Like much of Athas, the Blackspine Mountains region
is fairly arid. There are occasional patches of scrub plains
protected from the constant wind by the twists and turns
of the badlands, but by and large the Blackspine is a
barren place.
Most of the creatures that live in the mountains survive
on the erdlu herds found here. While the herds spend
little time on the barren granite slopes, they can be found
in small herds throughout the rocky badlands. Rasclinn,
tagsters, and so-ut occupy many of the canyons, making
any journey into the Blackspines potentially deadly.
The western foothills, which get most of the rainfall in
Inhabitants this region, are an exception to the barren
condition of most of the Blackspine range. While not as lush as the Crescent Forest, portions of the Blackspine
Gap are as fertile as the Verdant Belt itself. However,
unlike the Belt, most of this area is uncultivated and
there are many carnivores that threaten the life of any
traveler in the region.
The most common creatures in the area are z'tal and
jankz, which live in wild herds in the western foothills.
Predators include braxat, id fiends, and gaj.
The Blackspine Mountains lie to the north of the Ivory Triangle, east of the Windbreak Mountains. The main spine of this mountain range runs roughly east from the Blackspine Gap toward the ruined city of Giustinal. A number of minor branches spread to the northeast and south, forming a natural barrier to travel in all directions. Some say that the mountain range shows the natural shape of a gith, its arms outstretched in battle, its tail forming the spine of the range.
The mountains are surrounded by rocky badlands, and these extend for over 10 miles from the mountains themselves. Travel through this region is rare, but the few travelers who have visited here describe the badlands as filled with twisting canyons, many of which are box canyons with only one way in or out. This is particularly true in the south, where the hot, dry winds of the Great Ivory Plain have worn the stone into magnificent monuments. There is a large badlands region between the two northeast arms of the mountain range. This region, known as the Valley of Trevain, is among the most treacherous and isolated terrains in the entire Tyr region. The terrain is so treacherous that travelers traditionally come down to Nibenay and across the northern tip of the Great Ivory Plain to the Welcome Oasis rather than trying to traverse this difficult land. These lands are also reputed to be haunted.
The peaks of the Blackspine Mountains are a dark gray granite with few footholds to support a climber. The spires of these mountains tower above the Mekillot range, but they are not quite as high as those found in the Windbreak Mountains. Travelers in this range suffer the dizziness and ennui common to Ringing Mountains only on the tallest peaks of this range. The badlands that surround these mountains slope upward as if the Blackspine Mountains had thrust up violently from beneath the ground in the distant past. On occasion one can still find places where the jagged edge of the badlands is split with the force of the protruding granite.
The Blackspine Mountain region receives considerably less rain than the Windbreak Mountains, but it is not entirely desert. Some moisture passes north of the Windbreak Mountains, watering the western slopes of this range. Winds are fairly strong, particularly in the highest peaks, and there is a constant threat of dust storms in this region due to the large amount of rock dust the wind has etched from the mountain faces.