Busor Sea Caves

History

The Busor Sea Caves were first discovered by the Ayanaz – a group of invaders that were en route to other territories – sometime in early 3E. The Sea Caves were later recorded in the Travels of Meridayan – a member of the Ayanaz – who described the sea caves as follows:

“...it was a peculiar sight to behold as we were [about] to disembark so that we could re-stock on supplies and other such things. It appeared as if the gods from above [had] struck a rock down in a vertical fashion, and had fashioned it as such for a certain reason, though we could not figure out the reason why.” -Travels of Meridayan

The Travels of Meridayan also mentions how – when the crew had disembarked upon the Sea Caves – some of the crew that had arrived at the sea cliff had decided to form their own life there, agreeing to form a small village on the cliff that was closest to sea (but tall enough that it could be easily defended against). This group decided to call their small fishing village Arakai – after their leader – and, for most of its history, Arakai remained isolated, with its inhabitants mainly involved in fishing and other sea-based endeavors. While they maintained a small amount of trade with the outside world, most of the resources obtained through these endeavors were used for their own survival.

At first, the citizens of Arakai constructed houses out of simple materials that were found nearby; eventually, wood was used after it was acquired by trading with nearby villages & towns. Arakai was quietly made a part of the Xerean Empire in the middle 3E, when the Emperor of Xerea decreed that the village and the surrounding area was to be annexed into the Xerean Empire, with agreement from the local village. The village was “formally” annexed when a small group of 10 soldiers arrived on a small boat and set up an outpost there, keeping friendly relations with the villagers of Arakai. Eventually, these soldiers married into the village and provided the village with a ready supply of defences, allowing it to defend itself against the outsiders that would usually try to raid the village.

Around the time of the Awakening, people began to flee to the village, as it was in a secluded area that couldn’t be reached easily. However, this made the village a prime target for kin’toni attacks; therefore, the villagers (as well as the refugees that had arrived) made an agreement to start stockpiling whatever weapons that they had left over so that they could defend themselves from imminent kin’toni attacks. The group referred to themselves as the Arakai, though by others they have been given the exonym “Iurno”, from which the naming originates. At some point during this period, the Iurno notes that they experienced an attack from a kin’toni, though – with great casualties – repelled the attack.

They continue to keep their secluded life, defending the Sea Caves against kin’toni attacks ever since the first clan arrived on their territory.

Geography

The Busor Sea Caves are located in the southern region of the Sea of Ayaz and are surrounded by vast, unknown territories that have not been explored since the beginning of the Awakening; these territories have been referred to in the mythology of the Iurno zu’aan as the “secluded place”, and its members are forbidden to enter or pass through it due to the risk of potential attack from the kin’toni clans that inhabit it. The immediate area surrounding the Sea Caves consists of a vast hilly area, though these hills aren’t considered by the Iurno zu’aan to be a part of their territory; only when the steep cliffs of the Busor start rising up do they consider the territory to be controlled by them.

The Sea Cliffs are divided mainly by the Busor River, which starts someplace in the “secluded place” and flows into the Sea of Ayaz. The Busor River has been defended by the Iurno zu’aan ever since the formation of the Iurno tribe, in an attempt to prevent the kin’toni clans from floating downstream & attacking the Iurno zu’aan during the nighttime; while this has happened many times before, these attacks have been mostly repelled. Because of this, the Busor River is vital to the continued existence of the Iurno zu’aan, besides providing the tribe with various foods and resources. The Busor Sea Cliffs comprise some 20 separate cliffs, which are divided either by erosion or by the tributaries of the Busor River. The largest of these cliffs have been named “Bayar” and “Narazi” by the Iurno zu’aan, referring to the original sea cliff that Meridayan described in his Travels.

Over the years, however, this cliff was eroded into two separate cliffs; thus, the village was at one point split into two different communities, though they were re-joined once they built a bridge over the cliffs. The village that comprises these two cliffs is considered the main base of the Iurno zu’aan, with other, smaller bases constructed throughout the Sea Cliffs. Other important cliffs within the area include the Cliff of Zayar (where the Iurno zu’aan fought off and defeated the first attack of the kin’toni on their village), the Wall of Traxai (smaller cliffs that comprise an overall larger cliffside; in the past, were seen as a daredevil challenge, with the Wall being some 20 metres tall), and the Starena (where the Iurno performs their agricultural & religious rituals upon an altar).

Other important places within the area of the Busor Sea Cliffs include the Basilisk of Arakai (stated by local legend to have been carved on the orders of Arakai, the first village leader, once he established the village and ruled it for some time) and the Basilisk of Temparaz (which commemorates those that have served the Iurno in fighting against the kin’toni). Because of no other way to record the history, these Basilisks serve as the only records of history of the Iurno zu’aan (besides the Travels) that are known to the outside world. Aware of this, the Iurno take great pride in these Basilisks, routinely repairing them and always protecting them from their destruction by the kin’toni and any other groups passing by.

Plants

The most common plant in the Sea Caves is the Busorian seaweed, a grass-like substance that mainly lives in the Busor River and its tributaries. It is closely related to other forms of seaweed that are found around the Sea of Ayaz. The Busorian seaweed takes a light green appearance and usually floats down the rivers of the Sea Caves in large clumps. This seaweed is used as a food source for a majority of the ecosystem in the Sea Caves – except for the Iurno zu’aan, who find it disgusting and unappealing to eat – and thus its existence is required in order for the local ecosystem to remain balanced. Another plant within the Busor caves is the so-called “sea vine”, a long vine that is said to stretch from the middle of the Sea of Ayaz to each of the cliffs in Busor, thus tethering it to the ground.

Similar to the Busorian seaweed, the sea vine takes a light green color, though it is many times thicker than a single strand of seaweed. Because of this, the sea vine is used as an alternative to craft rope in the case that no materials that would be regularly used can be found. Furthermore, the sea vine is also used as a construction material & is used to fashion belts that the Iurno zu’aan use to holster short swords and daggers. The sea vine is usually grown through long, underground root systems that extend deep into the riverbed of the Busor River, with roots also being grown from the bark of the sea vine so that it can attach to the sides of cliffs & caves.

While other species of flora are found throughout the Busor Sea Caves, a majority of them are located within or are derived from the Busor River. However, there are rare exceptions of species that are found above ground – the most well-known examples of these species are the Busor shrub, a low-lying shrub that is confined primarily to the Wall of Traxai, and the swatyre, a tree that grows up to 3 to 4 feet in length. Because of the limited availability of the swatyre, the Iurno rely on other villages’ wood to put into use. There are also various examples of fauna being found within the sea caves themselves. The primary example of these species is the Zayar shrub, which grows within the caves of the cliff and usually relies on subterranean nutrients to survive.

The Zayar shrub is stated to have medicinal properties due to its unnatural upbringing, though this belief is held only by a select few within the Iurno zu’aan, and most prefer to use other herbs to treat illnesses. Such herbs include ayawa, mazire & retrinat, which are combinations of Busor seaweed and other locally found fauna, as well as trasi, a potent herb that is a mix of the bark of the sea vine and other plantlife imported in from the villages surrounding the Busor Sea Caves. In the case that trasi cannot be made, the other herbs are used to relieve symptoms.

Animals

The main flora of the Busor Sea Caves – similar to the flora – is found primarily within the Busor River and under the cliffs that comprise Busor; however, there are some cases where animals live above ground, though these animals are smaller than average and usually rely off of the sea vine and Busor shrub to survive. An example of the animal life within the river is the swayekt, a large fish that is around 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) and 0.75 meters long. It was introduced by a group of merchants sometime after the establishment of the village of Arakai; while an invasive species, it has become the backbone of the ecosystem of Busor.

The swayekt lives mainly in the Busor River, as well as the tributaries that flow from it; it is the primary food source of the Iurno zu’aan, as it has been for their ancestors for the last few centuries. However, because of their overreliance on the fish, the swayekt have slowly begun to go extinct; thus, in some cases, the Iurno have begun to resort to looking for other sources of food. Another animal that relies on the swayekt as a source of food is the maynanyr, a fish with a shark-like structure that was re-introduced to the Busor Sea Caves after the Awakening. In prior centuries, the maynayr was abundant in the Busor River and the Sea of Ayaz; however, it was hunted to extinction by the residents of Arakai some centuries ago, as it provided the villagers with food and clothing, among other uses.

With the coming of the Awakening, however, the maynanyr was able to migrate from the lakes of the “secluded place” back to its original habitat; however, this has resulted in the Iurno overhunting them once more, as they see the fish as the “food of the gods” that is mentioned repeatedly within their mythology. However, this claim is usually dismissed by village elders as nothing more than baseless. Seeing the dwindling numbers of the maynanyr once more, some Iurno have chosen not to hunt the fish and instead hunt the swayekt. Thus, through these two fish, the Iurno are divided into two main sub-groups: one that hunts the maynanyr, which is located around the Sea of Ayat, and one that hunts the swayekt, which is located around the Busor River. (Regardless of personal choice, both groups opt to share food due to their proximity.)

The second-highest predator in the food chain of the Busor Sea Caves is the swatarakt, a shark-like creature that opts to hide in the small lakes that the caves have within them. Unlike the swayekt and the maynanyr, the swatarakt prefers to remain isolated, instead choosing to lure either species into its habitat, where it is then killed and eaten by the swatarakt. In an attempt to gain control over the food chain, however, the swatarakt has also been vastly hunted by the Iurno, who use it as a secondary food source (as they prefer the maynanyr and the swayekt to the taste of the swatarakt).

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	Iurno Tribal Zu'aan}