Desert

A Desert is a barren environment in which there is little water from precipitation (usually 25mm 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
• Polar Ice Shelfs: Yes. On a polar ice shelf you are standing on top of a kilometre of water.
• Semi Arid: Basically Desert Lite. It's still a parched climate but there's just enough rainfall to support limited agriculture.

Desert Topographic features

• Mesa:
• Oasis': A place where there s water in an otherwise dry
• 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.

Deserts in Fantasy

The biggest thing about deserts is that they are typically empty. Not a lot of people survive here and those that do

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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