Pasocada Basin

The Pasocada Basin was a tough unyielding land in Maztica, north of the deserts where the Dog People resided. It was home to numerous human groups, most notably the Azuposi, and the Poscadar elves.

Geography
The area was drained by the Pasocada River and its tributaries, and was largely desert because of a lack of rainfall due to the surrounding mountains, but its altitude and distance north meant it received snow in the winter.

The basin was scattered with mesas and buttes of rock protruding from the landscape. These had been carved by seasonal rains which also deposited great banks of sand. The area was mostly covered with brush, consisting of hardy plants like cacti, grasses, and yucca. The Azuposi successfully transformed this brush into farmland, especially in the flood plains. Those areas that received no rain whatsoever were devoid of plant life and were inhabited by monstrous creatures.Canyons such as Long Canyon ran through the basin, through which rivers and streams flowed.

The mountains surrounding the basin had much more rainfall and these areas were covered in forests of aspen, fir, pine, and spruce. Higher in the mountains where the air was colder and trees could not grow, the landscape was perpetually covered in snow. Only yeti and some aarakocra could live here.

The salt flats were areas of the desert where water had long since evaporated and left crystalline deposits behind. Life flourished around the outside of the salt flats, but nothing lived or grew within. These areas might occasionally be visited by an elemental.

Fauna
In the desert and brush, typical animals were antelope, bison, coyotes, lizards, mice, and prairie dogs. In the mountain foothills, antelope, bears, deer, and foxes were to be found.

Climate
The climate for the Pasocada Basin in general was very arid and dry, but temperate rather than hot. The basin received very little rainfall because the surrounding mountains caused a rain shadow. The annual precipitation, on average, was just fifteen inches per year. These were consumed by flash floods in the spring, causing the rivers to burst their banks and fill the flood plains, and enlarging the flow of water through the canyons. During the winter, snowfalls were common and the temperature was cold.

Places of interest

 * Black Mesa : A huge mesa with high coal content south of Opallinoc.
 * Michaca : The City of Gold, and the centerpiece of the Azuposi civilization.