Zhohain Cliffs
The Zhohain Cliffs are a geological structure located on Medial D2. Once a refuge for a cliff-dwelling, bronze age Lost Tribes now known only as the Zhohain Culture, the region's people were subsumed by successive waves of Elovisian exiles, Old Voxelian explorers, and New Voxelian settlers. In modern times, the ruins of the extensive cliff dwellings serve as surprisingly intact archaeological curiosities in a region otherwise riven with confict, falling deep behind the Voxelian lines in the War of Reunification's Caudal theater.
Geography
The Zhohain Cliffs are a set of parallel cliff faces created by erosion against the trailing ends of Medial D3's edge mountain faces. The side of the jagged canyon formed by these cliffs that is closer to the commissure lie lower than the other, making the canyon system's reddish-brown rock stand out against the surrounding countryside when viewed from afar. A primordial river of snowmelt still flows through the canyon system, but is too swift to drain all at once, forming a narrow, winding lake during the summer and fall when the watershed increases.
Fauna & Flora
The Zhohain Cliffs are a typical Medial subalpine environment dominated by coniferous growth and mammals ranging in size from squirrels to brown bears. The concentration of animals in the region has actually increased over the years as they have been driven from other parts of the cube affected by ongoing fighting.
Natural Resources
The region of the Zhohain cliffs would be a valuable source of spruce timber if the terrain was more suitable to the movement of heavy logging equipment. Some logging with specially-equipped utility skeletons does take place, but these trees are replanted so that the overall density of the forest is affected but little by these activities.
History
In ancient times, the Zhohain culture resided in the caves formed by wind and water erosion, using the surrounding rock as protection against the cold and damp weather of the region. When they invented metals strong enough to hew into the sturdy rock, the Zhohain expanded the caves and merged them together, forming extensive cliffside communities almost wholly protected against outsiders. When game became scarce, the fish-populated rivers receeded in the winters, and their limited agricultural space became overtaxed, the Zhohain turned to raiding surrounding Lost Tribes communities.
The Elovisian exodus in the aftermath of the Old Voxelian Conquest brought the Elovisians into contact with the Zhohain. The Elovisians, being the more techonologically advanced force and not keen to submit to another hostile force so soon after their loss to the Old Voxelians, overcame and absorbed most of the Zhohain culture through force of arms. The lighter complection of Elovisians hailing from this Caudal exodus route derives in part from the subsequent admixture of Elovisian and Zhohainian heritage.
The Zhohain Cliffs have long fallen behind Voxelian lines in the War of Reunification. Aggresive outward pushes from nearby Voxelian garrisons at the start of the war extended the front lines well into the centerline of the cube, and, while the front lines do fluctuate over time, the Coalition Defense Forces are far better at holding ground than capturing new ground due to their doctrine of defense-in-depth.
Tourism
Though not a direct target of CDF attacks, the Zhohain Cliffs do fall within artillery range at times and, thus, attract only the bravest of visitors. Mountaineers and those which archaeologial interests are the most common visitors. Some members of the Burning Hearts Social Club consider the region a 'forbidden delight,' reveling in the natural beauty and storied history of the place while also being conscious of the potential for danger should the fighting shift closer.
Type
Coast / Shore
Location under
Owning Organization
Contested By
Comments