Zahyra Rocky Plains

Place

Place Name:

Zahyra Rocky Plains

Biome:

Rocky Plains

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Zahyra Rocky Plains is, like its name, a rocky region. The main top layer is large rocks and rough top gravel like topsoil. Between the lower-level rocks and the topsoil there’s a deep layer of loose dirt like soil this layer is where most of the plants of the region take root. Some creatures in the region burrow, so they also use this layer as their main burrow depth, as its easier to move loose soil than rock. They are capable of chipping and carving into rock though if necessary. The entire region’s rocks are made up of a red-ochre, dusty red earthy color. There are a small handful that are more of a grey or even black, but they are far and few between. They are usually broken up into smaller pieces as they are the main rocks of the lower rock layers.

The region is decently windy. Everyday around late noon time any light breeze will pick up to a strong wind for a few hours until it dies down to light breezes again for the rest of the day and night. This cools the hot days of the region as it is usually cool winds from the North that are the main wind for those hours. The light breezes are often warmer as they usually come from the South and the West, where the more desert regions are not too far away. Being close to the desert region, the Zahyra shares some of the similar climates. The region is extremely sunny, usually about 80% of the year the sun is at full strength in the region with only about 5% being covered by storms for most of or the entire day.

Unlike the desert though, rain is on the more common side throughout the year. It ranges from light showers to heavy rainfall, but the region consistently gets about a 8 inches of rain per year. The region is close enough north that it does also freeze in the winter. When the freeze comes, the region will usually get 1 or two snows, but it will stay for upwards of a month or more before it starts to melt enough to see the rock layer beneath it. The rain is very disproportionate though as it will mainly fall in the North and Eastern areas of the region while the West and South will be mainly dry in comparison. On the border to the East, there’s a grove that starts to reach into the Zahyra region.

It expands down to the South-east in an almost crescent shape holding the region. The Zawyr largely ignored the growth as they built their homes in the more central areas of the region. There was a number of mines built in the region, though it acted more as a pit stop town for other kin’toni traders than anything else. Their mining was mainly to keep busy and to have some items to trade. The area does have gems, though they are common for the surrounding regions and were only of interest for those who had not been to the other areas yet.

Plants

The Zahyra Rocky Plains has a variety of plants in its borders. Due to the rocky nature of the region, the plants are a blend of drought resistant plants and non-drought resistant. The one considered rare for the region is a variant of a common strain of plant around Taerel. It’s a large mutated version of a smaller plant, that usually had red leaves. The Zahyra strain is more of a dusty red brown than the deeper middle red that its other strain is known for. It blooms after the first freeze but before the first snow in the region. The small flowers it grows are similar in appearance to a cactus flower, where the leaves look and feel similar to paper. The various flower colors depict how old a plant is, with a grey being the youngest, warm colors

like red and orange being ‘adolescent’ and the oldest, with only a few years left being a golden rod to mustard yellow. They grow in clumps in the region in the driest areas as they are also prone to root rot and can die before their first bloom if they’re in an inoptimal area. Similar to cactus they grow spikes, though when the spikes start to die and fall off the plant they dissolve into a sand like grain instead of splintering. If its removed early it’ll stay in one piece and act like a quill. Like its cousin stain, the plant can be used for cooking, though it offers little in the way of nutritional value. Due to the way it grows, when cooked it adds a level of sweetness to the dish.

A rare plant that’s native to the region is a shrub like plant. The leaves are sickle like in shape and a deep yellow gold color. It’s an extremely tall plant, that can often be mistaken for a tree by those not native to the region. They grow in a group of about 5, intertwining with one another so that it looks like one large plant. Their leaves while not harmful on their own, if mixed with sap from another plant in the region can create a deadly poison. Due to the high chemical amount in the leaves, they have an extremely bitter taste that makes creatures and anyone who’s tried them stay away. Despite the bitterness, they are in fact safe for zu’aan and kin’toni consumption on their own, but offer no nutritional benefit.

Twice a year the plant blooms small colorful flowers. The plant looks like it grows multiple color types, but it is the intertwining others that do this, as each plant only grows one color type, even if spliced into or with another. They rely on a mix of wind and insect pollination for their flowers. Once the flowers are pollenated, they form in to nuts that other creatures will eat, though more often than not the seed is rendered dead by the acids in the creatures’ stomach before it ever gets the chance to grow.

Animals

The Zahyra Rocky Plains hosts many creatures in its region’s borders. There are a number of small ground dwelling creatures but the majority are larger in size. One of the creatures in the region is a badger sized creature. Its eyeless with a mole like nose. They live in burrows underground, and to compensate for their lack of eyesight they have sensitive whiskers and a strong sense of taste. They’ll use their whiskers to sense vibrations in the air and ground around them to check how close a predator is to their burrow, as well as to check to make sure the structure is stable. The parents are extremely hardy, capable of being buried inside the burrow if there was a collapse.

The young though are significantly weaker for the first year and don’t have the muscle and bone strength to prevent them from being crushed by the weight of the dirt. Their main diet are insect and roach like creatures that live in the region. They’re covered with coarse fur, but its snout and feet are completely bare from digging and moving dirt. The top layer and the very tips of their fur appear to be a muted green color, like some of the plants in the region, while the undercoat is a red ochre brown tone. Each year they find a new mate and stay with them until the young are old enough to start fending for themselves. After the initial year, they are considered old enough to fend for themselves, though it is not uncommon for them stick with one of their parents and act as a defender for any siblings.

A common creature in the region, and the most common threat to the other, is a rodent like creature. It’s covered in a red scaly hide, and has a body shaped like a rat. It has silted pupils like a snake and a similar air tasting tongue. They’re the largest threat to the badger like creatures because they will often attack the burrows and try to steal them right before their mating season. They have extremely strong bites and can easily break limbs of the creature in a fight, especially since its sightless. They will travel in groups of three or more so they can take on the parent left alone. The badger like creature is larger, but outpowered when there’s three fully grown it has to fend off.

If they successfully take over a den, they will stay there for the year before the move on to another location. They rarely stay out in the open for more than a week as they’re traveling between possible nest locations. They’re omnivores, and if they can they will try to take the young of other species in the region as their main food source, though its not uncommon for them to get killed in the attempts. Because of this they have litters of nearly 10 to 20 on average. Most of the young do not survive the first year, with only about 3 averagely making it to their first birthday, and only the strongest staying with their parents for the next year before moving on to find a mate of their own.

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	Zawyr Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Zahyra Rocky Plains

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