The Drying of the Great Basin

Today, the Great Basin Desert is one of the most desolate regions on all of Cartyrion. But this homeland of the Chittiki folk was not always this way. Before the Great Strife, much of this land teemed with life. But, like other parts of the world that saw the armies - and the gods themselves - sweep through the lands, region is now a dessicated wasteland.

The Affected Region

The Great Basin is a region almost completely ringed by mountain ranges. To its south and east, the Eastern Basin Wall separates it from Felesian homelands that border the Inland Sea and the Great Sea. To the west, the Western Basin Wall separated the region from the forests of southern Lanlokan. The mountains have always affected the climate of the basin itself, but as neither range is particularly massive, the effects were not severe. Weather systems could cross the mountains to deliver occasional rains. The moisture was enough for the basin region to support a rich grassland habitat which the Chittiki used to grow grains. The Feliseans to the south and Orcs to the north would hunt the grazing wildlife there.

The Actions of the Gods

In the later years of the Great Strife, the Gods of Coercion began to realize their defeat was inevitable, and as they and their mortal forces were pushed westward by their opponents, some of their number decided to implement "scorched earth" policies. At the Western Basin Wall, a massive wall of force was erected by the gods to block the rain-carrying wind currents that kept the basin watered. And for good measure, the lake at the center of the basin was poisoned.

Originally, it was believed these force walls were the work of arch-mages aligned with the gods of Chaos, but the realization that these force walls were not blocking the winds, but were simply sucking all of the moisture out of the air made it clear that this magic was beyond mortal capabilities. The gods were using their arts to exchange moisture for more wind.

The Impact

Within a few weeks, the lands of the basin began to dry. Grasslands withered away, and the wildlife that relied upon the grasses for food died off. The few trees around the central lake took in the poisoned water through their roots; they too rapidly died. At first, the ground was hard and laced with a myriad of cracks, but eventually, the amplified, bone-dry winds eroded the dried soil into dust and sand. The central lake persisted only because of its natural springs, but as these were now fouled as well, the lake's water could not support life.

The Feliseans and Orcs abandoned the region, as there was nothing left to hunt. The Chittiki, whose homeland, the Warrens bordered the basin in the east, could no longer grow crops there, but were able to find sustenance from the grasses and trees on the seaward side of the Basin Wall.

Today

The basin remains as dry today as it was after the gods dried up the winds, but there are now a few signs of life stirring within the desert. A few varieties of plants manage to survive, if not thrive. These were brought from other dry places on Cartyrion by Chittiki merchants. Some reptilian life has also made its way into the desert, likely escaped domestic creatures lost by passing Taxlatl groups. Most notable among these are the One-Frilled and Two-Frilled Sandrunners, the latter of which have been re-domesticated by the Chittiki.