Isla Terra Ab-Unda

Describe a religious monument (built or natural) which people of your world wish to visit at least once in their lifetime.
A sacred holy land of druids, in which miraculously all climates and biomes exist upon one great island, known as 'Terra Ab-Unda', the Isle of Plenty. Said to be blessed by the Wildmother since the dawn of the world, and her gift to mortals - formulated by defeating the Titan that gave all the colours in the world... and gives the island its unique namesake of 'Ab-Unda'. Regarded as the final resting place of many prominent and travelling druidic elders and nomads, accessible once a year for one week through a land bridge still existing between the continents of Avallone & Xi'caeji. For the rest of the time, the island is cut off from the world and the waters rise to scour the edges of the land - freeing the rockpool ecosystems, otherwise known as the Rocky Circle.
No one truly knows as to why such an island holds so many climates in such a place in the world, nor how it could possibly sustain the biomes present within - but much like nature, 'life will always find a way'. It is inhabited by a small number of devoted followers of the Wildmother that call its biomes home, and guard the path to the Elemental Summit. Scholars and theorists have arduously debated of the islands meteorological and geographical significance, and have been left wracked and puzzled by such a land - for many it has been impossible to determine the origin or the nature of its daily happenings much to do with any intervention into the islands secrets have been met with hostility by the guardians that call this place home. It has been long established that the land is neutral ground, and recognised as a 'sacred land' to all practising, participating and observing the druidic faith.

Isla Terra Ab-Unda

Of the six differing biomes there are rainforests, desert, savannah, grassland, woodland, tundra. The northern section of the island is vastly colder and riddled with harsh snowstorms that house a great mountain, in which the great monument of the sleeping mother earth goddess is seemingly carved in the mountain. The southern section of the island is vastly warmer and drier than the north, and has resulted in a desert ecosystem in the land. The closer to the centre west it lies transitions into a savannah, whereas in the east it transforms into untarnished grassland. In the east of the island is the great forest. To the central hinterlands of the island is a great jungle, whereas to the east there is a great woodland. In the centre of the island is a great rocky plateau that endures a combination of weather that is dedicated to storms and all seasons - the plateaued mountain is known as the 'Cradle of the Elements', where multiple isolated hotspring lakes reside and right in the centre is a dormant volcanic calderra where offerings to the Wildmother is devoted toward. The journey and pilgrimage takes place throughout the Wild Trail that begins in whichever biome one may begin.

Altastar Rainforest

In the central tropical rainforest of Terra Ab-Unda, it is hot and wet all year round. To pilgrims, they call it the 'Altastar Rainforest', the Standing Sages, whereas local druids know it as Altastarassil (Forest of Walking World Sages). It forms the centre of the island. This place is home to giant and ancient trees whose roots connect to the vibrant and abundant soil, to which one can walk through and beneath its roots or take a ceremonious canoe journey through the winding Lilly-filled waters that sustain this great forest. Largely protected and sometimes deepened in mists where the trees stretch above and beyond like towering giants. Home to a vibrant palette of colours in its leaves that leave artists weeping, and a hunters playground where one could sail between its roots or swing from one of the thousands of vines that dangle between the great sage trees. Its believed that the island was spared from the great schism of the gods many years ago and that the trees are the children of the grandfather trees planted by the Wildmother in honour of Gwynndrassil, the World Tree. The treants that call this place home meander and sleep beneath these great trees, protecting and honouring the dryads that call this place home and tend and protect the animals that inhabit this region - collecting and spreading the seeds of these trees to druidic enclaves dotting this vast landscape. Legend has it that the forest is actually sentient and that it is easy to get lost in such a place - pilgrims that have travelled this path find that the trees they once marked to journey deep into the centre of the island have moved elsewhere and that each tree remembers all that pass them by. If offerings are granted to the trees as one walks past, taking their great and giant seeds to the centre of the island to soak in the steamy waters and be cleansed of the muck and dirt of the ground, they will offer a great feast and passage - though should one wish to harm or mark such trees, one will find that the trees are capricious and vindictive enough and will hold them in a strangers grip and shall be swallowed in the land.
Druids and nomads embark and travel to this region to seek the wisdom of the trees, and deep at its source are the ancient coatl that guard this region - by travelling through this rainforest and not blemishing a single tree, nor taking a single fruit, or slaying a single beast and listening to the wise yet slow words of the wood, one can be granted passage to Sangro Alta, the Living Temple of Altastar. It is said that the forest comes alive as that which walks among the trees, a gigantic creature of wood, stone and earth, entwined in a lattice of vines and roots and branches that walks the woods and all trees allow it to pass. Within, lies the heart of the rainforest and allows the passing of the blossom butterflies that chrysallise from their cocoons and spread silvery strands across the whole rainforest... one strand of silk can be taken upon pilgrimage as a blessing from the forest that marks their connection to nature. Should it break, or should it ever be harmed, the blessings of its nature will die with it, and so does the wisdom that it grants.

Ocheruba Desert

In the southern red desert of Terra Ab-Unda, to pilgrims the desert is known as the Sea of Red Ergs or the Sands of Bending Spines, whereas the local druids know it as 'Ergo Ocherhuba'. It is dry all year round, where a few plants might grow such as small shrubs or cacti, because the soil is shallow and rocky. It resembles a sea due to the formation of the ergs appearing like frozen tides rising and falling across the land. It is a harrowing yet beautiful landscape of red sandy waves capturing hard sun-dilapidated rocks and glistening salt pockets; but a sporadic series of cactus and invasive root-system calls this place home, known as the Totem Devils, that slowly grow, rise and give the name to the sands of bending spines. The cacti grow in such a fashion that they always bow and prostrate in the direction of the sun during the day, whereas they stand resolute at night openly to the moon. For most of the year, these totem devils will grow voluminous flowers, yet do not be deceived, as like the devil they are not to be trusted - for they are highly poisonous to any that touch them. Once you get through their spiky exterior, they harbour barrels of juicy cactus water that pilgrims have distilled into a hallucinatory beverage known as the Ocherhuba Devil-Spirit on their journey through the desert. Animals come out at dusk when it is cooler.
The desert was believed to be a land once abundant in life until one great tree grew and took all the water of the land, its roots still visible and its stump houses the deserts only oasis - petrified into a miraculous rock carved into a shrine for the Wildmother, known as the Drunkthirst (sometimes referred to as the Drunkfirst, starting as a pun by ancient druids, as it is believed to be the first plant to die by drinking too much water that dried up the land, a sin punished by the Wildmother about nature overindulging in itself and harming the community). The oasis is said to be the purest in all of the island, and is a sacred guarded treasure. Druids, or even known rivals or enemies, venture through this desert together on a mission of fasting and scarcely take a sip from their wineskins, carrying the waters of their home pools with them in order to merge with the Well of Drunkthirst - an act of sacred duty that is believed to bring good luck and fortune against famine and drought in their own lands. Should they avoid the alluring smell of the Totem Devils and the hallucinations of the red sands, the guardians of Drunkthirst shall grant them a vision of truth or prophecy by sharing their sacred Devil-Spirits - for many it has been a place to bury hatreds and rivalries, and to sweat away all resentment and envy amidst the scorching sun. For in the desert, and much like in the world beyond, we may survive against dangers on our own, but we stand a greater chance when we stand together against hardship.

Bromsveld Savannah

In the savannah of Terra Ab-Unda, the savannah is hot all year round with a long, dry season. Only grasses and shrubs grow here. It is home to a lot of different types of animals. The savannah is known as 'Browsveld' by most, or more poetically as the 'Pasture of Burning Bushes'. Noteworthy for its seasonal and dynamic change between being barren, more abundant in sporadic trees and suddenly changed by the immaculate appearance of wildfires. During its great dryspells, large regions of the land are burned after having been grazed by herds of great beasts that flee the region to wetter and cooler climes that circulate across the region - yet afterward, the grasses come back greener and healthier than before, and in the fire a great seasoning of grass seeds fly as they burn - leaving lands pockmarked in black and ashen traces. Fire in this region is treated with reverence, as it is the giver of new space for new life and taker of old life that had settled in the region. Small but broad Rhinoceros and small elephants are known to roam the regions of the plains, as are giant ant colonies and termites.
For druidic pilgrims or those of the old faith, the Bromsveld Savannah is a place in which many seek the path of kindling - to chase the fires and test their spirits against the unstoppable force of nature. Some venture because they have an ailing disease, and believe that through facing the fire that they can unburden themselves of sickness by cauterising what ails them. Some venture to form a greater bond with a beast within the Bromsveld struck with wanderlust, and form a lifelong partnership where they are one in the same - a friendship forged in the wildfire. Many believe that one can find the truth of themselves within the fire, staring deeply into it as it approaches, and the fire staring back and even speaking to those it deems worthy and proving above all else their bond in nature. They bathe themselves in the ashes that mark their skin to become avatars of the flame, to embody the destructive and creative power of fire for themselves - though it is forbidden to start a flame in this region, nor is it allowed for any to stop the wildfires as they come to pass. Younglings may be brought once in their lives to be taught a hard lesson, that death and destruction is a natural part of life, but it does not mean that it is at its end - rather, it can begin anew from the ashes. Witnessing a beast who has been trapped within the flames and come out unscathed is a rare and miraculous moment in the Bromsveld, and so marks the creature as holy and deserving of protection.

Melogard Grassland

In the grasslands of Terra Ab-Unda, the areas of land are vast, windy and open, with grasses being the main plants. The grasslands have been given many names by the travelling pilgrims, the 'Greenheath', 'Medevan' (Meadow-Heaven), 'Perennia' after the many kinds of budding plants and grasses in the region - though to the local druids its ancient name has always been "Melogard", the beloved garden of the island. Many herding animals reside within this region as do flocks of birds. It is said that the regions are protected by unicorns, and are their sacred grounds. This region has been nurtured and devoted to grazing animals and their predators, and have remained untouched for thousands of years, the truly last verge of land left untouched by farming and agriculture. Seasonally is the great bloom, a sight that many druids watch from afar to see the awakening of the flower blooms in the region - any which trespass in this area are bidden into a deep and endless sleep through the great many pollens of this region, and are resolutely removed without tarnishing the grasslands.
In this region, druids and travellers are tested to never touch the green ground upon this land and travel to its very centre across great rocks that pockmark the land and through its cold river streams - a test that cleanses the druids soul until they reach the great standing stones of the Perenhenge, stones that have weathered and faced the test of time since the islands founding. The first stones put into a great circle in the dawning era of the world and sing to the soft winds of Melogard, softly coated in ancient moss and lichen. The standing stones are so great and large that one could sit comfortably in a crowd of one hundred on but a single of the tops of the stones, meditating on its soft cushioned surface and attune to the land. Centred within the Perenhenge, lies the sacred fruit of golden nectar from the ancient Janis Tree, to those that can surpass this monumentous challenge and be welcomed as a free spirit of the wild, and be granted a kindly escape upon the backs of one of the resident unicorns. Those who fail this ordeal are blemmished with the pollen of the great flowers, forever stained in their attempts, yet the pollen itself imbues one with great radiance and is found to be sweetly scented and marked for the rest of their lives with petalled scars. A virtuous sign of daring, though the bees and insects of the region do not take kindly for disturbing their beloved garden, and chase you out of the region entirely - or face a terrible and painfully barbed end.

Sylwicca Woodland

In the woodlands of Terra Ab-Unda, there are habitats where the main plants found are trees, but mosses, ferns and lichen are also found there. The climate is warm and mild, with more rain falling in the winter than in the summer. Unlike the rainforests of the centre, this region dominates the east and is partial swamp and dry woodland. The great woodlands are in a constant transition from season to season, 'the Sylwicca Wood' (Sylvan-Wicca), with a humming heartmelting thrum of spring, the sensational sumptuous stream of summer, the auspicious awry activity of autumn, the wondrous wicked wealth of winter. A wild theatre of pageantry of blossoming leaves, succulent fruits, coursing nectar and sticky sap strewn over the sage and striking bark and branches of the swaying trees, parlaying beside birds, insects, beasts and blooms of shrubbery and bush. One could lose oneself in such a region, protected by its sentinel treants, maiden Fey dryads and celebratory hermit satyrs.
Many druids and nomads seek to travel to the Sylwicca when children are on their way, as pregnant mothers wish the blessings of the Sylwicca Dryads who nurture each and every season. Children born in the Sylwicca are said to be blessed with good luck in all seasons, and that they too will one day come back before their deaths to the Sylwicca and become one of the many beautiful blossom trees in reincarnation. Yet it can be an arduous trespass, for the satyrs of the woods love to tempt and treat any who come to their quarter - it is a test of resilience that the mothers would not take a satyrs drink, refuse any aid or shelter. For the dryads do not dally with those who easily accept the gifts the woods may have to offer, for no season offers great certainty - and once a meal is accepted, they must stay forever. The Fey are not to be trusted, for they will twist the mind of passion and tarnish a pure soul from the path of nature. Men, husbands, brothers and sons venture into the wood to give blessings to their children - walking barefoot through the woods, resisting the temptations that their mothers, sisters and daughters have done by both Dryads and Satyrs; greed and gluttony must be avoided, but upon reaching the golden mark at the centre of the woodland to meet the Lady of the Lake in Loch Moira and bless and wash themselves of outside ugliness, can be blessed to taste and bare the fruits of their journeys labour.

Artiga Tundra

In the tundra of Terra Ab-Unda, it is the coldest place on the island. There is very little snow or rain and the temperatures are freezing. Winters are long and summers are short. Part of the soil is frozen all year round, although the top part defrosts in summer and plants such as mosses can grow. It is a wild yet unforgiving part of nature, and has been titled the Weepless North or 'Artiga', where it hosts a highland range and small mountain known as Mount Outlook, where at its coldest peak resides a permafrost glacier. During the short summers the land melts into wet ranges of vegetation and grasses and wild heath grow, giving sustenance to the desperate and competitive grazers and beasts of the region - most famed are the mammoths that have been its native residents for generations. As the snow falls and the ice thickens in the great cooling period, light hardly falls in this region and so the waters freeze and form great bergs and crossways upon its beaches and coastline - icebergs arraign themselves and split off, giving homes to penguins, seals, walrus and other predators.
Druids and travellers would ascertain to take the venture to the cold mountain, and hope that they may keep warm and survive the journey without becoming prey to those that lurk in the foreboding night. Here they would give their mark to meditate upon the mountain summit and see the vast colours of the sky portray the stars and divine the directions in which life may take them - to take a single stone salted by the sea shore to the top of the mountain, lick the stone after the arduous cold journey and present it upon one of the great mounds to beseech the cold mountain - speaking with the ancestral spirits of the animal guardians that lie dormant above. For those that may fail, they would become one with the mountain as frozen landmarks forever preserved in the cold and harsh nature of the mountain. Even those that survive the climb down will remark that the beasts would walk with them and guide them to the safety of caves and share their warm furs and even their kills with them.

Augurah, The Elemental Summit

Lying at the centre of the isle, stands a great black chalky stone cliff that rises into the air many feet above the Altastar Forest into the humid mists - one may clasp and climb upon the steep breach toward the sky where many deadly avian beasts nests and perch upon the mountainside, and test themselves against the hot and scorching rock of the mountain. Once they have breached the edge of the high high cliffs, can they walk upon the steamy solid-rock plateau where iridescent pools of many colours bubble and broil with hot springs or bubbling pools of thick mud. One suddenly finds themselves surrounded by the misty mark of tall hexagonal stone slabs with the faces of many standing stone totems to beasts like the bear, the hawk, the wolf and even the serpent - all monuments of old to the druids, ready and broiling to be met by scorching sun, dazzling mist or tempestuous storms and thunder that pervade the skies.
The druids or travelling pilgrims upon completion of all said pilgrimages may once visit the elemental summit and the temple erected in the lavastone cragg surrounding a great deep calderra in the eye of the great black mesa mountain. It is said that here lie the elementals, the beings that call this place home - who may or may not guard the borders to the realm of the Elemental Planes. Long ago, the Elemental Summit, or even known by its ancient name, "Augurah, the Cradle of the Elements" was said to be the place in which Melora took the heart of one of the elemental titans and planted it upon the island to savour the world its beauty and colour - where new and vibrant spirits might arise from the bounty of such a land and make it their home. The heart itself is said to be that of prismatic stone, the surface of which dances with living and vibrant colours, coursing around it like a transparent vessel of water amidst a turbulent storm - yet it has been carved and hollowed with a single entrance of a circular rolling doorway. The carved image of what is believed to be the ancient headless titan, watches travellers eternally, and deep within is a lightless dark abode. One may walk in, and the door will close behind them, at its centre, the stone room comes alive and inside one may be granted visage of the great Wildmother herself, as the algae and moss within brighten with luminous ferocity with all the colours the gods granted - granting a great vision, and the convening of small, firefly like elemental spirits that peel away from the colours of the great stone abode itself. Some sparkle and grow in fire, others puff with dust and orbit with small rocks, colour sometimes whistles and spins into miniature cyclones and dew from the moss dripping down would suddenly stop, float and then congeal into a single amorphous and auspicious shape. Peaceful, benign and playful beings who welcome those who are deserving, or wish to pay their respects to the bounty of the summit... but would bring the wrath of nature down upon non-believers or those that would stand with evil or selfish intent on the altar of the titans heart. These spirits will eventually make their way down the mountain from Augurah, to any of the many regions of Isla Terra Ab-Unda, manifesting with its rocks, its rivers, its winds and even the wildlife. Here all that pass, or pass anywhere upon the island may reconvene their spirits here and be reborn as one of the young elemental spirits. Those travellers or druids that bring offerings and gifts would ceremoniously throw these into the volcanic calderra and meditate upon the hot rocks, perhaps inscribing their names or symbols into the wayward volcanic rocks that dot the landscape - piling them in landmark spots surrounding Augurah, that would manifest the love and sympathy carved into them and held by all travellers that kept these small insignificant specs of rock in their pocket, imbuing a little of their own spirit and life-force throughout their journey, chrysallising into living amorphous elemental spirits of nature. One may stay present there one day and one night, before the poisonous gases would re-emerge from the volcanic caldera through the cracks in the stone, and would make it impossible for those to travel back alive - and to return through the landbridge connecting the island to the wider world. Upon leaving their mark in the many stones, the volcanic caldera will bubble and unleash its anger once again and trigger an earthquake that shall shake the foundations of the island - and beckon the sea to close the bridging land once more with a tremendous and vengeful flood. The island once again becoming isolated in the sea, and onlookers look back at the tempestuous isle and remark on the wonders and the dangers they had sustained to venture in such a place.

Type

World wonder