Shadow Valley
Shadow Valley is a valley between several large buttes and the floating town of Hovering Butte. It is located in the nation of Limi-Xou as part of the Eastern Coast of the continent of Sulyub. It currently has a few small settlements along the northwest end and southeast end as well as one being carved out of the Catacomb Butte.
Geography
The valley is a high valley between five primarily sandstone buttes and a sixth hovering butte. It has four large springs that feed a small set of reservoirs and a stream that descends southeast from the valley. Between them are rock slides and shrub vegetation. Trees include the acacia, Joshua, and juniper trees. Bushes include various forms of sage, spireas, and desert lupines.
Cultivated plants include dry rye, turnips, and citrus trees. Desert foxes and jackrabbits are native, while the ram and alpaca are husbandry.
An underground river feeds the springs, which receives water from distant mountains to the west and it emerges in the center of the crown butte. Additional caches and resevours have been added by various peoples over the centuries. These range from large cisterns to small resevours and pockets for watering migratory herds and horses. Over time watercress and a few dry air tolerant lotus plants have thrived within these pockets.
The five buttes are named from northwest to southeast; Dragonskull Butte, Hightop Butte, Cathedral Rock, Catacomb Butte, and Bluestone Butte.
Climate
Early spring rains are common. Long dry summers and falls are common with some rain in winter. The enivronment is hot during the day and cool at night. The shade between the buttes allows for a cooler microclimate that the surrounding region, but it isn't very visable from a distance.
Natural Resources
Underground there are a series of caves and below the sandstone is a heavier layer of sedimentary rocks followed by a granite layer. There is a lot of copper and zinc found to be mined along with iron. Only a few small mines have been exploited until recently.
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