Post by Silversoul on May 7, 2010 17:21:07 GMT -7
Environment
The land around the city of Anias is a mixture of forest, grassland, and riverfront. In some places these three climates combine, forming a swamp-like marshland to the west. The northern borders of the city are encompassed by a high and craggy mountain range called the Aquayas. They are rumored to contain mythical beings, beasts feared by all feline kind. The foothills of the mountains are covered in a rich mixture of plant life. Oaks and maples can be found in plenty, as well as spruce, juniper, and higher up, fir trees. Birds the size of turkeys are almost everywhere in these forests, making a nest wherever they find convenient. Smaller song birds of vibrant colors flit among the tree tops, joined by bats and insects. The forests to the north of Anias are known as the Ilaesa Forests.
To the south are rolling hills and moors, covered in windswept grasses and stunted trees. The natives call the hills the Sicali moors, after the first Khan to rule the opens plains. Herd animals are a common sight, though they tend to stick to the eastern part of the plains, near the river; though the larger creatures will wander farther away in search of grazing pastures. To the south of the Sicali Moors the grassy hills give way to small sand-dunes, and after a short distance the sand flattens out into a wide expanse of glittering white which merges with the sea. Every night the sun can be watched setting and the ocean seems to swallow the sun whole, and every morning the moon can be seen dipping down beneath the waves peacefully.
To the east lies an enormous river, easily dwarfing the Nile of Egypt. It carves a series of underground caverns through the mountains to the north called the Celestius Caverns, though no one knows the river’s origin. It flows in a south westerly direction, splitting off at the base of the mountains into a river known as the Imali River, feeding the swamps and wetlands that reside to the west. Aspen trees grow thick around the southerly flowing river, and Weeping Willows are common-place as well. The river is called Iteya, named after the great Khan who brought the city together in peace, and the forests there are called Ebrosia, named after Iteya’s one and only daughter. Birds, slightly smaller than those in the Ilasia Forest, are the main inhabitants of Ebrosia. Small rodents, about the size of rats, scurry about in the undergrowth as well, feeding on seeds, nuts, and berries.
The land to the West can easily be described with two words, wet and muddy. The land flattens out rather suddenly and the Imali River covers the entirety of this flat land, creating Kili Marsh. The land here is a combination of swamp, marsh, and everglades, with the occasional dry patch of land. Due to the nutrient rich water the fish here come in many varieties, and much larger sizes. Amphibians are also common-place in the muddy waters and reeds of the marsh. The only real dangerous creature that inhabits these swamps are huge Alligators. They have grown to be about twice the size of modern day Alligators, and they have small whisker-like spines that sprout from the back of their head. They eat mostly fish and the occasional Swamp-Deer that wanders through the Marsh, ignoring the smaller mammals in favor of the larger ones.
The land around Anias has a relatively mild climate. Its winters are only slightly shorter than its summers, though that leaves plenty of time for the young creatures in the spring time to develop and grow in time for winter’s harsh freezes. Flash floods are rare, as are earthquakes, but it isn’t uncommon for the Celestius caverns to be flooded when the first rains come during the onset of spring. There has only been one earthquake ever in recorded history of Anias, and that was so long ago that hardly anyone remembers it anymore.