Goya Mesa

Place

Place Name:

Goya Mesa

Biome:

Mesa

Size:

600 x 400 miles; height 0.8 miles

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

Goya Mesa is situated in a rocky region called Cheyada, a roughly flat grassland, with mountain ranges about a hundred miles away to the east and west. The mesa itself is an irregular stretch of high flat plateaux, most of its surfaces of the same level within a margin of a few feet, forming a central massif with three unconnected “islands” of the same height. The mesa runs north to south with one plateau stretching east. At the centre of the massif, taller rock formations and spires rise from the flat mesa surface. They are barren except for occasional shrubs and creepers. The primary rock is pale grey with a silvery tinge, stunning against a clear sky. It is a hard metamorphic rock. The extent of the tunnels dug in it by ancient zu’aan is testimony to the diggers’ skill and religious fervour.

The tunnels comprise half a dozen large halls, each able to comfortably host roughly 70 kin'toni, used for sleeping, meals, crafting and socialising. These are connected by a network of very narrow passages, often just wide enough that two kin'toni can pass. There are also natural cracks in the rock, dating from the formation of the mesa by subterranean forces. Thanks to the Xalatherians’ night vision, lighting is not necessary. Several tunnels lead onto the top of the mesa, their openings covered with small huts crafted from large animal bones for protection from intruders and the elements. Bones are also used for internal gates, furniture and decorations in the living quarters. Due to the dwindling numbers of the Xalather clan, some living quarters are uninhabited and in disrepair.

Caves of particular importance are: the Garqe Teofvora, the large hall where the Teofvor or ruling council meets, located high in the mesa; the large Grotto of Banquets, which is used for feasts and celebrations; the Darkmother, a deep cave providing the mesa’s water supply; and the several Garqe Nalukaia, churches where the Xalatherians venerate the spirit of the nalukai beasts and ceremonially dismantle their skeletons to use in crafting. There is at least one tunnel leading to ground level, its exit cleverly hidden by rocks. During the Xalather invasion, this tunnel was used by the attackers. Scaling the outside of the mesa is risky for flightless creatures, but not impossible, since some stretches of the walls are fractured or less sheer.

Despite their depleted numbers and lack of material resources, the Xalatherians have fierce and well-trained warriors, leaving them in good shape to defend Goya Mesa. They also have several sturdy bone gates in the entry tunnel before it reaches the living quarters and churches. The tunnels and mesa surface also hold several well-maintained traps, built from bone and stones. The Spire of Goya, a high-pointed cairn and once a great landmark on the mesa, was razed by the kin'toni invaders later to become Xalather clan, out of a belief that it would stop the spirits worshipped by the Likagi from turning against them. However, its foundations can still be seen. The zu’aan also built rope bridges to some of the outlying mesa “islands”; however, these have long since collapsed, since the kin'toni have poor access to the textile fibres required to repair them.

However, the islands also have tunnels dug in them, reachable from the ground.Fresh water is available from a deep cave called the Darkmother, which reaches down to an underground lake. The cave is shaped like a well, 30 feet in diameter but very deep, filled to a greater or lesser height with the water from below. There are ledges around the circumference, from where large water-skins can be lowered for filling. The water seems somewhat dark even in daylight. It is clean and very sweet-tasting, but may contain substances not found in regular water. The region, lying between two mountain ranges, sees no clouds or precipitation for the majority of the year. It is possible that the peculiarly clear sky over the mesa is one reason that the Likagi zu’aan originally considered it to be a sacred place.

The climate used to be hot, sub-desert, but with the encroaching ice from the south, it is now a cold temperate area, with bitingly cold winters with heavy, sparkling frost on the mesa, and short summers.

Plants

Large areas of the surface of the mesa is bare. What soil exists is thin, dry, and nutrient-poor. The major plant growing on the mesa top is tilagrass, a very hardy grass that turns a frosty grey colour early. It requires little water and can survive long in the cold. It grows low due to the bad soil, rarely reaching eight inches. The same grass grows taller in the better soil on the ground below, reaching to a Xalatherian’s waist and providing the main food source for the nalukai. As the climate has worsened, many of the trees and vines that used to be common have become extinct in the region, replaced by hardier vegetation. The occasional kalrith tree, an acacia-like tree with small, slender thorns and flaky bark, has taken roots in crevices with deeper soil on the mesas and cliffs, but they are stunted, rarely growing to eight feet.

The kalriths produce a crop of small, brownish-red berries, edible for zu’aan and animals. Another tree that has adapted to the conditions of the mesa is called the trailbranch. In areas with greater precipitation, it grows into a proper tree with the long, slender branches that give it its name. On the mesa, however, it grows as low but widely spreading shrubs, with leaves that are little more than needles. Greasedrop is a very low, creeping succulent whose leaves are small, bright yellow-green bulbs. It is very hardy in the dry climate. Some of the rock is covered with a layer of thin, orange-red lichen. The lichen also grows in some parts of the caves, especially in humid areas. There, it becomes pale from the darkness, and grows thicker and spongier where humidity is higher, making it a reasonable guide to water sources.

Animals

The nalukai that graze the land around the mesa are the most important animals in Xalather culture. They are powerful herbivores with shaggy coats, most often grey that ends up streaked with white with age. When grown, they regularly measure over ten feet high and fourteen feet from head to rump, and often weigh a ton or more. Adults have short tusks, used in self-defence, with glands that produce a strong venom. They are nocturnal and travel solitary or in small family groups. Because of their weight and venomous tusks, they are quite dangerous to smaller predators; however, the Xalather kin'toni are able to drain their blood without resistance, causing them to go into a trance-like state where they will go from walking to crawling while one or more kin'toni drain them, returning to their regular state only when the kin'toni are sated.

Old nalukai withdraw to a valley in Tiruir to die. Xalather kin'toni scavenge bones from this valley. While they use the bones of any large animals for crafts, they prefer to use the bones of their venerated nalukai for weapons, believing that the nalukai’s strength passes into the weapon. They also use the bones for ritual percussion instruments. In addition to draining nalukai blood, the Xalather military nurses, the choeros, will “milk” the venom of entranced nalukai for use in medicine. This venom has an affinity to the biology of most Xalatherians, since it greatly speeds the healing of non-grievous wounds when applied. Other herbivores in the lowland are the white-furred, fat donbos, which are well adapted to the cold climate.

Banau are omnivorous, diurnal reptilians, also roaming the lowland. A remarkable trait is that they keep growing throughout their life, if their food supply is sufficient. Hauii, large snake-like animals, prey on those banau that are smaller than they. The hauii are solitary and can be dangerous to lone travellers. Among the birds, small yellow kha and burrowing trilei birds roost in the shrubs, eating seeds or insects. Larger predator birds, the eagle-like raxa and yuzu, nest on the rock formations and ledges, and are hunted by Xalather kin'toni for their blood. They are large and well-armed enough to pose a match for a lone kin'toni. Among the few mammals living on the mesa are the small, scavenging vatks, living off vegetation, insects, and bird eggs.

Very small gnats breed among the vines in the summer. The large, spiny-backed thxi worms try to crawl into the caves for warmth if given a chance; another reason that the Xalather keep the entrances blocked. Eel-like zargf swim in the underground streams. Due to their environment, they are pale and virtually blind. They usually grow to a length of two feet, though occasionally much larger specimens are found, possibly having grown in greater underwater caves beneath the planet’s surface. The animal life on the mesa is restricted to birds, small mammals and insects.

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	Xalather Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Goya Mesa

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This article is written by cyberheinrich. Copyright 2026 cyberheinrich. All rights reserved.