While not technically part of the Empire or the March, the importance of the Dragon's Maw is one of the most important places in the world in the current day.

The region is utterly inhospitable, unfit for humanity, and an insult to all living things. During the day, the sands and sun sear flesh, boil water in canteens, and heat metal enough to cook upon. At night, the temperatures are the inverse - enough to freeze a human's blood in their veins. 

Even the very air is a foe to be overcome. Unleashed from the ground by the heat and boiling sun is a foul vapor with hallmarks many and vile: fatigue, body aches, ulcers of the throat, and bleeding from the mouth and nose, culminating in a death even Sages are powerless to prevent. The only thing capable of staving off the inevitable is a potent but often debilitating combination of toxins and alchemical reagents combined with arcanely crafted face and eye coverings such as masks and goggles. Side effects are often as deadly as the Maw itself: fevers, tremors, blurred vision, and vomiting, among others whose severity vary on an individual basis. 

Humanity has left its mark upon the land despite this, a testament to its indomitable spirit in this godsforsaken place. A road of sorts traces through the desert, marked by great poles visible at a distance. While the desert oftentimes swallows whole segments whole, it cannot fully erase  what has been built atop it.