Ecela (Eh-sell-ah)
Geography & Climate
Ecela contains the least amount of biomes, with just two different colours - yellow and light blue. (See Osao Biomes for more.)To the north of the continent is a singular Coral Desert biome. This biome is much more humid than others around the planet, while high temperatures in the summers burn down on the sandy ground and rocky coasts, and freezing winters cause the atmosphere itself to become thick and difficult for non-native creatures to walk through.
Small saltwater streams and rivers etch through the entire biome, some seeping into the Ecela Plains.
Ecela Plains
The Ecela Plains takes up much of this continent, taking up the majority of the light blue biome land on the mainland and the several islands scattered around the coastlines. Contrasting the desert, the plains are quite dry, rarely seeing rainfall but seeing some humidity on the border between the two biomes.
Many important historical landmarks for slime cultures reside in the Ecela Plains. The Elder Tentacle Tree can be found around the centre of the plains, worshipped in many different slime cultures. Some religions even encourage its followers to travel to this tree at least once in their lives and puddle to it.
Fauna & Flora
Like every continent aside from Uaelor, Ecela is full of life, from the bristleweeds and tangle ferns of the Ecela Plains to the coral otters and beach whales of the Coral Desert.Fauna
Ecela is brimming with fauna species, especially in the Coral Desert. Coral otters have a symbiotic relationship with the yellow land coral - they share the same body. The coral are able to photosynthesise, using a variant of chlorophyll that produces a bright yellow colour rather than a green. The otters are mobile, which allows the coral to spread their polyps, while the otters constantly have a source of energy from sunlight.
Mother and father otters have been observed placing polyps on their children, as otters are not born with coral attached. Nobody is quite sure when otters learnt of this tactic, but it continues to fascinate the scientist community.
Flora
There is little variety in flora compared to other continents. The Coral Desert, unsurprisingly, has little diversity in terms of species, but those that can be found are abundant. Two particular species are bristleweeds and tangle ferns. These two plants can survive the freezing cold and boiling hot. Having roots that extend almost half a kilometre underground, a lack of water is never a problem, and never would be considering the humidity of the Coral Desert.
These plants both have the ability create a barrier around them which protects them from the elements. Wind, rain, sunshine, cold, and any other natural phenomena will not affect these plants in this barrier; scientists understand how they do this, but cannot seem to replicate it artificially.
Significant Settlements
Sakara
The most populated city in the Coral Desert is Sakara. This city is carved out of the tallest cliff face in this desert, and every single house looks out on to the shimmering, vibrant ocean. The city has a population of 3,405,592, with thousands of these refugees from Sacaethea after the Battle of Tretera left millions of pirates without homes, many of which found refuge on Osao.Tynryn
Tynryn is a small town in the centre of the Ecela Plains, just a mile from the Elder Tentacle Tree. Tynryn's ties to this tree brings in huge amounts of tourist money, and that is their main form of income for most. Countless tentacle tree themed gift shops litter around the main square, preying on innocent tourists that just want to puddle to the tree.
Tynryn is a beautiful town, with most houses built from blue fabricwood, a common tree type in the area. These houses are neatly stacked together to form a complex maze, neatly organised to prevent traffic flow.
Puddle <3 I love the idea of the coral otters so much.