Malfearn Desert

One of the most inhospitable locations, the Malfearn Desert is the largest desert in the world with record-breaking temperatures. The **Great Waste**, or **Almut Aljaf** (**Dry Sea**), as is known in the Benayoun tongue. Over the centuries, the region has been a natural barrier between east and west.

Armies have entered, never to return; expeditions lost to the ever-shifting sands. Even so, the **Benayouns** have made a home here. Through expert navigation, using landmarks and oasis' as resting posts between legs of their journey, the Benayoun clans have thrived where others could not.

 Geography

The desert is divided into five regions: Northern, Southern, Eastern, Wester, and Central. With the eastern and western regions generally populated, the crossing through the central region is one that is treacherous yet tried since ancient times.

### West Malfearn

To the west, the endless yellowed dunes melt away to a greener and more verdant coastline along the **Qilfan** and **Meranus Seas**. This is one of the oldest and more permanently inhabited areas in the entire Malfearn region.

* **Tallin** - The Nation of Two Lands is seen as a foreign entity in these lands. With their long history fixed in the heartlands of western Aventine, Tallians hold a thin neutrality with the Kajaar states.
* **Kajaar of Jaar** - Formed with the aid of Trinev in 597AV, the state's main purpose was to act as a buffer between Trinev and Tallin. The Khar, **Ablosh Beita**, was given modern arms and training from Trinevi and Vernese military instructors. To this day, they are a formidable state that offers military patrols into the desert.
* **Kajaar of Mieret** - On the borders with Jaar and Tallin, Mieret exists in the unenviable position of having to defend the coastline and desert from the encroaching western threat. An ongoing border dispute with Tallin, which it seceded from in 608AV, has led to great swaths between the nations to be fortified and mined. With various ethnic groups and clans vying for power and acceptance in the state, it is a nation on the verge of civil war.

### Northern Malfearn

North lies the jagged **Sargozian Mountain Range** that border the desert and the nation of **Vilka-Vern**.

* **Sargozian Mountains** - An impenetrable pass of rising spires, the Sargozian Mountains have been compared to the jaws of a crocodile. Snowcapped and bare, they mark the barrier between the northern lands and inhospitable deserts.
* **Jezebansur Valley** - A notable pass through the Sargozian Mountains, it was the sight of one of the largest landship battles in history. During the Belak-Vernese conflict of 598AV, Belakan forces destroyed the majority of the Vernese landships. To this day, the rusting carcasses of the landships dot the valley; remnants of the great struggle.
* **Wasi Oasis** - Nestled in the mountains, Wasi is a haven for the Dezrek and other northern Benayouns. The waterfall of **Habira** feeds the oasis with rich minerals from the mountaintops. A sacred place where many clans pay tribute and bathe in the healing waters of Habira, the oasis is overseen by the Ashtun clan.
* **Gap of Narim** - Also known as the **Great Gateway**, is a valley passage between with Sargozian Mountains and the northern Rasgula Mountains. It is through this passage that the Umran conquests of ancient times passed through and how the Kun armies gained access to northern Aventine. It is a region highly contested and currently heavily protected by **Belakor** to the north-east.

### Eastern Malfearn

The ancient **Cradle of Life**. It is thought that humanity came from Eastern Malfearn.

* **Belakor** - The 33rd Technate of Belakor is a nation that grew by uniting the divided peoples of the **Vantas Region** under technological progress. Over the decades it has been touted the world-round as an exemplar of the perfect nation, the modern world.
* **Deirabat** - A nation formed when it broke away from Garabat, Deirabat is a mountainous region rich in resources.
* **Garabat** - The old nation from where sprung civilization and one of the first global empires - that of Umran. Today, Garabat is a nation behind progress.
* **Rasgula Mountains** - The folded lands of Rasgula are a sight to behold. Many an archeologist have ventured here to find fossils from the ancient past. The narrow ledges and deep ravines have made it a challenge for anyone to navigate. For a price, you may get the aid of a **Rasga** herder in order to cross the endless mountains.
* **Caves of the Pariah** - An extensive cavernous network of caves under **Mount Melas**, of the Rasgula Mountains. It is said that here lie the spirits and demons of the deserts. They were once explored by **Sir Lindon Garvy**, an Aquilan explorer who discovered some of the oldest cave paintings known to man. Today, few dare to tread through the vast labyrinth. Some say that bandits and those with malicious intent now reside in the stalactite-filled caves.

### Southern Malfearn

In the south lies the Meranus Sea, vast and empty. Here the sands of the Malfearn seem to slide straight into the ocean.

* **Kajaar of Benaehan** - The oldest surviving Kajaar, formed in 592AV, the Benaehan have always had a good standing with other clans. Their name literally translating to "good men," the Benaehan have held onto their lands with peaceful neutrality towards other Benayouns and foreigners alike. Their position and welcoming demeanor has made the Kajaar an important trading post the world over.
* **Ruins of Eazim** - An old Kajaar capital that has been swallowed by the sands and time. The Kajaar of Ishaan was brought down by the Benayoun clans after the assassination of the Ishaan Khar in a **Rahab**. A reminder of the strength of the tribes should they ever unite again.
* **Atibak Coast** - A large stretch of coast where the dunes of the Malfearn desert clash against the waves of the Meranus Sea. Small settlements exist along the this moving coast, but its constant shifts make it a difficult place to make a permanent posting.

### Central Malfearn

Within these borders, lies a center of endless sands and winding dunes. Dubbed the **Twisting Lands**, time seems to have left this region untouched, save the odd watering hole or jutting rock mound. It is here where Benayoun knowledge truly excels. As an old proverb says, "the horse shall see but sand, while the traveler shall see the way."

* **Artep Mount** - The Sacred Mount of the Masar faith. Called the **Axle of the World**, it is the destination of all those who make the Masarite pilgrimage. Each year, the Benayouns come together under the 1st moon for the Rahab.
* **Yasha’s Airstop** - An airstop bar where pilots can land and park their planes for free as long as they purchase gas from Yasha herself.
* **Percival’s Folly** - Supposed to be a way-station for Aquilan transport, Farport was a complete failure. In 718AV, the Battle of Farport saw Aquilan forces fend fight against the Benayoun clans. None survived the battle and Aquila forwent claim to the port.
* ***Semperstan*** - A crashed airship in the middle of the desert. All those who go to claim salvage, never return. It is said that the Semperstan was carrying illegal weapons from Aquila to Garabat.
* **Kharga Oasis** - The largest of the oases, Wasi has been permanently settled by different Benayoun tribes. It has no government, and a no-violence rule has been practice since the Ishaani were driven out from the oasis in 614AV.
* **Alwash Valley** - **Monster Valley**, or the **Valley of Bones**, is one of the most abundant archeological sites in the world. Bones and fossils scatter the valley floor, giving archeologists a window into the ancient past. Fossilized trees show that the Malfearn region was once more alive than today.
* **Qasif Oasis** - Known as the **Roaring Oasis**, legend says that the waters of this waterhole roar with fervor, sending anyone nearby to an early grave. Today, few dare to stop at this oasis for more than a day or two.