Locations in Upper Deshret
by WingofCootFrosty Highlands: These broad uplands of cold desert, mostly flat, are extremely cold due to their great elevation. Desert ghosts roam here, as do various mineral or semi-mineral life forms; ordinary biological life is rare and small here. Pyramids and vast monuments are scattered about this wasteland, relics of the initial Nithian magical research project that settled Deshret. Those original researchers are long gone, except for a few terrifying undead, and their descendants have moved elsewhere; but strange magic may still awake at times in this forsaken land.
Violet Basin: This huge oblong basin (about 100 miles long) breaks the uniform cold desert highlands; its floor is widely covered with a strange violet lichen-like vegetation. Great herds graze here, and most of the nomadic population of Upper Deshret spends most of the time here (about 3/4 of the year), heading to the lowlands only for winter.
Great Canyons: An area of massive canyons, steep cliff-walled mesas, and extensive badlands. It is the only practical migration route from the highlands (including the Violet Basin) to the lowlands, and is watched by two Imperial forts - the only footholds of Imperial control in Upper Deshret.
Sand Sea: A vast expanse of desert sands, the Sand Sea is more notable for the huge obelisks that stand at various points along its "shores". 300 feet high, these massive stone monuments radiate a magic which baffles usual means of identification or analysis.
The Fringe: Between the Great Canyons and the Sand Sea, this area at the edge of the lowlands has the most oases in the deserts of Upper Deshret. It is the winter range for the nomadic Deshri.