The Mindless Mountains have long confused travelers trying to pass through them with twisty canyons, dead ends, deep snow and terrifying monsters. It was a tremendous natural barrier between the coast and the empire deep within the continent. The discovery of gold and precious metals deep within the mountains only further increased interest in finding a navigable route through them. Eventually, a particularly hardy band of dwarves, led by Barim Tallspike found a route by avoiding the majority of the mountains and passing through the desert they enclosed to the south.
The desert was truly empty of both life and water, save for one large oasis in the center. Here, at the limits of endurance one could feast off raging torrents of water that passed through innumerable caves below the sand. Soon after it's discovery the oasis spawned a sprawling tent city, several farms and a significant population, all living off the lucrative trade between the mines, the coast and the empire.
This city, in turn, attracted bandits and robbers of every kind. They hid among the desert sands and cliffs, striking at caravans, taking gold, weapons and water. The tent city was a magnet - unending bait for the incessant merchant attacks along the route. The desert became known as the Desert of Sorrows for the numerous bleached bones of humans and humanoids found along the route - an ever-present reminder of the price of prosperity.
So, I thought this map was interesting in that it linked two words that I never considered linking - desert and bait. But I thought of the watering holes from all those nature documentaries, all the predators who congregate around it and thought - yes! this is EXACTLY how I want my desert setting to be. Once that was clear, the rest of the map fell into place.
