The Canyon of Despair was a ravine that ran through the Endless Wastes of the planet Kintan, being carved by the Fire River. The exact path followed by the Fire River changed every local month or so, as the flowing lava was affected by the natural tidal pull of Kintan's moons. The volcanoes of the Burning Moon Range lined the canyon, so that the lava belched forth flowed into the canyon to form the Fire River. The Fire River then flowed for some forty kilometers before emptying into the Basin of Torturous Flame. As the lava river flowed through the canyon, some of the lava "evaporated," forming crystals of hyper-ferrofeldspar that were continually ground up during seismic activity. These ground crystals then formed a kind of sand that lined the Canyon of Despair with what was basically cru