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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Illyriad Geographic
    Posted: 24 Dec 2011 at 07:39
Just thought that Illy should really have a thread about geographics. A whole world is still mildly unknown to us and the more we know about it, truth or not, the more interesting it is. So gather round stories about geographics near your cities about rivers, mountains, plains, from hundreds, thousands, and even millions of years ago and why they are there. It can be short or long (500-1000 words) and preferably literate and nonfiction sounding. Posting something that introduces something yet unknown in the world is discouraged (ex. giant hexagon fossils that have been found reveal...). Be free to give possible reasons as to why the terrain is as so and reasons to back it. Be sure to add the location if not added in the text as well as a title. Comment away!
I'll start it off in this post:
Striking Water
-907 l -365 Kumula
Among the thorny jungles of Kumula lays what isn't entirely expected. The Kumula Desert. One of the three Illyrian deserts, this one gives birth to great insight on previous habitants.

Following the northern river that flows from Kumula to Lan Larosh, many find great disappointment when the river abruptly stops in the middle of the desert. Not exactly the best view, this end is actually only the beginning. It brings fresh water from the nearby mountains east, south, and out to sea. Though it goes a long way, it readily transports thousands of liters of water each year. This was troubling to the local geographers who knew that thousands of liters should nearly be impossible in such climates like those in the deserts. Many other geographers have went in the mountains for years at a time and receive, at most, 2mm of rain a year. This lead to the unanimous vote between the small desert community that the river shall run dry in a few years.


Yet years have passed and the river gives us water as easily as it has done any other day. This argument has died down as hundreds of geographers have diminished to a handful as opportunities in astronomy have grown. However, the anthropology field has given more thought to this puzzle in their own way. Anthropologist Calder Barberi has, in the last month, organized an exploration team and ventured into the valley just north of the river's beginning. They've come back after a three month exploration and Calder says, “there is so much more to see. The sands of those valley tell more than the screen can see.”

Calder theorizes that the sand ridden valley used to be a lush, flourished valley that “was centered around a massive lake”. Yes, a lake. Why? “Well, to find life, first look for ancient structures,” and they did. Most notably, there is, in the middle of the valley, a square plot of land full of big, heavy stones that stand upright vertically. Unsurprisingly, many of the stones were eroded and weary, some did not even stand as tall as the dwarves. Those kinds of mono-glyphs are ubiquitous in Elgea from the Western Realms to Perrigor, however, all of them symbolize ancient civilization. These ones were no exception. The explorers found many antiquated clay pots and urns as well as crude stone weapons. The entities who lived here are still unknown but most likely are part of the Jannu; they did not spend too much time there in case it was part of Jannu territory and so reported little compared to other sites. 

Spread out among the valley are multiple oasis with signs of decayed wood and bricks. One oasis, just a few meters north of the mountains, was clearly man made. The shallow pool of water was drawn from an overflowed well to the west of it. The well was clearly unfit for use with stones scattered hither tither and wood splintered everywhere. Clay ornaments as seen from the standing stones were also uncovered there implying that they are from the same group. One of the members of the exploration crew identified that the well was an artesian well with water still being brought out because of increased pressure in the rocks. Caldera points out that the water should have run out by then unless the well just opened recently. The crew spent three weeks there and journeyed back home.

On the way back to the village, the connections have been made. A little east to the river's end, hamadas have made an unusually straight line with the river passing through it. Geologists from the group, dwarves mostly, noticed the remarkable wear on the plateaus by the river. Upon closer look, the river still erodes the rocks today. The plateaus hold hints of serpentine on their veins, viewable on the side, and show years of rock. The geologists only question was how such a large chunk of rock could have been exposed so quickly. The water.

From the evidence gathered, the crew came to a swift conclusion. Hundreds of years ago, a great lake was in the valley covering the infinite valley of sand seen today. A civilization grew here and prospered making clay pots and standing stones. A bit of green might have even been there as long as there was soil to spare. But the times were cut short as the dam broke. The plateaus were weary from years of holding in the water but were relived as the first crack came through, then another, and another and the whole line broke. The fate of the group living there? Not one clue. Maybe they couldn't adapt to the miniscule amounts of water or lost their bearings in the desert.

Why the river runs today came to the explorers later. Everyone agreed that the lake must have gone by then and that the mountains produced no water. Natural aquifers are always a big topic in the desert but usually no wells are big enough to power whole rivers. But with all the oasis nearby, speculations about a giant water table underneath the desert may actually be true. Nothing can be ensured yet for, as Calder says, “the desert is large and unforgiving. One moment, something is there, and the next you're pawing around in the sand for it. What happens in between is a mystery.”

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