Plains of Dust Locations

Created in the aftermath of the Cataclysm, the Plains of Dust were once the mighty nation of Kharolis - a wide glassy tundra ruled from the capital city of Tarsis. Now they are a vast wasteland covered in a layer of fine sand, broken by patches of mud and the ruins of the old nation that once proudly stood on these lands.

These barren lands stretch from the New Sea in the north to the Icewall Glacier in the south, and from western to eastern coast - from the edge of the lower Tharkadan Mountains to the far border of Silvanesti. Once lush farmlands, the Plains of Dust are now a treacherous and inhospitable place to travel no matter what the season. Even adventurers rarely travel here, for there are few treasures or heroic deeds to be found in this desolate region.

There is sparse vegetation on the Plains of Dust, with barely a few patches of fruit and berry-bearing bushes that can provide enough for a day’s eating, but these fruits and berries rot quickly and barely last that full day. There is a little game to be found hiding amongst the breaks in the landscape, as well several large rodents, scavengers and burrowing monsters that ambush travellers suddenly.

Summer on the Plains of Dust lasts barely a couple of months, during which time the days are barely temperate, whilst winter lasts most of the year and covers the lands in heavy snowfall. A harsh wind sweep over the plains all year around, making nights bitterly cold even during the summer, and in winter creating vast and powerful blizzards.

Aside from refugees and a few animals, the Plains of Dust is most uninhabited, but there are a few small tribes of peoples who manage to make a kind of life for themselves out in the desolate plains. Tribes of human and of plains centaurs roam the plains looking for resources and shelter before moving on to the next area, often travelling along ancestral routes on an annual schedule that has worked for them in the past.

There are few reasons to choose to travel into the Plains of Dust, but trying to escape, evade or hide from the vast forces of the Dragonarmies number amongst the best reasons. Following the Dragonarmy attack and occupation of Abanasinia, the Plains of Dust will finally seem inviting to the peoples of south-western Ansalon as a place to take shelter and to hide just for a little while. A party of adventurers might come to the came conclusions, but also realize that as the most unlikely route the Plains of Dust might also be safest way to cross to the far side of the continent.