Aridara

Aridara is the largest continent on Norrab by population. It is the birthplace of norrabians, hundreds of thousand of years of culture and history. It is east of Alarma and north of Suvai, and on the same landmass as Timbera.

The continent is mostly comprised of desert, sub-tropical, and tropical environments, with over half of the continent made up of desert and badlands.

Geography, Location & Climate

Titan Trunk by Mochi

Aridara's atmosphere is often described as an intense, dry heat. With the sun blazing down for the majority of the day, there is little escape from the high temperatures. Many seek shelter under monolithic landforms and sessile organisms, like titan trunks.

When the heat isn't an issue, planktonic storms are. These deadly weather phenomena are undetectable without a planktometer. Huge invisible swarms of plankton clog the skies, infesting respiratory systems. Again, titan trunks and other organisms provide good refuge, for their hollow bodies are impenetrable.

The longest river on the planet, the Algol, run from three different mountain ranges and through the Sian Lowlands, exiting in north-western Aridara. It has sustained life for millions of years,

Norrab is best known for its swirling sandy seas, treacherous mountain ranges, trenches that cut all through the oceans, and an assortment of other dramatic, dangerous landscapes. Despite this, people have learned to thrive here and find beauty in what life manages to win the fight against the unforgiving environment.

History

The norrabian species first evolved around two to three million years ago, and is relatively young for a sophontic species. The earliest evidence of "modern" norrabians dates back around a hundred thousand years ago - simple tools from this era have been identified. Norrabians first evolved around the Algol, where they remained for just under two million years - only migrating to other regions, and further continents, around two hundred thousand years ago.

Aridara saw the first industrial revolution on Norrab. The usage of mitelights sent shockwaves through norrabian society, mitelights capable of producing infinite energy, so long as they stayed alive. The usage of these animals is now an illegal practice, thanks to modern-day laws that prevent the mutilation and exploitation of non-norrabian animals.

Prehistory

Billions of years ago Aridara was once part of a supercontinent, Norrabia; the continent's western coastlines fit with Alarma's eastern coastlines.   As tectonic plates shifted, the Latica Plate was eventually formed which split this supercontinent into two, and the Latica Ocean formed soon after.

The first adamnans arrived on Norrab around eight hundred years ago. They first landed in Aridara, just north of the Sandaris Mountains, in the Highlands of the same name. These people were quick to terraform the lands to their liking, forcing native people out of their homes, making room for their own livestock, crops, and people.

This was the beginning of a conflict between adamnans and norrabians, that remains entrenched in the entire planet's culture and society.

Ecology

Norrabian Wolf-Dog by Mochi

Aridara supports vast lifeforms, in diversity and in size. Cowering from the heat of the day, underneath the giant caps of the titan trunks, are norrats, tiny rodents. They scurry round, hopping in and out of every crevice possible, escaping the hungry mouths of predators and norrabians.

Stalking the Looming Desert are powerful predators, sandbank sharks and Norrabian wolf-dogs. They fight for the top role in the food web, while sandy titanworms tunnel through the crust, creating an unstable mesh of gaping tunnels and caverns.

Drone cacti grow to over a hundred metres tall, serving as biological landmarks. Many plant species, especially woody plants, can live for thousands upon thousands of years.

Lifeforms vary greatly depending on regions, each well adapted to difficult climates and conditions. Many animals are endemic to certain areas as they are too well adapted to explore further, as wandering into areas with strikingly different conditions could be fatal.

Type
Continent
Location under

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Cover image: by Mochi

Comments

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Sep 13, 2024 09:48 by CoolG

Babe wake up! New Yonderverse continent just dropped :O

Explore the dark and mysterious Inferncenem, the bright and wonderful Caelumen or the magical and fantastical Ysteria   Have a good one!   Feel free to check out my Substack: CoolG's Awesome Worlds! Join the Discord and chat with like-minded people!
Sep 15, 2024 14:45 by Mochi

Babe wake up! New CoolG comment! :D

I hope you have a great day!   Explore the endless planets brimming with life of the Yonderverse! Go after creatures, discover new places, and learn about the people you find along the way.   Check out my Institutes of Learning Challenge entry!
Sep 15, 2024 14:55 by CoolG

^^ <3

Explore the dark and mysterious Inferncenem, the bright and wonderful Caelumen or the magical and fantastical Ysteria   Have a good one!   Feel free to check out my Substack: CoolG's Awesome Worlds! Join the Discord and chat with like-minded people!
Sep 14, 2024 15:46 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Between the heat and the storms, not somewhere I would want to live. But the giant trees that look like mushies though... :(

Emy x
Explore Etrea
Sep 15, 2024 14:45 by Mochi

It'd be a fun place to visit, at least! :D

I hope you have a great day!   Explore the endless planets brimming with life of the Yonderverse! Go after creatures, discover new places, and learn about the people you find along the way.   Check out my Institutes of Learning Challenge entry!
Sep 14, 2024 23:25 by C. B. Ash

Fantastic as always! Now to dig in deeper and take some notes for myself on how to make better species!

Sep 15, 2024 14:47 by Mochi

Thank you! Well well well, I just happened to have done an interview with Haly on Substack about species!

I hope you have a great day!   Explore the endless planets brimming with life of the Yonderverse! Go after creatures, discover new places, and learn about the people you find along the way.   Check out my Institutes of Learning Challenge entry!
Sep 15, 2024 18:33 by C. B. Ash

I saw that she interviewed you! But I am not surprised. You are the Grandmaster of Species, you know! :D

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