Stretches of flat desert like this are not as barren as they appear on the map. Desert plants - low bushes, cacti and succulents - dot the plain, drinking in the winter rains, the foundation of an ecosystem that supports small creatures and tough grazing ungulates. This area in particular is safe and close enough to Alakran, one hex southwest of the village, to be a favored roam of the village herd of goats.
This is also the location of a gate set in an eight-foot-high limestone wall running between the two ridges. The old paving stones of the Road of Flowers run through it. Once, within living memory, the gate made Alakran's valley defensible from the west. It is flanked by two ten-foot high statues of hawk-headed Hurru, the ancient Urig god of war, in pale gray limestone. Hieroglyphs show (for those who know their history) that the wall was built in the late Fifth Epoch -- only 1000 years ago!
Now, the doors are missing and there is no attempt to man or block the gate. On the crumbling walls near the opening, village children have drawn pictorial graffiti: vulgar doodles, pictures of goats, goblins, harpies and gnolls, and stick figures representing some of the main characters of the village (hex #1) -- although these latter identities are evident only to those already acquainted with them.
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