Eerent

**Eerent** is a country in Sarfall known primarily for being the only truly arid desert on the entire planet. It is smashed between two mountian ranges: the [west range name] and [east range name]. The [west range name] works as a natural border between Eerent and Gough while the [east range name] is a natural border between Eerent and Heyar, Goser, and Damel.

## Inhabitants

The inhabitants of Eerent are varied, but few in population each. Of those that exist, most are solitary, many are scavengers, and almost all of them will not show themselves.

Those marked with "(Dominant)" are important "races" who may have a proportionally large population, politically control the country, and/or are apex.

#### **Animal Life**

* Pandametrians (Dominant)
* Drakonics (Dominant)
* Drakoborne (Dominant)
* Drakonoclasms
* Nocturne Harpies
* Rimians
* Shians
* Undefined Reptiles
* Undefined Insects

#### **Plant Life**

* Galavfa Cactus (Dominant)
* Loana Bush (Dominant)
* Somora Shrub (Dominant)
* Satovanca Fungus  (Dominant)
* Songa Grass (Dominant)
* Masaeite Cactus
* Undefined Shrubs
* Undefined Cacti
* Undefined Fungi

## Climate

Eerent has two major climates throughout most of the country: Arid desert and semi-arid desert. Less commonly, there exists semi-polar deserts in the northern shores of the country, shrublands at the feet of the western mountains, and the mountains on both sides of the country are home to alpines. The entire ecoregion is also considered to primarily be a cold desert in the northern half while the rest is mild, the center bordering on hot but not quite.

The typical annual temperature range for southern Eerent is usually between 25 and 5 degrees Celsius, but can drop up to 2 degrees near the coast. The north has more extreme ranges between 26 and -15 Celsius, dropping by as much as 7 degrees near the coasts. Meanwhile, the much sandier and warmer central Eerent can reach up to 30 Celsius during the summer, but usually averages 3 degrees higher than the south.

Southern Eerent is also prone to heavy fog covers and low clouds, especially near the coast. They cause trouble for the trade ships that often pass through ports on the south end. The rest of the country has no such problem, but northern Eerent is also home to low mountains and rocky terrain near its coast. Coupled with the low temperatures of both the water and the air, it proves to be a worse alternative to the south for ships.

Snowfall is a somewhat common occurrence during the wetter periods of the year in the northern and southern coastlines. Frozen ice also often becomes present in the northern oceans. Because of how localized it is and the fact that one of the capitals is located away from the coast, most Eerentians never see snow or ice in the first place. However, those away from the center of the region will uncommonly be able to see rainfall during the spring and sometimes in winter or autumn (but rarely both). At those times, rainfall can range between 3-5 mm in the south, 5-8 mm in the north. Annually, the entire country will receive about 50-100 mm of rain on average.

## Geography

Though at first glance the geography of Eerent might look bland and flat, there are at least two curious traits of the land. The first is the fact that it is surrounded by rocky terrain and tall mountains on three of its four sides. These mountains are so tall that they cast a rain shadow over most of the country, leading to only the western side getting acceptable rainfall and the east side being much drier in comparison. Both the east and west mountains are home to alpine peaks that are home to many of the harpies which migrate into and through Eerent periodically. They are one of the few places where snowfall is common, and they are additionally quite rich in minerals such as copper and tin, then gemstones such as emerald and lapis lazuli.

In fact, the entirety of Eerent's underground is saturated in iron, aluminum, and clay. The iron is mostly found along the mountains, aluminum beyond that, and clay is found everywhere but more-so near the coast.

The most curious feature of the landscape is the sand dunes and sinkholes of central Eerent, in the hottest regions of the country where few tread the surface. However, what first appears to be an endless sand trap of untimely demise is actually just a hole into the underground caverns. Granted, the fall does usually kill whatever may stumble upon it. What doesn't die or what is lucky enough to find a cave entrance that doesn't force a fall will find itself inside of a massive, interconnecting pockets of air and caves that are held up by many sturdy ceilings and pillars of sandstone and bedrock.

These underground caverns house the largest and most diverse ecosystem in the country, but the caveat is most of the life here is either very small or a type of fungi/plant. It is most likely the most habitable part of the desert and acts as an entirely new layer. The majority of the entrances are found in the center region, but the caves themselves easily spread throughout almost the entire country and even spread into the mountains where abandoned mine shafts can be found connecting into them by accident.

The climate below ground is much cooler than above, making it temperate to cold compared to the southern and central surfaces. This is also the depth at which it is surprisingly common to find natural reservoirs of water which allow most of the life here to thrive as much as it does. It's mostly groundwater that manages to seep between the sand in a process which gradually purifies and cleans the water before it drips into the caverns below, running into huge pools which store the water from decades of rainfall that hadn't been collected by plants. This serves as a common source of water for the surface-dwellers who access it via deep wells.

## Culture

Eerentian culture varies greatly, so this section will be left mostly empty. Refer to the Inhabitants section for more information.