Cliffs of Ronin

A high shelf of land that defines the border between the Fields of Farsalon and the Silent Sands, with the Sands at the base of the Cliffs. The Cliffs cause the odd weather patterns that created the desert.

They are hundreds of feet high at their tallest point, the western end near the Caribre Mountains. They fade into the landscape to east, into The Glittering Forest. There are any number of plateaus on the Cliffs, some merely feet wide, some that might take half a day to traverse. The odd geography of the Cliffs has given rise to a strange ecology, or set of ecologies. Nearer the base, the plants are harvested to create the spices that flavor food across the kingdom. Higher up, odd predators and strange prey live, and the difference between flora and fauna is not always clear. Many of the most potent ingredients for magic have their origins in the Cliffs.

Many have made their fortune braving the dangers of the Cliffs to harvest the raw materials for these magical ingredients. Some have met their ends in that pursuit. Elves visit the Cliffs regularly, and know many of the secrets of navigating them.

Geography
The basics of the Cliff's geography are fairly straightforward. They start at the southern end of the Caribre Mountains, to the south of Kehlaktur, and stretch east along the northern edge of the Silent Sands to where they meet The Glittering Forest. At the eastern end, they stretch hundreds of feet high.

The real geography of the Cliffs, then, is vertical, rather than the more typical horizontal. There are maps of the Cliffs, but they cover, at best, only part of that area, as exploration has unique dangers.  

History
The first dragon to die at the hands of the lesser races met its end at the Cliffs of Ronin. Almorwen, the founder of Faelve Thalas, and one of the wisest of the noble elves, conceived of a plan to kill a dragon. With the aid of several other elven wizards, and a company of warriors, he was able to lure Criidath the Reckless to the Cliffs. Almorwen blinded the old dragon in battle, and then the Cliffs themselves were pulled down on top of him.  

Inhabitants
None of the intelligent races of Calibran make a permanent home on the Cliffs. The humans who live in the Silent Sands venture up onto the Cliffs to gather the plants that form the basis of their livelihood. Many elves also venture there occasionally.