Sep 30

Kswantu



(map contributed by Zatwu)

The Shattered Isle known as Kwsantu consists of four geographical areas: the east, the Kachubwa Desert, the Mjukiwa Plains, and the Eusimli Mountains.

The East

The eastern coast of Kswantu is known to sailors as the Bone Coast.  Ocean currents from the north bring cold water to the eastern coast, which mix with the warm air above the island to create dense fogs.  Since the time ships first sailed near Kswantu the island has become home to countless shipwrecks, and sailors from neighboring isles know to avoid the eastern coast's fogs at all cost.

The coastal fogs in the southern part of the eastern coast give way to a desert called Mchanlima, which means "sand mountains" in Shatteredspeak. Eroded sand from other islands is dumped into the sea, and ocean currents deposit this sand along Kswantu's southeastern shore. The prevailing winds then pick up and redeposit the sand in the form of massive dunes; Mchanlima sports the largest sand dunes in The Known Lands. Further inland, the winds also scour the land to form large gravel plains. In many areas within Mchanlima there is little vegetation with the exception of lichens found in the gravel plains, or in areas where plants can access subterranean water.  Mchanlima is a rich source of diamonds and other gems.

North of Mchanlima is the Njaun River, which flows from the Eusimli Mountains to roughly the center of the eastern coast.  Njaun means "yellow" in Shatteredspeak; sulphur and other mineral deposits in the mountains give the river a yellowish tint when it first leaves the mountains.  The sulphur is filtered out by the river before it reaches the ocean, but many say the smell of rotten eggs persists all the way to Mjinte, the massive humanoid city-state located where the Njaun meets the sea.

The northeast region of Kswantu receives a significantly greater amount of precipitation than the rest of the island. The area is generally flat and the soils sandy, limiting their ability to retain water.  Here can be found the Nsitsi Forest.  Nsitsi literally means "not actual" in Shatteredspeak.  The Nsitsi Forest is artificial, planted by the people of Mjinte over centuries and tended by druids and rangers.  Trees are constantly imported from other islands to maintain and expand the forest.

Between Nsitsi Forest and Mjinte is a natural feature unique to Kswantu: Kitanchu.  For most of the year it is a dry, saline wasteland, but during the rainy season, a large, shallow lake is formed. (Kitanchu literally means "bedpan" in Shatteredspeak.) The area is ecologically vital to the huge numbers of birds and animals from the surrounding area that gather in the region as summer drought forces them to Kitanchu to drink. The people of Mjinte use this opportunity to hunt, but are careful not to deplete the supply of game to dangeriusly low levels.

Kachubwa Desert

Kachubwa means "great desert" in Shatteredspeak.  In terms of area, it is the largest geographical region on Kswantu. It contains a variety of localized environments.  Near the coast are low dunes vegetated with hammocks.  Further inland lies a thin band known as Cactus Alley, where all manner of succulent plants thrive.  (some of which are rumored to be sentient).  Beyond Cactus Alley there are gravel plains and scattered salt pans.

Even further inland, Kachubwa becomes your standard hyper-arid sandy desert.  But it is unusual for its inselbergs - small, isolated mountains that dot the inland part of Kachubwa.  These inselbergs, which catch enough moisture from the atmosphere to support some plant life, are home to tribes of an advanced race of lizardmen known as saurials.

Deep beneath the Kachubwa desert can be found subterranean lakes filled with a viscous liquid the saurials call in their language "black blood of the earth."  The saurials use this liquid for various purposes; for example, they use it as is as a lubricant or laxitave.  They also distill it into a thin, flammable liquid, which serves as both an alcoholic beverage and a potent thrown weapon.  (The humanoids of the island never drink this liquid, because they have discovered that it causes them to go blind.  For some reason the saurials are immune to this blindness.)  The leftovers of distillation, a waxy paste, is used as a fire source, a wax, and - according to rumor - a jelly which aids the saurial procreation process.

Mjukiwa Plains

In Shatteredspeak, mjukiwa literally means "lizard plains."  Mjukiwa is home to all manner and size of dracosaurs, a much greater variety than found in Morma or other parts of The Shattered Isles.  The habitat of the plains is very similar to the grasslands of Narcua - Mjukiwa is mostly flat and grassy, with a few hilly areas and copses scattered about.  Tribes of saurials live off of the dracosaurs - it is said that the saurials in Mjukiwa are as advanced as the humanoids of Mjinte, though they live a simpler, nomadic lifestyle, following the dracosaur herds.

Mjukiwa is home to Mwazwa Lake.  Mwazwa means "placid," and the lake's glassy surface is often so still it looks like a giant mirror, but the name is deceiving.  Mwazwa is home to numerous freshwater dracosaurs, some of which can grow to the size of a whale.

Mwazwa Lake is fed by the Mtopana River, a wide, slow river which lazily makes its way from the Eusimli Mountains.  In turn, the Mtoenba, a narrow, fast river, speeds its way from Mwazwa Lake to the sea.  Some saltwater dracosaurs are able to swim up the Mtoenba from the ocean to Mwazwa, where they go to hunt or mate.  (Mtoenba and mtopana mean "narrow" and "wide," respectively.)

Between the Mjukiwa Plains and the Kachubwa Desert lies an intermediate zone which is populated by numerous primitive humanoids - kobolds, goblins, orcs, gnolls, orges, and such.  Tribes of these humanoids constantly fight for territory in this zone.  The humanoids usually avoid the plains because of the dracosaurs and the saurials, but successful tribes will sometimes become bold and make forays into Mjukiwa.  The humanoids seldom dare to cross the Kachubwa, but again, sometimes prosperous tribes will attempt to make the perilous passage in an attempt to raid Mjinte.

Eusimli Mountains

Eusimli means "black" in Shatteredspeak, and the mountains certainly live up to their namesake.  The black bases topped with white, snow-capped peaks stretch from the center of the northern coast to its east end.  While the mountains contain obsidian and onyx, they are primarily black due to a volcanic rock unique to the island which is harder than limestone but softer than granite.  Eusimli is rich in iron and coal, and Mjinte has excavated numerous mines; orcs and slaves extract the coal and ore and float it down the Njaun on barges to the city-state.  The Eusimli mountains are steep, with narrow valleys and few plateaus; there are few places for people to live.  The mountains are rare in that they are not populated by giants.



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