little in the way of earth or anything for life to grow in. However, not all races truly live, and it is said that a procession of Nighthaunt, prowls along these lifeless shores.