Tului Plateau

Place

Place Name:

Tului Plateau

Biome:

Plateau

Size:

400 square miles

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

Tului Plateau is an elevated rock plateau rising from the plains. The plateau formed through the ages by erosion of horizontal layers of pre-existing rocks. During the previous geological eras, those rocks had been lifted above the surrounding plains by tectonic activity. Weathering caused the weaker kinds of rocks like clay, cobblestone and low-density sediments to be eroded away by the wind, while leaving the more resistant rocks higher than their surroundings. A large area, approximately in the centre of the plateau, is made of black basalt, a very resistant kind of rock, which nowadays forms what is called writugastr, or 'circular shield'. Other hard rock types include jasper, conglomerates, haematite, and volcanic rocks too, like solidified lava slopes.

Volcanic rocks such as obsidian are particularly resistant to water and wind erosion and form clearly visible black rock lines across the plateau itself, standing two to twelve feet above the ground. These formations are known as villifar or 'demon's crests'. The sides of the plateau stand three to five hundred feet above the surrounding plains. On the north side, the sides are split into an irregular staircase pattern called 'great north scale', which offers a path to reach the top of the plateau. On the other sides, it would be necessary to hike up the steep rock wall to reach the plateau. There are some elevated spots as well, higher than the rest of the plateau. These gather in the central part, around the circular shield, and are known as solitary peaks, or rock spires.

They are mainly made of black basalt, obsidian, and calcite crystals. Minor cliffs around the plateau and on its borders have been eroded away ages ago. However, in some zones, where the cliff edge did not retreat uniformly, rock sections were cut off and can still be seen. They are called bimwugar, 'half hills' or 'rock domes'. Tului Plateau can be divided into three zones: the Centre, the West Ridge, the East Ridge. The Centre is composed, as already told, by the black basalt circular shield, and by the nearby rock plates. It is a sterile, barren ground where very little can grow. No zu'aan nor kin'toni settlements are registered there. Of the four sites of ruins, Asenissa's Retreat is located here.

The West Ridge is a large, flat land of rocks and boulders, filled with weak plants and stubborn trees. During the cold months of the year it's often flailed by strong winds, hail and rain. Serra-Dhoom is located in this part of the plateau. The East Ridge is maybe the most pleasant – that is, the least hostile – part of the plateau. Its rocky soil has a good share of friable, sandy ground in it, making it possible for plants to bloom. Even some fruit trees grow here, and their pale flowers can be seen in the warm season. Sypolas and Berenevor are both located in this region of the plateau.

There are four main sites of ruins, plus several minor remainders and isolated broken buildings.

• Serra-Dhoom. Once an advanced metallurgic laboratory, now home to krikois bats and tyroin mountain cougars. Located on the west side of the plateau, it consists of a group of steel spires, which once used to house excavation drills, and an underground facility, now reduced to a dark, moist cave. In 3E 117, a kin'toni named Wulannen the Stout bravely stepped into the ruins to demonstrate his fellows there was nothing to fear. He never came out, and Serra-Dhoom has been abandoned ever since.

• Sypolas. A small outpost which is said to be haunted by a ghost. It consists of a collapsed metal tower and a circle of crumbling stones, the only remaining bits of a circular perimeter wall. This circle is called sypolas-fayum, 'the ring of the whining', and in history has been used by some kin'toni outcasts to perform dark religious rituals, sacrifices, or forbidden ceremonies. Most kin'toni, however, are superstitious and tend to avoid this grim place.

• Berenevor. Once it was the entrance to a system of mining caves. The tunnel collapsed during the ice age, leaving only a dark, gloomy cave, filled with broken pieces of ancient machinery. kin'toni from different clans used to visit the cave and look for metal plates and sticks, which they could use as weapons. There was even a kin'toni chieftain – Rudemore Ky'Iannen – who in 3E 98 founded a small fellowship of marauders on the plateau, taking advantage of the metal weapons he retrieved from Berenevor. However, his excessive ruthlessness and aggressivity earned him the retaliation of other clans, and he was defeated and slain along with his fellows in 3E 102, in the Battle of the Black Pit.

• Asenissa's Retreat. The laser eyes of pre-Fall electronic transistors still glow dimly in the dark of this relinquished power plant. Asenissa was a zu'aan barbarian princess who started a demonic cult in 3E 157. Many followers gathered around her wicked tower, chanting to her blasphemous invocations. She died in unclear circumstances in 3E 161. According to some people, she was murdered; according to others – of course influenced by superstition – she was somehow taken away by the demons she had impiously called upon.

Plants

The vegetation of the plateau is influenced by the cold, bitter climate of the region, located in the North of the continent, but also by the altitude of the plateau itself, considerably higher than the surrounding lands. There can be found evergreen and coniferous trees which are typical of colder climates, taiga-like low vegetation like shrubs and bushes, and a few fruit-bearing trees and flowers. Below the most representative plants of the region are listed.

• Tritikori. Also called 'steel tree' for its metallic grey colour and its durability, it's a tall, coniferous wood plant. The height of an adult tree ranges from forty to fifty-five feet. Tritikori trees are scattered all over the East side of the plateau; a little thicket encircles the ruins of Sypolas. In the past, tritikori wood was used by zu'aan and kin'toni settlers to build huts and items. Nowadays, Falyir kin'toni, being less keen than their predecessors on craftsmanship, make little or no use of wood. They prefer crafting bone and stone instruments. However, they use to carve tribal symbols on the trunk of tritikori trees, as a way to mark their territory.

• Karthaggo. It's a venomous, carnivorous plant which climbs up the rocky walls of the plateau. Resistant to the cold, it developed a thick, durable outer layer with pointy spikes on it. It has a spiked flower which resembles a feral mouth, used to catch insects and little animals. The mouth contains a venom which affects the nervous system of animals, zu'aan, and kin'toni alike. There are two varieties of this plant: the khwern or 'horned' karthaggo, and the whineo or 'cuneiform' karthaggo. The khwern owes its name to some little ligneous formations – in number of two or three – which protrude from the upper part of the plant. It is a smaller but more poisonous variant. The whineo, on the other side, is very large. It takes its name from the wedge-shaped leaves, which can stick out even three feet long.

Animals

• Krikois. A large bat-like creature which lives in the caves of the plateau. Its wings have an average width of five feet. Krikois have black bodies and sharp claws. Their eyes progressively narrowed and ultimately became almost blind as a consequence of the lack of light. In the past centuries, the harsh climate of the region drove krikois into the deep, damp caves of the plateau, where they could survive. These animals spend most of their lives in the darkness. Their eggs are lain at the beginning of spring, and hoarded to form ponderous “nests”. The eggs are held together by a frame of solidified goo, which is produced by male krikois through their maxillary glands: the goo protects the eggs until the moment they hatch.

Female krikois relentlessly fly around the nests because their eggs are the most cherished food of the arithenoy spiders, which often crawl into the caves to feed on them. Evolution endowed krikois with a system of sound communication based on screeches and rattlings they use to keep in contact over great distances. In the occurrence of a spider attack, the female krikois appointed as “guards” of the nest will start screeching to call upon the other members of the colony, usually out hunting during the night, or sleeping during the day.

• Tyroin. A large size carnivorous mammal which resembles a mountain lion. With an height of three feet (to the top of their back) and a weight of 80-90 kilos, it is one of the largest predators of the continent. Its sabre teeth can bite with a pressure which has no equal within the animal kingdom (they have been reported to have bent ironware and pierced through metal armours), and it can take down pretty much every herbivorous animal. Needless to say, the presence of tyroins always constituted one of the major obstacles to zu'aan or kin'toni civilisation of the plateau. However, due to the lack of preys, the number of the tyroins inhabiting the plateau cannot rise above 25-30 units.

In fact, there are basically no herbivorous mammals on the plateau, and tyroins have to roam the surrounding plains in search of rabbit-like creatures they can feed on. The small number of tyroins allowed kin'toni tribes to settle on the plateau. Some of them even adopted the tyroin as their tribal emblem, and rumours tell of a kin'toni elder, Ferekwians Alterrith, who once managed to tame a tyroin, which would follow him as a pet. Some kin'toni and zu'aan tried to replicate his success in modern times, but apparently to no avail.

• Arithenoy. A kind of giant spiders inhabiting the caves of the plateau. Apparently, they part territories with krikois: if a cave is already occupied by a bat colony, arithenoys tend to avoid it, and vice versa. This is demonstrated by the fact that no cave has ever been found where arithenoys and krikois live at the same time. Arithenoys, however, will typically try to steal eggs from the krikois. The average arithenoy has eight one-foot-long legs, even though some specimens are reported having up to twelve legs. That is believed to be due to genetic mutations induced by the zu'aan experiments prior to the Fall. Although they have no poison, arithenoys are a scary presence, because of their horrid appearance.

Historical Timeline of Ages

Age Name	Dates	Controller
Stone Age	Before 1E 0	Unknown
Copper Age	1E 1–1E 2200	Unknown
Bronze Age	1E 2200–1E 4400	Unknown
Iron Age	2E 0–2E 700	Unknown
Ancient Age	2E 700–2E 2200	Unknown
Middle Age	3E 0–3E 2050	Unknown
Early Modern Age	3E 2050–3E 2600	Unknown
Industrial Age	3E 2600–3E 2700	Unknown
Machine Age	3E 2700–3E 2800	Unknown
Atomic Age	3E 2800–3E 2850	Unknown
Space Age	3E 2850–3E 2875	Unknown
Information Age	3E 2875–3E 2900	Unknown
Genetic Age	3E 2950–3E 3000	Unknown
Awakening Age	3E 3000–3E 3415	Unknown
Twilight Age	4E 0–4E 500	Falyir Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Tului Plateau

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This article is written by Laurensalv. Copyright 2026 Kralalaitel.miraheze.org. All rights reserved.