Valahiri

Written by Cyborg Starfish

Valahiri used to be a single landmass spanning from the planet's equator to close to the south pole. It was shattered during the Three Cataclysms, with the middle of the continent flooded and turned into an archipelago. It seems to be the only remaining continent that is still habitable for the Elphin. That being said, since communication between Valahiri and other continents on the planet is flat out non-existent, there is no way of knowing for sure.

Valahiri consists of ten roughly defined major regions. These regions are The Glasslands, Niluraia, Ha Uraganem, The Barrens, Iphimira, Sudaqri Moro, Qoray, The Shards and Kalanannat. Note that these names are the names given by the dominant language groups in each region. Other language groups will have their own names for their home region.

Overview

Full Map of Valahiri

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Full map of Valahiri, created in Wonderdraft.

Geography

by flflflflfl from Pixabay

Valahiri's biggest landmass, commonly known as the Mainland, has four large mountain ranges, the largest of which stretching all the way from the north of Ha Uraganem to the border between Seras and Sudaqri Moro. The tallest mountains in all of Valahiri are the Dreamfall mountains, which sit on the border of the Glasslands. These are massive, pitch black spires, the tallest of which exceed the planet's atmosphere.
Most of the Mainland's liveable areas are on the coastal side of these mountain ranges. The vast majority of the central Mainland is covered in deserts and dry, rocky badlands, which is why many Elphin travel through the coastal areas, even if it means taking a detour.
The southeast of the Mainland is marked by a massive crater. This is where the Sky Citadel crashed, causing massive floods in the area that is now known as the Shards. The Shards are a group of rocky islands, most of them covered in hills and sometimes small mountains. The Shards are known for their mild climate year-round.
Lastly, there is Kalanannat. It is connected directly to the planet's south pole thanks to a thick ice field. Kalanannat is a region with a lot of volcanic activity. It has its own two mountain clusters, each of them surrounding the peninsula's two biggest active volcanoes. The south of Kalanannat is covered in arctic deserts and ice fields, while the north has its tundras, highlands and boreal forests.

History

by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay

The full history of Valahiri goes back millions of years, but most of this history is irrelevant for the current state the continent finds itself in. Safe to say, for several centuries before the Three Cataclysms, Valahiri was occupied by multiple advanced Elphin civilizations, their stories lost to history. One of these civilizations, which had its homeland on what is now the Glasslands, ended up dominating the entire continent. This empire lasted right up until the Three Cataclysms. As of 488 AG, with all of the direct survivors dead and the empire's language being lost to time, most indicators of what happened to the empire were the ruins it left behind, as well as the memories given flesh that still haunt the land, memories of tyranny, war, hatred and disaster.

Before the Cataclysms

The term "Three Cataclysms" is a bit of a misnomer. It solely refers to events that happened over a relatively short timespan. There are plenty of indicators that various apocalyptic processes were already taking place before the Cataclysms. Shards of the past found in the Elphin's collective memory suggest that the world used to look vastly different than it does today. Three single events taking place over a short timespan could not possibly cause this massive change.

The Cataclysms Themselves

The article above will go into more details about the Cataclysms, what led up to them, and what they left behind. It started with an empire overstaying its welcome, and ended with an event that tore at the very metaphysical fabric of the world itself.

Table of Contents

What's in a Name?

The name 'Valahiri' stems from an ancient language that was used before the Three Cataclysms, and is now used as a bridge language between various cultures on the mainland. The vast majority of other language groups don't actually use the name. Instead, they use their own equivalent. As a result, Valahiri actually has many, many names, but for simplicity's sake, only the name Valahiri is used here.

Alternative Name(s)

Jh'a Suralu in Chéai
Ayem in Eveadun
Kamathenina in Iphimiran
Xzasamni in Xzasha
Todili Lalago in Serassic

Type

Continent

Included Locations

• The Barrens

Inhabiting Species

• Earthstars
• Impine
• Occular Fly

Acidic Seas

Many oceans on this planet are acidic to some degree(especially in the north), which makes seafaring difficult. Strange, blob-like growths appear in especially toxic areas and swallow and disintegrate anything that touches them. The areas around the Shards are the least acidic and some amount of seafaring can be found there. Far towards the north, around the area infamously known as the Glasslands, the seas are so acidic that they slowly eat away at the coast, leaving behind a ghastly mist and eroding the land way faster than water usually does.

The Tunnels

Underneath the surface of the planet there are multiple layers of interlocking tunnel systems that span across the entire planet. These Tunnels are affected by plate tektonics, much like the overworld. Tunnels collapsing, great fiery chasms forming, rivers carving out giant hallways, and many other processes cause the Tunnels to constantly change, grow, shrink and regenerate much like everyting else in the world. Inside the Tunnels an entirely unique biome can be found, as some caves are home to lush forests and a wide variety of algae and micro-organisms that are the main source of oxygen underground, allowing Elphin settlements to survive. Travelling between islands through the Tunnels is often safer than seafaring.

by Avisuals Official from Pixabay