The Valley of Myrtu

Written by Locke

The Valley of Myrtu

The Valley of Myrtu, settled in the highlands of Gyr Abania, was not always a landmark; not until it was discovered that the large amount of resonant Aether Crystals present disrupted both communications and radar to an absurd degree. So hindered, neither Alliance, nor Garlean ships fared well in combat here, and the thick mists that seemed to manifest from the peaks has lent the valley its’ infamous nickname; The Fangs. So named for sharp, jutting rock towering over both sides of a low valley, set with high plateus that, more often than not, are home to Beastman encampments.
The obfuscation of both mist and resonance has given this place a lawless quality; no army or force can hope to patrol it, and so Smugglers and Thieves abound, either attempting to run their ill-gotten gain through the many narrow passes, flying only by their skill and the the keenness of their eye, or lying in wait for fatter, slower prey, such as Alliance or Garlean ships hoping to fly under the radar. As a pass leading straight between Eorzea and Ilsabard, it has become infamous as a graveyard of ships, both modern and ancient.
This has not gone unnoticed by the Beast Tribes; Primarily Goblin, Ixal, and Kobold by order of population, they have taken to setting up camp on the plateus and scavenging the remains whenever an Airship should come to an early end, while stockpiling the natural crystals that seem to abound in this place.

Valley of Myrtu

Open full size

Geography

The Valley of Myrtu is, from an aerial view, almost unnoticable; a mottled collection of inward-facing spines and peaks that seem too narrow to dip into. It is only when one breaches through one of the gaps in the “Fangs” that they find the Throat of Myrtu, so named by the original Ixal natives. A wide valley set with numerous small caves, twisting peaks that have been shaped by explosion and wind, and a natural tendency towards little vegetation for any sort of ground cover have made The Throat of Myrtu as dangerous as the Fangs.
Beneath, Kobolds slave day and night, churning out patchwork armor from scavengered airship components, bartering with Goblin and Ixal alike in the brief ceasefires as they all attempt to hoard for the next inevitable conflict.

Fauna & Flora

The Valley of Myrtu is filled with hard, lean creatures and plants that resist being eaten by them entirely; this leads vegetation to be coarse, spiny, and often inedible to all but the most desperate of adventurers, while Ceruleum Taint from the downed airships occasionally taints the wildlife, turning it hostile and mutant. Even the plants in the Valley of Myrtu have been known to rebel against intruders, taking on a strange kind of sentience due to the overabundance of Ceruleum, creating unusual Morbols, networks of brambles that take sentience when disturbed, and occasionally, worse.
Beasts in the Valley of Myrtu often resemble Gyr Abanian wildlife, but more lean and hardened, often vicious; the most notable unique creature, however, is the Krenshaw.
Named by the Kobolds, it most resembles a ten foot-long Hyena, covered in toxic quills, its’ fur thick enough to repel all but the sharpest of blades, a layer of protective bone plating growing over its’ face. Their venom is often harvested from discarded quills, and turned by the Ixals into venomous arrows, known to leave oozing, septic wounds.

Location:

Bridging the gap between Ilsabard and Gyr Abania.

Climate:

Arid highlands/wasteland

Height:

Ranging from 50 falms to several hundred malms.

Classification:

Unnatural Wasteland/Battlefield

Type:

Scavenger’s Paradise

Type

Mountain Pass