User:Seb/temp

The X depression is a large depressed basin located in south-central Lestria, completely enclosed by mountain ranges from the Lestrian Spine. The X depression forms an high-altitude plateau with an average altitude of about 1,000 metres, although some localised depressions go down as low as 500 metres above sea level. It is surrounded on all side by high mountains belonging to the Spine, all reaching at least 4,000 metres; the [west] and [south] ranges both rise above 6,000 metres. Mount A, Arden’s tallest mountain (7,003 m) is located in the western range.

The X depression is shadowed from moisture-rich winds on all side, especially from the easterly tropical winds. Its location close to the Horse latitudes and the vast X desert on the other side of the [western] range further help to make it a very arid place, where precipitations are rare, sometimes not happening for several years in a row. Temperatures vary widely between days and nights, but are relatively stable year-round thanks to the depression’s tropical location.

However, despite its harsh climate and its relative geographic isolation, the X depression is home to a thriving human population supported by the B River. The B River is a stable river that is fed by the seasonal melting of snow and precipitations in the [east] range; although it displays large seasonal variations, the B is a permanent river. At worst, its depth can be less than a meter during the driest period of local winter, but at the end of the summer season melting and abundant tropical rainfalls on the mountains mean the river often outflows its banks. The river’s reliability has allowed the development of agriculture along its banks and a thriving urban culture in today’s Nation 93, Nation 94 and Nation 95. The B River flows outside the depression through the C Gorge that separates the [north] and [west] ranges; the C Gorge is 130 km long and 600 metres deep.