Gardens of Acros
Ancient bread basket of the Forbidden Zone
In the hills overlooking the oracle city of Azoturia there is a hollow vale known as the Valley of Acros. So verdant and pristine are the precincts of this isolated mountain glade that they are known to all as the Gardens of Acros. Within the orchards and natural hanging bowers of Acros lies a veritable cornucopia of the earth's bounty. At the edge of the Deep Zone's steaming jungles and toxic barrens, the gardens provide a breathtaking mountaintop oasis of nutriment and natural beauty.
Geography
The Gardens of Acros are located within the hollow of a mountain plateau overlooking Azoturia. Within the heart of the plateau lies Lake Starlight, a mountain-fed cistern of rock shale. The waters of Lake Starlight meander from the peak of Mount Acros to the east, a source that also feeds the greenery of the surrounding plateau and tempers the climate of Acros as well as the surrounding hills. In spite of the high altitude of the Acros Plateau, the temperature within the garden valley is mild and suitable for growing year round.
The slopes within the bowl of Acros's plateau have been landscaped into perfect terraces and every inch of land is irrigated by streams that flow around the bowl in cascading concentric canals. These impressive terraces represent a level of agricultural engineering far surpassing the knowledge and capabilities of contemporary Zoners. They were engineered and cultivated centuries ago and are believed to be of Urzen origin.
Fauna & Flora
Unlike the typical jungle expanses of the region, which are so overgrown with weed and vine that the topsoil is rendered too moist and fallow for agriculture, the slopes within and around the Acros plateau are exceedingly fertile. Natural deposits of nitrogen-rich limestone counter the predominant acidity of the surrounding environs and the natural rain shadow of Mount Acros isolates the gardens from the Zone's general monsoon-like climate conditions.
The ancient Urzen farmers who originally plied the lands of Acros planted a variety of crops, including hardy mountain varieties such as beans, asparagus, alfalfa, and quinoa. Incredibly, the Urzen farmers developed their native strains of these food crops to grow perennially without need for tilling or seeding. Generations of careful selection and cultivation resulted in varieties with incredibly deep root systems that sustain biogenesis in the plant even after the fruit and/or stem have been cut. Today the Garden of Acros is a massive self-growing farm that requires human hands only to harvest its bounty, nothing more.
Such a source of fresh food and water should be ripe for human habitation, and it would be were it not for the predominance of Zone-bred beasts native to the Acros plateau. These beasts, including mega-fauna such as the Hawk Bear as well as unseen venomous killers such as the Purple Mamba, render the isolated paradise of Acros inhospitable for permanent human settlement.
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