Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-20T13:23:42Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox Region
|Name = Budalu Canyon
|Other Names = Unknown
|Biome = Canyon
|Size = Unknown
|Continent = Unknown
|Subcontinent = Unknown
}}

==History==
===Historical Overview===

Budalu Canyon is a desert canyon located in the southern continental region close to the equador known as Rama-5. It is a very ancient and key location in early zu'aan tribes, and records indicate it has been inhabited ever since the dawn of zu'aan civilation in the Copper Ages. As a desert climate, it is very inhospitable for people to live in, and as a canyon region, it is a treacherous location to walk on foot or otherwise. Its choice as a dawning point of civilization can be attributed to the large, fragmented Cziak river, a river that flows from the mountains in the east and dawns at the Tro'sk sea in the south. Early records show that the ancient nomad zu'aan tribes settled near the shore of the Cziak at the point in which it met the sea, and over the course of centuries, gradually moved upwards towards the Budalu Canyon.

The reason for this is related to the geological composition of the soil around the banks of the river. Near the ocean, the soil is heavy in salt and the banks are high, making for a not so ideal location to practice agriculture. As we approach the canyon, however, the banks of the river lower into the ground, allowing for the freshwater to flood it during the rain seasons, and produce a fresh, muddy, fertile soil ideal to plant crops. So despite the harsher climate of the north, zu'aan civilization gradually moved there. Eventually, records show that the people that remained in the south and the people that moved north ended up separating, and over the course of time the southern nation simply disappeared.

Civilization in Budalu grew accordinly. Rich in agriculture, the staple resource that allowed early nations to develop at an accelerated rate, the zu'aan of Budalu became a large and resourceful nation, exporting their crops and welcoming in new travelers, scholars and building a large army of their own. Gradually they developed spiritually as well, as indicated by the large amount of temples spread around the canyon groves, a type of architecture that remains to this day - high flat pillars, filled with incriptions, overhanging structures, irregular stone steps that conformed to the jagged terrain, etc.. By the modern ages, they were an advanced and important region of Taerel that found pride in their long history of survival and progress.

Their cities were adapted to exist within the canyon in a way that did not interfere with the stability of the rock, while also avoiding the major issues dealing with high temperatures and dry winds. The zu'aan of Budalu also took pride in living in a desert with the utmost level of comfort. When the Awakening Age came, the people of Budalu, imbued with a strong sense of nationalism and pride in their nation, fought back fiercely and bravely. And, in the end, they succeeded in warding off the kin'toni, after a long period of wars and conflicts all throughout the Awakening Age. However, as a nation situated in what is perhaps one of the hottest climate zones in Taerel, they did not suffer the same lucky fate many of their allies did.

When the Twilight Age became evident, kin'toni attacks stopped at large as they saw it more fit to move to hotter climates in order to escape the cold. Budalu, of course, would end up being one of these climates. And so, after a short period of rest in which civilization was once more allowed to sprout, conflicts with the genetic monsters are once again back in full force.

===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 ==

Budalu Canyon is part of the larger desert region known as the Aleves Tropical Desert. This particular region of Aleves, spanning approximately 639,920 square kilometers (of the total 4,384,002 square kilometers of the Aleves desert) is a particularly dry and hot segment of the Aleves region, known for having a great number of heat adapted flora and fauna, making it especially desert even when compared to the desert itself. Of course, the low elevation that is constanly and abruptly changing does not help, nor does the highly irregular terrain. Though there are many relics of the ancient zu'aan infrastructure that remains still to this day, such as carved stairs and pathways that make transversing the canyon easier.

As well as modern roads and bridges that have endured the test of the apocalypse, it is still difficult to get around, and the lack of maintenance makes the endeavor perilous as well, as these may crumble at any moment. Budalu Canyon is nicely fit around the Cziak river, an expansion of freshwater that is believed to have greatly helped in the early ancient formation of this biome. The river spans the lower regions of the canyon, snaking its way through and creating a number of affluents which typically meet dead ends or ponds and lakes, secluded by the high cliffs. Budalu Canyon accompanies the course of this river almost all the way until it disappears into the mountains in the east, at which point the ground becomes almost entirely made of rock and near impossible to further transverse.

This particular sub region is known to have some pastures and vegetation, unlike most of the area. The river is also very useful in terms of transportation of both people and resources. Climate wise, Budalu has a dry desert climate to the highest degree. It is considerably hot during the whole year, with very hot days and very cold nights, as sand does not retain heat at all. There is little seasonal change, apart from the natural clock of some species of plants. Temperatures never drop below zero and they tend to stay in the 25-40 degrees, depending on the season. The region receives very little rain fall if any at all, and the river Cziak relies heavily on its high flow in the mountains in order to stay alive.

A number of natural fountains and even tributaries of other rivers contribute to the river Cziak up in the eastern mountains, out weighing its heavy evaporation by a short margin. During autumn and winter, when the flow is at its strongest, the river banks around Budalu will swell and flood the surrounding area, nurturing the soil and ensuring it remains fertile during the next year. As of the Twilight Age, however, as southern and northern climates dry further as they seep into the cold, the flow from mountains has been declining slightly every year, and the river has been receding bit by bit. It is expected that, if this continues, drought periods might follow into the future, and the river will even dry up completely.

In any case, there is no rain fall in the desert, no snow, no hail, and little chance for dry thunder. Natural disasters such as earthquakes are unlikely as well, barring small scale tornados and sand storms, as well as rock falls in the canyon.

== Plants ==

Plant life in Budalu Canyon mainly resides within the shores and banks of the Cziak river. There are, however, some native plants which prefer this arid region to the much more sustainable Alever desert. Here is an example: Sudiosve, a camouflaging, vine like, dry leaf plant that grows around high rock formations and around the desert pillars built by zu'aan. It has a thin, typically light brown stalk (in order to mimic the rock), and only grows leaves at the every end of it. All throughout its body, it has small, bulbous formations that form the shape of another camouflaging animal, a small rodent that enjoys chipping away at cacti and is commonly hunted by birds of prey.

These birds have adapted to see the outlying form of the rodent even while its camouflaged, and will strike immediately. Thus the sudiosve takes advantage of this and tricks these birds into carrying these pods, which are filled with seeds. The bird will either eat the pod and spread the seeds after they've been digested, or they will drop it in the heights, causing it to break and also spread the seeds. The leaves are few and only grow at the end of the stalk, typically upwards in the rock structures it grows around. They are sharp, pointy leaves with three peaks, and they also blend in with the pillars. The camouflage of this plant is fixed; if it grows in any place that is not colored like these rock formations, it remains the same color, and is not very successful in propagating.

It is not edible by zu'aan standards, but zu'aan enjoy having it adorning their desert temples and see it as a sign of good luck and as a lucky omen when these appear on their own. The seed pods are sometimes used to lure birds, for hunting purposes. This is an old tactic that has largely resurfaced after the kin'toni outbreak. They grow almost all year, during spring, summer and autumn, and remain dormant in the winter. They grow their seed pods during early spring and will have them fully grown and ready to be harvested by birds by mid spring. Once a pod has been plucked off, another will grow in its place, provided the plant has enough nutrients. Initially, the sudiosve was a wild extremophile who survived the harsh hot climate and grew seeds even though it had very little nutrition and sustenance.

However, millenia of growing alongside zu'aan has made it somewhat dependant on watering and being taken care of by templars, and the current strands of sudiosve alive are slowly dwindling in number. It is thought that they will not go extinct, however, as more of them have begun growing near the river, where sustenance is more abudant. Their seeds are not edible, and rather bitter. The leaves are used sometimes by scribes to make pressings, and the leaf itself used to be the symbol of many organizations within the region, becoming a symbol of Budalu Canyon itself. This is a cultural value that has sprouted a very long time ago, as evident by the sculptures of the leaves in the high pillars of the desert temples.

== Animals ==

Animal life in Budalu, due to strong zu'aan presence, is mainly comprised of bird life, livestock, roaming herbivores, and domestic animals, as well as a couple species of desert arthropods and rodents. Here are some native examples: Ren'deira, a large mammal with long, jointed legs adapted to easily climb the jagged landscape of the canyon. They come in a dark variety of colors and have a thin layer of fur covering their entire bodies, which they use to keep warm during the cold nights. The fur has adapted to not interfere with the evaporation of their sweat and does not cause them to overheat during the day, though they still prefer to remain in the shade.

They are quite large, up to 4 meters in height, though most of this height is focused on their legs, which may reach up to 3.8 meters in height, making it the bulk of their bodies. They are strong legs with a joint in the middle, that allows them to bend it forward and backwards at will, as well as determine strenght and intensity to a very precise degree. Rear and front legs are pretty much the same, with the rear legs having a bit more muscle tissue. At the end of the leg is a hoove like paw that allows them to grasp and hold onto the tough terrain without bruising themselves, as well as walk and run at high velocities without hurting themselves. They have very short tails, and very narrow and thin bodies, so that their legs are allowed to carry them efficiently.

As a downside to their incredibly mobility, they have almost no neck, as it would interfere with their movement, and their wide jaw and face is almost entirely within their body. They use their claw hooves to bring foliage to their mouths, and are strictly herbivores. They live in small packs and despite having natural predators, they can generally outrun them all. Usually, this would cause predator life in Budalu to evolve means of hunting them more efficiently, or it would cause the ren'deira population to spiral out of control, but zu'aan interference made their existence a possibility. Zu'aan drove most predators out of Budalu, and began hunting these animals themselves.

And even though they remain strong and existing today, the mere presence of the zu'aan keeps their numbers in order. One could say that their main predator is the zu'aan. They are edible, and have a soft and tender meat, mainly localized in the legs. Their bodies are mainly consistent of fat, necessary to withstand the harsh desert. They breed during the entire year, and have no special ritualistic mating dances or contests, as the male and female population is roughly the same. They are calm and sociable animals, but zu'aan seem to not like them very much due to the odd factor of their faces being melded into their torso, which regarded as 'creepy'. They produce milk, which is sometimes harvested from the wild by zu'aan.

It is not very agreeable by zu'aan stomachs, however, is mainly used in ritual practice.

{{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 = [[Kal'im City Zu'aan]]
}}

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

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.fiverr.com/mightyvanilla mightyvanilla]
| Holder = mightyvanilla
}}

[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:mightyvanilla's contributions]]

Budalu Canyon - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)