The Borderlands

The Great Central Plain gives way on all sides to a comparatively narrow strip of broken terrain, ranging in width from 10 to 30 kilometers.  The Borderlands rise several hundred meters and are marked by blasted hills, deep ravines, and enormous rocky outcroppings.  Streams crossing into the Borderland flow downward, disappearing underground, only to reappear later and merge with other springs, eventually flowing down onto the plain in one of the three shallow rivers that feed Lake Uruk.

Grasses and stunted trees cover much of the terrain, with more healthy looking trees appearing farther out from the plain.  The Borderlands are not suitable for farming, but wild sheep and goats provide some sustenance for those forced to live there. They are home to a relatively small number of Uruki, mainly those who've been banished in the past few decades.  In some places rich veins of ores are found just below the surface or at the base of outcroppings where streams have eroded the coarser stone. The veins are not regularly mined, but some of the banished Uruki occasionally collect enough valuable ores to buy their way back into their Clans.