Sabkha Salt Flats
Southwest of Edeli some hundred miles (roughly three days, by foot) lies the Sabkha Salt Flats, an area so devoid of life that no known humanoid has ever called it home.
The massive tract of land was once a large lake or inland sea before The Old World, but years of unrelenting sun and heat have slowly boiled away the waters, leaving behind a hundred square mile area of inhospitable wasteland devoid of life larger than a small snake or the occasional scorpion.
The ground within the salt flat is dry and parched, cracked from years of exposure to the extreme heat of the desert; no moisture of any kind exists here, and because of this, no plant species, even water-seeking and water-storing species such as cacti, exist.
Near the center of this death zone is one of the greatest enigmas of the entire Pridelands, a pond-like area that is entirely pink in hue known as the Omavango Basin. Researches from the Imperial Science Corps have studied the basin on numerous occasions, and have so far produced little tangible evidence as to why the lake has it's salmon hue; it is observed, however, that the local population of flamingos, a creature born stark white, also turn pink when feeding from the lake, and it is heavily theorized that the fish within the lake, which appear toxic to humanoid consumption, are causing the coloration due to something with their biology, having adapted to the extreme salinity. Other theories involve a Brine Dragon, a creature that is not actually known to exist, or perhaps even a cluster of salt elementals calling the lake home, though these are refuted because there have been no eyewitness accounts nor physical evidence of such.
The massive tract of land was once a large lake or inland sea before The Old World, but years of unrelenting sun and heat have slowly boiled away the waters, leaving behind a hundred square mile area of inhospitable wasteland devoid of life larger than a small snake or the occasional scorpion.
The ground within the salt flat is dry and parched, cracked from years of exposure to the extreme heat of the desert; no moisture of any kind exists here, and because of this, no plant species, even water-seeking and water-storing species such as cacti, exist.
Near the center of this death zone is one of the greatest enigmas of the entire Pridelands, a pond-like area that is entirely pink in hue known as the Omavango Basin. Researches from the Imperial Science Corps have studied the basin on numerous occasions, and have so far produced little tangible evidence as to why the lake has it's salmon hue; it is observed, however, that the local population of flamingos, a creature born stark white, also turn pink when feeding from the lake, and it is heavily theorized that the fish within the lake, which appear toxic to humanoid consumption, are causing the coloration due to something with their biology, having adapted to the extreme salinity. Other theories involve a Brine Dragon, a creature that is not actually known to exist, or perhaps even a cluster of salt elementals calling the lake home, though these are refuted because there have been no eyewitness accounts nor physical evidence of such.
Fauna & Flora
Despite it's horrendously inhospitable climate, if one knows where to look, there is an abundance of rodent, reptile and arachnid life to be found within the salt flat. The most common of these are dozens of varieties of scorpions, making the salt flat an ideal destination for the would-be poisoner or herbalist from Edeli; however, due to the dangers of the area, the Salt Flat is known to be the resting place of hundreds of such novice and apprentice gatherers.
The Salt Flat is, however, home to a species known as the Spined Terrapin, a tortoise-like creature that is often hunted for meat by various Gnoll and Orc tribes, as well as for it's shell as a sort of chitin-like armor, as the largest of the species can grow to nearly six and a half feet in length.
The Salt Flat is, however, home to a species known as the Spined Terrapin, a tortoise-like creature that is often hunted for meat by various Gnoll and Orc tribes, as well as for it's shell as a sort of chitin-like armor, as the largest of the species can grow to nearly six and a half feet in length.
Type
Salt flat
Location under
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