Most of the world is barren desert - sandy wastes, rocky badlands, salt flats, stony barrens and scrub plains. Only the most desperate or destitute people scrape a living from the desert. To the East is the Silt Sea, and endless expanse of choking dust that will swallow a man in seconds. To the north, south, and west are the unclimbable Ringing Mountains, beyond which only the savage Halflings live. The only true civilization occurs in the few fertile areas in the Tablelands, where mighty cities grow, under the rulership of the Sorcerer-Kings. There are scattered villages and oases in the desert, allowing people to cling to a form of civilized life.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://athas.org/articles/WYFTY-Human-City-Nobleman