Mirror of the Gods

The largest salt flat on Vesarca , in the forbidding depths of the Great Desert of Pravlaam, the Mirror of the Gods is so-named for its appearance after rain. With a thin layer of still water atop its salt crust, the Mirror of the Gods becomes almost perfectly reflective. In effect, it becomes Vesarca’s largest mirror, nearly 160 kilometers across.

The ancient Qhiha believed that their vain gods used the Mirror to admire themselves from the heavens. The cunning Qhiha lavished praise and flattery upon their gods in hopes that it would feed their vanity and spur them to send rain, that they might make use of the mirror. Old Qhiha religion is long gone, supplanted by the worship of the Menhir of Fomalhaut , but the name remains.

Geologically, the location of what was clearly once an inland sea or lake suggests that the Great Desert of Pravlaam was once more temperate. Scientists are deeply intrigued by the area, seeking clues as to what caused the desertification of much of Pravlaam.

Today, in addition to its appeal to travelers, the Mirror is home to large salt and lithium mining operations. Most of the serfs who work these mines live in villages just outside the Mirror, for even the desert is more hospitable than this wasteland of salt.