Scythirian Mountains

The Scythirian Mountains dominate eastern Libynos. Their northeastern extent reaches nearly to the Gulf of Ur while the southern end touches the Ruby Sea between Numeda and Imya, over 2,000 miles away. Unbeknownst to most of the world, the mountains actually separate in the middle. There, the east and west ranges are little more than 50 miles wide, between which are more than 200 miles of wasteland known as the Desert of Oreb. Few are aware of the existence of the desert, and fewer still have seen it, as the height and ruggedness of the surrounding mountains discourage all but the most relentless, expert, and lucky mountaineers from even considering crossing them. The Huun, of course, live in the Desert of Oreb and know the routes — some over the mountains and some under — that permit them to travel to the Malagro and to Ifthaaz, whether for trade or for other purposes.
The eastern and western edges of the mountain range are high; perhaps they are not the highest in the world, but they cut off the moisture rising in the clouds. Consequently, the western slope near Baalthaaz and Ifthaaz gets a great deal of rain that waters those countries. The eastern slope along the Jungle of Malagro cuts off clouds from the ocean, giving the jungle plentiful moisture to go with the warmth provided by the southerly sea currents. The region between the two arms of mountains, then, is entirely in rainshadow and receives almost no moisture at any time of the year. It is thus a dry, sandy desert inhabitable only by the most adaptable of people and creatures.

Type

Mountain Range