Seven hexes northwest, three north of Alakran.
Plants might grow in a particular place in a dry climate because a reserve of ground water lies below; or a source of surface water flows through; or because the terrain channels rainwater to the place; or that the composition of seas and high mountains herds rain-laden clouds that way. But a place may simply be green because grazing animals are discouraged from going there; and that is the case for this area.
A meadow vale in the midst of these hills is the reason why villagers and herders shun them. This vale is known to be jealously guarded by the hunting parties of the Prince of Eryptos, the Radiant Gemsbok of Autumn, in the person of the chariot company, the Black Gazelles of Gilded Horn. It is a resting place for these noble hunters and their guests, a grazing spot for the sturdy gazelles.
A mixture of fear and respect for the Gazelles has kept generations of sheep- and goatherds away from the meadow and even the hills around it. Old people remember much more herding in and around the Dhuga, villages now hardly even ruined walls in the brush, whole clans of wandering herders. The wave of husbandry overwhelmed and defoliated many of the hills, which are still recovering, some more quickly than others thanks to their proximity to water sources. Only this district remains intact. If the Gazelles are encountered here on a sortie from their fortress there is a 1 in 3 chance they will be pursuing or harassing a random shepherd who is verging on their territory, and another 1 in 3 they will be lounging in the meadow valley.
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