The Parthan Wilderness

I like to think of the wilderness surrounding the cultivated areas of Parthus as being sort of like the badlands that can be found in the Mountain Time Zone of the US.

I picture craggy, rocky, steep hills, ranging from 1,500-4,000 feet in height, with narrow ravines and valleys intersecting through them. There would be little vegetation on the tops and sides of those hills, as well as the rolling plains that surround them.

One thing that I was thinking about, though, was Siritheia, and how she's the mother of monsters, which she sends to plague the Parthans. I remember the old "Clash of the Titans", and how Kalibos resided in this dank, swamp-like place. I imagined that, in the valleys running within said craggy, foreboding hills, such an environment could exist. Artificially, that is, and through the whim of a vindictive goddess - turning those enclosed, tight valleys into dank, swampy, foetid grounds within which monsters might seek refuge.

The Parthan routes of communication and travel (see previous document) would circumvent these locales, as they can never really be cleared of monsters (Siritheia sees to that). This means that travel takes longer than it should, though daring individuals may very well seek a short-cut through them. Of course, one could always try to cross via the high ground, but the exposure to the elements would be wicked: overwhelming sun, strong winds, sharp rocks, no cover, no water, etc.

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