Ikaia Monsoon Forest

Place

Place Name:

Ikaia Monsoon Forest

Biome:

Monsoon Forest

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The largest of the seasonal tropical forests in the world, the monsoon forest of Ikaia stretches across a sixth of the tropical zone from north to south of the largest continent and is bordered by plains to the north and east, deserts to the south and coastal cliffs to the west. A large river flows from somewhere in the northeastern portion of the dense forest and snakes through the region and breaks off into a dozen smaller tributaries before emptying into the western ocean. Within the tropical forest lie hidden hills and mountains and swamplands that flow together while unseen in the thick foliage.

Also hidden amongst the trees once lay the numerous villages and settlements of the local zu'aan tribes who endured the rough shifts in weather as well as the aggression of the more predatory animals that shared the vast region with them. A sparse amount of cities once sat within the borders of the combative environment, as the only survivors of the failed attempts to modernise. The others were destroyed by seasonal storms and quickly reclaimed by the ever growing forest. “To live in Ikaia is to accept that nothing lasts forever yet to fight to live as long and as well as possible.”

This is more than a mere commentary on how difficult it can be to survive in the expansive forest, it’s at the very core of the way of life for those born in the region. It’s why they chose to not attempt to advance and modernise their way of life. Because they grow up knowing the devastation that any one of the seasonal storms can cause. The idea of building anything that would take a lot of resources to repair as opposed to something that can be easily built and taken down if needed, sounds like a recipe for heartbreak to the local residents.

This was put to the test by the Xerea Empire and other self important nations who wanted to gain a foothold in the rich lands of Ikaia. They each were allowed to build a single city in designated areas without taking from the land outside the building zone, and without the ability to rebuild if they were destroyed by the seasonal storms. Only three cities were built with the warnings in mind. The rest were testaments to the builders’ arrogance. In the end only the three attentive cities survived the first year of harsh storms. while the rest include the one built by the mighty Xerea Empire were completely wiped from existence.

Even when the Calyia Kin’toni clan took control of the region, they held to the traditional ways of building and surviving in the treacherous forests. Only expanding the villages in size and number to house the thousands of clan members that had been made when they turned the entirety of the local tribes before slaughtering the unsuspecting refugees living in camps in the safer parts of the wild forest. Now even the local people are as brutal as the seasonal storms.

Plants

Ikaia is home to a wide variety of tropical vegetation such as trees, ferns, shrubs, vines, and flowers. It’s vegetation is used to thriving in a supersaturated climate with a short dry period of particularly hot temperatures. As such there is no proper way to tame the region as the seasonal storms can easily undo much of the work. There is also a high concentration of carnivorous plants of both the telluric and the aquatic varieties. The entire ecosystem of the monsoon forest seems designed to make every day a life or death gauntlet for those who make Ikaia their home.

One of the local varieties of ferns in Ikaia is the barlatormathri fern. The barlatormathri is an epiphytic plant with its dark green fronds stemming from massive furry rhizomes wrapped around the trunks of trees. These rhizomes are often a dull orange-brown with black streaks, hence its name. This particular fern can survival in heavy saturated climates with low exposure to the sun thanks to the dense canopy. They are often food for the larger herbivores as well as used as homes by tiny invertebrates. They are often used in woven and wicker crafting due to their impressive elasticity and durability.

One of the land based carnivorous plants in the monsoon forest is the arikimdar. This green tentacled plant has several tiny stalks that excrete a mucilage to attract, capture, and digest its prey. It often resembles a figure slumped over in sleep with its tentacle leaves appearing like hair or a beard. This is how it acquired its name. When an insect lands on the long leaves they get stuck by the mucilage and the leaf begins to curl around its captured prey and covering more of it in the mucilage as it cocoons the insect near the main body of the plant.

The bug is asphyxiated and dies within ten minutes. They then are slowly digested by enzymes produced and excreted in the same way as the mucilage. The arikimdar is capable of catching up to ten insects at once and often feeds twice a day. One of the aquatic carnivorous plants is the anyriganyu. This peculiar free-floating plant lives in the waterways of Ikaia and is recognised by the crimson flowers held above the surface by long thin stalks while the main body remains submerged and covered in bulbous bladders the size of large grapes.

These bladders create vacuums that suck in tiny aquatic creatures through a trapdoor style flap covering the mouth. This vacuum is created by the continuous pumping out of water through the bladder walls to constrict the bladder and sets the trap. The flap is released by the creature touching one of the tiny antennae that encircles the mouth. This quickly sucks the creature and some water into the bladder before the flap reseals and the process begins again while the creature is slowly dissolved.

Animals

Being one of the largest tropical forests in the world, the monsoon forest of Ikaia boasts one of the largest collections of wildlife not counting the oceanic depths. While there is a healthy mix of herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores within the wildlife population it would be ignorant to believe that any of the animals were anything less than horrendously dangerous. Even the ones that are often docile if not friendly will turn aggressively murderous if it believes that it is being threatened. Because of this, the original local zu'aan tribes devoted years studying how to quickly and effectively kill every single animal within their lands.

They also learned the tells of the normally friendly animals so they could keep them from feeling threatened unless absolutely unavoidable. The use of these skills allowed them to guide visitors and traders and merchants through the otherwise deadly region. With time and training the tribal zu'aan were able to use the same skills to befriend some of the territorial predators. Some were even capable of taming some of the animals enough to use them as hunting partners and pack defenders. One thing that connected them all was the need for shelter from the destruction of the seasonal storms.

One thing the tribal zu'aan were surprised to learn was that if they found shelter from the storms with any of the animals of the region, even if the animal was normally aggressive regardless of cause, they are as safe as if they were alone. In some situations they are in fact safer with the worst of the predators than the meekest of the usual prey. Learning this brought a new understanding to the tribes and they began treating the region and the wildlife with the upmost respect. For while the animals will try to kill you to survive, all in the territory were at the mercy of the whims of the storms . One of the common and easiest to domesticate animals with the region is the iirlo. These small primates are easily recognised by the dark red tufts of fur that sprouted from the tips of their ears and red stripes along the back of the head. They are omnivorous and feed on fruits and nuts and berries and even smaller animals if they can catch them. Though their claws are short, the iirlo are quite capable of ripping apart flesh if they are in a panic or a rage. One of the larger and highly territorial carnivores that roam the dense foliage of Ikaia is the gathrifaon.

These large felines are known by their dark brown fur with large black spots and rounded ears. With their large frames, sharp claws and fangs, and toned musculature, the panthers are built to be savage and deadly fighters and skilled hunters. If angered, the large cats will not stop until either their prey or they themselves is dead.

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	Calyia Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Ikaia Monsoon Forest

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