Tamor Drylands

Place

Place Name:

Tamor Drylands

Biome:

Drylands

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The home of the Galaka kin'toni clan is a harsh land that is sparsely populated. Besides the Galaka themselves there are barely but a handful of other clans that make their homes in the bad lands. However, despite the difficulty of sustaining life in the drylands, all of the oldest kin'toni clan ensure that their diplomatic missions are always staffed and several times a year one or the other clans aspiring for a larger role in the political domain of the kin'toni ensures that a tribute of livestock for the upkeep of the Galaka kin'toni clan is sent.

The Galaka are highly respected among all the clans, but of particular note is the fact that although not of the first generation of the kin'toni clans, it is not treated as an offshoot but respected and regarded just as much as the pioneer clans. The Galaka kin'toni are a highly superstitious people, blunter scholars have called them as the clan that have made the least development since the fall of the zu'aan. The Galaka positively shun technology and research, leading their lives as the very first generation of the kin'toni did.

This is despite them having no shortage of livestock for blood banks provided, in the Galaka society it is a great dishonour to have to rely on the stocks for sustenance. In fact many a Galaka would rather choose to embrace the sun’s rays rather than rely on the blood stock when unable to hunt. The stocks are maintained only for the guests of the Galaka and used by themselves for the sake of feasts and other celebrations. The Galaka society is a warrior society that is situated closest to the zu'aan held city of Shaar'la

Despite the very best attempts of the zu'aan city to gain more ground in the drylands and expand their foraging, it is the constant presence and campaign of the Galaka that has kept them back. The most important charge of the Galaka has been the possession of the red mines of the drylands. The red mines are the richest source of iron in all of Erea, the possession of these mines has meant a constant supply of the valuable iron that has fuelled the everlasting battle of the kin'toni and zu'aan.

Military commanders agree that the possession of the red mines is crucial to maintaining a winning edge over the war with the zu'aan. The red mines are not just a singular location in the drylands but are spread all across the plain, as such maintaining its possession was thought to be impossible for the kin'toni not only due to scope of the place but also due to the impossible climatic conditions as well. Then came the formation of the Galaka clan, since their formation, the Galaka have maintained watchtowers all across the plains.

Each mine is assigned a contingent of Galaka for stationing, undestandably this has meant that there are no large cities on the plains but only camps. Although some of the camps are definitely developed more than others, such camps function as nodes of connection, maintaining a robust supply throughout the drylands in all conditions. The drylands are devoid of any elevations, and though the plains are incredibly dry they do not have any significant sand on their surface, the kin'toni scholars have described this due to a phenomenal pattern of wind systems that drive all wind carrying eroded matter away from the drylands.

The rock surface of the plains therefore is one among the many challenges of the drylands, not only does it retain more heat than the sand of a typical dessert but it also radiates back heat more quickly. It is theorised that the temperature inversion in the region is so severe that if there had been even a little moisture in the air, the kin'toni would have found it to be impossible to move on the rocks at night due to all the frost that would turn on the rock surfaces, as it stands though, the kin'toni are able to travel on the drylands quite easily at night.

The resident clan of the drylands have become specialised to the plains in the centuries since they began calling it home, the most amazing feature of their adaptation has been their gain in length of limbs as well as endurance that seems to many completely endless. Although these adaptations are by no means common and to the same degree in all of the clan members, it does become apparent that the drylands have changed the Galaka in comparison to the typical kin'toni.

Since there are no sands on the drylands, the life of plants and animals has adapted and has affected the drylands significantly, the rock surfaces of many parts of the drylands are said to be dense with underground passages that have been dug by the azare-lap, (iron-moles), so called due to the noticeably grey tinge of their buck teeth. The passages that have been dug under the rock are said to be as abundant of life as the surface is missing of it.

These passages have been attempted to be explored but due the thickness of the rock and the dept at which they are located has made it nearly impossible to gain an in-depth understanding of the ecosystem in the passages of the rock. Last but not least, the conditions of the drylands have been a matter of constant study by the kin'toni meteorologists, as described in the earlier sections, the wind system of the drylands stands alone in its uniqueness all across the world.

The theories they have come up with have found little traction, and given the dislike of the Galaka for the science and technological advancements, few scientists are brave enough to setup any significant measuring stations in the region. The Galaka themselves have traditions about the wind systems of the drylands, they claim that the winds are to be sentient beings that are their allies in keeping the vigil of the deep mines. Such claims are often disregarded as typical Galaka superstitions among then academic circles, but are remarkably viewed with little dictate by the military establishment.

They all seem to belief that tactically, the defence of the plains from the zu'aan so soundly should be an impossibility. The Tamor Drylands formed on the western margins of the content of Erea are semi-arid plains, the winds that the drylands are completely devoid of any moisture, and the upwelling of the cold currents on the coast they are connected with makes them the driest plains in the whole of Terael . The life in the drylands has adapted to compensate for the lack of moisture in the air and ground, but these plains although barren are not devoid or lacking any life. The dryland is a place of extremes during the days the temperature of the plains rise to well above 50 degrees celsius and during the coldest of nights, the temperature can be as low as negative 10 degrees celsius.

Plants

The plant life of the region is incredibly stunted and although there is a lot of sunlight for plants to prosper, the limiting factor remains to be the moisture content of the region as well as the amazing lack of substrate in the drylands. The zu'aan records indicate their bafflement at this prospect as well, for they claim that the hardy pioneer species can survive in the conditions of the drylands and primary ecological succession should have advanced by their time however, the mosses and fern all cannot seem to find purchase on the rocks of the drylands.

The lack of primary succession has meant that flat rock has been almost immune to the forces of nature that recycle rocks in other parts of the world, making the rock surface of the drylands perhaps the oldest substance existing on the whole planet. The plant life that is found on the surface of the drylands is sparse and highly adapted to life in the region, broadly it can be said that there are three kinds of plant life found on the surface of the drylands, the first being those that are present year round, they are called the crack cactuses, growing in little communities around large cracks of the rock surface.

These cactuses do not grow in large sizes but are thick and spherical in shape, and are also commonly found around the openings that lead to the caves of the iron-moles. They remain in place year round and are said to have root systems that worm their way to the depths of the rock where it is saturated with underground river. The other kind of plants are those that live remunerably short lives, preferring to grow, flower and fruit all in the space of the amazingly brief season of rainfall that occurs every decade.

And last are the fungi, these saprophytes are said to be present in high densities in the tunnel systems of the rock but are found only sparsely on the surface of the rock, due to their bioluminescence, they mark several critically important land routes in the drylands. The Galaka have cultivated these fungi in the drylands to ensure that their passage during the night are conducted with quick and precise routes that allow them to regular patrols of the whole region.

The cultivation of these fungi is incredibly wasteful and has been a point of criticism that has not been too veiled again the clan. The fungi are grown on the bodies of the blood stock that have been killed and left to rot at marked spots, the fungi are then kept alive as they are watered by blood every 2nd month. When the Galaka first admitted to having used the stocks for the purpose of growing fungi, there was widespread shock and disbelief for at the time, several kin'toni clans were struggling just to keep their members nourished with blood but the Galaka threw away several thousand animals every year to grow fungi.

The pioneer clans however did not shy away from publicly endorsing the methods of the Galaka, claiming all those that wished to take the place of the Galaka were welcome to take their charge, but as long as the Galaka held the red mines successfully they would continue to send tribute to them.

Animals

There are very few animals found in the drylands besides the azare-lap (iron-mole) and the tuloa-kal (cacti cat), which are present in significant numbers despite the difficulty of life. The tuloa-kal (cacti cat) is in fact the smallest hunting cat in the world, and has been known to live and thrive in the drylands for millennia, the zu'aan were very impressed by its resilience, and observed amazingly that the cat gained all its required moisture from its prey and did not ever need to drink any water, a behaviour that they had thought impossible.

Among the kin'toni the tuloa-kal is thought to be remarkable true, but it is positively revered among the Galaka. Galaka traditions dictate that upon being raised one of theirs, an initiate kin'toni must successfully hunt a mature tuloa-kal, the smaller the size of the cat, the more renown won. However, the killing of a young tuloa-kal is among the gravest of offences that can be committed by any of the kin'toni, punishable by even death depending on the clan of the offending kin'toni.

Part of the challenge of hunting the tuloa-kal, so called due to the long whiskers that the cat grows all along its body, is its accurate knowledge of the drylands, its ability to hear the slightest of sounds from long distances and its incredible agility. The cacti cat are proud predators, never has one been seen to feed on the many carcasses of the blood stock left around the drylands, for the tuloa-kal eat only that what they themselves have caught.

This aspect of their behaviour has shaped the ideology of the Galaka as well and their admiration for the animal’s ability to survive as a predator in the drylands has meant adoption of certain behavioural patterns as well. Another wonder of the drylands is the azare-lap, a large rodent that has frighteningly large buck teeth as well as claws all a dark tinge of grey. It is an established fact that the moles produce a unique keratin that is tinged with an organic iron that pales the best made iron of the finest kin'toni blacksmiths.

Although several attempts have been made to try and induce such iron in the labs, it has thus far proved to be impossible. Incredibly, the zu'aan seemed to have been unaware of the existence of the amazing animals. They were discovered only once the red mines had been secured under the Galaka, part of the reason why they seemed to have been overlooked is to do with the fact that they spend nearly their whole lives below the surface and in the tunnels beneath the rock only coming out to breed.

They are sufficiently large in size and number to keep most galaka fed throughout the year, even so no member of the clan is allowed to hunt an azare-lap more than once a week. Doing so would bring great dishonour on the member and may mean expulsion from the clans as well.

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	Galaka Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Tamor Drylands

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This article is written by Anmold Kaushal. Copyright 2026 Anima_U. All rights reserved.