Zut'yrecza Ashland

History

Geography

Following the explosion and complete collapse of The Zut'yrecza Volcano, the remains of the entire landscape was turned into an Ashland. The ground contains mostly of extremely high temperature ashes of trees and large rocks that were colder in temperature and conditioned by the sudden change when exposed to the magma. There are several lava pools and gas-releasing sites present in the area that could easily burn anything down to the bone in an instant. The eruption of Zut'yrecza was caused due to excessive gaseous buildup under the high density magma.

Which released very suddenly and caused an explosion. All life in the vicinity was instantly eradicated and completely turned into ashes. Trees, animals, rocks, etc. became part of the vast ashland expanding over thousands of acres of land. This eruption caused a very huge cloud of ash, that still persists in the air after centuries. Initially, this cloud was very hot and quick to spread, erasing all forms of life beyond the spread of molten rocks and causing several forest wildfires and damage to cities hundreds of kilometers away from the volcano.

It also blocked the sun for months on end, affecting the surviving plant life in the area or completely killing them. The eruption of the volcano caused a plateau like landform at the middle of the ashland which formerly was the mountain that kept the magma collected. Any forms of life that survived lie on this plateau. The plateau was formed following the eruption, causing formation of magma rocks that came in contact with water and were instantly cooled. The lava from the volcano was still a lot higher in amount and denser yet the magma rocks survived.

These show extreme resistance to the lava and heat while remaining relatively low temperature than their surroundings. The trees and rocks that survived the lava also contribute to this landform atop the ashes and lava. This process took centuries after the formation of the ashland. The ashland still retains its high temperature due to the constant formation of magma under the land of the remains of Zut'yrecza Volcano, causing a very volatile and dangerous stream of lava. This stream occupies a major portion of the plateau and at times when gas accumulation increases, can also spread to other areas of the same.

Hence the area remains extremely risky for lifeforms. Such events also cause earthquakes of a very large scale, disturbing the integrity of the ashland and furthermore damaging the edges of the area. After several acres of land in the inhabitable zone, the heat and water bodies present formed a wall of magma rocks that stopped the spread of ashlands further more. This prevention is only temporary due to the rising levels of lava in the ashlands, meaning that soon the lava will overcome the walls and start spreading more across waterbodies until the core of the mountain runs out of molten rock under the ground.

This will take several more centuries to happen but proceeds at a steady rate.

Plants

The flora of Zut'yrecza Ashland exists only on the plateau formed by the rocks in the middle as the surrounding area is unable to sustain any form of life whatsoever attributed to its volatility and temperature. These plants are highly resistant to heat and have very thick layers of skin with a lot of moisture they attain from the environment.

Belss

Belss are tall plants with a very thick bark covered by a later of a slimy cuticle that helps in protection from heat and surrounding harmful ashes. They reproduce by the use of spores and budding under unfavorable conditions. These spores are usually dispersed in the air and carried by wind currents. They reach lengths of up to 1.5 meters. Despite their length, they have a highly flexible stem that provides them with mechanical support and prevents them from breaking under high winds.

The slime on their stem is made of a compound formed from unique elements that are found in the ashes and air of the ashlands. Only belss have the ability to produce this later in the area. They uptake nutrition by a special mechanism where they use sunlight and the ashes present in the air to produce their own food and transport it to different areas of the plant by the use if complex and minute tubes that are spread thoroughly across their body.

Nalk

Nalk are very short shrubs present in the ashland which are very sensitive to excessive heat and temperature. They are very rare in the area but serve as an excellent source of nutrition due to their calorie density and high sugar quantity. They reproduce by dropping body organs and parts on the ground and letting it grow into another plant, hence they are often found in colonies as the off-spring is not able to get very far from the parent body. They use a similar method as belss for reproduction but instead of the ashes in the air they use the compounds found in the magma rocks themselves to form their own food.

Due to a short body they do not require a special means of transporting this food. They do not survive for very long in cases of heat waves or fluctuating temperatures. Their low adaptability is the reason of their lower population.

Quoef

Quoef are parasitic plants that live on belss. They attach themselves to the plant body of belss and rely on it for nutrition and mechanical support. They wrap their highly branched and thin body around the stem and branches of belss and plant their branches straight into the body of bells completely anchoring themselves to the surface. They reproduce by crawling through the ground and latching on another plant. But they do not require a lot of nutrition and hence are unable to cause harm to the species population of belss.

Due to the long shared parasitism, the host too has adapted to the presence of quoef, often producing more material for its own use to make sure its growth is not compromised by quoef.

Animals

The animals of Zut'yrecza are mostly aerial animals, usually only coming to the ground for food. The lack of other life forms has forced these animals to be nearly obligate herbivores, depending on the plant life for their daily needs. Their adaptation to the heat is not evolutionary or anatomical but rather preventive. They nest in the highest possible grounds, often having several of the same species in a singular colony, in order to optimize space and escape the ashlands as soon as the off-springs mature enough.

Irilu

Irilu are a very rare species of aerial birds that have a very small body and travel usually in pairs. They directly give birth to off-springs and follow a unique form of reproduction where a female can give birth to an off-spring asexually in the absence of male gamete, called parthenogenesis. They rely on Quoef for food, plucking it off Belss while still remaining in air. Their highly specialized digestive system allows them to utilize and absorb energy the most efficiently compared to others.

They remain isolated throughout their lives and mate only once during their lifetime and only with one partner. In absence of that partner, the female often performs this process and in the absence of female, the male leaves the area entirely and live in isolation for their remaining life spans.

Zaet

Zaet are highly heat resistant birds that rely on other smaller animals and plants in the area. They are unable to digest plant fiber and lose a great edge compared to other animals in the area for their nutrition. They reproduce sexually and are hermaphrodites, meaning there is no segregation between sexes. They are very vicious in nature and aggressively driven by the need to survive. In cases of starvation, they will also eat their own off-springs and usually do not let anyone near their nesting areas, not even their own species.

They lay eggs that take about 6-8 days to hatch. They do not need to incubate these eggs. Despite their highly evolved bodies, their digestive system remains relatively simple and inefficient.

Etura

Etura are an aerial species that live in large colonies and commonly found in the area. They are scavengers and survivalists, meaning they often eat the meat of dead organisms such as Zaet and can also rely on plants. They reproduce sexually and lay eggs which need to be incubated. They form large colonies where several eggs are incubated together and parts of herds are responsible for different activities. There is a proper division of labor amongst them. They have separate sexes, the female having a larger body and a red tail at the end of their body.

Their digestive systems are excellent and they can often go several weeks without food due to an equal distribution of nutrition across their bodies. They use a defense mechanism where they are able to spit out acidic liquid to protect themselves against predators and other species. This acid also helps them break down substances that they are eating.

Template:Controllers