The Salt Flats mark where the Luquihn Desert meets the Gindrik Sea—a blinding white expanse of crystallized salt stretching roughly a hundred miles along the coast. What was once a shallow inland sea dried up over millennia, leaving behind salt deposits dozens of feet thick in places. The terrain is brutally flat, offering no shade and reflecting the sun with punishing intensity.
Geography
The Flats occupy the northeastern corner of the Luquihn Desert, bounded by:
- North: The Gindrik Sea coastline
- East: Open water toward the Strymün Isles and Gindrik Sea
- South: The Bone Hills, rising from the salt like the spine of some buried leviathan
- West: The endless dunes of the Luquihn Desert proper
The salt crust varies in thickness and stability. Near the coast, it's firm enough to support wagons and even small structures. Further inland, treacherous thin patches conceal brine pools that can swallow the unwary. Seasonal flooding during winter storms deposits new salt layers and reshapes the terrain annually.
Water is the Flats' most precious commodity. The few permanent springs are jealously guarded, and most inhabitants rely on distillation or imported water. The salt itself contaminates everything—metal corrodes within days, leather cracks, wounds heal slowly if at all.
Climate
Summers are lethal. Temperatures exceed what unprotected flesh can survive, and the reflected glare causes snow-blindness even with eye protection. The Kuzagt work their slaves primarily at night during these months, with daytime reserved for rest in underground shelters.
Winters bring relief and danger in equal measure. Storm surges from the Gindrik Sea can flood miles of the Flats within hours, dissolving the salt crust and creating temporary lagoons. These floods deposit fish, seaweed, and driftwood—harvested quickly before the water evaporates back to salt.
Resources
Salt is the obvious export, but not all salt is equal. The Kuzagt have identified dozens of distinct varieties based on mineral content, crystal structure, and depth of excavation. Some preserve meat better. Some enhance magical rituals. Some are poisonous to specific creatures. This specialized knowledge represents centuries of accumulated expertise that outsiders cannot easily replicate.
The Bone Hills provide a different resource entirely—ancient fossils and occasional mineral deposits. See below.