Icy Hills of Jakyla

Place

Place Name:

Icy Hills of Jakyla

Biome:

Icy Hills

Size:

1400km2

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Icy Hills of Jakyla are mostly composed of barren, rocky hills and a widely branched system of streams and small rivers, which are frozen most time of the year. It looks like the web of some icy spider goddess that catches its prey in the cold. Only in the hottest month of the year, those thick layers crack open, transporting massive ice floes downhill. It is extremely dangerous for untrained people to cross those streams at that time. As a part of Noestryn kin'toni Clan's military training, recruits are sent across those frozen millstones until they handle the crossing naturally. The rapid change of temperature between the cold months and the short, usually almost frost-free days causes the meltwater to convert into enormous icicles and glassy, surreal sculptures.

There are stories about some of these sculptures being primordial beasts frozen in ice by the gods' eons ago. Jakila consists of parallel hill ranges: the lowest hill range on the south, which is parallel to Nicuran Coniferous Forest; the highest hills in the central range; and irregular groups of hills at the north, some are separated by deep canyons and others are joined together as if they were one part of the other. Further to the north, there is only ice. There are few sharp peaks, most the peaks have uneven ground while others are artificially flat, transformed by the kin'toni for different purposes. A series of ravines and slopes that branch along the surrounding hills are used for regular transit.

Some hills are crossed by grottos that connect different areas, most of the grottos have caves below the hills that can be near water or entirely dry. In the entrance of the grottos, there are ice stalactites, inside there are rock formations of stalactites and stalagmites at the edge, kin'toni removed the natural formations for making the pass suitable to them. In the middle of the central hill range lie 14,000 ft of peaks, separated by a gorge with a shape similar to an asterisk. The gorge splits Jakila into sections both ecologically and orographically. The pass at the head of the central hill is the lowest point on the ridgeline between the central, north, and south hill ranges.

To the east are 5 miles of irregular hills across the border of Jakila, there lies a valley of the bigger superficial river which provides the main overland route between Jakila and the rest of the continent. A river drains the northern slopes of the hills, before turning south and flowing to the central range, infiltrating below the hills to an underground water stream. To the west is somewhat remote and lacks high hills and connects to the branch of slopes to the coast. The ravines between the western hills separate them by several feet so west hills can´t be considered a range. Further west Jakila ends in a canyon above the shores, from there it´s possible to see a long, cold beach of cold water and more stones than sand in the surface.

The coast is a strategic zone for defense, the canyon works like a fortress where any invader in the sea or the beach would be vulnerable and the slopes work the same as bunkers for kin'toni and traps for the enemies. Jakila is a mountain range formed by a belt of hills. The Jakila range consists of uplifted sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Its formation is a result of a continental collision between tectonic plates. About 40 million years ago a fast-moving of plates composed of low-density continental crust gave as result a thrust fault and breaking into hill ranges rather than subducting into the other plate. As result, a range of hills was formed, not tall enough to be mountains, with many canyons and some ravines.

There is a lack of flat valleys, most of the plain surfaces are frozen water bodies. Jakila forms a big watershed, a number of rivers cut through the range, particularly in the Eastern part of the range. The rivers drain into large subterranean river systems. It is a large deposit of ice and snow. Jakila range encompasses about 10,000 glaciers, which store about 1,800 cubic miles of freshwater. The vast size, altitude range, and complex topography mean a limited range of climates, from monsoon to cold and arctic desert. Heavy rain arrives on the southeast monsoon, can seriously cause major landslides. The northern side of Jakila is dry, cold and generally, wind swept where it has a cold desert climate. The vegetation is sparse and stunted and the winters are severely cold. Most of the precipitation in the north is in the form of snow.

Icy Hills encompasses a large landmass that contains a wide variety of mineral resources. Northern Jakila formed by plates that collided, this movement uplifted sections of mineral deposits, including zinc, silver, gold, graphite, and jade, that are found on the north hills. Jakila central hill range consist of sediment-covered crustal material. Two major river systems run through the interior, along with a number of smaller rivers and tributaries, contributing to erosion and depositing sediments throughout. The entire area is rich in gold. The gold is found in quartz veins, which are the precipitated remains of hydrothermal fluids that once circulated through the plate´s fissures.

Although the gold has been concentrated in the quartz veins, the ore must be further processed in order to separate the gold from the quartz. Copper and molybdenum have been found in veins and within granitic rocks. In part of the deposit, these minerals are partially exposed at the surface, while other portions are concealed beneath the younger volcanic and sedimentary rock. Southwest of Icy Hills is one of the most geologically complex areas. Much of the land is irregular, rising directly from sea level to great heights, and subsequently carved by recent glaciations. Since the last ice age, the removal of vast quantities of glacial ice from the landscape has allowed the land to rebound, elastically springing back to its former height, before it was compressed by the glaciers.

Gold deposits have been found on the west beaches, as well as in small creeks throughout the area. Deposits of copper and molybdenum have been found too. Large amounts of sand and gravel are present on the beaches, their superficial reach makes it easy to get. To the south a large mineral deposit has been developed in schist metamorphosed from volcanic and sedimentary rocks, gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc can be found. A number of non-metallic minerals are in this area, like garnet, gypsum, and rare earth elements as dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium.

Plants

Despite the harsh climate, some plants are found in the Icy Hills. Near the rivers and streams grow all kinds of conifers, some can reach heights of 120 ft or more if they are lucky to survive the annual flood of ice floes, which crush small trees easily. In the frost-free month, some flowers can be found on top of the hills, but their sight is rare, so the Noestryn kin'toni Clan views them as an omen of good fortune such as healthy turning in the discoverer's family. Stomping on such a flower by accident, on the other hand, is a bad omen. Slow growing, edible lichen can be found beneath the icy ground, which can survive even decades of frost and become centuries old.

The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of altitude, rainfall, and soil conditions combines with the very high snow line supports a variety of distinct plants. In mixed deciduous hills and conifer forest at the south, there are dense understories of iko. The bigger amount of plants grow from the south and east, the vegetal life presence deescalates through the north. Many plants raise from the ground for five to seven months, until the weather is too cold, covered by snow the plants turn on hibernation mode. During the peaks of the monsoon, the coniferous trees are very lush, the great trees heavily laden with epiphytes such as mosses, ferns, and be'tor flowers.

The saxifrage grows on barren rocks at high altitudes. As a means of protection against cold and evaporation, this plant forms compact cushions up 5 inches across. The rocky landscapes show the red and yellow foliage of seaweed. The hills are home to a diversity of medicinal resources. Plants from the southern forests have been used for millennia to treat conditions ranging from simple coughs to poisonous bites. Different parts of the plants, as root, flower, stem, leaves, and bark, are used as remedies for different ailments. Approximately 2000 species of analogs to Terran angiosperms, 30 species of gymnosperm-analogs, and 280 species of pteridophyte-analogs have been registered.

The center hill range means a big difference in temperature, which represents a drastic change in the flora. In the central hills closed vegetation of mires, heaths, and thickets of erect shrubs often dominate. To the north or central hills grows closed vegetation with dwarf shrubs and graminids as predominant elements, low thickets, and marshes. At the north hill, there is mostly open vegetation of forbs, graminids, prostate or subterranean shrubs, and often luxuriant moss and lichen vegetation. Very few if any species are restricted to the zone. From the northern hills the region, even the lowlands are non-forested because of the restrictions enforced by a short vegetation period, mostly less than 60–90 days, with low summer temperatures nearly always minus 2 grades.

Sparse vegetation of forbs and graminids, more abundant mosses and lichens. Woody plants are nearly absent. The species diversity is low and probably no phanerogam is exclusive to this zone.

Animals

The harsh climate enables only a small variety of animals to survive the frosty environment of Jakyla Hills. There are no reptiles, amphibians, or insects living in these regions and only a few birds, such as snow owls and burrow vultures. The Noestryn kin'toni mostly hunt for the mammals, such as Numra and Granwllai, the latter wandering through the Hills in small herds to defend themselves from dathmari, the most feared predator of this region. Hunting down this feral beast and making uniforms from their skin is a dangerous but highly regarded task by the Noestryn Clan. The animal life above the central hill range consists almost exclusively of cold-tolerant endemic species that evolved from the wildlife of the coniferous forest after the uplift of Jakila.

Kaira is found in the rough and rocky regions throughout the southeastern and along the western coast. They constantly migrate to different areas from the north ridges in the summer to the south in the winter. Kaira was once the most common large land mammal. The population seems to keep the memories of past generations if Jakila once was a warm paradise. The combined effect of habitat change and harvest reduced their number. They evolved to resist the cold, probably waiting for the time when the snow melts and the hills get covered of tall green grass. Vaa'la lives, rest and feet in the rocky terrain, inclined land of icy hills, and are occasionally seen below their usual elevation only when food is scarce. In their rocky environment, they are able to avoid predators.

Their skin is covered with a wide layer of fleece similar to cotton. Mayak a kind of orca whale-like creature that hunts in groups. They are scattered among the west coast and northern beach, they are notable by their size and their tendencies to eat other dolphins and large prey animals. The people prefer to live from the fish living under the ice sheets of the rivers, which are connected to the sea. The settlements at the coast make their living mostly from fishing. Icy Hills has quite a variety of fish species. Its lakes, rivers, and oceans are home for them. Naava, there are four species, they do their spawning migration in large numbers and frequently seen jumping out the water against the river currents.

Uails, live most of their life in freshwater and migrates into estuaries upon maturation. Arctic chaeya closely related to uails and naava but can live in harsher conditions such as colder and deeper northern water. Kiaya inhabits lakes and rivers, has a long white and gray dorsal fin. Vaalai, a large flatfish that swims sideways due to its lateral flattening, they have both eyes on their upward-facing side. There is laay, a type of jawless vertebrate. They are freshwater fishes often found around coastal waters. Lakcua, a bottom fish that can grow up 5 feet and weigh up to 130 pounds in the adult stage. They thrives in the depths of the ocean floor and are found in coastal regions.

Maka, a sucker fish that lives in cold water streams. The sides, head, and top are dark blue while the belly is often yellow. Ili, a black fish with largemouth, spinous dorsal fin, and stripes for its eyes to its gills. Ilos, a small, fresh, or saltwater fish that lives on headwater streams to slow and rocky streams to coastal saltwater areas. They are flattened and have wide fins to help them secure themselves to the bottom of water bodies in harsh conditions. Xae. This fish is different from other fishes because they do not have scales, but rather boney plates extending from its gill to tail called scutes instead. It is considered a bottom-feeder and rummages the seafloor for food.

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	Noestryn Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Icy Hills of Jakyla

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This article is written by christian-rau-writer, espectre. Copyright 2026 christian-rau-writer, espectre. All rights reserved.