Great Lowlands

Overview

The Great Lowlands territory is bordered by the Wild Northeast to the north, the Splinter Sea to the east, the Gulf of Alexakis to the south, and the Shimmering Coasts to the west. It derives its etymology from its generally low elevation, particularly its Great Plains area.

Features

Eastern Plateau

The Eastern Plateau is a high plain formed by the upwelling of volcanic magma and characterized by lava-capped mesas and dike-like ridges. On its eastern flank, it rises sharply above the Great Plains in a series of deep hills and escarpments.

Endless Valley

The Endless Valley runs north to south and has a wide, flat floor with steep, elevated sides. Its western slope is characterized by craggy terrain, as well as moraines of regolith and rock debris ranging in size from sand and gravel to large boulders. Near the eastern coast, the elevation rises sharply before ending in massive, sheer cliffs abutting the Splinter Sea.

The outlying terrain facilitates weather patterns with heavy precipitation throughout the year. Consequently, the Endless Valley holds the largest rainforest on Praetoria, with a variety of long, deep ribbon lakes hidden within its depths.

Wastes of the East

The Wastes of the East is composed primarily of mud rock, with only occasional beds of sandstone. Combined with its infrequent but heavy rainfall, this has led to erosional dissection and the formation of a vast network of gulleys and ravines, which is prone to flash flooding.

The area lacks a substantial layer of regolith and, subsequently, vegetation in the area is sparse, making it unsuitable for agriculture.

Great Plains

The Great Plains is a broad expanse of flatland composed primarily of tallgrass prairies, steppes, and grasslands. Although the altitude of the plains increases as it approaches the Daigenloft Mountains to the south and the Eastern Plateau to the west, the local relief is generally small. However, it is still an area of diverse structure and various stages of erosional development and is occasionally broken by buttes, escarpments, and valleys. On the whole, however, a broad, extended surface of moderate relief so often prevails that its name is well-deserved.

Given its semi-arid climate, the Great Plains has few trees aside from near lakes and rivers, resulting in open, far-reaching views, and it is deep and fertile, making the area well suited for agriculture.

Lower Flats

The Lower Flats is a fluvial plain formed by runoff from the Daigenloft Mountains to the northwest, where its altitude is highest, sloping southeasterly at a decreasing rate toward the southern and eastern shore, where it is extraordinarily flat. The area is generally dry except for occasional shallow and temporary water pooling after rain. Like its Great Plains counterpart, the soil of the Lower Flats is well suited for agriculture.

Tanglethorn Peninsula

Tanglethorn Peninsula is connected to the northern shore of the Great Lowlands by a grassland steppe land bridge. Flat, sandy beaches mark the peninsula’s shores, while the canopy of the adjacent wood line is sparse due to hurricanes and other tropical storms, resulting in a thick jungle overgrown with tangled vegetation. Consequently, traffic by foot is considerably arduous and requires travelers to cut their way through.

In contrast, the interior of the Tanglethorn Peninsula is marked by a moist, broadleaf forest with an emergent layer of very large trees, which grow above the general canopy. The vegetative layer between the canopy and the ground cover consists of numerous exotic flora and fauna, while the forest’s floor is relatively clear of vegetation due to the low levels of sunlight penetration.

Pandemonias

The Pandemonias are an archipelago situated in the Splinter Sea off the southeastern coasts of Praetoria’s Greater Lowlands and Shimmering Coasts territories, encapsulating the Gulf of Alexakis. They consist of around one thousand islands, which are divided into the Northern Pandemonias, in the Great Lowlands, and the Southern Pandemonias, in the Shimmering Coasts.

The archipelago is a direct result of uplifted folds and faults created by the collision of lithospheric plates, creating a nearly continuous series of subduction zones. Subsequently, the Pandemonias experience frequent terrestrial and undersea seismic and volcanic activity and are prone to daily earthquakes and upwards of twenty typhoons per year.

The climate is tropical maritime and usually hot and humid, with elevation being the primary consideration in temperature change. Rainfall is generally extremely high in the coastal and mountainous regions and significantly lower in some of the more sheltered valleys.

The Pandemonias have a variety of natural resources, including an abundance of mineral deposits resulting from their complex geological structure and high levels of seismic activity. They are also home to a significant level of biodiversity and harbor a large proportion of Praetoria’s species, with many being endemic to the area.

Likewise, a wider variety of forest types grow in the Pandemonias than any other area of Praetoria. They include mangrove forests, beach forests, pine forests, jungles, rainforests, cloud forests, and montane forests.

Population

The Ferexian Empire has laid claim to much of the eastern half of the Great Lowlands and continues to expand west. Its capital, Miterstedt, is located in the Daigenloft Mountains near the eastern edge of the range.

The capital of Sskah Den, New Sskah City, is located in the Wastes of the East and extends underground into a series of massive tunnels and caverns.

Other Burnlander sovereignties include the city-state of Incaendium in the Great Plains and the city-state of Sha’ignas in the Lower Flats.

The Azmarean tribes of Mangurun are located in the northern jungles of the Endless Valley.

Because of its fertile terrain, the plains and flats of the Great Lowlands contain a comparatively large number of native Praetorian splinters, the largest of which is the Republic of Fireboro, located on the rim and interior of a dormant volcano on the Eastern Plateau. It is populated by an eclectic range of species, with the majority including Praetorian humans, red lupi, mountain dwarves, tinder gnomes, halflings, and red elves.

The Great Lowlands also contains the largest population of primates on Praetoria. Numerous troops inhabit the Endless Valley and Tanglethorn Peninsula, and a smaller number make their home in the Great Plains, as well.