Uxtamazata Desert

The Uxtamazata Desert (pronounced ooks-tah-mah-ZAH-tah) is a major desert on Kishar. Almost entirely surrounded by mountains that separate it from the Mhasmuth Ocean and Aban Steppe, this cold desert is remarkably inhospitable and home to few.

Inhabitants

Almost all of the Uxtamazata Desert is effectively uninhabited. A handful of small settlements can be found around oases in the north, most notably Arzatam and White Bone Fort along the route of the Hundred Days Road, but they are rare and far apart. The nomadic people of Abanir rarely venture into the desert, as neither they nor their animals can survive for long in such an environment.

Farther south, however, is one region within the Uxtamazata where large cities have been successfully established. The nation of Rovakhit has grown around a series of lakes in the desert, fed by floods carried down from the mountains by seasonal rivers. As the eastern terminus of the Hundred Days Road, Rovakhit has grown wealthy through trade, and particularly through selling the semi-precious gemstone onyx.

Geography

The Uxtamazata Desert is almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world by a series of mountain ranges. In the north and west, Mhakan's Trials present a treacherous endeavor for any who would attempt to cross into the Uxtamazata from the steppe. This range merges with the Akinak Mountains to form the Cage, which wraps around the rest of the desert to the south and east. Only through a 200 mile wide gap in the mountains to the northeast can the desert be entered from the steppe.

The Akinak Mountains practically split the Uxtamazata in two, one region in the east and another in the west.

Temperatures in the Uxtamazata can be extreme. Due to its northerly latitude it is a cold desert, and winters on the open sand can be brutally cold. Summers provide no respite, however, as though the Uxtamazata does not approach the heat of the Sangora Desolation, it can still easily prove treacherous to the unprepared. The desert gets extremely little precipitation of any kind, even snow. Almost all water that does enter the Uxtamazata arrives in seasonal rivers, dry most of the year yet overflowing for brief periods, bringing water from the surrounding mountains.

Despite these harsh conditions, some animals do manage to thrive in the Uxtamazata, ranging from lizards and large spiders to camels, as do a handful of magical creatures. Tumbleweeds cross the landscape, blown by the winds from place to place.

Culture

In the past, hundreds or perhaps thousand of years ago, the western part of the Uxtamazata was home to a number of thriving oasis cities. Whatever event caused their downfall and abandonment was of a grave enough nature that the targai and gatai of Abanir created taboos around even mentioning the former existence of the cities. So effective has this taboo been that even those that can be convinced to speak of them no longer have any memory as to what occurred. An even greater cultural proscription exists towards traveling to these cities. Though the interest of many outside adventurers has been piqued as to what could possibly be out there, no known expeditions have successfully made it both there and back.

Trade

See also: Hundred Days Road

The eastern-most stretch of the Hundred Days Road, a trade route across the Aban Steppe, crosses the Uxtamazata on its way to and from Rovakhit. This is one of the most hazardous sections of the trail, not for the threat from other people that is often faced on the open steppe, but rather for the harsh conditions and the creatures that hide in the sands. Those traveling the Hundred Days Road going in either direction must remember to ensure their supplies of water are fully restocked, either at Painted Horse Oasis in the north or Lake Sakal in the south, as they will surely perish should they neglect to do so.