Terentepa Desert

• Location: Northern Vastlands
• District: Territorial (Disputed)
• Communities: Fort Pudd, Zelfoor
• Map: View on Mapper

Overview

The Terentepa Desert is a massive, arid wasteland in the northern Vastlands that is bounded by Vishara's River to the north and west, by the Skexis River to the East, and by grasslands to the south. The area is sparsely populated by the nomadic descendants of the Haali and Nezra tribes, and by immigrants from the Zelená Islands who have made an establishment at Zelfoor on Vishara's River.

History

The Terentepa Desert has a remarkable -- and tragic -- history. Once a fertile Savannah, the Terentepa was home to the Tepans, an early tribe of Humans. Near the beginning of the Tribal Era, the Tepans settled down and began the first human civilization as the tribes of SW Island feuded over small parcels of land. Similar to the Velosians, this civilization expanded rapidly, creating its own unique architectural style and eventually producing the large city of Ahl Tepa. They were intuitive and developed technology that would not be seen again until the Industrial Age.

Tragically, the development of the Tepans got the better of them. In 703 CE, every living thing in the Tepan civilization was destroyed by a catastrophic experiment in biological warfare. An immensely powerful engineered plague swept through the civilization, wiping out the tribe and even decimating the once verdant Savannah, reducing it to sandy ruins. A great sandstorm washed over the city later that year, burying the evidence of a once great civilization under the sand for thousands of years to come.

The remaining nomadic tribes of the Vastlands fled to the midrift Savannah and to Tiberius Forest in the south, not daring to return to the area for several centuries. The Haali and Nezra tribes eventually returned some time in the Feudal Era and committed to keeping the secrets of the Tepan society a secret, so that the great catastrophe that befell them would never be repeated.

For the next millennium the Terentepa Desert was devoid of development, the nomadic tribes doing nothing noteworthy.

Recent History

It was not until recently that modern development has come to the desert. About 20 years ago explorers from Zelená discovered valuable mining potential in the area in the forms of rocky outcroppings containing many minerals they previously had no access to. After the success of Zlata Ves to their north, Zelená hoped for a repeat of their success to their far west with the establishment of Zelfoor, a small mining village perched on a rocky river-side hill in the west of the desert. Zelfoor has not been as successful as Zlata Ves due to the much harsher climate, but the settlement acts to back up Zelená's claim to the north of the desert by creating an economic and military presence in the area to mark their claimed border. Recently the old wooden float-bridge at Zelfoor has been upgraded in part of the Cyan Line, a railway connecting Zelená to SW City.

The SW City Administration took note of all this recent development and land-claiming, and in 2005 CE sent a young politician to establish a Viceroy in the territory. Work began on a settlement in the desert, but was abandoned within the next year due to poor architectural decisions and relentless sandstorms. SW has since not enforced its claim on the land.

Most recently, in 2006 CE the aforementioned sandstorm unearthed several remains of the Tepan civilization. An ongoing archaeological expedition in the region is being headed by SWanford University, slowly reclaiming the remains from the desert. Zelená has shown no interest in the ruins and has publicly announced they recognize the ruins being within SW City territory.

Climate

Like much of the rest of Alphaworld, the Terentepa Desert recieves little rainfall. When the Tepan plague destroyed the vegetation in the area the Savannah ecosystem collapsed, and doomed the area to become a perpetual arid desert. As such, the region suffers from terribly hot days and bitterly cold nights due to the low amount of humidity in the area. Short of the artificial re-introduction of vegetation, the area is expected to remain a desert for many millenia to come.

Transportation

The Cyan Line is the only method of reliable transportation through the desert. A supply road runs along the railroad, for utility vehicles only. Solo travel through the desert is not recommended, as is travel on foot except for the most experienced travelers.