Desert

A Desert is a barren environment in which there is little water from precipitation (usually 250mm of rainfall a year or less). The term is also used to describe environments where water might be present but other conditions render them hostile to life.

Types of Desert

• Erg: Sandy deserts, an ever shifting landscape of dunes. Easy to get lost in one if you don't have a compass.
• Rocky Deserts: There's not an overwhelming amount of sand, but there is a lot of weather
• Semi Arid: Basically Desert Lite. It's still a parched climate but there's just enough rainfall to support hard agriculture.
• Polar Ice Shelves: Yes. On a polar ice shelf you are standing on top of a kilometre of water. But it's still an environment where the necessities of life are otherwise exceedingly thin on the ground.

Desert Topographic features

• Mesa:
• Oasis': A place where there's water in an otherwise dry environment.
• Rivers: Of course, rivers are not unique to deserts. Never the less, a river flowing through a desert can have a major effect. Within a short distance of a river, you can have a nice fertile stretch.
• Desert Flora: Flora is sparse on the ground and those which do are fortified against harsh conditions. They often have deep roots to get as much water as they can, thick leaves and horny and waxy coats.

Deserts in Fantasy

The biggest thing about deserts is that they are typically empty (unless you have an Arabian Nights civilisation in the setting). Not a lot of people survive here and those that do are typically.

Since a lot of the early civilizations emerged in river valleys, deserts are a common feature of sword and sandal settings.

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