The Meadow of New Beginnings

Original over image by Vertixico, edited by

After years... decades... trapped in a dismal concrete cell, this new world looked... I couldn't remember the words to describe it at first, I'd spent so much of my life in a gray box that smelled of dust and unease. This might not be "home", but I certainly couldn't complain about staying here a while.

— From the journal of a human describing their landing on Haven

The Meadow of New Beginnings was where a majority of the humans landed on the world they later named Haven, after humankind's warring brought about an apocalypse on Earth. While it was not the only new human settling area, it quickly became a popular hub of trade and travel.

Geography

I admit, when I first saw the landing site, I almost cried. It reminded me so much of home, before the war. The rolling hills covered in gently swaying plants, the distant mountains, the water lapping at the shore. All these things I thought I'd lost when the war tore our planet apart, this new world gave them back to me. My children can finally see what nature ought to look like.

— From the journal of a human settler

The Meadow of New Beginnings was chosen for a variety of its traits. There is a sizable lake in the meadow, providing plentiful fresh drinking water. The meadow is not far from what became known as the Jade Strait, with a small port eventually being made nearby the strait. The landscape is not too hilly or mountainous, so traversing was not inconvenient and difficult.
In addition to the multiple geographic features, the meadow was an appealing spot because of the scenic views. The surviving humans that had journeyed to Haven had either been born in the bunkers of Earth, or had lived in them for many years. They were tired of seeing dead, scorched landscapes that couldn't possibly nurture any life. They wanted to be able to see beautiful green rolling hills, clean blue water, and the stars of a new and healthy world.

Fauna & Flora

The fauna of the meadow seem to be largely passive creatures, opting to either ignore us or flee from us. They are... strange creatures, though they bear some similarities to creatures from Earth.

— From the research notes of a scientist

Flora

The meadow is covered in multiple different types of plants. Some were discovered to be edible for humans, such as multiple different vegetables, fruits, and grains. Others were not found to be edible, but still contributed to the scenic views by having colorful flowers or sweet smells, or even just peacefully waving in the breeze.
Over time, some humans experimented with crossbreeding the edible Haven plants with the edible Earth plants, giving rise to even more different types of foods. Others found that either the soil, air, or the water in the meadow made the Earth plants taste better. (It would be many years before someone would discover what was truly responsible for this.)

Fauna

The meadow also is home to a variety of native Haven animals. Some were similar to Earth animals, while others were wildly different. Some of the humans were wary to try the meat of these new animals, for fear they would be poisonous - and some certainly were not safe for human consumption. However, there were a fair number of animals that were safe to eat, and their meat was found to be quite delicious. There were even some animals which were successfully crossbred with the Earth animals, giving rise to new species.
Among some of the species which were not safe for human consumption, some were found to be good beasts of burden, mounts, or even companions. These were not crossbred, as humans wanted them to keep their natural Haven-like characteristics. Instead, they coexisted with the Earth beasts of burden, mounts, and pets.

Natural Resources

The meadow seems the perfect place to rebuild a civilization. There's plenty of wood, lots of room, and those strange friendly aliens are willing to help us rebuild. They say they have some technology that might come in handy. I'm willing to believe them, after having spent so many months in their ships and hearing them somehow be able to translate their words for everyone at once.

— From the journal of a human architect

The meadow contains a plentiful bounty of resources. These include wood from the forests, fresh water from the lakes and rivers, multiple different types of rocks from the mountains (though the mountains were about a day's walk from the majority of the human settlements in the meadow), and even sands from the Copper Desert (also about a day's walk away).
Later, it was discovered that there was an ore that seemed to be giving off an element humans had never discovered on Earth. This mysterious ore was found to be present all over Haven, all radiating this strange element. It was not discovered until some time later that this element was both responsible for the better taste of the plants and animals, but also for a new phenomenon that could only be described as magic. It took many more years for humans to understand how this new element works, with the help of the saviors who had brought them to Haven.

Type

Meadow

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