Longo Soterri
About 5.5 Thousand Miles away from Kanda Sentran and the Core of Kanda is a land that exists, so far as the Kandia know, at the southernmost tip of the world; Soterri or South Land.
While this land has only been known to the Kandia for about five years it is something the gloryhounds and explorers of Kanda have wanted since first rumor.
So the gossip in Ta Fanusia Hyanus went that untold treasures and valuable experiences awaited even father south, where the water grew cold again and where the land ceased its southward march and turned to the great southern ocean where Ditwala and Ka Danti lie!
Cut off from the wealth of these nations and the wealth of the Western Kingdom beyond them twenty years ago, a small coalition of aristocrats and merchants came together under one Philanthropus Domitad Magnomus: The Generositas, and begged Kandar Lucus permission to set out on a colonial venture to discover the Southern Route To The West and settle the lands at the bottom of the world! After only a year of pleading and waiting for his favor, The Kandar granted his permission for the endeavor, assigning a particularly well known few officers and professionals from courts near his own and sending a FINE fleet out with no shortage of military favor.
This fleet took a year to arrive, having to slowly plod down to Ta Fanusia Hyanus with no great issue but then spending 60% of the journey struggling through harsh, choppy storms and waves that seemed to indicate the scathing disapproval of the very ocean itself! Half of the fleet was lost en route but, eventually, they found where the land turned west and then... finally... north again!
The passage had been found... but only just short of the the fleet smashing into the shores of what would come to be The Gulf Of Woe. The first year was an excellent one of glory and victory!
The attacking Kobori were unable to push through the powerful shield walls and foreign tactics of The Kandia and the Leconia marched forth strong and proud to take much new land for the Empire!
The year, however, extended into two failed harvests and dozens of high ranking military and political assassinations.
And the very next year after that was near identical, pushing the Kandia supplies to their limit and letting them fall into lazy decadence and apathy as their power structure was systematically assassinated from the top down by the cunning Kobori Warriors that wandered the sands of the nearby desert. No longer having a choice but to take up command, The Great Military Mysterios Meningitis called upon his greatest of magical powers against the forces of darkness... and summoned The Maiden Of Health to lead them in The War Of Soterri; A True War Of Extinction!
So the gossip in Ta Fanusia Hyanus went that untold treasures and valuable experiences awaited even father south, where the water grew cold again and where the land ceased its southward march and turned to the great southern ocean where Ditwala and Ka Danti lie!
Cut off from the wealth of these nations and the wealth of the Western Kingdom beyond them twenty years ago, a small coalition of aristocrats and merchants came together under one Philanthropus Domitad Magnomus: The Generositas, and begged Kandar Lucus permission to set out on a colonial venture to discover the Southern Route To The West and settle the lands at the bottom of the world! After only a year of pleading and waiting for his favor, The Kandar granted his permission for the endeavor, assigning a particularly well known few officers and professionals from courts near his own and sending a FINE fleet out with no shortage of military favor.
This fleet took a year to arrive, having to slowly plod down to Ta Fanusia Hyanus with no great issue but then spending 60% of the journey struggling through harsh, choppy storms and waves that seemed to indicate the scathing disapproval of the very ocean itself! Half of the fleet was lost en route but, eventually, they found where the land turned west and then... finally... north again!
The passage had been found... but only just short of the the fleet smashing into the shores of what would come to be The Gulf Of Woe. The first year was an excellent one of glory and victory!
The attacking Kobori were unable to push through the powerful shield walls and foreign tactics of The Kandia and the Leconia marched forth strong and proud to take much new land for the Empire!
The year, however, extended into two failed harvests and dozens of high ranking military and political assassinations.
And the very next year after that was near identical, pushing the Kandia supplies to their limit and letting them fall into lazy decadence and apathy as their power structure was systematically assassinated from the top down by the cunning Kobori Warriors that wandered the sands of the nearby desert. No longer having a choice but to take up command, The Great Military Mysterios Meningitis called upon his greatest of magical powers against the forces of darkness... and summoned The Maiden Of Health to lead them in The War Of Soterri; A True War Of Extinction!
Geography
The Longo of Soterri, as the Kandia know it, starts at the coast within what the people not so affectionately refer to as The Gulf Of Woe upon The Cape Of No Return; where the last of their ships were beached in a mad attempt to hit land before they were torn apart almost three years ago, leaving the Kandia to accept that there was no going back.
From the rocky, grassy beaches and populous tide pools of the shore one can journey inland toward the drier, rolling scrublands and low, wooded hills that surround the many small but curving streams and rivers of the region that trickle down from the mountains even further inland still to the northwest; all to eventually end up in a gigantic, single river that empties into the Gulf.
Gradually the constant grassy and dry terrain gives way to much sandier areas where only sparse tufts remain and instead all manner of drought tolerant shrubs pop out of the ground to catch what moisture they can from the distant ocean spray.
Despite the dry, sandy terrain, many creatures and plants still live in this area, having developed over long periods of time to be able to handle the dry weather and/or finding themselves growing along the many small waterways. One grand river that the natives call "M'Tufakhalu" (meaning Great River) dominates the area and presides over all other surrounding rivers at an almost plodding rate but still a truly respectable size.
Generally seen as an easy going river that provides regular seasonal floods and swells that bring nutrients down from the volcanic mountains to the north, M'Tufakhalu is regarded as the key life bringer of the land to both the Kobori Natives AND The Kandia colonists! Now sitting half a mile wide on average since the climax of The Battle Of Matriarch, The River M'Tufakhalu is full of all manner of delicious fish, high quality clay and the bodies of the fallen Kobori that lost during The War Of Soterri; their agreed upon burial in the river being a major factor to M'Tufakhalu joining the battle.
Though the bodies sink further under the river every day, someone with goggles could probably swim to the bottom and see hands and feet sticking out of the muck. If one follows the river M'Tufakhalu north they will slowly find themselves journeying even farther inland, reaching rocky foothills and some verdant valleys.
While dry, these areas are still teeming with small critters that many natives live off of as well as the regular routes of many migrating animals.
Many underground springs burst forth here, thought to be supported by the many sacrifices granted every year to the River Goddess herself, who jealously guards the benefits of her worship so that she might be able to hold it over all other subservient bodies of freshwater. As one journeys further up in elevation they will find a ridge of mountains that block the way to the rest of the continent while the great river slowly meanders along the line of the foothills to the northeast, as if trying to cut off the peninsula entirely.
Dominating this imagery nearly 75 Miles inland from the shore and openly visible from almost anywhere in the Longo is what the natives call "Intubakhalu" (Great Mountain).
It watches over the entirety of the land and its peak stands just over two miles above the coastal shore; inescapable and once prominent in the eye line of anyone in the area as a Fuji-Like view of majestic proportions.
NOW it is more like a scene of a taller and less completely annihilated Mount St. Helens after it blew; The Top sixth or so of the mountain blown off shortly before the War Of Extinction when Unamakhalu (The Great Mother) stole part of the Mountain God's power and plucked out his eyes. Beyond the reach of the great river to the northeast the land becomes nothing but dry, rocky desert that the natives call "Indayo Eyomide" or "The Dry Place."
Existing for as long as any human has, according to legend, The Dry Place is the home of the region's Supreme Earth God, who let humans exist in this place out of pity some eternity ago and has been heard from very seldom since! The line of Mountains birthed by Intubakhalu (according to legend) is the western boundary of Soterri.
Once one travels high into the mountains and crosses their peaks the land becomes nothing but harsh jungle and cloud forest mountains for hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles!
Native stories say that, beyond this line of mountains, all manner of talking monkeys have a strange society alongside humans where they live in peace and seclusion from the terrors of the outside world.
This land beyond the mountains is now known as The Pro Simian Confederacy and Soterri is some of the first bit of Kanda to actually be certain of their existence as a nation!
Despite the dry, sandy terrain, many creatures and plants still live in this area, having developed over long periods of time to be able to handle the dry weather and/or finding themselves growing along the many small waterways. One grand river that the natives call "M'Tufakhalu" (meaning Great River) dominates the area and presides over all other surrounding rivers at an almost plodding rate but still a truly respectable size.
Generally seen as an easy going river that provides regular seasonal floods and swells that bring nutrients down from the volcanic mountains to the north, M'Tufakhalu is regarded as the key life bringer of the land to both the Kobori Natives AND The Kandia colonists! Now sitting half a mile wide on average since the climax of The Battle Of Matriarch, The River M'Tufakhalu is full of all manner of delicious fish, high quality clay and the bodies of the fallen Kobori that lost during The War Of Soterri; their agreed upon burial in the river being a major factor to M'Tufakhalu joining the battle.
Though the bodies sink further under the river every day, someone with goggles could probably swim to the bottom and see hands and feet sticking out of the muck. If one follows the river M'Tufakhalu north they will slowly find themselves journeying even farther inland, reaching rocky foothills and some verdant valleys.
While dry, these areas are still teeming with small critters that many natives live off of as well as the regular routes of many migrating animals.
Many underground springs burst forth here, thought to be supported by the many sacrifices granted every year to the River Goddess herself, who jealously guards the benefits of her worship so that she might be able to hold it over all other subservient bodies of freshwater. As one journeys further up in elevation they will find a ridge of mountains that block the way to the rest of the continent while the great river slowly meanders along the line of the foothills to the northeast, as if trying to cut off the peninsula entirely.
Dominating this imagery nearly 75 Miles inland from the shore and openly visible from almost anywhere in the Longo is what the natives call "Intubakhalu" (Great Mountain).
It watches over the entirety of the land and its peak stands just over two miles above the coastal shore; inescapable and once prominent in the eye line of anyone in the area as a Fuji-Like view of majestic proportions.
NOW it is more like a scene of a taller and less completely annihilated Mount St. Helens after it blew; The Top sixth or so of the mountain blown off shortly before the War Of Extinction when Unamakhalu (The Great Mother) stole part of the Mountain God's power and plucked out his eyes. Beyond the reach of the great river to the northeast the land becomes nothing but dry, rocky desert that the natives call "Indayo Eyomide" or "The Dry Place."
Existing for as long as any human has, according to legend, The Dry Place is the home of the region's Supreme Earth God, who let humans exist in this place out of pity some eternity ago and has been heard from very seldom since! The line of Mountains birthed by Intubakhalu (according to legend) is the western boundary of Soterri.
Once one travels high into the mountains and crosses their peaks the land becomes nothing but harsh jungle and cloud forest mountains for hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles!
Native stories say that, beyond this line of mountains, all manner of talking monkeys have a strange society alongside humans where they live in peace and seclusion from the terrors of the outside world.
This land beyond the mountains is now known as The Pro Simian Confederacy and Soterri is some of the first bit of Kanda to actually be certain of their existence as a nation!
Ecosystem Cycles
Soterri is an arid temperate region with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters, windy autumns and short but heavily rainy springs that help saturate the otherwise dry land for the rest of the year.
The most migratory of animals move north into the warmer foothills and desert regions for the coldest times of year while the smaller creatures burrow underground and outlast the frost by relying on fat reserves or eating plant roots and other burrowing animals! Spring, as with any temperate area, is a time for animals to procreate and enjoy the brief but highly important rainy season for the year!
Taking full advantage of the short-lived times of plenty, animals fatten up during this time and get ready for the summer migration periods.
Babies are born in the early section of the season and larger animals often enough become pregnant around the end of summer to time this birthing cycle properly
During this time the plants of the Soterri region work as hard as they can to grow and thrive!
Since Soterri seldom gets strong rains outside of the spring and a brief autumn period, the vegetation of the region has this one opportunity to make its greatest gains and prepare for the hot, harsh times.
The Native Kobori do most of their planting at this time, taking advantage of the water saturated ground and rain-softened soil to plant their simple grains and vegetables. The Summer is hot and animals must travel great distances to maintain proper nutrition!
Grasses grow slowly and sparse vegetation offers little for most herbivores to last off of.
MOST predators tend to get by a bit easier, following the migrating herds and picking off the weakest among them that lag behind.
The migrating packs travel back to the southern reaches of Soterri where they can graze in the more plentiful grasslands along the many rivers and streams.
Smaller animals either maintain their water from their food or they go into hybernation toward the second half of the season; conserving their water by spending as little energy as possible.
Some such animals will remain in such a state until the next big rains while others will intermittently awaken to relocate to safer pastures before settling in once again for a long, dry sleep. Summer comes to an end with an extremely brief but much needed rainy season that rolls across the land from the east, though this fall analog generally only lasts a few weeks at most before the chill winds of autumn start setting in and some plants die off to prepare for the cold, dry winters.
The wild herds do their best to bulk up during this brief period around the latter half of Rising before they start mowing their way northward as the cold breeze starts killing off the less resilient plants for the winter.
Most larger mammals tend to be gravid during this period, getting ready to carry their children through the worst of the times so as to drop them when the true rainy season returns.
Around the end of Rearing the largest and most migratory animals will have completely cleared out of the southern half of Soterri (with exception!) and begun the long march north into what is traditionally known as Tando land; drier but warmer scrubland for grazing. During the winter, which extends from the beginning of Thinning and generally ends around the last week of the month of Building or the first week of Tending, the many larger mammals of Soterri spend their time in the slightly drier but grassier and warmer regions of Soterri in the north while the small animals hold out in their burrows in the south.
The many marine mammals, however, often use this time to come ashore more often!
Female animals tend to be heavily gravid during this time and are merely waiting for the migration back south and the return of the spring rains, which will come off and on throughout Tending and Harvesting but will ultimately save themselves and their total fury for the month of Preserving; during which times the great storms descend on the Longo and drench the land once more to start the springtime blooms once again throughout the region!
The most migratory of animals move north into the warmer foothills and desert regions for the coldest times of year while the smaller creatures burrow underground and outlast the frost by relying on fat reserves or eating plant roots and other burrowing animals! Spring, as with any temperate area, is a time for animals to procreate and enjoy the brief but highly important rainy season for the year!
Taking full advantage of the short-lived times of plenty, animals fatten up during this time and get ready for the summer migration periods.
Babies are born in the early section of the season and larger animals often enough become pregnant around the end of summer to time this birthing cycle properly
During this time the plants of the Soterri region work as hard as they can to grow and thrive!
Since Soterri seldom gets strong rains outside of the spring and a brief autumn period, the vegetation of the region has this one opportunity to make its greatest gains and prepare for the hot, harsh times.
The Native Kobori do most of their planting at this time, taking advantage of the water saturated ground and rain-softened soil to plant their simple grains and vegetables. The Summer is hot and animals must travel great distances to maintain proper nutrition!
Grasses grow slowly and sparse vegetation offers little for most herbivores to last off of.
MOST predators tend to get by a bit easier, following the migrating herds and picking off the weakest among them that lag behind.
The migrating packs travel back to the southern reaches of Soterri where they can graze in the more plentiful grasslands along the many rivers and streams.
Smaller animals either maintain their water from their food or they go into hybernation toward the second half of the season; conserving their water by spending as little energy as possible.
Some such animals will remain in such a state until the next big rains while others will intermittently awaken to relocate to safer pastures before settling in once again for a long, dry sleep. Summer comes to an end with an extremely brief but much needed rainy season that rolls across the land from the east, though this fall analog generally only lasts a few weeks at most before the chill winds of autumn start setting in and some plants die off to prepare for the cold, dry winters.
The wild herds do their best to bulk up during this brief period around the latter half of Rising before they start mowing their way northward as the cold breeze starts killing off the less resilient plants for the winter.
Most larger mammals tend to be gravid during this period, getting ready to carry their children through the worst of the times so as to drop them when the true rainy season returns.
Around the end of Rearing the largest and most migratory animals will have completely cleared out of the southern half of Soterri (with exception!) and begun the long march north into what is traditionally known as Tando land; drier but warmer scrubland for grazing. During the winter, which extends from the beginning of Thinning and generally ends around the last week of the month of Building or the first week of Tending, the many larger mammals of Soterri spend their time in the slightly drier but grassier and warmer regions of Soterri in the north while the small animals hold out in their burrows in the south.
The many marine mammals, however, often use this time to come ashore more often!
Female animals tend to be heavily gravid during this time and are merely waiting for the migration back south and the return of the spring rains, which will come off and on throughout Tending and Harvesting but will ultimately save themselves and their total fury for the month of Preserving; during which times the great storms descend on the Longo and drench the land once more to start the springtime blooms once again throughout the region!
Localized Phenomena
During the height of the rainy season Soterri is known to experience extremely violent thunderstorms and the occasional cyclone.
While these are not hugely common they still occur at least once every couple years.
Sometimes these thunderstorms, however, can last days or even weeks! Every now and then The Great Mountain belches a great plume of smoke and ash that dim the sun and cover the area in an ashfall that can be as much as an inch deep!
While this can stymie production when it happens, the ash also nurtures the land and provides much needed fertility after the next rain!
While these are not hugely common they still occur at least once every couple years.
Sometimes these thunderstorms, however, can last days or even weeks! Every now and then The Great Mountain belches a great plume of smoke and ash that dim the sun and cover the area in an ashfall that can be as much as an inch deep!
While this can stymie production when it happens, the ash also nurtures the land and provides much needed fertility after the next rain!
Fauna & Flora
The lands of Soterri are ones of diverse and extremely exotic animals; many of which the Kandia have never seen before, at least not such examples as they've seen in the southernmost land in the world!
MOST of Soterri's life should be considered that of Earth's South African Cape area.
Indeed it is an arid, temperate cape on a peninsula at the base of a long continent just like the Cape Town area.
There are lions and gazelle and cheetahs that dot the landscape and all manner of other typically recognized "Safari" animals.
In the woodier parts of Soterri there can be found parrots and all manner of other colorful birds. Short grasses and drought resistant pseudograins grow wild all over the peninsula and short but fat trees with soft but usable wood (used to) litter the landscape, occasionally growing into small groves that the Kandia are quick to nurture if they have the opportunity; though the native Kobori prefer to chop these trees down and process into charcoal to run their primitive furnaces.
All that remain of the once plentiful arid woodlands of Soterri are extremely tall hardwoods that have been around as long as any care to remember.
Many "Bush Sweets" are common around the area and The Kandia have already started cataloging all possible edible and useful plants and selectively clearing away the more competitive or less useful ones under the direction of The Maiden Of Health. Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes, Hippos, Cape Buffalo and all manner of other truly gigantic megafauna exist aplenty in this particular section of the world; dominating the herbivorous competition and living as grazers that travel to and from various different grassland locations and watering holes throughout the region to stay alive.
Unlike most of the southern continent, Hippos here are slimmer, possess even large teeth and have somewhat stronger legs.
This hippo has been called "The Darobia Hippo" but recent scholars have instead started referring to the Soterri Variety of hippos as "Galloping Hippos" as they are able to move much faster and tend to travel much longer distances on land to get to ideal watering holes.
Soterri Giraffes also possess a shaggy secondary coat during the colder months and shed during the hotter months, though often their fetlocks and lower legs stay shaggy year round and they love to wade through water, if at all possible, to cool down their long legs and keep them soaked as they walk along the hot sand and rocky terrain. Penguins in Soterri are called "Jackass Penguins" because they bray like donkeys and because the Kandia hate them after The Battle Of Matriarch!
While typically friendly, recently the Braying Penguins have become more aggressive and some of the Kandia have taken to killing and eating them following the animal assault of the Kobori-Kandia War Of Extinction.
Along with them Elephant Seals and Cape Fur Seals are the most commonly seen monster of the waves; feasting on all manner of diverse fish and crustacean populations and sometimes sleeping on rocky sections of the beach in the thousands, resulting in smelly, loud but often entertaining displays for those interested in animals. The Natives have domesticated goats and cattle that they herd around quite often and dogs are a regular staple in this but sheep of any sort are a rare occurrence and reserved for the richest of the natives.
They do not have horses, though Zebra are somewhat common.
However, the natives do not like zebras that much and consider them mean spirited, stupid creatures. If any animals stand out the most in Soterri, it is the elephants.
Commanded by a recently ascended deity of beasts known as The Grand Matriarch, Soterri Elephants are gigantic creatures with overlarge herds and a friendly, even affectionate disposition toward the Kandia on the whole.
One could even say that they are "Allied" to the Kandia of Soterri, as The Maiden Of Health claims to have made an accord with them before The Battle Of Matriarch.
While most continue to remain wild, three herds of over a hundred elephants stay around Castan Mondragon and aid the Kandia in everything from farming and gardening to the hauling of resources, though they NEVER allow humans to ride them; Far too proud and independent for such demeaning activities as carrying people!
In exchange for their service to the Kandia cause the Kandia generally try to keep the elephants well fed, watered, groomed and otherwise cared for.
The two factions feel that this benefits all parties best.
The elephants also consistently help to eat all of the rough detritus weeded out of the field, as they can digest almost any plant materials from grass to tree bark. In Stark Contrast to their affections toward the Kandia, the same elephants under The Grand Matriarch have a sickening, near genocidal hatred of the Tando and Kobori natives who have so long terrorized her people and decapitated her family members to declare war on their human enemies... or worse, to kill her kin as rites of passage to show manhood and maturity.
The Elephants, via The Grand Matriarch, have grown hostile to any and all "Naked Humans" that they find; attacking any and all adults until very recently and forcing packs of orphaned children across the desert... back toward Castan Mondragon to be adopted by Unamakhalu: The Great Mother Of Soterri. (A Newly Ascended Deity)
They will either force the children to march or, if the human children cannot or will not move they will simply carry them against their will to the Kandia.
In terrorizing force, the last months of 1632 have seen The Elephants of Soterri become hideously coordinated and aggressive toward any natives; knocking over their fences and freeing their livestock, attacking their population centers in large numbers and trampling their villages to dust.
However, due to the intended sacrifice of a special Tando Representative to Castan Mondragon... the Elephants have AT LEAST ceased this genocide against the Tando to the North... though the Kobori are still seen as absolute enemies of the Grand Matriarch so long as they continue to resist Kandia influence in the region.
Indeed it is an arid, temperate cape on a peninsula at the base of a long continent just like the Cape Town area.
There are lions and gazelle and cheetahs that dot the landscape and all manner of other typically recognized "Safari" animals.
In the woodier parts of Soterri there can be found parrots and all manner of other colorful birds. Short grasses and drought resistant pseudograins grow wild all over the peninsula and short but fat trees with soft but usable wood (used to) litter the landscape, occasionally growing into small groves that the Kandia are quick to nurture if they have the opportunity; though the native Kobori prefer to chop these trees down and process into charcoal to run their primitive furnaces.
All that remain of the once plentiful arid woodlands of Soterri are extremely tall hardwoods that have been around as long as any care to remember.
Many "Bush Sweets" are common around the area and The Kandia have already started cataloging all possible edible and useful plants and selectively clearing away the more competitive or less useful ones under the direction of The Maiden Of Health. Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes, Hippos, Cape Buffalo and all manner of other truly gigantic megafauna exist aplenty in this particular section of the world; dominating the herbivorous competition and living as grazers that travel to and from various different grassland locations and watering holes throughout the region to stay alive.
Unlike most of the southern continent, Hippos here are slimmer, possess even large teeth and have somewhat stronger legs.
This hippo has been called "The Darobia Hippo" but recent scholars have instead started referring to the Soterri Variety of hippos as "Galloping Hippos" as they are able to move much faster and tend to travel much longer distances on land to get to ideal watering holes.
Soterri Giraffes also possess a shaggy secondary coat during the colder months and shed during the hotter months, though often their fetlocks and lower legs stay shaggy year round and they love to wade through water, if at all possible, to cool down their long legs and keep them soaked as they walk along the hot sand and rocky terrain. Penguins in Soterri are called "Jackass Penguins" because they bray like donkeys and because the Kandia hate them after The Battle Of Matriarch!
While typically friendly, recently the Braying Penguins have become more aggressive and some of the Kandia have taken to killing and eating them following the animal assault of the Kobori-Kandia War Of Extinction.
Along with them Elephant Seals and Cape Fur Seals are the most commonly seen monster of the waves; feasting on all manner of diverse fish and crustacean populations and sometimes sleeping on rocky sections of the beach in the thousands, resulting in smelly, loud but often entertaining displays for those interested in animals. The Natives have domesticated goats and cattle that they herd around quite often and dogs are a regular staple in this but sheep of any sort are a rare occurrence and reserved for the richest of the natives.
They do not have horses, though Zebra are somewhat common.
However, the natives do not like zebras that much and consider them mean spirited, stupid creatures. If any animals stand out the most in Soterri, it is the elephants.
Commanded by a recently ascended deity of beasts known as The Grand Matriarch, Soterri Elephants are gigantic creatures with overlarge herds and a friendly, even affectionate disposition toward the Kandia on the whole.
One could even say that they are "Allied" to the Kandia of Soterri, as The Maiden Of Health claims to have made an accord with them before The Battle Of Matriarch.
While most continue to remain wild, three herds of over a hundred elephants stay around Castan Mondragon and aid the Kandia in everything from farming and gardening to the hauling of resources, though they NEVER allow humans to ride them; Far too proud and independent for such demeaning activities as carrying people!
In exchange for their service to the Kandia cause the Kandia generally try to keep the elephants well fed, watered, groomed and otherwise cared for.
The two factions feel that this benefits all parties best.
The elephants also consistently help to eat all of the rough detritus weeded out of the field, as they can digest almost any plant materials from grass to tree bark. In Stark Contrast to their affections toward the Kandia, the same elephants under The Grand Matriarch have a sickening, near genocidal hatred of the Tando and Kobori natives who have so long terrorized her people and decapitated her family members to declare war on their human enemies... or worse, to kill her kin as rites of passage to show manhood and maturity.
The Elephants, via The Grand Matriarch, have grown hostile to any and all "Naked Humans" that they find; attacking any and all adults until very recently and forcing packs of orphaned children across the desert... back toward Castan Mondragon to be adopted by Unamakhalu: The Great Mother Of Soterri. (A Newly Ascended Deity)
They will either force the children to march or, if the human children cannot or will not move they will simply carry them against their will to the Kandia.
In terrorizing force, the last months of 1632 have seen The Elephants of Soterri become hideously coordinated and aggressive toward any natives; knocking over their fences and freeing their livestock, attacking their population centers in large numbers and trampling their villages to dust.
However, due to the intended sacrifice of a special Tando Representative to Castan Mondragon... the Elephants have AT LEAST ceased this genocide against the Tando to the North... though the Kobori are still seen as absolute enemies of the Grand Matriarch so long as they continue to resist Kandia influence in the region.
Natural Resources
They say that the riverbanks of Soterri glisten with diamonds and gemstones of all sizes and varieties; that the soil glitters with the dust of precious minerals and just a few feet beneath the soil awaits precious sheets of clean volcanic glass and the finest of marble.
... And "They" Are RIGHT! Soterri, while it might seem a desolate and scarce place to live, is actually an incredibly fertile and rich region of near completely untouched resources and natural wealth the likes of which few living Kandia can properly imagine.
While perhaps not exactly as accurate as being able to see gems covering the riverbanks and beaches like pebbles on the shore, it is still easy to find quality stones lining most rivers and the natives have existed in proximity to these extremely abundant gems for so long that they find little reason to value them; most of their involvement throughout the millennia with this plethora of jewelry grade precious gemstones... being to grind them up and sprinkle them throughout the local area to sanctify or bless it.
Because of these sort of general practices taking place in Kobori villages all over the peninsula for thousands of years, the soil surface has an unusual rainbow sheen when viewed in the sun from a distance and perceptive/artistic individuals can pick up a handful of soil and appreciate the glistening of gem dust in their very hands. Because of the volcanic soil and occasional small eruptions showering fresh ash and soot over the area the land is incredibly fertile and capable of handling vast agricultural efforts that the Kobori have never before attempted; only having been cultivated by the natives via vegetable gardens and small, personal crop plots.
Furthermore, the otherwise dry surface of the land striped with small streams and creeks is actually a mask over one of the largest underwater aquifer systems in the world, enough water for millions of people for thousands of years were it only able to be accessed.
The Kobori, having never developed the technology of deep wells, have never discovered this. Though trees are scarce in this arid region, the trees that DO exist and have not been chopped down by the Kobori Natives in their recent expansion into the Iron Age are truly gigantic hardwood trees that take centuries to grow to any respectable size and are so difficult for the natives to chop down that most don't even bother; leaving the landscape a savannah-like territory pockmarked by small groups of ultra-large, hyper ancient trees that no native remembers a time without.
While The Kandia have not freely explored the potential of the native plants of Soterri, they will soon come to find that the wilderness of the peninsula is home to much flora suitable for processing and cultivation. While the hills of Soterri perhaps remain unexplored to date, they hold the greatest treasures of all; the power of iron and marble and platinum of best quality in plentiful concentration and to a lesser degree Silver, Alum, Bauxite and Copper all of fine quality and sustainable quantity.
Other minerals, if properly prospected, extracted and processed with modern methods, could be pulled from the range as well, a veritable treasure trove of good materials for the inclinations of the empire.
The desert is covered in salty flats and dunes that have poor quality but still consumption grade salt that the inland natives have used to sustain themselves for millennia.
Under the surface of the mountains similar food grade but not Trade quality salt could be mined if one were to discover it. The area is extremely geologically active, with an regularly smoking volcano right within view of the shore; often belching ash and smoke into the air on years that the natives have not appeased it!
During The War Of Soterri, to help bolster the side of the Kobori Natives against the loyal forces and colonists of The Empire Of Kanda, a great black plume turned the noonday sky to that of night and showered black rain upon the land but that has since enriched the ground and led to great agrarian expansion for the Kandia!
Because of this geologic activity, volcanic glass of myriad colors, shades and intensities can be found under the soil of Soterri if one digs deep enough and in the right places alongside boiling hot springs that have started to recently burst forth from the hills and flow scalding water through the countryside and toward the cool ocean.
Sometimes these waters pool up in places and create perpetual hot pools which both the Kandia colonists and the Natives generally like to lounge in or around.
Rumors that neither the Kandia nor Kobori care to halt the perpetuation of say the hot springs have special, restorative properties! Inland the land has been known to crack open and give way to natural gas wells!
While these may not look terribly special they are, indeed, packed with extremely flammable gas pockets and, if caught alight, might burn for years or even decades before running out of fuel! (See Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan)
If capped, however, they MIGHT be able to be piped out and used by enterprising inventors and primes!
Already The Great Mother Unamakhalu has begun a project to experiment with this very idea; creating plans for a pipe network to bring gas to Castan Mondragon AND Castan Soterrion over the next couple years! Far beneath even THOSE pockets of natural gas lie even greater stores of helium that are trapped underneath the marble and volcanic glass heavy bedrock; waiting to be discovered and utilized!
... And "They" Are RIGHT! Soterri, while it might seem a desolate and scarce place to live, is actually an incredibly fertile and rich region of near completely untouched resources and natural wealth the likes of which few living Kandia can properly imagine.
While perhaps not exactly as accurate as being able to see gems covering the riverbanks and beaches like pebbles on the shore, it is still easy to find quality stones lining most rivers and the natives have existed in proximity to these extremely abundant gems for so long that they find little reason to value them; most of their involvement throughout the millennia with this plethora of jewelry grade precious gemstones... being to grind them up and sprinkle them throughout the local area to sanctify or bless it.
Because of these sort of general practices taking place in Kobori villages all over the peninsula for thousands of years, the soil surface has an unusual rainbow sheen when viewed in the sun from a distance and perceptive/artistic individuals can pick up a handful of soil and appreciate the glistening of gem dust in their very hands. Because of the volcanic soil and occasional small eruptions showering fresh ash and soot over the area the land is incredibly fertile and capable of handling vast agricultural efforts that the Kobori have never before attempted; only having been cultivated by the natives via vegetable gardens and small, personal crop plots.
Furthermore, the otherwise dry surface of the land striped with small streams and creeks is actually a mask over one of the largest underwater aquifer systems in the world, enough water for millions of people for thousands of years were it only able to be accessed.
The Kobori, having never developed the technology of deep wells, have never discovered this. Though trees are scarce in this arid region, the trees that DO exist and have not been chopped down by the Kobori Natives in their recent expansion into the Iron Age are truly gigantic hardwood trees that take centuries to grow to any respectable size and are so difficult for the natives to chop down that most don't even bother; leaving the landscape a savannah-like territory pockmarked by small groups of ultra-large, hyper ancient trees that no native remembers a time without.
While The Kandia have not freely explored the potential of the native plants of Soterri, they will soon come to find that the wilderness of the peninsula is home to much flora suitable for processing and cultivation. While the hills of Soterri perhaps remain unexplored to date, they hold the greatest treasures of all; the power of iron and marble and platinum of best quality in plentiful concentration and to a lesser degree Silver, Alum, Bauxite and Copper all of fine quality and sustainable quantity.
Other minerals, if properly prospected, extracted and processed with modern methods, could be pulled from the range as well, a veritable treasure trove of good materials for the inclinations of the empire.
The desert is covered in salty flats and dunes that have poor quality but still consumption grade salt that the inland natives have used to sustain themselves for millennia.
Under the surface of the mountains similar food grade but not Trade quality salt could be mined if one were to discover it. The area is extremely geologically active, with an regularly smoking volcano right within view of the shore; often belching ash and smoke into the air on years that the natives have not appeased it!
During The War Of Soterri, to help bolster the side of the Kobori Natives against the loyal forces and colonists of The Empire Of Kanda, a great black plume turned the noonday sky to that of night and showered black rain upon the land but that has since enriched the ground and led to great agrarian expansion for the Kandia!
Because of this geologic activity, volcanic glass of myriad colors, shades and intensities can be found under the soil of Soterri if one digs deep enough and in the right places alongside boiling hot springs that have started to recently burst forth from the hills and flow scalding water through the countryside and toward the cool ocean.
Sometimes these waters pool up in places and create perpetual hot pools which both the Kandia colonists and the Natives generally like to lounge in or around.
Rumors that neither the Kandia nor Kobori care to halt the perpetuation of say the hot springs have special, restorative properties! Inland the land has been known to crack open and give way to natural gas wells!
While these may not look terribly special they are, indeed, packed with extremely flammable gas pockets and, if caught alight, might burn for years or even decades before running out of fuel! (See Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan)
If capped, however, they MIGHT be able to be piped out and used by enterprising inventors and primes!
Already The Great Mother Unamakhalu has begun a project to experiment with this very idea; creating plans for a pipe network to bring gas to Castan Mondragon AND Castan Soterrion over the next couple years! Far beneath even THOSE pockets of natural gas lie even greater stores of helium that are trapped underneath the marble and volcanic glass heavy bedrock; waiting to be discovered and utilized!
History
The history of Soterri is an extremely long and diverse one EVIDENTLY involving an imprisoned humanity, a dark age of fear and horror, a flourishing rise of human cultures, a truly ancient temple dedicated to those human cultures' progress and battles between literal heaven and earth!
However, due to the nature of their history, most of what could be gleaned is locked up inside of an ancient temple only recently rediscovered after over a hundred years of abandonment!
Within the bowels of this temple there are hideous monsters, dead gods and monuments to at least ten different great ages of progress that came before! However, most of it has yet to be cleared out and restored by the Kandia who now guard it day and night and protect the Great Kobori Temple Of History with their lives; one day hoping to fully restore it to order and build upon it the symbol of a new age of Soterri... a Kandia age of Soterri!
Gradually, under the leadership of Jonathan Mondragon: The Maiden Of Health and the order of Meningitis Soterrion: Longar of Soterri, the Kobori's long and wondrous history is being rediscovered... but it is still a long and painful road to fully reclaiming the temple and learning all of its secrets!
Within the bowels of this temple there are hideous monsters, dead gods and monuments to at least ten different great ages of progress that came before! However, most of it has yet to be cleared out and restored by the Kandia who now guard it day and night and protect the Great Kobori Temple Of History with their lives; one day hoping to fully restore it to order and build upon it the symbol of a new age of Soterri... a Kandia age of Soterri!
Gradually, under the leadership of Jonathan Mondragon: The Maiden Of Health and the order of Meningitis Soterrion: Longar of Soterri, the Kobori's long and wondrous history is being rediscovered... but it is still a long and painful road to fully reclaiming the temple and learning all of its secrets!
Tourism
There is no concept of tourism to The Kobori natives nor is there any way to get to Soterri without the danger of choppy oceans and unfriendly natives on every supply stop.
This is the farthest anyone CAN travel south from Kanda Sentran.
There is no tourism here. ...
At least not yet!
This is the farthest anyone CAN travel south from Kanda Sentran.
There is no tourism here. ...
At least not yet!
Alternative Name(s)
Southern Daroba Lands
Type
Territory
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Owning Organization
Related Ethnicities
Contested By
Characters in Location
This is an extensive article! Great job.
Thanks! Been trying to get a lotta content out lately as it comes to us!