Neszekotalo Basin

The interior of Kot Petaszi is an elliptical bowl 400 km on its long axis and 360 on its short axis. With precipitation blocked by the mountain ranges to the east, north, and west, the basin experiences a desert climate that ranges from difficult to punishing. The name Neszekotalo has been given to the basin from the szageki words for sand and rock.

Geography

The elevation in the basin ranges from 900 meters above sea level at the foot of the northern mountain range to 50 m at the southern pass. The northeastern quarter is dominated by canyonlands, and the southwestern quarter is dry scrubland. In between are the dune fields, occasionally interrupted with rock formations shaped by aeolian processes. The average annual rainfall is 200 mm in the scrubland, 100 mm in areas nearest the mountains, and 20 mm throughout most of the center. In the central sands, the high temperatures at noon regularly exceed 40 degrees C, especially in the summer months. Szageki use the midday heat as a form of passive execution, expelling outcasts from shelter just before the hottest part of the day.

Ecosystem Cycles

Due to its proximity to the equator, the Neszekotalo experiences few changes between one season and another. The most significant exception is the winter windstorms fueled by air masses entering the basin through the southern break in the surrounding mountains. These air masses can generate powerful sandstorms, but also contribute the bulk of the moisture the area receives during the year.

Fauna & Flora

What life the Neszekotalo supports is hardy and tenacious. Szageki are the largest species that make their home there, hunting snakes and cultivating rockflowers. Also prevalent in the area are many species of insects and other arthropods. The scrubland in the southwest has its own set of lifeforms: numerous stem succulents, stiff grasses, and small birds and rodents contribute to the biodiversity of that region.

Natural Resources

Szageki use the sand in glassmaking, and have been able to extract iron from some kinds of sandstone.

History

Kot Petaszi is the remains of an extinct supervolcano, and Neszekotalo basin its caldera. It became an inland sea when the southern portion of the rim collapsed and ocean water filled the basin up to the edge of the present-day canyons. Later when sea levels fell, the collapsed rim re-emerged, cutting off the water supply. The sea dried up, leaving the dissolved minerals in a layer on the floor of the basin. Since then wind erosion has filled the basin with sand.
The first successful hive lizard colony was established probably early in the Oceanic Era. Szageki oral history suggests that the first tribes didn't gain a foothold in the duneland until much later, somewhere between 8000 - 10,000 Oce depending on what is used as the estimate of the length of a szageki generation.

Alternative Name(s)

Szageki Desert

Type

Desert

Location under

Kot Petaszi

Inhabiting Species

• szageki