Copperdeath Dunes (Cop'eth Dunes)
Copperdeath Dunes occupies a fair amount of land just east of Rookdrift. It runs diagonally across Awesranka NE to SW, covering nearly 180 square miles.
This desert area was named by the Can'otiel - in elvish: Kupariel Kuolemandyyir. After the Call West dimished the numbers of speakers of elvish, a corruption of the translation into common became the accepted name of the region: "Coppeth Dunes".
Geography
The eastern side of the dunes describes a miles-long trench in the high prarie of its central Awsranka. The sand within is fine and tinged red (not an uncommen rock color in this region) and is shaped by the prarie winds into dunes. The dunes shift frequently, sometimes revealing broken remains of a buried village, or the random mummified corpses of lost travelers. Very little grows in this area, and access to water is almost non-existant.
Ecosystem
Most wildlife shuns the dunes. Even migratory birds make biannual detours around the region. But those curious enough to explore this desert have reported herds of wondering cacti tended by Thri-kreen warriors.
Ecosystem Cycles
Generally, it is quite hot in the summer, with temperatures reaching into the triple digits. Most creatures seek the precious limited shade during the hot summer days. Spring and autumn bring cold nights and mild days. Winter is the only season this area sees any real precipitation, usually only about a total of 2.5 inches overall.
Localized Phenomena
Sandstorms are common in the summer and autumn. Once a year, around the spring equinox, at night the dunes seem to be cloaked in a copperish haze, and unusually colored will-o-whisps can be seen wandering the interior.
History
Legend has it that this area has always been quite arid, but not necessarily a sand-dune desert. Early histories of Vantage claim that Pasiphae had several tombs built in this area for the monarchs and champions of the Phastian people. It is even claimed that a sphinx was summoned to protect the royal tombs.
Sometime around 250 BCE records cease making remarks of this funeral city. Later histories of the Phastian people simply omit any reference to the area later named by the Cano'tiel.
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