The Sand Hills are an abnormal geographic feature that extend along the eastern foothills of the Mountains of Mist
Geography[]
The hills occur intermittently along the edge of the mountain range and are most prominent in the Two Rivers region where they lie to the west of; and adjacent to the Westwood.[1] The Quarry Road passes through the hills on its way to the roots of the mountains. The hills are described as great rolling mounds sparsely covered with tough grass and stubborn bushes.[2] They serve as a natural filtration of mountain runoff for an underground aquifer that feeds the Winespring in Emond's Field.
History[]
The Sand Hills were once the shore of a vast western ocean during the Age of Legends.[3][2] The shoreline was displaced and forced upwards during the Breaking of the World when insane male channelers raised the adjacent mountains and drove back the sea. Since the breaking, there has been no signifigant history related to the area. The nation of Manetheren regarded the Sand Hills as a bizarre curiosity with no strategic value. Buildings built upon the sand quickly collapse and farming the area is impossible. As a result, the entire area is uninhabited.
Artifacts[]
Explorers may find mysterious bones dating from a time before the Age of Legends buried beneath the surface of the Sand Hills. During an exploration of the area in his youth, Rand al'Thor dug up several of these including one he thought resembled a fish that was as large as a boat.[4] Fossils from the Sand Hills bear some semblance to similar objects on display at the Panarch's Palace in Tanchico.[5] The presence of these strange artifacts coupled with the desolate environment of the hills have led many inhabitants of the Two Rivers to come to the superstitious conclusion that exploration of the area causes bad luck.[3]