Mother River Valley
The Mother River Valley is a valley in the Great Desert which features a large winding river which originates in the G'ecko home city and Capital EggHome. This valley is filled with semi-arid tropical forest and features a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Geography
The Mother River is a large alluvial winding river that flows through the valley which takes its name. The river ranges from the mountains to the North to the coastline in the South. Its channel varies from meandering and braided channels in the North, to fully anastomosing in the South. In general the Northern half of the river does not migrate much due to the more rocky sediments and soils found there. The Southern half though is characterized by the the alluvium of the river beginning to be deposited to form a few relatively stable islands, and at the coastline a broad floodplain. The alluvial nature of the river also means that the waters are much clearer in the North and become more brackish and sediment filled as it courses South.
The valley is nestled between two sandy deserts and is part of the larger landmass of the Great Desert. The slopes of the valley are largely gentle on the eastern side, and much more steep on the western. The land area of the valley is roughly around 1,099km from west to east, and 3,714km from north to south, making a total area of 4,081,686km2. The valley consists mostly of sandy and rocky soil covered in grasses, herbs, and shrubs in a uniform distribution. Small woody trees are also somewhat uniformly distributed throughout the valley with a gradient of density conforming with adjacency to the river itself.
Climate
The climate of the Mother River Valley is a semi-arid forest/savannah climate which is watered by the Mother River that runs through it. There are about 4 different ways to conceptualize time in the Mother River Valley that are intrinsically linked to the climate. They are Foliage Density, Temperature, Rainfall, and River Level. The foliage of the Mother River can be broken into a Dead Season and a Green Season that coincide with the rainfall and river water level, but does not exactly align with them. Typically the valley is green 268 days of the 403 day solar year, with 190 of those days being the "build up" and peak of the growing season, followed by a rapid 78 day descent into the 134 day Dead Season where there is very little green growth and foliage. The Hot Season of the year is usually around 236 days, with the Cold Season taking up the relaming 167 days. The warmest day of the year typically happens around 70-80 days into the Hot Season and the coldest day is usually around the same 70-80 days into the Cold Season. The last metric to track is the water level of the Mother River. The river typically reaches its peak height towards the end of the second monsoon and will stay at that level for around 100 days before waning over the following 100 days down to its lowest level. The river will start to rise again around 115 days prior to next major monsoon, due to run off from the mountains to the north.
The Rainy Season typically coincides with the Green Season mentioned earlier, however there is a noted discrepancy between the Noth and the South of the Valley in terms of the number of days in the Rainy Season. While both basins of the valley experience monsoons, in the North they tend to peter off by around 102 days into the Green Season, whereas the Southern monsoons only tend to last about half that time. The Rainy Season is characterized by two major monsoons. Each monsoon lasts around 32-35 days with around a 30 day gap between them in the North and 17-20 days with a 15 day gap in the South. It is very difficult to nearly impossible to predict which of the two monsoons will be the more severe or the longst lasting, but typically one of the two will be the "greater" delivering the majority of the rainfall between the two of them. Outside of the two monsoons, there are also scattered showers throughout the year typically accounting for another 30-40 days of rain in the North and South, however these are rarely consequtive and typically occur during the "break" between the monsoons and during the early part of the Dry Season. The rest of the 301 days of the year are spent in the Dry Season.
Fauna & Flora
Flora:
The Mother River Valley sports a wide variety of plant life. From grasses and sedges like millet, foxtail, wheat, and barley, mixed with a wide variety of herbs. All spread uniformly across the arid floor. Reeds can also be found on the banks of the river and on the various permanent and temporary islands that form within its bounds. Distributed more along a gradient are the shrubs, bushes, and trees found in the valley. Their distribution tending to greater closer to the river and steadily dropping off as you get further away. The G'ecko roam around the valley, collecting and harveting various berries, roots, tubers, fruit from trees, and some grains from the grasses.
Of the trees there are the Pari, Æme, Döbæ, Hihe, Ebeõna, Kaloni, Koniko, Neme, Aya, Oöpæ, Amohe, Emoaha, Dake, Pæbo, Oli, Roi, and Yiesö trees. All of the trees are used for firewood and to craft wooden handles and implements. Many of the tress found in the valley are also found to have medicinal properties in their leaves, roots, and/or bark. The Döbæ, Kaloni, Koniko, Neme, Aya, Pæbo, Oli, Roi, and Yiesö trees all have some form of fruit or edible nut/seed. Many of the trees also have their own special uses.
Faunua:
The Mother River Valley sports a wide variety of animals. Predominantly insects fill this valley. From locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles, to arachnids both spiders and scorpions, as well as centipedes and millipedes. A plethora of insects can be found here. Somewhat unique to this environment, certain gigantic species of various arthropods can be found. Some notable examples of this are millipedes the size of small ponies, centipedes the size of a weasel, and spiders the size of watermelon. Near the outlet of the Mother River, where it empties into the bay, there can also be found giant isopods. The G'ecko hunt and engage in some level of domestication of many of these insects. The valley also sports a variety of birds and some small rodents, however it is devoid of any large native mammals.
Natural Resources
Wood and many types of reed can be found here. Native grains, flax, and papyrus as well. Once the G'ecko begin to cultivate agriculture and animal husbandry, this area becomes a major agricultural center and source for silk from both silk worms and spiders.
History
This is the "birthplace" of the G'ecko, containing their capital city of "HomeEgg" which is also the holy birthplace of their Goddess. The river is considered to be a great work of their Goddess, created to provide them with a reliable watersource. It is said by the G'ecko that they were promised that the Mother River's waters would run continuously until the last G'ecko has left the world of the living.
Alternative Name(s)
Mother's River, Amitam's River, the river of the G'ecko,
Type
Valley
Location under
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