Ia Kelp Forest

Place

Place Name:

Ia Kelp Forest

Biome:

Kelp Forest

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The kelp forest of Ia is located off of the southeastern coast of the temperate zone of the largest continent. To it’s north and past the immediate shoreline lays a quiet coastal plain that was covered with scattered towns and villages.The dense undersea forest spans the majority of the southern coast before the land crooks and cuts off the western push. The forest covers the southern coast of the region until the drop off. Jagged pillars of rock peak out of the top of the kelp’s canopy and stop jus short of the surface. Smattered wrecks and skeletons hide amongst the foliage of seaweed and kelp.

There are shipwrecks from over the centuries dotting the landscape and a shack at the centre made out of the hull of one of the oldest ships in the area. This is the home of Illuin Bi’Rie, the Watery Witch, though it was not her home until after she was made into a kin'toni. Originally the woman now known as Illuin lived with her mother and father in a house on the shore that was later designated the guard house. The inspectors looking for the missing ships all stayed with the small family, and each attempted to have there way with the girl.

The first few were killed by the father to protect his daughter and their bodies dumped into the kelp forest. But then the father died and it was up to the daughter to protect herself and her mother from the other inspectors. She began luring them into the water with the promise of pleasure and then using the kelp to kill them when they followed her. The last one however, fought back and she was momentarily caught in the kelp until the inspector had finally died and fell past her. Getting above the waves, she saw a boy she knew from the village.

She tried to get his attention to help her out, but the kelp hid her face and frightened the boy. When the story came out and the new rules were established, the girl took the job of watching the shore so her secret could remain safe. After the first plague took her mother, the girl began helping out at the local orphanage so she wasn’t alone. Then the kin'toni plague came to their village and she was one of the first to be turned. She abandoned her old home for the safety of the shack in the kelp forest, but she was lonely. This drove her to return to the orphanage and turn the children.

But they couldn’t fit in her shack, so while they struggled to survive she was busy building the other wrecks into a village of underwater huts for the kids. Now they make sure the ships they attack are big enough to turn into a new hut and that there is at least one child onboard to be turned into a new clan member. Otherwise they wait for the other ships to collide with the rocks and drain all who abandoned ship.

Plants

At first glance the vegetation of the kelp forest of Ia may seem one note. However, there is actually a variety hidden amongst the foliage. While various types of kelp and seaweed make up the majority of the vegetation in the large underwater forest, small collections of coral and anemones grow from the base of the many rock spikes the jut skyward to threaten unsuspecting ships. Algae and moss and sea grass and other small creeping plants cover the wrecks and turn them into topiary on appearance. The kelp trees are decorated with the skeletal remains of the many people who found themselves entangled.

This gives the region an ominous and mysterious feel to those who first witness it. The most common variation of kelp in the Ia region is the hangman’s anchor. The kelp is one of the largest types in the world and the tallest, thickest cords can touch the surface of the waters while anchored to the dark depths of the drop off. The dark brown kelp is one of the main reasons why there were never survivors of the wrecks as it can quickly wrap its numerous strands around the flailing swimmers and anchoring them to the spot. Either they tire themselves out and drown.

Or the kelp gets around their throats and strangles them as they try to get free. Another of the potential dangers in the waters above the kelp forest of Ia is the takorana. This strain of seaweed is known to float in close knit tangles around reefs and other underwater vegetation sectors. The black mass of vines is relatively harmless to boats and ships and other sea vessels, but any living creature smaller than a full grown medium sized whale needs to be extremely careful. This is because only such comparatively small creatures can slip into the openings of the tangles.

And once the creature gets ensnared, they are quickly restrained in a variety of ways. If they aren’t careful they will end up in a position that prevents them from floating, and they sink into the depths to drown or be eaten by carnivorous fish. One of the varieties of sea grass found in the Ia region is the vakor. This seagrass is known for being a standard source of nutrition for the multitude of aquatic herbivores in the region. Turquoise in colour and often stout in height, brother’s wing also offers some shelter for the smallest fish from the gaze of roaming predators.

The grass is able to withstand the shifting soil and heavy pressures of the deeper portions of the ocean. The kin'toni who have made the region their home use the grass as a way to attract and cultivate more schools of fish for them to feed off of as well as attract larger carnivores to eat the drowned sailors caught in the trees of the forest.

Animals

The wildlife of the kelp forest of Ia is populated entirely by aquatic and semiaquatic animals and marine mammals. The multiple wrecks and deaths that occur in the region brought curious large predatory fish and cephalopods hoping for a good meal. These animals all live in a delicate balance that feeds the entire region and keeps them all alive. The drowned people even play a role in diverting the attention of the larger predators from the more vulnerable occupants of the area. When the kin'toni joined the aquatic residents.

They took over the role of apex predator and even hunted the other predators while taking care of the smaller herbivores. In spite of the chaos that reigned in the surface world, the purely animalistic world under the waves was nearly symbiotic in its natural order. Every creature in Ia is necessary for the survival of the rest of the ocean as a whole, though only as important as any other creature. The kin'toni, being initially raised in a nearby fishing village, understand this and make sure the balance is always carefully maintained.

One of the most common fish inhabiting any kelp forest has its own unique variety for Ia in the form of the atshmorkal. This small carnivore is known for its blue tinged scales that lay near its gills while the rest of it is covered in silvery scales. They tend to live in the rock spires that jut out towards the the surface. They mainly live off the smaller animals in the region though have been known to scavenge from the remains of the dead sailors after the larger animals have had their fill. Like most morkal they have venom glands in specific parts of their spines.

Making them potentially dangerous if not prepared properly. One curious resident of the kelp forest that came with the arrival of the wrecks and corpses to aid in the complete cycle is the ithorekan. These fascinating little symbiotic scavengers are known for their primary source of food, which is discarded skeletal remains. While other boneworms are known to specifically eat whale bones, the ithorekan of Ia has adapted to survive on the remains of the drowned people wrapped in the strands of kelp.

These worms are then prey to the other carnivorous creatures that resides in the underwater forest. A marine mammal that not only resides in the region but also is treated as a pet for the local kin'toni is the jantukektor. These exceptionally furry critters are easily recognisable by their dark red marking that covers their entire head and upper backs. Capable of using rudimentary tools, these adorable mammals live mainly off of mollusks and crustaceans with the aid of small stones to crack and crush the hard shells to get at the flesh within.

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	Jalka Kin'toni Clan

Place

Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown

Ia Kelp Forest

Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown

This article is written by Unknown. Copyright 2026 Unknown. All rights reserved.