Tiltquag Basin

Geography

This long stretch of flat, arable land is pervaded by the watershed of the river Tiltquag. Here the soil is deep and porous, and damp all year round, save for its borders which are rife with the vestiges of a petrified forest set in small patches of permafrost. It is the most prized possession of the city-ship of Zhomad-Hur upon Rice Island. Temperatures and climates are subtropical in Tiltquag Basin ranging from 15-20 degrees celcius, and there is plentiful rainfall because of its proximity to the abundant range of hillocks known as the Umpteen Humps. Hundreds of years ago there were volcanoes among the Humps and because of their geological contributions to the river's tributaries, the soil remains extremely fertile and very little bone meal or ash is needed to assist it. The presence of the volcanoes are indicated by the black silt that is deposited on the riverbed irregularly.
However, the plain slants significantly downstream and though the terrain itself is very flat, the entire plane slants at an angle towards the marshes - from the coast one cannot see the horizon as the land slopes up. Tiltquag river is filthy and undrinkable so the locals rely on the aquifer, from which they collect water from wells.

Natural Resources

Copious quantities of rice are farmed in the watershed fields, and also a great deal of millet is also grown here. Both crops are grown in irrigated paddies and transported in large burlap sacks upon canal-borne barges. Hemp and cotton are farmed in order to weave textiles in order to clothe the denizens of Zhomad-Hur, and there are also several fields in which olives are grown that provide both the city-ship and the island with olive oil. There are also mustard plants, which they grow as their sole condiment, and also they have woad for dyeing. Alongside these are grown brassica and turnips, and there are orchards of citrus. Horticulture in Tiltquag Basin revolves around crop rotation, in which there is always at least one fallow field in which all available bone ashes, compost and manure is distributed.
Degenerate swine and cows, who are now closer to daedons and aurochs because of several thousand years of devolution, are herded in paddocks for their meat, bone and hide. Native fauna is also hunted here - flying lizards and giant toads are hunted for sport, as the only thing of value from them are their squamous hides. Otherwise they are regarded as nuisances which intrude upon the fields and steal things from storehouses. Fat from the cows and pigs are rendered and made into tallow for candles, grease for machines and lard for food. There is a little bit of timber from the small woodlands at the border which are used to make wagon wheels and log cabins, although the people who use wood for purposes other than furniture are the Rice Islanders themselves.

Type

Plain

Location under

Rice Island