A Land Without End Sothoryos is southeast of Westeros and south of Essos across the Summer Sea. The northern coast has been mapped by the Quartheen, but the rest of Sothoryos is largely unknown. Dragon rider Jaenara Belaerys flew her dragon Terrax farther south than any person, only to report three years later that the continent was as large as Essos, a “land without end”. The few cities on the northern coast (Gorosh, Zamettar, and Yeen) have fallen to ruin and the outskirts of Sothoryos consist of dense jungle, therefore, the interior of Sothoryos is isolated (self-sustaining without trade). The surrounding world does not know of what lies in the middle of Sothoryos. The interior of Sothoryos has a wide variety of landforms: mountains, valleys, deserts, grasslands, and a multitude of tropical jungles. The climate depends on how south one travels, and has in turn created indistinct boundaries between regions of varying climate. The continent's far southern half is primarily desert or arid; drought and annual rainfall below average are common with temperatures higher than any desert in Essos. Desert sandstone form occasional rocky cliffs and vicious sandstorms are common. In the deepest and most severe parts of the desert, no traces of life can be found. However, on the southern and northern edges of the desert near desert water sources, wildlife include sand dogs, camels, jackals; arthropods—scorpions, manticores, locusts; and reptiles—lizards, snakes, and the fire breathing firewyrm. Gradually further north, the desert leads into the deepest jungles on Sothoryos, the Green Hell. The rain forests have a warm to hot climate with very high humidity; Sothoryos’s heaviest rainfall occurs here. The land is overgrown with dense, tangled vegetation while the tree line is so thick that only the occasional opening allows sunlight to fall through. All sorts of rare plants only indigenous to Sothoryos thrive here; lily pads grow 4 meters tall, many plants with medicinal, psychoactive, or lethal properties flourish, some even say that there are plants that can devour large animals whole. Despite these conditions, some of the most deadly animals in the known world make their homes in the jungles deep in Sothoryos. Reports from the humans living north of the Green Hell describe white vampire bats that can drain the blood of a man in minutes, tattooed lizards that rip apart prey with long curved claws, spotted spiders, and snakes fifty feet long. Only animals of this nature can survive in this region of Sothoryos. Inland and further north in the higher elevations, the temperatures moderate. Grasslands with fertile soil exist past the Unscaled Heights mountain range, with grasses as the dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are absent, but elephant grass grows alongside the Nyw River. A few trees such as cottonwoods, oaks and willows grow in the river valley, and a few hundred species of flowers grow among the grasses. The Wyvern Plains are home to herds of elephant, zorses, rabbits, and wildcats. Wyverns, considered the most terrible of all predators, reside in the drier grasslands after hunting in the surrounding jungles. While not as threatening as the Green Hell, the jungles of northern Sothoryos surrounding the plains are uninhabitable. Disease and the savage Brindled Men lurk in the undergrowth hiding from the sunlight. The Zamoyos delta and connected streams are home to lizard-lions and carnivorous fish capable of stripping a man's flesh in minutes. The forests south of Yeen are home to stinging flies, venomous snakes, wasps and parasitic worms; apes capable of killing elephants with a single blow; Little Valyrians, panthers, and bloodflies. Basilisk Point is home to fearsome basilisks, some of which are twice the size of lions. Of all of its regions, it is no surprise that the non-savage people of Sothoryos occupy the Wyvern Plains. The people of Yeen migrated upstream in an attempt to survive the unforgivable jungle and its inhabitants. Lake Nyw in the Unscaled Heights is the source of flowing water in the Wryn River that weaves through the northern part of Sothoryos straight through the Wyvern Plains. The Wryn upstream provides water free from green fever, dancing plague, yellowgum, and other fatal diseases that fester in the water further north. The people of Yeen then settled in the grasslands along the river, creating a village they call Quor. Surrounded by the wilderness and its hazards and knowing that returning to Zamettar and Yeen would carry too many risks, the people of Quor live a sedentary life. The population of Quor is small; due to the limited area to expand and the fatalities from hunting and disease, urban towns and grand buildings may never come to pass. The technology of the Quorothi people is limited; they grow and irrigate whatever edible vegetation they can find by the river bed. The strongest men that hunt and explore in the jungle use scimitars to cut through the foliage and for close quarters, but the majority hunt in the grasslands with spears and arrows made with the oily black stone from Yeen. The Quorothi will sometimes domesticate zorses that they encounter, but their main source of meat are from grazing herds. The people also attempt to interact with the Sothoryi elephants and have even developed a symbiotic relationship with the few wyverns nesting there. Huts are built from elephant grass and jungle trees, yet overall, the Quorothi people’s settlement has a minute effect on the overbearing land of Sothoryos. With all forces of nature against them, the Wyvern Plains have subsequently been nicknamed a “Green Haven”.
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AuthorMy name is Jenna and I am currently a full time undergraduate college student and dreamer. Archives
April 2017
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