The Ashen Prairie
The Ashen Prairie lies directly North of the Itali Lake, between the towns of New Kartavo to the North and Romport to the South. It covers a roughly 120 by 100 km area, and contains many small farmer settlements surrounded by endless fields.
The plains now serve an agricultural purpose primarily, supporting a large portion of the islands' population with its many fields of various grain and crop.
Geography
Topographically, the Ashen Prairie is mostly flat. Larger hills appear on the Eastern fields, where it meets the foot of the Valassian mountain range.
A feature characteristic of Smoias as a whole, and the Ashen Prairie included, are the large craters left by previous volcanic eruptions where entire mountainsides exploded, leaving a ring of elevated terrain around. Some of these craters fill with water, and make for picturesque landscapes, where lush oases form around the body of water. These crater oases are central to the irrigation systems of the many fields on the prairie.
Ecosystem
The ecosystems of the Ashen Prairie are mostly grasslands, due to a lack of moisture, but the oases hold a more diverse range of flora and fauna species.
The grasslands have a large population of reptiles such as various snakes and lizards. These reptiles are hunted by large birds of prey who nest in what blazed remnants of trees remain.
During dry seasons, wildifres appear quite often. These are usually started by the Ashen whistling slugs, which are a type of round whistling slug that have adapted to this kind of environment. The prairie gets its name from the frequent balzes that ravage the grasses started by the slugs. They grow large enough so that the snakes and birds can no longer eat them, and so they spread quite rapidly, starting wildfires and eating the remaining ash and debris. Not much can be done against these 5 foot high pests, and so farmers usually wrangle them up in their ranches in an attempt to keep them controlled, and sell their slime. The downside is, that without proper maintenance, the slug enclosures often fill with the flamable slime and detonate from a spark, causing significant damage to the farm, and letting the slugs loose. They have no natural predators, yet they seem to go missing in some nights according to local farmers. Legend says there is a spirit which guards the plains and takes away the combustable slugs in the night.
Natural Resources
The ash created by the wildfires is often collected and sold by farmers. It is a large export of the region along with the Ashen whistling slug slime.
History
Hundreds of years ago, the entire parairie was covered in dense forest called the Somi Forest. The forests were cut down over time, which turned the entire North of the island of Somias into vast, dry grasslands by 250 SE. This mass deforestation came with significant economic and environmental impacts, which affected both tribes at the time. Preventing other such mistakes was one of the core values of the Diddlos tribe when it was created.
Tourism
The wildfires started by the Ashen whistling slugs are a spectacle to behold. The region is famous for these phenomena, and for the huge slugs that start them. Travelers often come here for the excitement of seeing such large yet simple animals. The people of the oases are hospitable and aid people on their way to New Kartavo from all across Somojo. The distinct style, culture and mannerisms of the Ashen farmers and ranchers is well-known and often immitated and sought out by many.
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