Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-20T13:25:30Z

(via JWB)

New page

{{Infobox Region
|Name = Zashxskel Shield
|Other Names = Unknown
|Biome = Shield
|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 Zashxkel Shield region is considered an oasis. Despite the desert sand and mostly dry air, the region is extremely green. This is mainly due to plant life cycling quickly as there’s no steady water supply except right by the Shield’s city. The Shield is a region in the South of Taerel, just to the West of the Polgaru and Striamtan regions. Like the desert regions, the day were hot and the nights extremely cold. For those unused to or unprepared, this caused issues, injury and sometimes fatalities. The Zashxskel city is reminiscent of a Mesopotamian ziggurat but on a larger scale. There were walls built around the city, but after the takeover, they were nearly destroyed.

The Neraksam clan just barely started rebuilding them making clay bricks from the surrounding land. The majority of shops are on the lowest level, but still above the ground level of the surrounding landscape. There’s a single main large entrance that’s used for the non-flight capable zu’aan and kin’toni. The Ydari and Neraksam capable of flying would fly level to level as they were about 25 feet high each; just under the limit of what their wings were capable of. The second level made up the clan’s homes and social areas. On the third level held the main warehouses and where any government or war meeting took place. There were a number of other buildings on that level that were fought over for religious buildings, though they become slightly regulated as it interrupted clan’s personal interactions.

Just inside the city’s old walls were more various small buildings that were used as stores and extra celebration locations for those who were just getting off patrol, as parties were a common occurrence for the region that it was a near daily event. Just to the west of the city, the ‘oasis’ and main water supply of the region is connected via an underground aqueduct. There’s an entrance on each level to the aqueduct system, should there ever bee any issue, though there’s never been since the Neraksam’s takeover. The aqueduct doesn’t supply a lot of water, but its enough for the clan to live comfortably. For the sake of easier maintenance, there’s a small handful of main bath house type rooms on the second level.

The snake like strain of Neraksam are the ones to use the rooms the most, due to a sensitivity to the dry climate. Over the years, the Neraksam also built stone paths through the region for those passing through but not going to the city so they don’t get lost or stay longer than necessary. Winds are low to non-existent so there was little worry that the surrounding sand would end up covering the paths. They also commissioned other clans better suited for building to create a small number of buildings along the path so that there was a ‘safe’ pit stop for those traveling where they wouldn’t be exposed to the heat of the day, or the cold of night.

==Plants==

The plants in the Shield have a very short life cycle, allowing them to remain green except for their last day of life. This causes the region to appear green, as though there’s tons of water, though this is not the case. With their short life cycle and the minimal qualities of sustaining life in the region’s land, the majority have only trace amounts of nutrients. They have to be consumed in large quantities for anything larger than about a rat, which excludes a number of the most well-known or recognized creatures in the region. Also due to this, any crops that the kin’toni consume as an alternative to blood must be imported. The main plant types of the Shield are quick growing shrub like plants and mid-length grasses.

The grasses are the shortest lived, as they take root at even a single drop of water, but require the most water to sustain life in the Shield. They are most commonly found near the Oasis as the area surrounding is fractionally damper and more prone to rain than further out in the region. Their seeds can last two years without water and often stay where they fall as the few winds usually don’t lift them very far if at all. For this they rely mainly on the various creatures that consume them to transport their seeds around the region. The grasses are short enough that they can’t be used for any substantial weaving, though they make the perfect kindling for fires.

The grasses are gathered for the city, and those that aren’t used are sent to the various rest stop building for those who are traveling through the region so they can easily make a fire if needed. The grasses do burn while ‘fresh’ and green though it takes more effort and a separate kindling so they are only used if there’s a shortage on larger shrubs for longer burns. The large shrubs of the region last longer as they gather any water vapor from the air to supplement their lack of water in the ground. The roots are short and weak, so they are prone to movement by any slam gust of wind or being kicked by a creature. Sometimes, the kicked up soil and sand from wagon caravans are enough to cause them to start to roll.

Because of this, the bushes have adapted to be able to form roots on any orientation almost immediately after settling. The shrubs will form small leaves in various colors depending on the quality of the soil and the amount of water in the air. The further out the plants are from the Oasis, the more they turn to standard fall like colors ranging from yellows to reds, with a rare few being green. From a distance the furthest in the region look like they’re on fire with the intensity of the colors of their leaves. The shrubs are known to be dead once they loose their leaves, and the tips of their branches start to turn a white almost ash color. The largest of the branches from these plants are used as the main firewood in the region.

Around the Oasis, there’s the standard water plants seen in the other southern desert areas nearby such as the Lyerod Red Desert Plateau.

==Animals==

The Najel is a massive vulture like creature that lives in the Shield. It is as large as a zu’aan teen; though despite its imposing form, its only capable of consuming small rodent sized creatures. Najel live in family groups, with parents and children staying together while the grandparents travel between their children’s nests. It’s rare that Najel will live to be great-grandparents as they only live about a decade before dying. They start having offspring after three full years- though mutated strains can start as soon as a year and a half. They have two nests, one underground and one above ground near the oasis. Their underground nest is their main nest until their young are large enough to defend themselves, then they move to their oasis nest.

There they teach their young to fly and hunt. Najel usually have two to four young per season; though its rare that more than one per family live through the season. Because of this, Najel are deathly protective of their young. If there’s a threat the grandparents and the father will swarm the threat with vicious attacks. The mother often stayed behind as the females of the species are larger, making her the most capable to be able to protect the young on her own should the others perish. Its these attacks with their talons and their battle squawks that had the Neraksam believing that they were Palcil’s guardians. Ther Neraksam who kept pets, that weren’t zu’aan, tended to keep Chajiru as their pet.

They are small rodent sized creatures, similar to house cats. They’re a symbiote species by nature, similar to the way tarantulas and tiny frogs bond, so it did not take the kin’toni long to ‘domesticate’ a strain. The Chajiru, due to their small size will often be carries in pouches while a Neraksam is traveling through the city. This is so they are kept close, as well as so they don’t get injured. Their small size also makes them vulnerable and more susceptible to becoming meals for the Najel. They have extremely good memories, and are capable of remembering a face- of other Chajiru, zu’aan or kin’toni from when they were just weeks old until old age. The feral Chajiru are fed and taken care of in the city to keep pests out.

The Neraksam keep small houses and dens for them, to keep them protected and in the city. The feral Chajiru understand that the Neraksam are not threats to them so they will ley them feed them, but they are weary enough that they do everything they can to prevent being caught or touched by them. The Chajiru are solo hunters, though they live in groups for safety in numbers, while also attempting to make sure that all of them get fed, even if a hunt is unsuccessful for one. In this ‘pride’ like group, they do what they can to care for the oldest injured and weak, which at times for the feral groups has meant leaving them to be taken into the care of the Neraksam.

In instances like this, they will travel as a group, taking the member(s) who are going to be handed over to a specific friendly kin’toni or location they recognize. Once securing the member in a safe area out of the eyes of any potential threat they watch from a distance until they confirm the member has been taken into safely. On the rare occasions that the member is released back to the wild, the member finds the group again, and will almost always be accepted back. The only time that has no happened was if the group was forced out so a new one took over their territory, or if an outsider bloodline took control.

{{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 = [[Neraksam 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.deviantart.com/iloverex Crystal Iris]
| Holder = Crystal Iris
}}
[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Crystal Iris's contributions]]

Zashxskel Shield - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)