Teranlo (Ter-an-low)
Summary
The largest, quasi-continent sized island in an expansively barren archipelago, Teranlo is a beautiful tropical paradiso. Lush jungles stretch all across it, winding around small, semi-active volcanic mountains. Varied species dwell upon the land, though of a smaller and more limited scope than many other places on Veltrona. What few notable exceptions that exist can be called Teranlo's apex predators. Teranlo's position has, historically, made it something of a weather shield for Ebalatan. Tempests and supermassive hurricanes born in the reaches of Vastia regularly batter the island, and they've long stripped barren most of the surrounding smaller islands. However, life is persistent and endures, and so much has grown to handle these terrifying forces. Wind and water aspected flora and fauna even rely upon this extreme weather as a source of strength. The traditional cultures of Teranlo are split between the shermadi who dwell upon its shorelines and inland rivers, and everyone else. The likes of harpies, humans, and bieneren are Teranlo's largest demographics, with small smatterings of others. Some dragon lineages, particularly volcanic and ocean ones, are known to dwell in the more inhospitable regions as their domains. The myriad civilizations of Teranlo are to, varying extents, self-governing tribes and small queendoms. A singular umbrella culture, built over many generations of living, fighting, and marrying together, is separated by the local differences they maintained. Most conflicts, if any should arise, are a result of either land grabbing or matters of honor and virtue. Ritualistic combat took over as the norm, and serious matters are resolved through it rather than open warfare. Even if they could conceivably do so, the destruction would be catastrophic even to the victors. With Ebalatan as their nearest and largest neighbor, Teranlo's people and the shermadi largely live in harmony. The islanders do much business upon the ocean, and in turn, the shermadi receive much business from land walkers. While Teranlo itself didn't have much incentive for heavy industrialization, Ebalatan's outsourcing eventually inspired the beginnings of it. Access to semi-active volcanoes, as well as land facilities to craft with, have made Teranlo an important strategic partner to Ebalatan's interests. In more recent centuries, foreign visitors from Aerthen, Lophern, and Nerzin would make contact, and eventual landfall, upon Teranlo. Their wealth of knowledge and outside information has resulted in radical changes throughout Teranlo, especially where technology or magical arts are concerned. In turn, Teranlo's unusually specialized wind and water-based learnings have been highly valued, especially for others who dwell on coast lines. What will ultimately happen remains to be seen, but Teranlo is growing at a stupendous rate and quite deservedly establishing itself as a serious power in the region.Geography
Teranlo's entire archipelago is the result of many different, smaller volcanoes erupting from beneath the sea floor. Most of these would eventually quiet down forever, but a few collided together, creating the quasi-continent that is the 'main island'. The smaller islands around the main one would, to varying extents, be sanded down by Veltrona's weather over the millennia. A few of the notably large ones, however, endured enough for their own ecosystems to emerge.
Underwater erosion eventually smoothed out the myriad rocky crags, spikes, and other formations surrounding Teranlo. It resulted in very smooth and complex arrangements of volcanic rock, creating dark, glossy, and specular wonders in the surrounding waters. As nature moved in with corals, algae, sea weed, and more, a complex landscape of natural growths and unyielding rock took shape. The occasional volcanic eruption, both on land or underwater, serves as a source of nutrients and environmental devastation.
A complex series of old magma tunnels, flooded by the ocean, pocket through Teranlo's underground. Such places are extraordinarily dangerous to live within, as the semi-active volcanoes could possibly compromise them without notice. Still, it hasn't stopped a lot of species from moving in, and the shermadi in particular use them as areas of storage or industry. Because they're believed to come from deep underground, it's possible these tunnels are direct entrances to the Underworld proper.
Ecosystem
Teranlo's tropical ecosystems comprise some of the most uniquely adapted forms of life upon Veltrona. The constant tempests over the millennia have, to them, become a source of strength rather than devastation. By exploiting the enormous wind and water energies brought forth, they can endure the destructive forces or regrow with explosive potential. For the people living there, these weather events have become moments of calamity as much as growth and renewal.
Something of a focal point for northern Ebalatan, the southern waters of Teranlo are teeming with all kinds of marine life. The Vastia facing side is markedly more desolate; although rich in underwater plants, marine life tends to be of the durable and isolated sort. The constant threat of roaming predators and leviathans from Vastia's expansive waters is a great danger to anything living there. Teranlo's shorelines are nominally the safest, but going beyond them is unadvised.
The volcanic regions are, contrary to the rest of Teranlo, richly populated with veltron and fire manas. Rather than be dominated by a few species, a great variety of smaller ones compete around these points of interests. Volcanic dragons are the biggest and strongest things living there, and they're regarded with almost deific-deference. Teranlo's storms are harder for them all to endure, and so when they go to ground and hide, everyone else knows somethings coming.
While it's overall developed on its own, there are a number of species on Teranlo that it directly shares with Etzli Cuauhtla. Much to the confusion of some scholars, it was ultimately deduced that Prak must've deposited these specimens at some point in the past. The theory largely holds up as Prak-living harpies also frequently visit Teranlo whenever a floating island drifts by.
Natural Resources
Rich in diverse life, both flora and fauna, gives Teranlo's civilizations much to exploit. The relative confined nature of the main island also dramatically reduces the presence of the Relentless Herds and Packs. It is, aside from the weather and certain dangerous species, quite the idyllic place to live. To preserve their island's limited land availability, its civilizations emphasize eco-friendly farming and careful maintenance. One of the greatest powers on Teranlo is, in fact, a bieneren hive that has long lived there, even before some others.
They're considered the de-facto guardians of Teranlo, and conduct themselves as neutral arbitrators. So it is any kind of exploitation or industry must be approved by them, which has become a point of friction in recent centuries. As far as mineral wealth goes, Teranlo has some but not much, even considering the volcanoes providing enriched material. Only a few deep-digging mines exist, and their bounties are regulated on a strict system to maintain production. Thus, it is more a matter of importing foreign material and working it on Teranlo than anything else.
The abundance of available mana results in frequent forms of magical materials, particularly manarium and crysium. Those in the business of water and wind magics especially regard Teranlo as ideal for their crafts because of this. In fact, it would be these highly interested groups that would break open the doors for later tourism and foreign interest. Given its distance and the perils of travel, only the affluent and capable regularly visit, creating high-class expectations as a result.
Of all its possible businesses, fishing is indisputably the dominant one. Massive ports send out anything from simple skiffs to entire fleets, harvesting the abundance of the oceans. Shermadi tribes frequently visit, trading their own gains for land walker goods or services. The demand for ice and salt-trained veltron mages is truly immense, as both are critical for effective preservation to ship product out.
Type
Archipelago
Comments