World of Xerathel: Uathan
The southwest most continent of Xerathel, Uathan is the home of great and powerful Titans who lord over its landscapes to create magnificent mountains and spanning forests. Uathan is known as the more mundane between the two continents of Xerathel, though it is here that many of its darkest secrets have made their home.
Geography
Uathan is known for its great mountains and large forests. With little in the way of magnificent biomes like its sister continent, it makes up for this fact by being the subject of some of the most powerful Titans in Xerathel. It is in Uathan that the tallest mountain in the world, the Lone Spire, is present. It is a peak that can be seen from far distances and is speculated to be the origin of all other mountain ranges in Uathan.
To the far east, near the Emerald Coast, the Taetalus mountain rage protects the eastern border of the Gilded forests. To the south of the Taetalus mountains, the Knollwark mountains span directly to the north of the Peerlight forest. Between these two expansive ranges, an endless plain lays undisturbed by civilization. Known to all as the Desolate, these plains span for miles. Their rocky hills providing little diversity among the waving, green grass that characterizes it. As the mountains end, the midwest of Uathan is characterized mainly by its endless capacity for nothingness. With little in the way of forests, the plains open to a full view of the Lone Spire and the far away lands that it protects.
To the direct north of the Lone Spire, the Gallant mountains carve a way to the northern coast. To the east, the Mooncrest mountains protect the fantastical land of Minavere. Far to the south of the Lone Spire, a sharp peninsula known as the Spear Coast creates the more scenic of the continent's peninsulas. It is well known that once one crosses the borders of the Egali Line, the line that splits Uathan in half, that the western half of the continent is far more dangerous than the east. With more in the way of fantasical creation of Titans, and even more volatile life, western Uathan boasts an incredible capacity for danger.
From the Kingdom of Brenadwaith to the borders of the Humming Peaks, western Uathan is rockier and populated by great, snowy mountains. Pockmarked with caves and trenches, the lands of the west are treacherous in their creation. To the far south, the Stripped Lands lay in blight. To the north, the unlivable climate of the Humming Peaks. Nestled between the harshest lands in all of Uathan is the Moonlit Vale, a place of fantasy and pure knowledge forbidden to the world in which is resides.
It can be best described that the continent of Uathan is a place of great diversity hidden behind a mask of uniformity due to the presence of the Titans who rule over its lands. Though one may know the mountains and forests that make up its landscape, the consistency of its many lands is like none other. One may travel Uathan to its fullest and still not understand it to completion.
Ecosystem
Uathan thrives under the watchful gaze of the many Titans who control its lands. In all lands, unique life has taken form to create magnificent displays of creativity. In the forests regions of the east, much fauna exists in the forms of predators and prey. The most notable of these creatures being the Feral Tautara Saurian whose massive forms control the areas they take residence in. Preying on the passive grazers such as deer and elk, the Feral Tautara Saurians are the apex predators of midwest Uathan. If one looks hard enough, they may find caves all over the many mountain ranges in which these grand creatures live in peace.
As one travels to the west, they will find that the world changes considerably. From the wild cats of the Humming Peaks to the deadly flora of the Stripped Lands, the ecosystem is in constant flux due to the presence of the many Titans who command Xerathel. Due to this, the life that exists has done so by becoming sturdy and resistant to radical change and shifts in the weather. In the kingdom of Brenadwaith, the presence of shifting stone and intrusive mountains has given rise to the stone giants known as Anterasque, hulking beasts boasting impenetrable armor of hardened rock whose shape resembles a lion mixed with an armadillo.
In Brenadwaith, the ecosystem is largely dominated with creatures of prey, making for a region that survives wholly on how well these creatures can continue to kill each other. For what little life exists that is meant to be preyed upon, it is an existence of survival as not even the stones can be trusted. The creatures that live in this region of the continent find themselves greatly hardened and often even the more passive among them are capable of eviscerating the common man.
Far to the north, in the Humming Peaks, a surprisingly thriving ecosystem has found its place. Although a land of harsh weather, all ranges of fauna have made their place in the mountainous, snowy landscape. From foxes, to goats, to predatory cats, and bears, the Humming Peaks are brimming with life both stunning and dangerous. Though a land of sparse flora, the life has made up for this by instead learning to prey on one another in a continuous cycle. Nearly every creature in the Humming Peaks is a capable carnivore, and often the most unlikely of predators can be stumped by packs of those weaker than they.
The ecosystems of Uathan are a diverse array born out a necessity to survive in a world where radical change is the basic normality of everyday life.
Ecosystem Cycles
Unlike its sister continent, Uathan has been permitted many seasons of varying intensity by its primordial overlords. Due to this the cycle of life follows the four seasons routinely. From winter, spring, summer, and fall the world continues to turn as each region of the continent reacts differently. In the Peerlight forest, the golden and silver trees that shimmer in the light never truly lose their leaves, but instead grow at an intense rate. During winter, the sky is blotted out by an impenetrable sheet of branches and vines as the forest protects itself from the piercing cold. Whereas in the seasons of spring and summer, the forest grows considerably. Its trees continually heightening to greater lengths until it is again time to protect itself.
To the north of the Peerlight, in the Gilded forests, the spruce trees never quite go dim, continuing to pierce the sky like arrows as the snow falls to conceal their majesty. For the rest of the continent, winter is a time where much of the world goes quiet. For the large beasts of the world, dormancy is their answer to the biting cold. To the fowl, their fate lies to the east towards the shores of the Ekires. When the time comes for the world to awaken once more, the birds flock west once more and the large beasts come from their enclosures to sate their growing appetites upon the abundance of their prey.
It during the season of life, Spring, where many of the world's creatures spend their time procreating at alarming rates. While there are few who thrive during the seasons of cold, there is no time quite like the breeding season of spring where the lands are brimming with life. The same can even be said for the more intelligent among the lesser races.
Localized Phenomena
While there are many phenomena unique to Uathan, much of the continent is ruled over by the colossal Titan, Ascodalier, who lords over the skies. Ascodalier is the bringer of thunder and rain. A temperamental creature not known to care or even pay attention to the goings on of the lesser races, Ascodalier is neither loved nor hated by the inhabitants of Uathan. When a great storm looms overhead, rolling its way forwards, and a great tune can be heard high among the clouds, one can be sure Ascodalier is the source of the swirling and black clouds.
It is the storms of Ascodalier that are the most well known phenomena among the inhabitants of Uathan. Heavy rainfall and frighteningly thick lighting come together to form art in the clouds; as the colossal form of the winding serpent can be seen directing it with passion. These storms are rarely deadly to the its watchers, and so it has become custom for many cultures to watch in awe as Ascodalier sings into existence a new mountain as the lighting strikes it, taking out chunks at a time only to rebuild it moments after.
History
The history of Uathan is long and dates back even before the calendar of Urthemian. During the early ages of Urthemian, prior to the coming of Uduath, Uathan was an expansive desert watched over by many Titans who used its endless desolation as playgrounds for magnificent works of art. Even in the modern era, remnants of the old works of Titans can be seen if one travels to them. From upside-down waterfalls to impossibly thin and tangled rock formations, Uathan still bears the marks of the Titans who came before.
Through the years it has been documented its very real transformation from a desert to a green land of life. Due in no small part to the coming of Ascodalier in 446: Titan, Uathan has grown immensely since the dawning of the lesser races. Since the first sighting of Ascodalier, the first Titan to introduce greenery to Uathan, Uduath, has not been seen in centuries. Leading to the belief that Uduath passed away long ago due to the power required to sing Urthemian's fortune into existence.
In 145: Titan, a small sect of the Church of Odes, led by a self proclaimed prophet known as the Opulent, trekked out into the Desolate from the greenery of Urthemian to find Uduath and have the Titan bestow upon them the power to make a new settlement. Having never been heard from again, records indicate the most unusual behavior from Ascodalier who supposedly came down from the clouds shortly thereafter.
Since the growth of Urthemian, and in conjunction the Theomancy, Uathan has become a land increasing in the population of the lesser races. Once teaming with Titans, many of the Titans have receeded into their corners of the world as the lesser races continue to expand and grown among one another. As war and conflict have become more prevalent, so too have the Titans become passing legends.
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