Darin Dry Mountain

Place

Place Name:

Darin Dry Mountain

Biome:

Dry Mountain

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

History

Historical Overview

Throughout its history, zu’aan had one thought about the Darin Mountain: it was incredibly dry. From the very little rainfall, to the dry air, to the dried out river beds, it wasn’t an environment that looked inviting or called out to the masses. Many actually preferred to avoid even traveling through it, especially during the summer. Even the animal and plant life are scarce along with viable sources of water. Due to this, it has had very few zu’aan settlements that actually settled down. Most barely stayed long enough to make it through three summers. There were some that managed to put down roots, but they faced many adversities that completely changed them.

Dehydration, heat strokes, and cannibalism have painted a dark history full of death and violence in Darin Dry Mountain. Due to its extreme environment and lack of abundant water sources, many zu’aan have died here from both natural and unnatural causes. While it wasn’t until the Awakening Age where a zu’aan settlement was actually able to establish strong roots, without any massive problems, there were zu’aan that had lived within the mountain long enough to carve out their place in its violent history.

Cannibals.

Early zu’aan nomads looking for a place to call home were unable to keep their senses in the harsh environment of the mountain and turned to cannibalism to survive. Drinking the blood and eating the flesh of their fellow zu’aan allowed them to do so. They would attack passing zu’aan before killing them, draining them of their blood, and eating them raw as it was far too hot to try and cook them over a fire. Consuming raw flesh caused a lot of them to get sick at first, contracting diseases that they didn’t know how to treat. There are no records of the amount of cannibals that have inhabited the mountain, but rumors state that there have been hundreds, maybe even thousands over its history. They are said to still dwell within the numerous caves within the mountain.

During the Awakening Age, a nomadic tribe of zu’aan desert dwellers migrated to the mountain. They were somewhat adapted to arid environments, so they were a bit more equipped to handle Darin. They built their city, Lyetaso, up high on the side of the mountain. It was low enough that the mountain top cast shade over the city, giving them reprieve from the glaring sun, but high enough to give them a good defensive position. They knew the right places to look for food and water sources, they took note of the natural predators that had adapted to the mountain. Though they are settled, and have been for decades, they are in constant conflict with the cannibals still living there.

With the kin’toni not being as active in the mountain, war between the city and the cannibals is more severe than between the city and the kin’toni. The cannibals here are savage and wild, attacking both the zu’aan of the city and each other. The wars between the cannibalistic tribes existed long before the creation of the kin’toni. Even within the individual cannibal tribes, there lies a very delicate balance that is often thrown into disarray. They often attack each other nearly as much as they do the zu’aan of the Lyetaso City Zu'aan. Over the decades, countless cannibalistic zu’aan tribes have inhabited the mountains, attacking each other constantly.

Geography

Darin Dry Mountain has three peaks with the highest peak stretching to nearly 24,000 feet, and its shortest peak stretching to about 15,000. The width of the entire mountain stretches nearly three hundred miles. It has a unique shape of a crescent at the top of its highest peak, creating two twin peaks. The dip in the crescent drops nearly a thousand feet from the peaks. The other two peaks are pretty flat with a few small rises and dips. It is nearly impossible to make it to the highest peak in the Twilight Age due to the lack of advanced technology and equipment the zu’aan used to have. Its color is a light brown that can appear brownish red under the light of the sun.

No green from vegetation or snowy white tops can be seen. There are hundreds of caves, both naturally and zu’aan made, within the mountain. Some are interconnected with each other, some are several square feet in size. There are a few that stretch far down, dropping several hundred feet below the surface of the ground. These caves are home to various animals and cannibalistic zu’aan. The majority of the caves have openings in the sides of the mountains, but the rest have no connection to the outside. The climate in the mountain is arid with very little rainfall. The flat land surrounding the base of the mountain, and stretching for several hundred miles around it, is cracked and dry due to the lack of moisture.

Rainfall happens sporadically and only a few times throughout the year. When it does rain, it is only in short showers that barely last a few minutes. During the summer, temperatures can easily reach over one hundred degrees during the day and barely drops to eighty degrees at night. Even during the winter, the weather stays in the upper eighties during the day and lower seventies at night. The top of the mountain is cooler than the bottom, but not by much, and not enough for snow to form and fall. The terrain of this mountain is extremely rough and uneven. Very little vegetation grows on it and dried out river beds run throughout it. The inclines in some areas are almost completely vertical, making it hard to climb up without having good climbing knowledge.

The few animals that do live in the mountain have evolved to be able to climb these steep areas.

The lack of rain and infertile land leads to a scarce population of plant life and an even smaller amount of animal species inhabiting the mountain. The species that do live and grow here have beat out all others, somehow surviving the harsh climate and terrain. They developed traits that allow them to climb the steep slopes and grow in an environment lacking high sources of water. Some plants even developed the ability to produce water within themselves, becoming sources for the zu’aan and the animals living there.

Plants

With the limited amount of rainfall and the dry environment, there are only a handful of plants in the Darin Dry Mountain. These plants have adapted the arid air and mostly infertile soil up high in the mountain. Udlax is a shrub native to this mountain. It grows up high, near the peaks. This particular plant doesn’t have leaves or flowers. Instead, it has thin, fragile, spiral-like, pale green branches that grow up from the ground. Its roots are strong and only stretch a few inches beneath the surface of the ground. It can produce several dozen branches. There are no medicinal uses, but they can be eaten. Surprisingly, the branches have a somewhat sweet taste to them.

They can be eaten raw or cooked and they are a viable food source for zu’aan while also being a good source of protein. Even the roots can be eaten, though it is better to boil them to get rid of any bacteria clinging to them from being beneath the ground. Balroot is a thick root that grows under the ground. The stellate shaped leafy top of it sticks out above ground. It is one of the few truly green colors in the mountain. From the leafy top to the bottom of the root, it can span nearly a foot long and almost five inches thick. It doesn’t have a uniform shape or length. The root itself has an outer, inedible, brown layer. Beneath this layer is the pale purple, edible part.

The root is also considered a viable source of water. They grow close to the base of the mountain and some of the smaller ones actually grow on the mountain surface. An abundance of them are usually found in areas of thick shade, where the ground is a bit cooler. Balroot has to be taken out of the ground delicately, pulling too hard can separate the leaf from the root. Primole grows around the middle level of the mountain. It is a medium sized, closed, yellow, bulb-shaped flower. Thin, one inch long spikes cover the entire flower, getting shorter around its stem. They can stand nearly seven inches tall and grow in bunches of twelve from just one seed. The spikes are poisonous and extremely dangerous.

They can cause fatal fevers, paranoia, infections, paralysis, and death. Primole blooms and opens up only during the summer, revealing a white prickly center that is said to expand and contract depending on the position of the sun. While the spikes are deadly, the prickly center is soft and offers a variety of medicinal benefits. The center part of this flower can actually counteract the poison caused by the spikes. When the flower blooms, it is safer to extract the center as the spikes covering the outside are now turned upside down. When this flower blooms, it loses a portion of its defensive capabilities. To make up for it, it produces a rancid scent as a secondary defensive system that keeps away predators and can be smelled from several feet away. The scent is only produced during the blooming season.

Animals

Animals in the Darin Dry Mountain have evolved and adapted to the arid environment. They have physical characteristics that help them navigate the rough terrain, extreme heat, and lack of abundant water sources. Lizard species make up the majority of the animal population. Anean lizards live at the base of the mountain in burrows. They reach a length of nearly six feet and can weigh up to seventy pounds. Despite their large size, they are one of the fastest animals in the mountain, easily reaching nearly twenty miles an hour in speed. They can also travel great distances without stopping. Their camouflaging scales range in varying shades of brown to match the environment.

Their claws are able to properly grip on the tough terrain, making them really good climbers. Their claws are also sharp enough to rip into their prey, aiding in their omnivorous diet. While they do eat plants, the majority of their diet consists of meat. They’ve been known to attack their prey in a group. Their claws secrete a paralyzing agent that can even take down a zu’aan if enough enters the system. Anean lizards thrive in the heat and can often be seen lying on a rock, bathing in the sun. Their scales take on a golden brown color when doing this. Females can lay about a dozen eggs after mating. Sichian snakes live within the various caves of the mountain. They prefer the darkness and cooler temperature of the caves.

A large amount of them can be found in deep caves, crawling over each other in snake pits. Black scales fading into a silvery blue cover their twelve foot long frames. Their slitted eyes are a silver blue as well and are able to see in the dark. Sichian snakes are extremely venomous, incredibly fast, and strong. Their speed and strong bodies allow them to quickly catch and constrict their prey, while their venom paralyzes. Without proper and quick administration of anti-venom, death is pretty much a certainty. Their diet mainly consists of small rodents within the mountain, and sometimes birds. They sometimes come to the surface of the mountain, up high, to hunt birds.

While they are extremely territorial, they are not an aggressive species unless provoked. These snakes lay nearly one hundred eggs, so there is quite a large population within the mountain. Esin are a breed of bird native to Darin. The birds make their nests in high altitudes on the peaks of the mountain. They are quite large in size with their wings spanning nearly ten feet across. Their rounded feathers are a peachy orange color, blending into yellow towards the end. Their beaks are nearly three inches long, very strong, and are extremely sharp. They can easily puncture through skin and muscle. Their prey mostly consist of rodents and smaller birds as they are completely carnivorous.

They have also been known to go after children as they are capable of carrying up to forty pounds. Females usually lay between three to six eggs within their nests, which usually hatch within a few days.

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	Lyetaso City Zu'aan

Place

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Darin Dry Mountain

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This article is written by DreamCatchie#3401 (Discord). Copyright 2026 Jenetra Waters. All rights reserved.