Mt. Sanctuary

You've seen the Divide. Most of us have, be it in person or in pictures. Standing at the edge of the treeline, seeing the shaded safety of the trees fade into burnt grassland, and quickly fading to a sandy abyss. The empty, flat wastes are unending and unforgiving - except for one point.
There is a mountain, there, in the wastes. Towering high out of the ground, and alone in it's scale, Mt. Sanctuary is the only area in the entirety of The Divide that approaches habitability. Early travelers to the wastes discovered this area; it's scale - a shield from the harsh sands, and it's caves - a barrier from the beating sun.

Purpose / Function

The mountain's alterations have been built such that the area can form as a make-shift rest-stop. It's base originally hosted a small cave, which has been further hollowed out, allowing deeper passage. It was essential for desert travel for many years, but at this point is more of an intergalactic tourist point. Visitors from off-world tend not to stay too long, however, as there are few storage locations for such large ships - and the intense heat from the Sun can fry shielded components in more junk-y vessels.

Alterations

Since the Mountain was re-discovered by travelers across the Divide, a marketplace and rest-stop has been constructed into the mountain itself. At it's peak, a Lighthouse has been constructed to guide travelers from as far as possible towards the safe haven. A large section is dedicated to storage of beasts of burden, vehicles, or people - as well as their cargo. The exterior has also been coated with solar panels, allowing the mountain to generate large volumes of electricity over the day, and run on reserves overnight.

Architecture

The exterior of the mountain is extremely beautiful, made of stone that appears polished from the constant sun, and in some shaded areas you can find the only grass in the entire Divide. At it's peak, the lighthouse-like beacon stands tall, built naturally into the stone. A small hole, carved into the peak, was previously used to store Scientific Equipment - but hosts only an empty mounting nowadays.

History

The mountain's prior history is unknown. Why is it the only mountain in the area, while the rest of the land is flat? Who knows. It's rediscovery in 2710 lead to an increased volume of trade across The Divide, and it became a vital hub-point for such actions. A group looking to profit from Mt. Sanctuary attempted to storm the location, and install a toll-road by force, however this pirate group was shot down and executed swiftly, before the plan could get far.
Following the beginning of construction on the Codai Majorus station proper, other methods to bring such volumes of goods without the risk of the desert killing you outright were brought to the world. And so, just like that, this little settlement in the mountain was near enough eradicated. While it is still in use today, the foot traffic is sees is a shadow of what it once was.

Alternative Names

Boiling Point, The Chilled Caves, The Devil's Fork

Type

Natural Wonder

Parent Location

The Devil's Divide