Athasian Water Supplies? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Athasian Water Supplies?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Zardnaar
Jun 17, 2006 17:12:36 The average temperature in Athas seems to be comparable to the Sahara desert. IMHO this would make the city states virtually impossable to exist as there wouldn't be enough surface water to irrigate the fields and any underground water supplies would be exhausted. If most places only get rain once per year they're really screwed and the whole place would be in permanent drought year round. After reading 2nd ed and the DS novels I think this is how it would work.

Tyr/Urik get most of their water via the ringing mountains and the forest ridge. Rain fromthere travels underground and the cities being close to the mountains might be cooler than other regions of Athas.

Nibenay/Gulg. One of the most fertile regions of Athas. Rain is more plentiful in the Mekilot Mountains so they benefit.

Draj, Balic, and Raam seem screwed. Draj exists on a mudflat but where would that water come from (underground?). Presumably most rainfall occurs in the Ringing Mountains and the cities are located near naturally occuring aquifiers fed by underground runoff from the Ringing Mountains.
#2
dirk00001
Jun 18, 2006 0:54:07 You can't compare Athas to desert areas on Earth (at least for the most part) because Athas is, basically, the bedrock of a now-missing world-spanning ocean, with the mountains, hills, and other "highlands" former islands. That totally changes the dynamics of things, as the water that the eastern cities are getting from wells are coming from subterranean aquifers that are flowing through the bedrock, not through a rocky section of dirt, from "below the waterline," etc. like you'd find here. Odds are that the city-states are located where they are because at the time of their establishment there was already definitive proof that water existing under the bedrock, say from a Green Age mine that accidentally drilled into one or a natural cave or crack in the bedrock that naturally leaked out some water.

As far as where those aquifers are getting their water from you're probably right in assuming it's underground drain-off from the mountains.

So I guess I'm just agreeing with you by repeating what you said, only using smart-sounding words like "dynamics" and "establishment." :D
#3
Pennarin
Jun 18, 2006 2:43:48 What Dirk00001 said, plus the dynamics of the world's environment are influenced and guided up to a point by sentient spirits of the land. That puts any real world model out the window.
#4
dirk00001
Jun 18, 2006 15:07:36 ...as well as by both direct and indirect interference from the elemental and paraelemental planes and their mortal representatives, the metaphysics of arcane spell casting on Athas, a war that lasted (over?) two millenia...

But I digress.
#5
cnahumck
Jun 18, 2006 16:00:07
...as well as by both direct and indirect interference from the elemental and paraelemental planes and their mortal representatives, the metaphysics of arcane spell casting on Athas, a war that lasted (over?) two millenia...

But I digress.

cleansing wars lasted 2, the preserver war lasted another 1.5
#6
eric_anondson
Jun 18, 2006 16:56:14
The average temperature in Athas seems to be comparable to the Sahara desert.

The Sahara isn't a desert because of the temperatures, it is a desert because of global weather patterns.
#7
borys_son
Aug 08, 2006 4:22:42 I know I have seen another post about the underground water table reserves. And it answers all these questions quite expertly.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zardnaar Jun 17, 2006 17:12:36	The average temperature in Athas seems to be comparable to the Sahara desert. IMHO this would make the city states virtually impossable to exist as there wouldn't be enough surface water to irrigate the fields and any underground water supplies would be exhausted. If most places only get rain once per year they're really screwed and the whole place would be in permanent drought year round. After reading 2nd ed and the DS novels I think this is how it would work. Tyr/Urik get most of their water via the ringing mountains and the forest ridge. Rain fromthere travels underground and the cities being close to the mountains might be cooler than other regions of Athas. Nibenay/Gulg. One of the most fertile regions of Athas. Rain is more plentiful in the Mekilot Mountains so they benefit. Draj, Balic, and Raam seem screwed. Draj exists on a mudflat but where would that water come from (underground?). Presumably most rainfall occurs in the Ringing Mountains and the cities are located near naturally occuring aquifiers fed by underground runoff from the Ringing Mountains.
#2 dirk00001 Jun 18, 2006 0:54:07	You can't compare Athas to desert areas on Earth (at least for the most part) because Athas is, basically, the bedrock of a now-missing world-spanning ocean, with the mountains, hills, and other "highlands" former islands. That totally changes the dynamics of things, as the water that the eastern cities are getting from wells are coming from subterranean aquifers that are flowing through the bedrock, not through a rocky section of dirt, from "below the waterline," etc. like you'd find here. Odds are that the city-states are located where they are because at the time of their establishment there was already definitive proof that water existing under the bedrock, say from a Green Age mine that accidentally drilled into one or a natural cave or crack in the bedrock that naturally leaked out some water. As far as where those aquifers are getting their water from you're probably right in assuming it's underground drain-off from the mountains. So I guess I'm just agreeing with you by repeating what you said, only using smart-sounding words like "dynamics" and "establishment." :D
#3 Pennarin Jun 18, 2006 2:43:48	What Dirk00001 said, plus the dynamics of the world's environment are influenced and guided up to a point by sentient spirits of the land. That puts any real world model out the window.
#4 dirk00001 Jun 18, 2006 15:07:36	...as well as by both direct and indirect interference from the elemental and paraelemental planes and their mortal representatives, the metaphysics of arcane spell casting on Athas, a war that lasted (over?) two millenia... But I digress.
#5 cnahumck Jun 18, 2006 16:00:07	...as well as by both direct and indirect interference from the elemental and paraelemental planes and their mortal representatives, the metaphysics of arcane spell casting on Athas, a war that lasted (over?) two millenia... But I digress. cleansing wars lasted 2, the preserver war lasted another 1.5
#6 eric_anondson Jun 18, 2006 16:56:14	The average temperature in Athas seems to be comparable to the Sahara desert. The Sahara isn't a desert because of the temperatures, it is a desert because of global weather patterns.
#7 borys_son Aug 08, 2006 4:22:42	I know I have seen another post about the underground water table reserves. And it answers all these questions quite expertly.