The Maru Desert

Overview

The largest desert in Axora, The Maru Desert covers the majority of the western side of The Khena Empire in Northern Thrabad. Whilst it does not contain any major towns or cities within the desert itself, the capital of the Khena Empire, Kusaka, is located on its eastern border. The most north-westerly point is also where the port city of Madilia is. Trade routes between the two, therefore, typically skirt around the northern edges of the desert. The very core of the Maru desert is thought to be the driest location in the world, sometimes going years without rainfall. Drier and sandier than even Maressea's Dust Barrens, the variety of flora and fauna within the Maru Desert is particularly minimal, though the creatures and plantlife that do manage to call the desert their home are especially unique in order to survive one of the harshest habitats in Axora.

Flora & Fauna

The arid conditions mean that flora, in particular, are few and far between. The plant species that do tough it out tend to be of a spiny variety, mostly within the cacti families. Fauna-wise, the animals that live in the Maru Desert typically are found within the outer portions, rarely in the very centre. Relative to other dry locales, such as the Dust Barrens which do have larger creatures roaming over them, such as the Dust Ox there, the Maru Desert does not have anything of that kind. The animals in the Maru are mostly on the smaller side, the majority being reptiles or insects (or insectoids, at least). The largest native mammal is the Maru fox, a close relative of the barrens fox found in the Dust Barrens, but distinct in its appearance by its larger pointed ears. Like the Dust Barrens, though, the creatures here often have venomous or poisonous attributes to aid their defence or offence, so caution is advised should one be faced with any creature in the desert. Also similarly, the desert's outskirts in particular are home to a few scavenging species such as vultures, including the Golden Vulture whose coat blends in with the sand and reflects a similar sheen to heat haze.

Type

Desert

Location under

The Khena Empire