Zut'yrecza Ashland

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 and 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.