Sian Lowlands
A sun-bleached wasteland, the Sian Lowlands is one of the most populated regions of Norrab. The area is home to a plethora of highly adapted creatures and millions of norrabians.
Geography, Location & Climate
During the summer the Sian Lowlands reaches average daytime temperatures of fifty degrees Celsius, dropping to zero at night.
Despite blazing temperatures, cracks in the soil invite rain, and rushing rivers bring life to an otherwise void environment.
The atmosphere in the lowlands is particularly dry, laced with various magical essences. Sand kicked up from winds and storms create a yellowy-grey hue in the air, requiring foreigners to wear filter masks in order to breathe comfortably.
The Sian Lowlands are incredibly prone to planktonic storms. These deadly invisible phenomena can wipe out thousands of lifeforms in minutes, if particularly devastating.
Algol
Perched on the mouth of the Algol, Algola is the largest city on the river. It is also the capital of Russai, a testament to the settlement's power, history, and culture.
The most noteworthy feature of the lowlands is the Algol. Supplying vital fresh water to almost a tenth of Norrab's population, the Algol is the longest river on the planet and largest drainage basin. It has cultivated tens of thousands of years of history throughout the lives of native and non-native peoples.
It stretches from the Algol Mountains to the delta on the opposite end of the lowlands, dragging in tributaries from two other major mountain ranges.
The Algol has been the source of life for millions of people, for at least a hundred thousand years. The oldest remnants of modern civilisations are found in the Sian Lowlands. The fragmented patterns of old towns and cities are buried underneath the soil, suggesting that once upon a time, cities sprawled across the region.
The Algol is a tough region to survive in - despite there being an abundance of water, climates are extreme. Despite this, the Algol is one of the most ecologically rich regions of Norrab. The easy access to water is a rare phenomena, and animals will migrate thousands of miles for a single sip.
History
The first evidence of native norrabians in the Sian Lowlands dates back around a hundred thousand years ago. It is quite possible that norrabians first evolved in these lowlands, but evidence is lackluster and scientists are still in debates. Nevertheless, the Sian Lowlands have some of the oldest populations of norrabians.
The oldest existing ethnic groups within the lowlands lie around the Algol. The ilgola are a group of norrabians co-existing with adamnans, in the tourist-centric city Seven Falls, and neighbouring settlements. The ilgola have lived in this region for roughly fifty thousand years, making them one of the oldest still-surviving ethnic groups in the region.
The lowlands have been subject to war and conflict for thousands of years. A prime location thanks to easily defendable terrain and easy access to fresh water, countries have fought for territories in this area. The most devastating war to have happened in recent history was the Russai Conflict; countries Russai and Asa'ta had to defend their lands from opposing forces, in a war that lasted sixteen years and cost millions of lives.
Ecology
The Sian Lowlands is a vibrant space, with thousands of peculiar organisms all congregating around the Algol. Scavengers, such as skirxihi, pick at the corpses of those that succumb to the burning climates. Other animals trot along, blissfully ignorant of the blazing temperatures, protected by self-cooling armoured plating.
Trunceritans are fairly common in this region, taking advantage of the plentiful aeroplankton. Species such as titan trunks can grow over a whopping hundred metres in height. These gargantuan colonies of miniscule polyps are so large they are used as housing. It is not just these colonies that can reach such heights, however. Titanic tortonids, a species of tortonid, can grow up to a hundred and fifty metres in height.
Tourism
This region is easily the popular place on Norrab for tourists. It is one of the few areas on the planet that tourists can comfortably survive in, even if they require filtered masks worn outside at all times. Thankfully, the air within indoor areas are filtered and purified.
Seven Falls is specifically designed to intrigue and entice tourists. With elegant, flashy displays of norrabian culture, an everpresent aroma of delicious cooked foods, and bubbly, encouraging stall owners, one cannot escape an overload of the senses when walking down a street in the Seven Falls.
Even if you can escape the bustling streets, the quieter scenic routes in the outskirts of the city are still flooded with tourists snapping pictures of anything and everything. The seven large waterfalls, as the city is named after, is the most popular spot for visitors.
"Queenie, get a pic of me in front of the waterfall!" "Okay, 3... 2... 1!" "CHEEES-" As visitors shuffled their way through the crowd, Ron was shoved into the soggy wooden barrier. He heard a small creak, and then a louder snap. Ron tumbled down the waterfall, his fall broken by a large winged creature. Said creature squeeked, before ripping Ron's head off.
Lowlands
I have to assume that's Ron's disembodied head as your Native Norrabian reference.
you know me so well <3
Also you need to take a day or two to queue up all your drawings to post to IG with links back to your articles!
aaaaaa, I completely forgot about my IG D: we'll see if I ever get back to posting on there xD