The Frozen Wastes
The Frozen Wastes are located above the Dunes, and right next to the Forests. They are best known as an area devoid of life, any creatures or plants perpetually frozen in ice. This area of the Nightlight Zone is also located next to the Halocline Pits, but the only entrance is blocked off by an impenetrable wall of ice. The surrounding waters are described as especially cold, as well as having a light blue tint.
Geography
The geography of this biome varies wildly, mainly due to the ice that forms across every surface. There have been records of large mountainous structures, deep ravines, and large rocky spines that jut diagonally from the ground. Some of the rock formations are overtaken by ice, which can form into tall towering structures that stretch high above the ground. This ice can form what appear to be icicles that are supported by half-formed archways in the ground, while some can form singular ice walls, either intact, or with holes in them. The ice also forms into just about any structure that the rocks can.
A type of landform unique to this biome are the ice rings. Sometimes, the ice in this region can form into large ring-like structures that sit in place perpendicular to each other, usually on sloping terrain. These rings often do not vary in size very much, and appear as though they were formed by rolling ice crystals. Another unique feature of the Wastes are the brine pools, which can take a number of different sizes. The brine is though to be melting ice from above that gathers onto the seabed, which would provide a significant challenge to life should it be abundant. Brine pools can also have small brine streams flowing from them, which form from cracks in the rock around it. They form into a variety of shapes, with some pools forming small brine waterfalls.
One peculiar thing about the Wastes is that the ice has sometimes formed into structures that appear manmade. Some take the appearance of what appear to be ruined houses, apartment complexes, or even colosseums, though not with a style that matches any known human settlement. There are also rock structures which form into vague square or rectangle shapes. These could be ruins of structures built by Cave Stalkers, although it is peculiar why they are still standing.
Localized Phenomena
Quakes and sand storms are thought to be extremely rare in this region, but there are records of icefalls that happen just about everywhere. Occasionally, large amounts of ice will fall from above, and create tears in the ground, drastically altering the landscape as the collisions happen. Ice structures already existing can also break apart due to quakes, which send large amounts of ice sliding over the ground, and breaking apart further. This doesn't seem to affect anything other than the ruins found throughout the biome.
Fauna & Flora
Most of the flora and fauna in this biome is preserved in ice structures, with most species being found nowhere else in the Nightlight Zone. There are have been found remains of large sharks with tusks sprouting from their foreheads, four-eyed cetaceans with long teeth, as well as shells of crabs with large bludgeons forelimbs instead of claws. There are also various trilobite and sea scorpion species which have body features unseen in their living counterparts. The various plants found in the ice include large plants resembling trees found in surface savannahs, long thin vine-like pants with bulbous tips, as well as roots that are half-submerged in the ground.
There are occasionally living creatures in the Wastes, but only include scant species inhabiting the Dunes and Forests. Some of them make homes for themselves at the edge of the Wastes, while traveling to collect food from their respective habitats. The longer they spend in the Wastes, the more their bodies change to fit the environment. Some specimens' eyes turn white, and frost forms on their bodies, encasing their more dangerous features in chunks of ice. These varieties don't seem to have a particular advantage over other inhabitants of their environment, merely having different appearances.
Natural Resources
There isn't much known about the resources that were once used here by the inhabitants. The ruins show that stone and a type of wood was used to build various structures, along with scant instances of bone. There appears to be a large deposit of said bone underneath the Wastes, which could have been mined with simple tools, and crafted into a wide variety of items. As far as resources used by the lesser creatures, there is next to nothing useful that can be gathered from the environment.
History
At first the Nightlight Zone's land was entirely covered with sand, before the land was divided into its separate biomes. The Wastes might've been an extension of the Sand Plains, separated by the Arid Dunes and Ash Fields respectively. For a time, different plants and animals would've lived in here than anywhere else, and plants might've grown fairly large, fueling growth for larger creatures as well. As soon as Cave Stalkers started migrating out from their ancestral home close by, they started building permanent settlements in what is now known as the Frozen Wastes. These settlements evolved into a more centralized power, which sought to expand to new areas. Several thousands of years later, the Watchers destroyed the following civilizations out of fear, and later caused the land to freeze over. This created an ice wall barring the only entrance to the Halocline Pits, trapping the Cave Stalkers inside.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments