Thistleshrub Valley

While most of Tanaris is an arid wasteland stripped bare of vegetation, Thistleshrub Valley is curiously choked with life. Giant blooming cacti tower over the canyon floor, providing a sharp contrast to the surrounding sea of sand. However, this is no peaceful sanctuary. The valley takes its name from the hostile, living plant creatures that lurk among the brush. These thistleshrubs lash out with razor-sharp spines at any traveler who wanders near, making navigation hazardous for those trying to push past the cliffs toward the mysterious southern gates.

The presence of animated flora in such a dry climate has long puzzled wanderers and desert survivalists. Whether awakened by forgotten elemental energies or stubborn adaptation to the harsh Tanaris climate, the thistleshrubs remain violently territorial. Travelers journeying through the canyon must contend not only with these thrashing thickets of thorn and root, but also the desert predators and venomous serpents that nest among the towering cacti.