Mount Gibil
Geography
The squat shape of Mount Gibil would be truly unremarkable amongst the domed mountains of western Eira were it not for the towering plume of smoke and ash that drifts out of the glowing chasm that stretches across its peak. This is the scar left behind by a cataclysmic eruption that turned the surrounding landscape from scrubby grassland to a blasted, ashen expanse, dotted with wiry trees and shrubs and pockmarked with sinkholes and craters.
Travel through the plains and foothills around Mount Gibil is difficult and rarely undertaken, as the shifting ash quickly covers constructed roads, and individuals who must travel through the mountains of western Eira simply skirt the edge of the great Enkuri desert. However, ambitious treasure-seekers and traders have been known to venture deep into the wastelands to harvest the rare, beautiful volcanic glass that forms in the ash, as well as the spiced, richly aromatic bark of the Lava Coral shrub.
Travel through the plains and foothills around Mount Gibil is difficult and rarely undertaken, as the shifting ash quickly covers constructed roads, and individuals who must travel through the mountains of western Eira simply skirt the edge of the great Enkuri desert. However, ambitious treasure-seekers and traders have been known to venture deep into the wastelands to harvest the rare, beautiful volcanic glass that forms in the ash, as well as the spiced, richly aromatic bark of the Lava Coral shrub.
Fauna & Flora
Life in Mount Gibil is sparse, and limited to those species which can endure the extremes of the arid landscape and occasional downpours. The most common plant in the region is the Firebirch, a pale-barked tree that curves out of the ash like the rib-bone of a colossal skeleton.
Lava Coral shrubs are much rarer than Firebirch, but are usually found clustered around their trunks. These straggly bushes rarely grow over a foot in height and have a dull brown colour that camouflages them against the ash they grow in, but are sought out for their aromatic inner bark, a spice which is greatly valued for its unusual warm-cold flavour (not dissimilar to cinnamon and anise) in Enkurine cooking, and used as a tradable commodity across Midara.
The most iconic of the few animal species that live around Mount Gibil is the Drake Salamander, a large reptile with ash-coloured scales marred by bright orange streaks across the top of their bodies and over their undersides. This gives them the appearance of wandering lava flows, which is further reinforced by their ability to spit flames from a gland below their tongue. These lumbering creatures hunt for insects amongst the ash by working in pairs. One salamander spits flame into an insect hive whilst the other feasts on the insects as they escape, before switching roles so that each salamander can get their fill.
Lava Coral shrubs are much rarer than Firebirch, but are usually found clustered around their trunks. These straggly bushes rarely grow over a foot in height and have a dull brown colour that camouflages them against the ash they grow in, but are sought out for their aromatic inner bark, a spice which is greatly valued for its unusual warm-cold flavour (not dissimilar to cinnamon and anise) in Enkurine cooking, and used as a tradable commodity across Midara.
The most iconic of the few animal species that live around Mount Gibil is the Drake Salamander, a large reptile with ash-coloured scales marred by bright orange streaks across the top of their bodies and over their undersides. This gives them the appearance of wandering lava flows, which is further reinforced by their ability to spit flames from a gland below their tongue. These lumbering creatures hunt for insects amongst the ash by working in pairs. One salamander spits flame into an insect hive whilst the other feasts on the insects as they escape, before switching roles so that each salamander can get their fill.
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