The Central Desert
The Central Desert is an enormous area in the center of the continent that is comprised of many individual desert ecosystems. These distinct regions have varying climates, weather patterns, terrains, and lifeforms, but all are clustered together within the encircling Lengian, Alsat, Spial, Blasthead, Pokey, and Miringau ranges of mountains that create dry rainshadows and divide the Central Desert from the lush coastal regions of the continent. These desert regions range from sprawling sand dunes, to rocky hardpan, to dusty badlands, to dry scrubland and seasonal grassland, but they all share in their relative inhospitablility toward human settlement. Summers and Sunfalls are intensely hot with no rainfall or cloud cover throughout the whole Central Desert. Winter and Hibern are freezing cold, and without any snowcover the ground freezes to a significant depth. The shoulder seasons of Autumn and Spring will occasionally see an errant rainstorm blow through, giving a region a much-needed watering. Again, these climate descriptions are broad approximations, and every region within the Central Desert has its own patterns and norms. See the sidebar for specific information relating to a given region.
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