A vast expanse of dry desert skirting the eastern edges of the Big Rocks, the “Forbidden Lands” are known throughout the Twisted Earth as a chaotic region. This is a land of canyons, gorges, dry rivers, and at times even seas of seemingly endless dunes. The region has long been a haven to the dozens of raider gangs that make the Forbidden Lands so treacherous, keeping away the encroach of even the most well-organized and fortified merchant groups (the only exception being the Cartel, and even they have been cautious in their forays into these wide open lands beneath the shadow of the distant Rockies) – and thus the foothold of any possible civilization.
Despite the threat of horizon-spanning raider armies, smaller gangs of outcasts from the settler tribes and clans, and many natural dangers/predatory mutants (in particular, the sandmen that dwell in unusual abundance beneath the surface of the region), life goes on in the Forbidden Lands. People, usually traveling in small, violently xenophobic groups, cling to life through a nomadic existence that keeps them on the move, always a step ahead of the more powerful raider gangs. Life is harsh, pitiless, and cruel in the Forbidden Lands. Everyone and everything serves a practical purpose; those that do not are cast out as junk (whether person or object), for the predators to do with as they will, and buy time for the rest to get away.
In this bleak and brutal land, communities are seldom permanent; transient tent cities, temporary encampments, and open “oasis” where no one stays long are more likely features of the region. Though few groups welcome the sight of others here in these wastes, every now and again the various tribes, clans, or gangs do get together at temporary “towns” (again, just tent cities or camps) to do trade for the vital things needed to keep this fragile way of life going: food, water, ammunition, weapons, gasoline, vehicle parts, and women change hands frequently at these much-anticipated gatherings.
Still, though the nomads of the Forbidden Lands do sometimes find a time to celebrate and join with their fellow man in brutal entertainments (e.g. gladiatorial games) at such gatherings, their guard is never down. The raider gangs are ever-present, ever watchful. Inevitably the gangs hear of these camps, or stumble upon them in the desert, and their brief but important contribution to nomad society and interaction comes to an end.
But such is life in the Forbidden Lands. Few things are permanent. And nothing lasts forever.