Umerrak Scaur

Place

Place Name:

Umerrak Scaur

Biome:

Scaur

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Umerrak Scaur is a region located on the eastern coast of Taerel. It’s at a higher elevation than sea-level, so natural cliffs formed creating a steep and dangerous drop. At the southern half of the cliffs, there’s a large rock formation that juts out from the water, making it hazardous for any incoming ships who aren’t familiar with the safe passages though them. At the base of the cliff at the northmost point of the region, the zu’aan of the region had built a small port for their ships used for fishing. A pathway was carved through a cave located at the top of the cliff; its remained high enough that it doesn’t get flooded, though the rising sea level is becoming an increasing risk.

The main city was built just off from the cliff’s edge, so that it could still overlook the region’s mines. At the highest point of the town there’s a watch tower facing the ocean. This is because while difficult, its not impossible to navigate the unfamiliar waters. The watch tower would inform the town if they saw possible invaders so they could cut them off at the cave, as that’s the only path up from the base of the cliffs. The watch tower was built to look similar to the cliff face, so from the water it would look like a mountain or large rock formation at a large distance, giving the town the advantage. The rest of the town was simple wood homes, with a protective coating on the outside to counteract the salt and moisture in the air as much as possible.

It was a cement like mixture using sand from the cliff base and the ocean’s salt water with crushed seashells that was applied to the finished building. The inside remained the wooden structure so that the wood could dry out as much as possible with the use of their fireplaces. There were multiple rooms per home, each with a fireplace to maximize the amount of heating and drying as possible. Outside the house they would have covered ‘firewood’ boxes that were filled with various plants instead of wood. The boxes were made to be waterproof and connected had a vent from the main room chimney to keep them dry and ready for use. Being on the coast, rain was an extremely common occurrence.

This would usually not affect the mines too much, as they had figured out how to create channels to lead the water away from the entrances to stop flooding. The main town would get the majority of the force of the rain, leading them to have to have extremely strong storm proofing shutters and roofing. Roads would become unsafe during that time, so built into the mines were small ‘barrack’ like rooms so that there was enough beds for everyone who was working, as well as a food warehouse that could last a month when fully stocked incase of a severe storm. The houses were built extremely close together, so while the main roads were unsafe, people were able to ‘house jump’ if there was an issue with one or they needed supplies from others they were short on.

Plants

Being cliffside, the Umerrak Scaur has a number of aquatic and land plant species. Due to the high moisture in the region, the land plants are susceptible to root rot, making it difficult for any exotic plants to thrive in the region. One of the most used aquatic species is a kelp like species that grows just off from the coast of the region. Its extremely common for it to wash up on shore after it starts to die. This is especially true after a large storm. The Tasach use this plant as their main fire source instead of fire. It retains a small amount of moisture even after drying, allowing it to slow burn for nearly double the time of normal dried wood. Its an extremely large plant when alive, growing to 50 or more feet in length.

Unlike other kelp species, the plant grows sideways along rockfaces and the ocean walls beneath the surface. They grow moderately close to the surface, about midway between the surface and the highest part of the ocean floor in the reef. They are partly carnivorous, as they will tangle with other plants to create a net like barricade between areas. The smallest of the fish like creatures is too weak to break the tangle and end up trapped. The creature eventually dies and the plant will take in the nutrients from its decaying body. If the tangle is ripped and stands are separated from their original host, the plant that its stuck to will often grow new root like connections to transplant the strand onto itself.

On the border of the region, a midsized tree is commonly seen growing. It’s similar to an evergreen, though instead of normal thick leaves, the trees have petal like thin leaves. They repel most water and moisture, allowing them to not disintegrate in the moisture or rain. When growing the leaves are almost translucently thin. The tree’s roots are extremely deep, harvesting the minerals from the rocks and soil there. The Tasach use the trees as markers for where the mineral veins run as well as what areas to avoid due to it already being mostly harvested by the trees. The trees grow to about 20 feet in height, with a trunk that’s a bit thicker than a standard zu’aan is wide.

The Tasach would take the largest of the trees per year to use for making their houses. The minerals that the tree absorbed stay in the wood, allowing it to last longer, but it is still fragile when dead due to the high moisture of the region. When alive, the tree sometimes ‘cries’, forcing out excess water that it absorbed to avoid root rot. This syrup like mixture is extremely sweet, and the zu’aan of the region used to use it as a meal flavoring. Its incapable for kin’toni consumption though, so the Tasach will harvest it and give it to any kin’toni groups who deal with zu’aan for trading for a cut of the profits.

Animals

The region hosts a large variety of animals, both aquatic and land based. Those that are land based have slick coats that repel water and moisture so they don’t freeze in the rain or stay consistently damp due to the moisture in the air. The most common of the animals in the region are similar to otters. They are small in size and have extremely strong lungs with high capacity. This allows them to dive extreme depths to gather shellfish like creatures to eat. Over the years, a few of the creatures have developed ‘friendships’ with the zu’aan and later kin’toni. They would hitch rides on the boats and direct them to the spots with the most shelled creatures so the zu’aan could fish them out.

They would then wait for them to give- or if they didn’t they’d steal- some of the fished shells for an easy meal. They have extremely strong grips allowing them to crush and force open the shells without any kind of tool or aid. When they would find pearls in the creatures while eating, they’d spit it out and leave it, unintentionally, for the fishers to collect. A number of the fishers would view them favorably and almost like a pet, so as the years went on and the fishing became more and more of an issue, they would leave some of the meat they got from hunting the land’s wildlife where they knew the creatures would find it. They are not often seen during the Shattering age anymore, though their young have been seen wondering out from the cave leading to the shore fr om time to time.

The most common land only animal was one that the Tasach would use for meals before they were officially the Tasach. It’s a large moose like creature that stands about equal at the shoulders to a standard zu’aan. They are extremely fast, with tough hides and antlers though they aren’t particularly strong. They are prone to injury from things such as twisted ankles or falling, though its all internal, as the rocks in the area barely scrape their skin. They are capable of swimming and holding their breath, but they have no way to the ocean as they stay far away form the Tasach settlement and the cave to the beach. Their young stay with their parents for about 4 years before being considered mature and going off to find a mate and start a new family.

Grandparents, if there’s only a single offspring, will stay with them and aid in raising any young. If there’s multiple, they typically form larger ‘packs’ where they communally work together to raise the children. They continue growing throughout their lives, so, despite mature, an adult may only be chest height to a zu’aan, giving them a youthful appearance. When a threat comes around- namely the Tasach in the past- the grandparents act as the first line of defense since they are usually slower but are bigger and can offer more of a distraction.

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	Tasach Kin'toni Clan

Place

Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown

Umerrak Scaur

Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown

This article is written by Crystal Iris. Copyright 2026 Crystal Iris. All rights reserved.