Sparte Flats

the Sparte Basin

The Sparte Flats, often called 'the Sparte' by the locals, is an arid grassy treeless lowland of the Thorn Horn in Tinjir. Seasonal rains keep the region from completely drying up into a desert.

Located northwest of the Areian Peaks, the Sparte Flats make up the northern part of a region of larger lowlands between the mountains and the coast of the Cota Ocean. Despite its name, the Sparte Flats are anything but flat, with regions broken up by rocky outcroppings. Much of the river runoff that flow through these flats are in the south, missing the Sparte, leaving it drier than the river lands to its south. That said, abundant groundwater, created by seasonal rains, is stored beneath the surface, giving life to many farms spread across the hilly basin in the way of wells.

The region is a land of hardy, independent people who avoid the cluttered cities of the coast. While their allegiance technically falls under the city-state of Andro Coast, the territory beyond that city's walls is undeniably under the control of the Besed Orchold and the people of the Sparte must balance this. They tend small hardy vegetable crops that can survive the arid environment, along with sheep that graze the grassy lands.

Farmers leave tributes for the Orc to avoid raids and wrath. Though these tributes are harsh, leaving little extra for the farmers and their families, the Besed seem true to their word, however, and leave those that pay alone. Some farmers, especially those deeper in the remote regions, closer to the mountains, see the orcs as something of a benefit. The orcs and their vorgs (Dire Wolf) keep the region free of any other threats. Their tributes may be steep, but the land remains safe for those that pay and the orcs leave them to their remote quiet life.