The Gold Plains
The Gold Plains is a vast and inhospitable desert that stretches out endlessly, as far as the eye can see at the very heart of Kalbela. The desert sands, a burning gold that shimmers under the harsh sun, are home to only the toughest and most resilient of creatures. The towering dunes, some reaching over a hundred feet in height, are a constant challenge for those brave enough to traverse them. The scorching heat, relentless and unforgiving, can quickly turn even the strongest and most experienced travelers into nothing more than desiccated husks.
Despite its harshness, the Gold Plains is home to a few scattered oases, precious pockets of life amidst the unforgiving wasteland. The Twin-tail Peaks, majestic mountains that cut through more than a third of the sands from the east, while the Broken Spine of Salazar has a few of the mountains that still stand along the western side of the desert. The desert is known for its treacherous sandstorms and mirages that can lead travelers to their deaths.
The Gold Plains is a natural barrier between the Salvae Empire and the Raja'ri Territories, preventing either from invading the other outright. Despite the inhospitability of the desert, at the heart of this inhospitable land lies Agrabah, the largest trade mecca in the Gold Plains; along with other small, scattered trade meccas fuel the shadow economy that has developed in the region. The laws that govern the other kingdoms are near non-existent in the Gold Plains, making it a draw to despites, vagabonds, and other undesirables on the run from the law. The bazaars of the Gold Plains trade exotic silks, spices, sell-swords, artifacts, and people, all through barter, all through hard assets, and all untraceable, making it a unique and mysterious place in the continent of Kalbela.
But be warned, for the laws that govern the other kingdoms hold little sway here. The Gold Plains is a land of opportunity and danger, where one can make a fortune or lose their life in the blink of an eye both above and below the shifting sands.
Geography
The Golden Plains is a vast and barren desert near a thousand miles long and between 50 and 300 wide at the very heart of Kalbela. The Golden Plains is home to more than half of the Twin-tail Peaks and a few mountains making up the Broken Spine of Salazar. There are scattered oases throughout the desert.
Localized Phenomena
Sandstorms, Vanishing Oases, Random Lightning Strikes, Mudslides.
Fauna & Flora
Natural Resources
Metals and stone from the Twin-tail Peaks and the Broken Spine of Salazar, silk from Gold Silk Worms, concentrated dyes from plants, the red shale, and purple snail shell that make their home there.
History
The Gold Plains have served as natural barrier between Salvae and Raja'ri that has, by all accounts, kept either from invading the other outright as the terrain and wildlife is inhospitable to large forces trying to cross. Many have tried conquering it over millenia, all have failed; leaving only small trade meccas that litter the desert near the larger oases and the wandering caravans that specialize in the biome.
Type
Desert
Location under
Included Locations
Inhabiting Species
