The Sind Waste

The Sind Waste breaks into multiple sections – as shown in this reproduction map by Thorfinn Tait.

Closest to Darokin is The Kingdom of Sind. Once through the rough hills near Darokin, there’s a small area of steppe before you get into the deserts. The salt swamps of Nemkin Ylaka in the north drain into the Asanda River, which feeds a more fertile central axis from Naral and Sandapur down to Jahore on the coast. The capital, Sayr Ulan, appears to be in an oasis in the centre of the northern desert closest to Darokin.
Heading west beyond The Kingdom of Sind takes you to the barren lands in earnest – from north to south, The Plain of Fire, The Sind Desert and The Burning Waste, with The Barren Plain nearest to the coast and The Sea of Dread in the south.
The Sind Desert is described as:

… barren and stony. Craggy bluffs and rock outcroppings rise abruptly from the otherwise level plains. Tenacious shrubs and thorn bushes dot the landscape, occasionally forming dense thorny forests. Natural desert pavement—pebbles and stones intermeshed like cobblestones— cover vast expanses of level ground.
Temperatures reach 110° Fahrenheit [45° C] during summer months, dropping rapidly to 40° or 50° at night [5-10° C]. Winters are devastatingly cold, with temperatures rarely exceeding 40° [5° C] in the daytime and dropping as low as thirty degrees below zero at night [-35° C]. The little rainfall (usually less than 4" per year) falls primarily in the wetter summer months.

The Plain of Fire is:

…a rugged, inhospitable area. … Numerous sinkholes, canyons, and arroyos carved by long-forgotten rivers break the level surface of the plain. Gaping holes in the desert floor attest to underground labyrinths of caves and tunnels. The plain's bedrock is known as karst—a type of limestone riddled with cracks and crevices that channel all surface water below ground. A thin, infertile layer of soil covers parts of the Plain of Fire. Other regions present bare expanses of flat rock broken into jagged lumps that can tear the boots off passing travelers.
Temperatures are higher in the Plain of Fire than in the Sind Desert, reaching 120° [50° C] or higher in the summertime and rarely dropping below 90° [30° C] at night. Even in winter, the Plain of Fire maintains temperatures of 70-90 degrees [20-30° C]. With water scarcely to be found anywhere on its surface, the Plain of Fire is usually avoided by travelers.

For The Burning Waste:

Minor quakes and avalanches frequently shake this region of craggy, eroded rocks. Geysers and tar pits are common. The shifting rocks of the waste occasionally release natural gases, which then burst into flame. These gases burn for weeks, sending dark clouds of smoke into the desert sky. … Temperatures average 90-100° [30-35°C], day or night, winter or summer.

The Barren Plain:

This level plain of semi-arid grasslands divides the Sind Desert from the Sea of Dread's rocky coastline. In times past, prolonged droughts have caused the area's short, hardy grasses to die off, leaving a barren, sandy plain. With the return of the rains (10"-12" annually) the grasses once again emerged, attracting small herds of antelope and other herbivores. In recent centuries, nomads from the Sind Desert have ventured into the Barren Plain with their livestock.
To the west, the Barren Plain gradually gives way to the Konumtali Savannah's longer grasses and scattered trees. Temperatures in the Barren Plain are fairly constant, ranging from 50° on winter days to 100° [10-30°C] at the height of summer. Nights average 20° [10°C] colder than days.

With those descriptions, you would imagine you don’t find many living there. And that’s correct for The Plain of Fire (at least on the surface) and The Burning Waste. However, the Sind Desert is sufficiently forgiving that the gazetteer says it:

… is home to an estimated 100,000 nomadic herders, hunters, and raiders. It also attracts outlaws and brigands intent on robbing rich caravans traversing the trails that lead from Sind to Slagovich and the western lands.

These are the nomads who are also mentioned grazing their livestock on the Barren Plain.
There are trade routes marked through the Sind Desert, with a handful of oases, but it’s pretty clear that travel along the trade routes from Akesoli west is not for the faint-hearted or unprepared (and here’s where I start extrapolating). The terrain looks slightly forgiving for the 120 or so miles from Akesoli through Nagpuri to Mahasabad, but then I imagine the 150 miles of hills and then steppes to Palkat are pretty dry and unwelcoming, with rough terrain and little running water.
Having reached Palkat, things only get harder. The trail south to Sayr Ulan hits desert almost immediately, with 50 miles to cross, and while the trail west follows the steppes as far as possible, half of the 180-mile journey to Baratkand is through the desert. At Baratkand you get a brief respite where you can refill your water casks and stock up on fresh food, but from then you’re into the desert proper.
200 miles of hard desert slog takes you to the border garrison of Gola Keep and the edge of the Kingdom of Sind, and from there it’s another 250 miles to the next water spot of the Kesret Oases. From here you can head north-west towards The Great Pass leading through the Black Mountains to the lusher lands of Hule – over 600 miles of desert before you reach the pass. Alternatively it’s 500 miles south-west to the Twin Oases, and the best part of another 450 miles west from there to Slagovich on the coast, although the final 200 miles are back to the slightly easier terrain of steppes. Heading south, it’s “easy” – there’s 200 miles of desert and then you hit the steppes, and the final 150 miles follow the Throat River.
So whichever way you go, you’ve got 1000 miles or more of desert to cross. Hard, stony desert, with little water anywhere, and only the scrubbiest of drought-adapted bushes. There are huntable creatures in the desert – impala, gemsbok, springbok, eland, wildebeest, warthogs, ostriches, camels and wild asses, along with the predators which hunt them - wild dogs, hyaenas, cheetahs, the occasional lion near the steppes, various cobras, vipers, rattlesnakes, krait and other poisonous snakes including the deadly black mamba and the perinet or “two-step”, so called because a man bitten will fall dead within two steps. Rock pythons can grow to great lengths, and various lizards also make their home there – these can make for good eating if you can spot and catch them.
These creatures are quite elusive and wary along the trails, although the predators are very happy to take advantage of the walking snack bars of the caravans and their beasts of burden who come wandering through their lands – always post guards at night or you may find yourself stranded without animals to pull your wagons.
Of course, it’s not just the animals you have to worry about. The wastes provide plentiful hiding places for bandits who also prey on the travellers, either trying to sneak up observed and steal from the wagons, or openly descending on poorly guarded caravans, killing the occupants and helping themselves to the contents.
Even if you avoid the wildlife, there are plenty of other hazards to negotiate. The most obvious of this is the lack of water, which means you need to pack plenty of water yourself. Most caravans have one or more dedicated water wagons, and clerics can get good pay for accompanying a caravan to cast daily Create Water or Create Food and Water spells. Purify Food and Drink can also come in handy for making the rare brackish water sources potable.
The rough terrain also means carts are at risk of broken wheels and broken axles, so taking plenty of spares is advisable, along with someone who can do basic blacksmithing and carpentry. Someone practical is also very needed for repairing and replacing lost horseshoes, mending tack and other leatherwork.
Given this, many traders shun carts completely, and use Camel Caravans , but these take a different skill and knowledge of how to load and look after your camels.

Type

Desert

Inhabiting Species

• The Giant Scorpions of the Plain of Fire