The salt waste of Zemet is a region located in the north-west of Pretheya. It is considered to be the northernmost region to be a part of the Pretheyan mainland, and the border of the Blasted Mountains that surround it are used to demarcate the boundaries of the central continent in that region.
The region and its inhabitants have played important roles in many of the most significant events in the continent's history; starting from Zemet's time as the former
Wyrm homeland of Zeryth; to its destruction in
The War; to temporarily serving as the capital of
The Grannrormrlen; and finally, becoming the seat of
The Vestaltir in the present.
Geography
The region of Zemet is known by many as the 'salt waste', owing to the fact that around ninety percent of its surface area is thought to consist of salt plains or dunes. Clean drinking water is incredibly sparse in the region, and uncontaminated sources can only be found in the very few regions where the salt has washed away to a manageable level over the millennia. Food is much the same; with plant life of any
Average Rainfall: Around 130 days a year
Snow in Winter: Never
Spring Temperatures: 14-22c
Summer Temperatures: 26-42c
Autumn Temperatures: 18-26c
Winter Temperatures: -5 to 1c
variety existing only in tiny pockets where the soil has recovered enough to sustain life. The amount of species that can survive within the region are highly limited, with the most common animals being migratory birds that visit from elsewhere on the continent; alongside the
Salvermo which can survive purely by eating salt.
The landscape is dotted with the remains of
Ormr holds, forests, lakes, hills, mountains, and other structures that have been transformed into salt. The majority of these have been worn down by erosion over the years, and most have been reduced to dust and grains; with only the largest structures commonly surviving. Other exceptions include areas that were sheltered in one way or another, such as the interiors of caves and depressions in the ground. There also exist small inclines of as little as a metre which have been cleared of all salt, and serve as small islands upon which plants and animals can live. The species that exist on these islands tend to require very little in the way of nutrition, however; and it cannot be said that they can sustain complex ecosystems.
The region is home to many saltwater rivers; which flow down the banks of the Blasted Mountains and congregate into lakes in lowground regions. Zemet is the only region in Pretheya with salty rivers, and so extensive warnings have had to be put out for travellers and traders informing them not to drink from water sources that they see.
Weather
Zemet experiences a relatively high amount of rain per year; which has contributed to the erosion of the various salt formations present in the area. When it rains, the water commonly settles on top of flat parts of the region and is not absorbed; creating an effect referred to by locals as a 'sky mirror.' Sky mirrors function as almost perfectly reflective surfaces, left completely unmarred by the lack of any dirt in the ground that could muddy the water. These are known for being extremely beautiful, but also present a severe hazard to travellers moving through the area because of their reflective capabilities. The sun's reflection in sky mirrors can dazzle unprotected travellers, and in some cases can cause permanent damage to the eyes if one is not careful. This can often lead to difficulties in being able to see while travelling, which creates the risk of one losing track of their path; which is often deadly in Zemet. As well, prolonged exposure to the bright light of these mirrors has been known to cause eye damage to the locals, and as such protective gear is advised.
The region is also home to unpredictable dust storms caused by high winds. These can catch unprepared travellers by surprise, and can be incredibly deadly. Shelter from these storms is also particularly sparse when travelling through the region, which is another factor that has contributed to why it is so dangerous to traverse.
The extreme abundance of salt in Zemet means that, with the exception of the region's few green areas, ice is not capable of forming under any circumstances. Snow sometimes falls during winter, but will immediately dissolve upon making contact with the ground. This often results in the ground turning to unstable wet mush for large parts of winter, which renders travel impossible.
Temperature
The salt wastes experience relatively average temperatures during the day; commonly alternating between around 22c and 10c between summer and winter. However, nights are always cold regardless of the season; with temperatures reaching 5c at night in the summer and as low as -10c in the winter. This necessitates the carrying of warm clothes to deal with the low nighttime temperatures, but these can become excessive for daytime travel.
Ecology
Within the salt-heavy portions of the region, the only living creatures for the most part are small worms called
Salvermo; which are capable of eating salt. These invertebrates are extremely populous, and can be found in the thousands in every part of the salt wastes. They serve as the lowest level of the food chain in Zemet, and are fed upon by almost every other creature native to the region. However, the incredibly high salt content of their bodies makes them difficult for most creatures to digest, and so this has lead their population to grow much faster than they can be predated upon. The main factor controlling the prevalence of the Salvermo is exclusively their own reproductive speed.
Zemet is also home to a unique species of flamingo which are seemingly able to tolerate the incredibly high amounts of salt found in most lakes in the region. These creatures appear to have adapted to be able to eat Salvermo, and have diets containing almost entirely of the small worms. They live at the edges of bodies of water around the region, favouring inclined areas which have desalinated to the extent that shrubs can grow there. Despite this, they are capable of living anywhere where there is water.
Small rabbit-like creatures known as Viscacha inhabit parts of the region where the salt has washed away and the soil has become capable of sustaining sparse plant-life; most commonly elevated islands, and inclines around the interior of the Blasted Mountains and the exterior of the
Holy Ridge. These animals move from place to place, feeding on whatever plants they can find. They eat grass, mosses, lichens, and anything else that includes a low enough salt content to be edible; including insects if they can catch them.
Green Areas
Within the salt-heavy portions of the region, the only living creatures for the most part are small worms called Salvermo; which are capable of eating salt. These invertebrates are extremely populous, and can be found in the thousands in every part of the salt wastes. They serve as the lowest level of the food chain in Zemet, and are fed upon by almost every other creature native to the region. However, the incredibly high salt content of their bodies makes them difficult for most creatures to digest, and so this has lead their population to grow much faster than they can be predated upon. The main factor controlling the prevalence of the Salvermo is exclusively their own reproductive speed.
Zemet is also home to a unique species of flamingo which are seemingly able to tolerate the incredibly high amounts of salt found in most lakes in the region. These creatures appear to have adapted to be able to eat Salvermo, and have diets containing almost entirely of the small worms. They live at the edges of bodies of water around the region, favouring inclined areas which have desalinated to the extent that shrubs can grow there. Despite this, they are capable of living anywhere where there is water.
Small rabbit-like creatures known as Viscacha inhabit parts of the region where the salt has washed away and the soil has become capable of sustaining sparse plant-life; most commonly elevated islands, and inclines around the interior of the Blasted Mountains and the exterior of the Holy Ridge. These animals move from place to place, feeding on whatever plants they can find. They eat grass, mosses, lichens, and anything else that includes a low enough salt content to be edible; including insects if they can catch them.
Human Habitation
Humans have been unable to establish any footholds in Zemet outside of the Holy Ridge for the majority of the time since it was transformed into salt. This is because there have simply not been enough natural resources to sustain human life in much of the region; with the lack of clean drinking water being the most significant concern, followed by the shortage of human-viable sources of food.
However, this began to change around the 11th century Re with the founding of the
Shahru faith. It was discovered by adherents of the faith that prayer to
Rukhmar the Firebird could bring about drastic change in salt-covered areas, and allow the soil there to be purified into a form capable of sustaining normal plant life. Although the speed at which this process could be performed was very slow, it nonetheless enabled priests to begin clearing areas of salt that could then be transformed into farmland. This meant that settlements could at least theoretically be created and made self-sufficient for food if enough soil was purified in an area; although in practise the effort required to do this was immense.
It was discovered around the same time that the issue of water being too salty could also be solved through similar means: By placing sanctified bird feathers into containers of water, the salt could be purged from the liquid; making it fit for human consumption. Although this process was also tedious and required a steady supply of bird feathers which could not be acquired within Zemet, as well as priests to bless them, it made the issue of water also possible to solve without requiring external imports.
In the present day, small settlements have been created by the
Ashborn in various parts of Zemet outside of the Holy Ridge. Many of these are situated around the south-western border of the ridge and serve primarily as farming settlements, while others have been erected in green areas; and serve as waystations for travellers and traders moving from
Flame's Providence to mainland Pretheya or vice versa. The majority of these settlements have populations numbering only a few hundred, and nothing that could be called a city has yet been built anywhere within the salt wastes. The exception to this is in the Grannr settlement of
Whitefort, located in the south-east of the country; which serves as the primary salt extraction facility for
The Continent of Pretheya.
History
In times before
The Law of Mortality's enactment, the region of Zemet was known instead as Zeryth. Zeryth was the home of the Ormr, and the first region in which they began erecting their great gardens. Of all the lands they would visit throughout their long journey across Pretheya, it would remain their favoured place for the entirety of their race's history.
Zeryth is said to have been the greatest of all the paradises created by the Ormr in the First World, and elements of this can still be seen in its geography to this day. The salt wastes contain more than a dozen holds, many the size of or bigger than
The Granite Hold, all of which have been perfectly preserved in salt; save for what damage they have suffered by erosion. Their interiors beyond the entrance chambers remain exactly as they were before Zemet was turned to salt, and so have served as an immensely attractive prospect for archaeologists, historians, and all others interested in the past.
When the Law of Mortality was enacted, the majority of the flora within Zeryth perished. Much of it was eventually recreated under the careful stewardship of the Ormr and the
Fyrstbairn, and during the time of the First Country, the various humanoid races were put to work tending to and caring for the Wyrms' living creations; becoming in essence a race of gardeners. This arrangement continued until the breakout of
The War.
Destruction of Zeryth
At the onset of the War, the
Leskeln marched into the north of Zeryth with a large force. There, they called upon the strongest of their Divinities, Ragnvaldr the Vengeful, to unleash a curse upon the Wyrms. A red mist began to form in the north of the country and started to sweep southward, expanding as it went to flow over the entirety of the land. Everywhere that the mist passed over, trees, grass, mountains, and people were transformed into salt as the fog touched them.
In a little over a week, the mist had destroyed everything that had existed in Zeryth; save for
Varosok Hold, around which a ring of mountains - now known as Holy Ridge - were erected to ward off the mist. The mist was unable to travel over the mountains, and so instead passed around them, sparing the former capital.
In the aftermath, civilisation as it had previously existed had come to an end. The First Country, which had been primarily based in Zeryth, crumbled almost overnight in the wake of the cursing; due to the fact that more than ninety percent of its population had been located inside of the affected area. Several humanoid species were wiped out entirely, and humanity as a whole was forced to start again from scratch in central Pretheya to the south-east.
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