Hammerfell/Geography

Hammerfell is the third largest country in Tamriel. It has an area of roughly 115,400 sq. miles and is an arid land consisting mostly of deserts, mountains, and grasslands. The few forests of Hammerfell are found mainly along the coasts and along the borders between Hammerfell, High Rock, and Skyrim. The rugged Dragontail Mountains line northern Hammerfell's border with Skyrim. The Colovian Highlands make up part of Hammerfell's southern border with Cyrodiil. The southeastern region of Hammerfell is occupied by grasslands similar to those found in the Gold Coastregion of Cyrodiil. The Dak'fron Desert, a region of rocky desert in the northern region of Hammerfell, borders the Dragontail Mountains and is perhaps the most prominent geographical feature of Hammerfell - the Alik'r Desert.

The Alik'r Desert takes up all of the western region of Hammerfell, and is widely regarded as the most inhospitable region in all of Tamriel. Until the coming of the Ra Gada in the eight hundreds of the First Era, the deserts were populated only by monstrous beasts, including giant scorpions. While the fauna of the Alik'r Desert remained deadly into the Third Era, the Redguards have managed to significantly reduce the presence and threat of those creatures. The Alik'r Desert also is home to the ruins of countless civilizations that had perished beneath its sands. Its blazing heat, ferocious sandstorms, and lack of water, makes it nearly impossible to survive in the Alik'r Desert. The Desert is inhabited only by the nomadic Dune Dweller Redguards.