The Dread Wastes are an area of Pandaria, located south of Townlong Steppes and west of the Valley of the Four Winds and Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Separated from the rest of Pandaria by the Serpent's Spine constructed during the rule of Lei Shen, the Dread Wastes are the home of the Mantid. The landscape is dotted with massive Kypari trees that produce the amber which the Mantid utilize in many ways. The Dread Wastes are the southern portion of Townlong region separated from the rest of Pandaria mainland by the great wall, Serpent's Spine. It is very similar to its northern counterpart, except that it apparently became twisted by sinister energies and a dark gloom blankets over the land along with a swath of sha-corrupted soil. In the center of the twisted path stands the imperial palace of the mantid race, known as the Heart of Fear, a paragon to the Sha of Fear which took the entire race into its sway through their empress, Shek'zeer. The mantid Kyparis along the path have also been corrupted by the unstable energies.