Volcanic Wastes
A volcanic badland on the plateau north of Gavonar.
Geography
The Volcanic Wastes experience regular deposits of volcanic ash from Gavonar to the south, which have left the topsoil sandy and unsuitable for the dense grasses found in most of the Demon Realm. Instead, it has sparse, short varieties with some patches of needle grasses. Rainfall is often concentrated over Gavonar itself, but the Wastes only experience infrequent bouts of extremely heavy rainfall.
Due to the erosion brought on by this ash-cloud rainfall, the Wastes have a craggy and pitted appearance - with the addition of steam vents across the landscape giving the entirety a foggy appearance. The heat nearest the vents can distort the air, causing heat mirages.
The topsoil is a dark gray-black due to the amount of volcanic ash, but the clay beneath is the characteristic red common to the Demon Realm. This can cause the land to appear to have great red gashes upon is when the top soil is disturbed.
Climate
The Wastes are always hot - steam vents pouring out hot air from the volcanic activity beneath the surface and the near constant cloud-cover from the ash trapping that heat in place.
When storms do hit the Wastes, they are always intense thunderstorms with frequent ground strikes. These also tend to cause dust storms in the srrounding area.
Fauna & Flora
The Wastes are primarily home to reptiles and birds, as well as a few larger plants species such as the Rambling Crushfern.
Natural Resources
The Wastes are rich in mineral deposits from the various mix of elements - it has a high concentration of crystal deposits throughough the landscape. The thunderstorms also leave behind glass formed through lightning strikes, which are seen as the stone of Sciekles.
Tourism
There is a Temple to Iescula within the Wastes, which is the nearest of her temples to the southeastern cities. Those wishing to seek favor with the goddess or pay their respects are the only visitors, as most travelers will use the rivers rather than traverse the harsh landscape to go north.
There is also a Temple to Sciekles withing the Wastes due to her association with thunder and the intense storms therein. As Sciekles is Iescula's mother, these two temples have a friendly if distant relationship - while they do not have any issues sharing the region, they also do not have a strong cooperative bond. Similar to the Iesculan Temple, those in the southeastern cities seeking favor with Sciekles come to her temple in the Wastes.
For both temples, reaching the temples is seen as trial enough to earn the right to supplicate.
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