Votyoger - Geography (Vot-yo-grr)
Summary
A diverse subcontinent, the modern-day land of Votyoger was once known as Velmota throughout much of its history. The varied geography and diverse flora and fauna made for a rather extreme landscape, but one that suited dragonkind very well. In the days of Velmota, it was the homeland of many different dragon lineages. In a sense, it was the cultural epicenter of dragonkind at large. The coming of Imperious' Imperium forever changed the fate of Velmota. The Imperium's vast reach and destructive influence ravaged the lands of many continents, and irreparably damaged dragonkind. Many were forced to flee Velmota, and those who refused to do so were massacred by the Imperium's encroachment. Soon, Velmota became a home for imperial dragons, such as the Nyra lineage, who treated this premium land as a luxurious paradise of their own. Eventually, the ensuing downfall of the Imperium and the subsequent World Gate explosion wreaked havoc on Velmota. With its far northwestern end completely annihilated, and most of its dragons dead or fled, it became an untamed wilderness in the age of the Great Darkness. As the skies cleared over Veltrona, dragonkind as a whole was forced to tackle the consequences of the Imperium. A great rage filled them at such an evil running rampant, and so after much work, elder dragons like Bloodwing sought the creation of a new political body. They called it Votyoger, the Draconic Forum, and it would become their answer to prevent another Imperium from ever arising. Of its myriad challenges, among the most paramount was the establishment of a physical location for the Forum to exist within. After much debate, Velmota was chosen on both its pragmatic and relatively central location on the planet, as much as the symbolic meaning of dragons returning to its lands. The name of Velmota itself would be laid to rest as a gesture of the Forum's prominence: henceforth, the land was Votyoger's, and so Velmota became Votyoger as well. Older dragons protested this gesture as rather extreme, but the act's symbolism was one of many powerful moves the Forum made to establish its legitimacy. Ultimately, two thousand years later, the name Velmota is something only immortals or dedicated historians readily remember. For all others, it was Votyoger, the land of dragons and the home of the Draconic Forum.Geography
Votyoger's landscape features varied and dynamic, and often contradictory, arrangements: small rain forests may exist alongside barren deserts, while humid swamplands border the both of them. It is a land profusely rich in mana, and so the emergence of manarium and crysium is a regular event. Consequentially, the different ecological zones have fierce competition with each other for pushing their influence.
These extreme environments are ideal for hardy and powerful species like dragons, ilansu, and petrakin, who can handle the challenges with ease. Some species, like humans or lauraume, have either the robustness or stubbornness to try taming the lands for themselves. Many of the latter group, unfortunately, were wiped out in the age of the Imperium. With few outside civilizations wanting to immigrate to such a land, especially under the definitive rule of dragons, their ruins are all that remain of these capable people.
Few divine mountain ranges exist within Votyoger, with the largest and most notable one being in its northwestern quadrant. The Hyulpu Mountains were much bigger and far more grand, but the vast majority of it was annihilated by the World Gate explosion. The tail-end remnant left behind is where the Draconic Forum directly built itself.
Natural Resources
The extreme environments, coupled with the overflowing mana, have made Votyoger ridiculously wealthy in both plant and animal life. Its mineral wealth is somewhat depleted due to the long, multi-millennia exploitation by dragonkind, but deep and prominent reserves nonetheless remain. Its central location between Aerthen, Dorvar, and Fauverngarz make it ideal for trading. In theory, traveling the coastline even allows one consistent access to Nerzin's southern reaches as well.
That said, it's impossible to discern how much of Votyoger's landscape is truly 'natural'. Dragons have lived there since time immemorial, reshaping the veltron and guiding the growth of its life. Many types of exotic species live only there, having once between carefully cultivated by dragons for one purpose or another. Even the environments themselves may have been engineered into their extreme forms to better suit draconic inhabitation. Whatever the land may have been like in truly ancient history, no one except the oldest of dragons may know.
Type
Subcontinent
Included Locations
Owning Organization
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