Dark Sun Terrain: Mountains

Himalayan Mountains, Asia

Mountain ranges consist of a series of mountains in a line and connected by high ground. There are numerous mountain ranges in the Tablelands, including the Black Spine Mountains, the Mekillot Mountains, the Windbreak Mountains, and the Ringing Mountains. These mountain ranges are made up of various types of rock and stone. While they can be very different, they are also very similar. All mountains are large landforms that rise above the surrounding area. These usually form peaks or small plateaus.
The Ringing mountains are the largest peaks in the Tablelands and the only ones capped in snow. They are made up of granite, diorite, monazite, shale, and limestone. High quality garnets are mined in the Ringing Mountains. From a distance of a hundred miles, the Ringing Mountains look like a ridge of reddish clouds hugging the horizon. As you move closer, their soft edges gradually grow sharper and more distinct. Within five miles of the mountains, the range takes on the appearance of a great wall.
The Windswept Mountains are made up of sandstone, shale, and limestone. They mark the northwestern base of the Ivory Triangle region. This high mountain range juts abruptly from the sandy wastes at the edge of the Tablelands on its northwestern side. These mountains are called the Windbreak Mountains because they protect the Gulg and Nibenay region from the prevailing west winds blowing off the Tablelands.
The Black Spine and Mekillot Mountains are made up of granite, gneiss, mudstone, and limestone. The Mekillot Mountains are an old, low-lying range in the center of the Great Ivory Plain. They're shaped like the backs of giant mekillots. The Black Spine Mountains are east of the Windbreak Mountains. They look like a huge gith, with a granite spine. Both of these mountain ranges get little rain.
There are other mountain ranges in the Tablelands as well, such as the Smoking Crown Mountains, the Kregill Mountains, and the mountain range near South Ledopolous. These mountain ranges are likely similar to the dry Black Spine and Mekillot Mountain ranges in composition, flora, and fauna.

Dark Sun Terrain: Forest

Temperate Forest in Heidelberg, Germany

Forests on Athas are living barriers that likely shelter venomous creatures looking for their next meal. Trees provide respite from the sun, but also make it difficult to spot your enemies. Of course, the strange trees and plants may try to kill you before any enemy on two legs. Rain is most common in the forests of the Tablelands and it is unlikely characters come prepared for all of that moisture. Thri-kreen chitin may rot if exposed to the forest's wetness for too long and so can leather armor and hemp rope.
There are many different types of forest and they do not necessarily look alike. This is usually based on the amount of rain fall that pours down from the sky. No place in the Tablelands get as much water as the forests. There are two types of forests on Athas, temperate forests and tropical forests.
Temperate forests tend to have trees with dense, strong wood, like agafari. The undergrowth consists of ferns, fungi, moss, and shrubs. Temperate forests are darkened by thick canopies that shade the forest floor and fog is common in the morning and evenings. The Crescent Forest and a majority of the Forest Ridge are temperate forests.
Tropical forests get more rain than temperate forests. These forests are thick with vegetation and mud. The canopy tends to be extremely thick, darkening the forest floor considerably. All of the undergrowth in temperate forests are present in tropical forests, but in greater numbers. In addition, there are flowering plants and vines. It is not uncommon for trees in tropical forests to grow to incredible heights, but the trees tend to be thinner than in temperate forests. Only the deepest parts of the Forest Ridge are tropical forests.
It's important to note that Athasians would not use the terms temperate and tropical.

Dark Sun Terrain: Sandy Wastes

Sahara Desert, Northern Africa

Vast expanses of yellow and orange sand. Dunes piled as high as large hills that change constantly, their size and shapes at the mercy of the hot winds that blows across the Tablelands. Most sand dunes are longer on the upwind side, or stoss, and have a shorter lee side, or slip face. Dunes may change location quickly, depending on the strength of the wind, which can bury travelers under tons of sand.
Strong, steady winds pile up sand into mekillot dunes, which resembles the roll on a  mekillots back. It is possible that these great dunes reach a height of seven hundred fifty feet high and several miles long. These dunes can be dangerous in a sand avalanche. If the wind is moderate and steady, the sand forms wave dunes. Wave dunes are much smaller than mekillot dunes, only reaching a maximum height of one hundred feet, and are evenly spaced.
Unidirectional wind that blows over the dunes low tips create crescent dunes. Crescent dunes are generally wider than they are long and tend to move quickly across the desert. Multi-directional winds create star dunes. Star dunes are pyramid shaped mounds with three or more ridged arms that stretch out from the central mound. These arms may stretch for many miles. Star dunes rarely change shape quickly or move very far.

Dark Sun Terrain: Salt Flats

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA

Huge expanses of salt encrusted ground as far as the eye and see. Salt Flats are nearly barren lands that become incredibly hot during the day. Here, more so than anywhere else on Athas, moisture is pulled from a traveler's mouth and skin. Any amount of water that pools quickly becomes salty and undrinkable. Yet, even here, life finds a way to survive.
Although it is not common, some salt grasses and hardy cacti break through the dry crust of the salt. Not nearly enough water to support a thriving ecosystem, salt flats are for the most part, devoid of life. Most creatures are only passing over the salt flats, looking to get off of them before the sun reaches its peak and the shining white salt raises to unbearable temperatures.

Dark Sun Terrain: Scrub Plains

Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA

Although rare in the Tablelands, scrub plains are highly coveted by herders and defilers. Clumps of grass, thorny bushes, and occasional trees fill the landscape. Although scrub plains are not lush by any accepted measure, they do contain some of the most abundant foliage on Athas. Scrub plains are extremely popular for herders to graze their flocks, sometimes to excess. They are also a popular spot for defilers to cast spells, as there are plenty of plants to fuel their magic. Unfortunately, if overgrazed or defiled, scrub plains will become sandy wastes or stony barrens.
Life is very common in the scrub plains, after all, where there are plants, there is water. Small and medium sized creatures feed on the plants, while larger predators hide among the grasses and bushes. Water can generally be found inside certain plants, or pooled a few feet below the surface. The plants provide shade for the creatures that call it home and wind that blows through the scrub plains is sometimes cooled by the plants that grow there.

Dark Sun Terrain: Rocky Badlands

Windswept Rocky Badlands. Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

Rocky badlands are usually found at the base of mountain ranges, sometimes stretching out for miles around. They are twisting canyons with walls of crumbling rocks. Many of these canyons are separated by thin ridges, but some have rounded or flat tops as well. Rocky Badlands are a popular location for many living things, due to the natural shade they provide.
Life is fairly common in the rocky badlands, due to a majority of the suns harsh rays being blocked by the canyon walls. Water pools up and doesn't evaporate as quickly as elsewhere. Wind often blows through the canyons, but rarely in the form of a cool breeze. Hot, oven-like wind blows through the canyon, making life miserable for those inhabitants who call the rocky badlands home. Thorny and serrated leaved bushes, as well as stunted trees, grow in the rocky badlands.

Dark Sun Terrain: Stony Barrens

Goblin Valley, Utah, USA

Of all the different types of terrain, stony barrens are the most common type in the Tablelands. Stony barrens appear as large sheets of exposed bedrock, usually orange-red sandstone. The bedrock is weathered away by strong, dry winds, so the barrens are littered with stones. The stones themselves can be tiny pebbles or large boulders. Dust and red sand are blown about the barrens by high winds.
Stony barrens are not without life. Between the large boulders and small stones, life emerges. The minuscule amount of rainfall that falls in the barrens can run between the stones and be protected from the suns harsh rays. This tiny amount of water allows life to struggle to survive. Thorny bushes and cacti are the most common type of plants to be found.