The Wandering Tribe: Clay Lands

History

In the days before The Wish War, there was a kingdom that was renowned far and wide for the skill of their farmers and the flavor of their crops. But in the aftermath of the war, the fertile soil was turned to clay. Water dried up. Plants died. People and animals alike fled for the hopes of better pastures. Sadly, they would find none.

For the last two hundred years, the Clay Lands have been the home of wanders, vagabonds, and raiders. Once-green hills are now piles of dry clay disks or massive clay mounds. Riverbeds are either as dry as the bones of a giant, or treacherously wet beneath the surface, sucking people under faster than the fastest quicksand. The rare oasis is either fought over to the death... or already the hunting ground of deadly wildlife. Occasionally, one can find the ruins of pre-War villages or even cities.

Climate

The Clay Lands are not a desert in the classical sense. It rains in the Clay Lands; not often, perhaps once every week or two, about an inch at a time. Those who live in the Clay Lands have learned to see the signs of incoming rain and prepare to catch it. Rain that is not caught seeks into the cracked clay that coats the earth and disappears forever. The Clay Lands are not hot like one would expect; they are sunny, but rarely does the temperature vary from 75-85F during the day, and 60-70F at night. Wind is usually non-existent, except for the Razorwinds which pick up sharp pieces of dry clay and hurl them at dangerous speeds. There are no seasons; the weather is a constant year-round.

Flora/Fauna

Vegetation in the Clay Lands comes in two forms. The first is the short blades of grass that poke out from the clay cracks where water is present; a good scout can use this to determine where there is drinkable water close to the surface. The other is known as the Jug Plant; a spineless cactus-like plant that stands up to four feet tall and has several hanging 'pods' that look like seed pods but actually store water. The plant's skin is thicker than thick leather armor, and sometimes takes a great deal of effort to break into -- but if water is needed, it is needed.

The animals of the Clay Lands are generally small; lizards and rodents that measure one to three inches are commonplace and can provide sustenance in a pinch. These are hunted by the area's most common predator: The Disc Spider, which can grow up to three feet across and likes to hide underneath large discs of clay, flipping them onto their prey to squash or trap them. The largest creature native to the Clay Lands is the sleipnir, a six-legged camel-like creature that can be somewhat domesticated and either ridden, used as a pack animal, or eaten. The sleipnir has no real natural predators, and so herds of them can be found from time to time traveling between water sources.