Map D.08 - Altai
Incomplete map. Labels are a convenience until further design is applied.
Contents
Mountain and desert region reaching south from 53.13°N to 43.38°N, a land of mountains, basins and arid plateaus, spanning from the windswept steppes of the north to the rocky deserts beyond the southernmost ranges.
Hexes are 20 miles in diameter. Total area depicted equals 366,450 sq.m.
Features
This part of the world includes the highlands west of the great steppes, the rugged corridors near the Dzungarian Gate and the dry lands reaching toward the Bodda Shan mountains. The Tien Shan and its outlying ridges form the backbone of this land. To the west, the Dzungarian Basin spreads in a vast, dry expanse. The lands near the Dzungarian Gate serve as a natural pass, a route where caravans and nomads have traveled for centuries, while to the east, hidden valleys and remote uplands remain sparsely inhabited, visited only by traders, hunters and warbands moving between the highlands and the lowlands. It is a land of endurance, shaped by the rhythms of wind, drought and the slow march of migration.
Tien Shan
Between the Altai Knot and the Borohoro Mountains is a rugged and expansive highland region, where glaciated peaks, deep-cut valleys, and alpine meadows define the landscape. This section of the range forms a natural divide between the Dzungarian Basin to the north and the lowlands and deserts to the south, with elevations rising sharply from the surrounding terrain. The northern slopes descend toward the Dzungarian Basin, transitioning from forested foothills into dry, rocky steppe, while the southern slopes are steeper, marked by glacial valleys and fast-moving rivers that drain toward broader basins. In summer, the high-altitude meadows provide seasonal pasture for herders, while winter buries much of the range in snow, making many passes impassable.
The rivers flowing from these mountains sustain scattered settlements, hunting camps, and migratory routes, though the region remains largely untamed. Its remote passes and hidden valleys have long served as corridors for nomads, traders, and warbands, moving between the northern steppes and the lands beyond the Borohoro range.
