Sooneyriak (Soon-ey-riak)

Summary

Sooneyriak is the northern polar continent of Veltrona, opposite of Unneyria, its southern polar cousin.   As both polar regions are separated by vast oceans (Vastia and Olaniad, respectively), no real land connections tie them to the heavily populated continents of the world. Divine tempests, sea-borne leviathans, and all sorts of other dangerous obstacles create a natural, isolating barrier around the polar regions. The closest 'viable' routes tend to be from either Varnkof to reach Sooneyriak, or Eylia to reach Unneyria.   In this respect, much of the polar regions tends be mysterious or mythical, as little information travels to or from them. Of the two, Sooneyriak is the most isolated, with Vastia stretching between it and most other locations. The northern end of Varnkof, while offering somewhat stable passage, is so far out of the way that overland expeditions would often take even longer than ocean voyages. For better or worse, it has left Sooneyriak largely to its own devices, unless intruded upon by Prak's wandering sky islands.   The land itself is chopped up into moderately sized queendoms of ice-aspected dragonkind, aylier, ruvenek, while water-borne peoples like shermadi and ekurin live beneath the glacial mass of the continent. Everywhere else, both on the ice and below, is often filled with dangerous wildernesses.   Sooneyriak's fauna and flora relies heavily upon ice and radiant mana types, intermixed with those reliant on wind and water. Fire is generally the rarest, as there are few solid land masses in Sooneyriak above the water line. Most of its volcanoes remain buried underwater, providing rich streams of heat and molten material. Veltron-adapted forms tend to emphasize an amphibious nature.   However, most troublesome is the rampant amount of strange, alien forms of life that follow metal-aspected means of development. Contrary to even Veltrona's own standards on the subject, these bizarre creatures and plants are constantly trying to spread across Sooneyriak. The intense colds typical of the continent, however, greatly hamper and harm them. Overtime, the native peoples of Sooneyriak located the origins of these creatures: the isolated continent, Zahmal.   There isn't a solid land connection between the two continents, but Zahmal's presence does intrude into the glacial regions of Sooneyriak. The prevailing theory is that particularly colder years create temporary ice bridges into Zahmal, allowing for its native wildlife to spread more freely. The remains of some large-scale engineering projects, however, speak of different efforts to connect to Zahmal. Whatever became of those civilizations is hard to say, but the legacies of their efforts yet remain.   While the bulk of Zahmal's ecosystems seem to struggle with surviving in the freezing colds, that doesn't mean 'all' of it does. The intrusive presences of these foreign visitors greatly unbalances Sooneyriak, putting it into a lopsided position. However, even the wildlife of Sooneyriak has learned to deal with their aggressive neighbors. Something that the people have had to contend with throughout time.   Ironically, it became a great boon for many who could afford the effort. With the only viable choice for metal-bearing ores being deep ocean mining, the metalic fauna and flora of Zahmal offered a great alternative. Through extensive hunting and farming, and careful utilization of their resources, they grew great metal industries. Centuries of practice, experimentation, and innovation combined with ice-based magics, creating composite and alloyed materials civilizations soon stood upon.   People are, after all, incredibly capable no matter where they may be.