Khilos
In the southern area of Nithira, locally known as The Gut is an island split into two neighbouring territories. The western territory is known as Khilos.
Geography
The land is completely consumed by swamp, shallow waters where poisonous creatures lurk under cover of the dark. Even the trees here secrete a toxic fluid to repel predators. The largest being named Ja’dano by locals, which means one from the depth.
The surrounding sea is also a toxic hazard, with radiation spewing from the atmosphere in the sky into the water below. Not much is known about how there still seems to be life here, as most of Nithira chooses to stay far away from The Gut out of fear for their lives, rightfully so.
There is a large central cluster of cypress trees in the northern area of Khilos that has become a hub for the locals to build around, the trees are seen as a kind of deity for the people. They stand taller than anything else, with long branches spreading out far and roots that curve over the landscape, in between water, mud, and land. The village that surrounds the trees is called Harmony. An ironic name given its location, but no less accurate.
Ecosystem
Survival of the smartest, a saying that is well known within Khilos.
Everything is trying to kill everything around it, and only those who can outsmart will be able to survive. Strength is not always the most intelligent response, and so a lot of the life here evolved to think its way out of a dire situation.
There are many symbiotic relationships threaded throughout, with insects feeding on parasitic bacteria that land on the animals, and animals polluting the water with their waste that fertilizes the bacteria. All life here seems to rely on something out with its own control, creating a strange dynamic of dependency.
Localized Phenomena
Swamp storms.
A strange and terrifying thing to be witness to, is the devastating storms that occur every year in Khilos. The surrounding radiation gets caught up in wind currents and gets blown all across the island.
These storms are not predictable, and each year there are many casualties, and many forms of food gets washed away or rotted with radiation leaving it useless and discarded. The local people, Khilos'a, have adapted like no other life form on the island. They have built large structures that are designed to withstand these storms. However, it doesn't mean they have become immune the cruel effects of radiation.
Fauna & Flora
The dominant trees that grows within Khilos are hardy and tough, they have been able to adapt to a wide range of soil types: wet, salty, dry, or swampy. They can grow up to 100-120ft tall. The wood from these trees is resistant to rot and became a popular wood for building for the Khilos'a.
History
Khilos was once an abundant land, with large lakes spread all around the region. But over the years, trees and shrubs began to fill in the land. The plants died and decayed, and the level of the water became lower and lower. Eventually, the original lakes fused into what is now a massive swamp.
Comments