Salt Place
by hughpierre
Geography
A high, pale border mountain separating the Triple Alignment, Mist and Corn Court from each other with barely passable footpaths. Steps have been undertaken by all sides to make traversing this region easier, but even so, remains trying. Even the Golden Bridge only makes it a third of the way to the top, and while the Sang have the option of canoeing around through the Kiri Domain to target Mist; if they want the salt flat's salt, then they must enter. And the sides of the mountain are some of the steepest. Even normal human curiosity should not be enough to drive someone to hike its slopes. Salt Place, the mountain, grows out of Soonous and merges into Mist's own hazardous mountain range in the southern direction; also smoothing into Dragonsgrave and dropping sharply into the Domain, northward and westward.
The top is the simmering salt flat is inhabited by queer creatures and alien peoples who express no wish to venture down. The name "Salt Place" usually refers to the flat hidden away at the mountain top, but as the mountain was also without a popular name, came to be called "Salt Place" as well. Because Salt Place is so high in the sky, it experiences its own weather separate from the rest of the valley. Unfortunately, it is one of blazing day heat and frigid night cold in a desert environment. Any water source to be found is surely tainted in one way or another; a notion which is reinforced from the ghastly grey appearance of those who eke out a living here.
Fauna & Flora
Sunburst: A gelatinous multi symbiotic group of multiple fungi that resembles a large, ugly, wilted flower.
Primarily composed of four dominant species which can be identified by their color: red, yellow, white and pink. Each contributes symbiotically to the well being of the fungal colony; in separate experiments, the white and pink offer insulation at the Sunburst's core while the red and yellow are offered openly to the environment and fed upon by salt hoppers.
Century Cactus: It has a spread around 6–10 ft with gray-green leaves of 3–5 ft long, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply. Near the end of its life, the plant sends up a tall, branched stalk, laden with yellow blossoms, that may reach a height twice that of a man.
It's growth is continued, however, by suckers or adventitious shoots from the base. It is often found in hot climates and where drought conditions occur.
Salt Hopper: A large, nocturnal snail with a muscular foot with three toe-like projections to move as fast as a jogging man. The Salt Hopper is one foot tall and half-a-foot when withdrawn into its shell. Its skin is horny, with interlocking scales to lock in water.
Natural Resources
White Flake Salt: The most common form of white salt used as a base in Salt Suits.
Pink Salt: Siphoned and dried, sheets of pink salt acts as a thermal shield, mostly to protect users against certain salt spells that produce copious amounts of heat.
Cactus Needles: Plucked from the century cactus for use in manufacturing textiles, as tools in medicines and tattooing.
Pulque: An alcoholic drink made by fermenting the sap from the century cactus.
Alternative Name(s)
Khew
Type
Salt flat
Related Ethnicities
Related Traditions
Inhabiting Species
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