View source for Xatar's Steppe


{{Infobox Region
|Name = Xatar's Steppe
|Other Names = Unknown 
|Biome = Steppe
|Size = Unknown 
|Continent = Unknown 
|Subcontinent =  Unknown
}} 

==History==
===Historical Overview===
===History by Age===

====Stone Age: Before 1E 0====

====Copper Age: 1E 1-1E 2200====

====Bronze Age: 1E 2200-1E 4400====

====Iron Age: 2E 0-2E 700====

====Ancient Age: 2E 700-2E 2200====

====Middle Ages: 3E 0-3E 2050====

====Early Modern Age: 3E 2050-3E 2600====

====Industrial Age: 3E 2600-3E 2700====

====Machine Age: 3E 2700-3E 2800====

====Atomic Age: 3E 2800-3E 2850====

====Space Age: 3E 2850-3E 2875====

====Information Age: 3E 2875-3E 2900====

====Genetic Age: 3E 2950-3E 3000====

====Awakening Age: 3E 3000-3E 3415====

====Twilight Age: 4E 0-4E 500====

==Geography==

The geography of the Xatar steppes consisted of vast, empty plains with a temperate climate that occasionally reached extremes on either side of the temperature spectrum. The terrain of the Xatar was monotonously bland and contained no strong variations in elevation or in its vegetation. The steppe extended for thousands of miles in every side and had many regions that had never been inhabited or touched by any sentient lifeforms due to its sheer size. For perspective, it would take a zu'aan at least half a year to cover the entire plain on foot. 

The region was covered in a firm layer of moderately fertile soil that could support certain crops along with the grasses and shrubs that grew all along the grasslands. The Xatar was drained by two slow moving rivers and their tributaries that branched out across the entire plain. Apart from these, the only other source of water were underground water reserves that could be accessed through watering holes that popped up in various parts of the plain. The route of these water bodies could be easily traced by the presence of trees all along their banks. 


These were the only regions that could provide enough water to support trees and more complex vegetation. Despite its desolate appearance, the region was home to a wide variety of wildlife. They were either herbivores who were adapted to survive off the grass and vegetation of the region or predators who hunted other lifeforms for sustenance. A common adaptation among these animals was their speed and ability to cover large distances in search of water. They followed a strict migration pattern and rarely stuck to one place for too long. 

This measure was necessary because of the very limited resources available on the surface of the region. The migration began when the herbivores had had their fill of the grasses and had to move in search of fresher grass. The predators would follow them to their new homeland followed by the nomads who would track both the lifeforms down. Thus, no tract of land in the Xatar remained occupied for long giving it the impression of a desolate region.
The climate of the temperature was moderate during most of the year with occasional extremes during the height of summer and winter. 


The seasons of the region was divided into summer and winter. In summer the region would experience long, dry spells without rain when the waters of the rivers would begin to recede and expose their banks. The temperatures would linger in the low thirties and occasionally reach forty during heat waves. Most of the grasslands away from the rivers would become parched although they would remain standing. The land had an incredible ability to quickly lose heat, making the summer nights more pleasant and bearable. 

The end of summer would be followed by a few weeks of continuous rainfall that would turn the region into slush and recharged the river's water levels. New grasslands would begin to crop up and the inhabitants of the region would have reprieve from the summer heat. The temperature would continue to drop into the winter season. Here, the regular temperatures would hang below the twenties with occasional dips below the freezing point when the freezing north winds would blow across the entire region. Rainfall occurred in patches during the season and was very unpredictable.


==Plants==

The vegetation of the Xatar steppes mainly consisted of different resilient varieties of grass. These plants could withstand the hardy conditions of the Xatar including the lack of protection from the winds, the temperatures that could regular reach both sides of the extremes and the lack of a reliable source of water during the summers. These hardy plants occupied the vast interiors of the region while the more water intensive and vulnerable plants occupied the regions along the banks of the Xatar's rivers. 

The vegetation along the rivers offered more variety, including trees, shrubs and crops. Some of the most noticeable vegetation of the region included the issen and serici grasses and the breust and enoler trees. The issjen was the most common type of plant found in the vast landscape of the Xatar. It had all the appearance of the conventional grass types in other regions of the world. It could grow up to four feet in length and had a dull and dark green color that would slowly fade to a faint golden during the summers when the region received very little rainfall and water. 


Its ability to survive without water for many months distinguished it from the more conventional varieties found in hospitable environments. The plant had no nutritional value for zu'aan and kin'toni and was only fed to the herbivores of the region who fed on all types of grasses. They were quite fertile and didn't take long to recharge afer they had been completely exhausted by grazing herds of cattle. They served as excellent fodder for the pack animals and mounts that the nomadic zu'aan of the region regularly maintained for their travels.

The serici was another variety of grass that grew alongside the issjen grass. It was easily differentiated by its more vibrant shade of green along with its yellow seed pod that grew out of its top end. It was drought resistant like the issjen and its seeds were eaten by both livestock and zu'aan. The seeds ripened once a year during the rainy season. It was not an infinite food source that could support an entire clan. The breust was a tree that grew around available water sources in the Xatar region. 


It had a colorful coating of red and yellow leaves to accompany its white stem. The breust was very limited in its height and could only grow up to a maximum height of fifteen feet. Its stem was also quite thin, making it incompetent for use in construction. This combined with its rarity were among the few reasons why construction never picked up in the Xatar region. The enoler was another variety of tree that was distinguishable by its flat top appearance like an acacia tree. It could grow to a maximum height of twenty feet and its wood was most commonly used in the construction of various tools and weapons such as clubs and bows. 

It had distinctive blue fern like flowers that grew out of its branches during the rainy season that gave the tree its blueish appearance. The enoler would shed all its leaves during the summer months.

==Animals==
The Xatar Steppe was known for the variety in its wildlife. The variety included cattle and herbivores that could live off the grasslands, the predators who hunted and lived off these herbivores and the domesticated animals were used as pack animals and mounts by the nomadic zu'aan who lived in the region. Some of the common adaptations of animals in the region included and ability to survive without water and to migrate hundreds of miles each season in search of fertile pastures and water. 

The most famous animals in the region included the domesticated untundray, the queiror which could double as a pack animal, the grass grazing atperi and the predatory levwor-ton. The untundray was the most common animal that could be found among all zu'aan populations in the area. It came in a variety of colors including white, black or spotted patterns. They existed in the wild and also as domesticated mounts for the zu'aan. They grew to a maximum height of six feet and were about seven feet in length. 


Their body was extremely muscular and their skin was a hardened layer of dead cells that could withstand rough handling. They were usually ridden without saddles and stirrups and were controlled by their long flowing ears which doubled as reins for the rider to latch onto. They could survive on a very versatile diet which could consists of grasses and fodder one day, and chunks of meat the next day- although they were not natural predators and did not hunt other animals in the wild. 

Their bodies were equipped to handle the lack of water in the region- with the help of a waxy water storing layer that covered their entire body. This limited its reliance on water sources and it could go without a drop for weeks, once this layer was filled. The untundray's muscular legs could propel it to speeds above sixty miles per hour which it could maintain for reasonable distances. The animal could carry more than twice its own weight and could thus double as a pack animal in some instances.


The queiror was a slower moving animal that was heavier in mass and could grow up to six feet in height. They were strictly herbivores and lived off the plans in the grasslands. Like the untundray, their bodies had certain adaptations that allowed them to survive without water and food for many weeks. This was due to the specialized structure of their stomach which had a compartment to store both water and undigested food. They were most commonly used as pack animals due to their ability to carry up to three times their own weight. 

They also provided milk and grew a soft coat of fur that could be used to create warm cloaks for the winters. Their utility in a variety of roles made them an indispensable creature for any zu'aan nomadic tribe. The atperi was a grass eating mammal that grazed in large herds in the Xatar steppes. They were equipped with long horns on thier heads and were formidable opponents when worked as a group. They grew to lengths of over ten feet and could provide for an entire zu'aan clan with meat for a week. 


They were not as hardy as the untundray and queiror and required the constant presence of grass and water. The atperi thus had to regularly carry out large scale migrations across the Xatar steppes in search of water and fresh grassland. They were the most common source of meat in the Xatar. Thus, entire flocks of predators would be forced to follow them during their migrations for their own survival. The levwor-ton was a common predator in the Xatar steppes it grew two oversized fangs on either edges of its mouth and had a singular sharp horn on their head with which they could gore their prey to death. 

The levwor-ton operated in pairs - usually mating pairs who would follow atperi herds and try to separate the younger or weaker members before attacking them. They had a very developed sense of self preservation and would hold off their attacks if they perceived any threats to their plans.

{{Template:Controllers
|Stone Age = Unknown 
|Copper Age = Unknown 
|Bronze Age = Unknown 
|Iron Age = Unknown 
|Ancient Age = Unknown 
|Middle Age = Unknown 
|Early Modern Age = Unknown 
|Industrial Age = Unknown 
|Machine Age = Unknown 
|Atomic Age = Unknown 
|Space Age = Unknown 
|Information Age = Unknown 
|Genetic Age = Unknown 
|Awakening Age = Unknown  
|Twilight Age = [[Orryner Kin'toni Clan]]
}}

{{NeartoDesktop
 | Centre    = {{PAGENAME}} 
 | North     = Unknown
 | Northeast = Unknown
 | East      = Unknown
 | Southeast = Unknown
 | South     = Unknown
 | Southwest = Unknown
 | West      = Unknown
 | Northwest = Unknown
}}

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.freelancer.in/u/Jangou Jangou]
| Holder = Jangou S
}}

[[Category: Places]]