The Dustlands
The Dustlands is known accross Antreia as the impact zone of the Lunar Cataclysm's falling shard of Selune, previously called the Moonglades.
The entire region used to be brimming with life, home to many varieties of exotic and rare creatures, as well as large forests with pine trees that grew impossibly large. Known as the Moonglades before the third age, this area was home to the moon elves, and had historically been a place of tranquility, with large lakes and pools with magical properties that were connected to the depths of the earth, as well as a particularily agreeable, temperate climate. In 2A 400, the shard of the moon fell, and almost instantaneously the land below was covered in a thick layer of sand, dust and debris. As the impact caused dormant volcanoes to erupt, and unceasing thunderstorms to ravage the land, it would be many years before the thick cloud of ash would lift, and when it did, it was clear to all that the region had been changed forever, unable to ever be able to support life again.
Today, the Dustlands are completely barren and unhospitable, in no state to support life in any capacity. Large craggy rocks makes the area hard to navigate, and deep ravines and craters, as well as earthquakes and volcanic activity has made the Dustlands almost impossible to traverse safely. The entire region is coloured a dull grey. Dark black mountains and an air brimming with unstable magical energies, that causes a constant influx of both warm and cold air has given way to near-constant storms and cloudy skies. In addition to this, certain areas close to the heart of the impact zone has given birth to acidic rain that burn the skin off unfortunate victims, and if you are lucky enough to survive that, duststorms combined with destructive whirlwinds will certainly do you in.
Most of the dustlands are covered in layers and layers of a special sand, predictably called "dust". This sand is rich in aether, as well as a variety of other minerals, as well as volcanic ash. Dust is highly toxic in large quanitites, but is also valued for its variety of special properties. Touching or breathing in dust, or simply being in the near vicinity of the sand for prolonged periods of time will cause long-lasting irreversible effects however, not unlike those one can observe in victims of the crystal sickness.
In addition to the storms, the eruptions, the toxic rain and sand, and the unwelcoming landscape, the Dustlands is also host to the largest formations of mana crystals in the world. Having grown out of the planet when the shard of the moon buried itself underground during the Lunar Cataclysm, the areas closest to the original impact zone is most dense in crystals. Region many hundreds of kilometers away from the crater is also covered in large crystalline formations however, and these are so dangerous that should one find oneself in the near vicinity of such a cluster, serious symptoms of crystal sickness is unavoidable. Unfortunately, due to the unstable nature of the aether in the area, the corruption that seems to have killed the once-lush area of the moon elves from the inside out, is slowly spreading from the heart of the impact zone. Deirim especially has in recent years seen the death of wildlife, crops and vegitation in the south of the kingdom, and many villages and settlements to the far-south have been abandoned as the very soil has slowly turned black and unstable.
Alternative Name(s)
The Moonglades
Type
Badlands
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