Silt Sea
Expansive and merciless, the Silt Sea expands across the world of Athas. The Known World lies upon its northern shores and scattered islands there, but much of the rest has been unexplored by most. Unknown depths conceal monstrous things, some that many have never seen. The Silt can also provide for the hardy as its shores are beaming with a surprising amount of life and edibles. However, rumors and myths surround the treacherous place and many have lost their lives trying to explore it. Mutations, Mors, and all things unknown have been tied to the Great Silt Sea, but for many, it holds a way of life that allows them and their families to live. Shetno lies along its northern coast, while House Shaw has been known to hold ownership over some islands out further. Other than them, however, less than savory characters also call the silt home.
The Broken Desert
Around Shetno to the north and west lies the Broken Desert, known as Dal Bathra to some tribes, and it stretches to the great river of Silt in the west at the High Road’s Bridge and north to the scrubs and grasslands. The jagged landscape lends to its common name and the outcroppings and mesas are home to gith, howlers, and other terrible beasts. One would be wary of caves, tunnels, and other areas out of the sun as the shadows of the Broken Desert are equally worrisome. Although it is dangerous, the harsh desert also supports a strong ecosystem of insectoid, reptilian, and avian creatures. The soils are rich in gems, stone, and other materials if one is apt enough to find them. Sandstorms are constantly sweeping over the landscape and often reveal things once hidden from eons long past. Many treasure hunters have scoured the wastes only to find their demise.
The Thorn and Grass Lands
Set beneath the cliffs of the great northern canyons, the thornlands and grasslands form a buffer between the desert and the cliffs. A much more verdant ecosystem, the grasslands have become home to many forms of wildlife ranging from plant-eating mammals to carnivorous, swamp beasts around the oasis’ that have formed around pools of water. Also home to the Wandering Outpost of the Nation elves, the grasslands are a very common area to encounter one or more of the tribes and their hunting parties. The tribes would know this place as Tirn Malthet and some protect it adamantly. The thornlands are home to man-eating insectoids and cannibalistic tribes. One of the harsher terrains in Athas, the thornlands prove challenging to even the most skilled hunters and explorers. In their depths, however, one can obtain materials sought after throughout the southern reach. Many of the thorns and grasses creatures coexist between the two landscapes.