the hollow

the western border of the Wastelands slopes downward into a vast and intricate series of steep canyons. their vertical, jagged walls are broken by paths narrow and treacherous to traverse. sparse vegetation grows here and what grows is often thorn-ridden to the point of inedibility; the sun blazes overhead with nary a cloud to offer shade throughout the summer. winters are made temperate for the sake of the terrible, fell heat radiating from the Fissure. spring brings tremendous storms, deadly as the heat of summer. crackling bursts of lightning often set the deadened expanse ablaze, only for the fire to die beneath torrential downpours to follow. the canyons flood heavily and any creature caught within is sure to be drowned. few predators manage to dwell here successfully, save for the great, lean cats that prowl down from the Reach and the Taiga.