The Veldt

The broad grassy plains in the eastern tip of Kael, spreading into the bordering regions of Mayra and Corvea as well.

(Mongolian Steppe, Oak Prairie of California's Central Valley, Australian Outback, Cappadocia)

The region known as The Veldt is an expansive area of broad, grassy plains and gently rolling hills bounded by the coastal strip to the north and west, and to the south and east by hills and uplands. It spans the region from the eastern shore of the Asani Gulf, through eastern Kael and the disputed borderlands of Corvea, into the very western tip of Mayra. The plains are broken sporadically by stands of woodlands, crisscrossed by systems of river gullies, and at random intervals large sandstone monoliths rise from the ground to tower over the surrounding countryside. (Oak Prairie ecosystem of California’s Central Valley, Australian Outback and Cappadocia rock formations) The underlying geology is mostly that of a vast eroded sandstone plateau, indicating the region was once part of a broad extended dune system that covered that part of the continent millions of years ago. The sand layers are covered by a layer of mixed debris and ashfall, representing the ejecta from the impact event that formed the Mayran Gulf to the northeast.

Due to the geologic factors, the soils in the Veldt tend to lack not only the fertility for large scale settled agriculture, but also any large deposits of natural resources. This long made the zone a sparsely inhabited hinterland with almost no permanent settlements. What birds did dwell in the steppes and woods were often nomadic, subsisting in hunter-gatherer or pastoral lifestyles. As more settled nations arose around the Veldt’s periphery, this fringe zone became a haven for those who fled from their respective homelands, gaining the region a reputation as being wild, untamed, and the home of dangerous outlaws and roving bands. However, the culture that eventually grew to prominence in the Veldt was was that of the Au’Kael.