The Great Scorch

Geography

The Great Scorch is an arid and unforgiving stretch of earth that lies between the mountains that form The Fangs of the Divide. It is these great teeth of the world that deprive The Great Scorch of precipitation, for few clouds pass over those towering fangs. The sun bakes the region all day due to its clear skies, while harsh downslope winds from the mountains ravages the landscape. These winds have shaped many of the rock formations, like the great buttes, seen within The Great Scorch which are marvelous sculptures of the hands of nature and time. Despite the harshness of the land, there are few among the peoples that inhabit the region who can deny it has a certain unique beauty. Indeed, it is the reason the Aestabari decided to remain there after their departure from the Feywilds. Aestabari in particular find not only beauty, but a sacredness, to the land and have become its greatest defenders. Though rain is a rare sight to behold, it is not devoid of water. Either from the massive cacti trees, whose roots run so far and deep that they stretch out of The Great Scorch and into the fertile places of Esen or the pristine pools of the Underdark, or underground pools and waterways is the area able to be more than a scorched wasteland.

Localized Phenomena

The Great Scorch is no stranger to powerful sandstorms, which are known to become strong enough to tear most humanoid creatures without protection to shreds in a matter of moments. The deadliest of these storms are found in an area known as "Silver Sands", where the sand is actually finely ground mithril dust. Somehow, The Crestfallen Moons tribe of the Aestabari call that area their home, much to the surprise of explorers.
Though undoubtedly the most dangerous element of the region is the supernatural phenomena known as "Echoes". Echoes themselves are not unique to The Great Scorch, as they are merely the result of a great outpouring of emotion trapped within magic fonts (like those formed by ley lines). However, the Echoes found within The Great Scorch are not only unusually intense, but extremely malicious in nature. Though they are not common occurrences, these Echoes go by special names: The Wicked Maw, Tempting Tempests, Harvesting Gales, etc. There are no academically credible accounts of what occurs in the manifestations of these Echoes and Aestabari who have weathered such events are extremely superstitious about their mere mention. So frightful are these phenomena said to be that Aestabari who are escorting Confederate caravans will halt travel on The Black Roads entirely if they see they must traverse one, something they are not known to do for anything else.

History

Not much is known about The Great Scorch prior to the arrival of the Aestabari. While the environment has many natural explanations, there are those who believe The Great Scorch was formed at the same time as The Fangs of the Divide were and by the same unknown cataclysm. Besides Aestabari, Genasi, and at one point diabolic tribes, no sizable civilizations have inhabited The Great Scorch and kept a history. Even then, those that are kept are largely about the keepers themselves, and less about the land. Besides The Arrival in -501 ME and the finished construction of The Black Roads in 523 MIE, history of the area is quite scarce.

Type

Badlands

Location under

Esen

Owning Organization

The Esen Confederacy

Inhabiting Species

• The Aestabari