Banato
From Reydala
Contents |
Environment and Geography
Banato is frighteningly hostile to anyone trying to make a home for themselves there. The Jungle is severely hot and humid all year round, with tempetures often breaking into the 130s during the day. As if the heat were not enough there are many animals, and indeed plants, that could easily end the life of an unsuspecting mortal to face them. If one were to try to invade Banato, it would certainly not be to make it your home.
Location
The people of Banato are nestled between three seperate countries, with Riscana across their northern border, Walstad across the southern, and a small section of border shared by the jungle nation and Nuln. Most of the area of Banato lies very near to Reydala's equator. Most villages in the region are on the shores of the two great rivers that run through the country.
Important Terrain Features
- Deshuto Jungle: The largest and most inhospitable of Banato's jungles, and indeed of all Reydala.
- Sasarai River: The major river that descends from near Reydala's north pole, through Riscana, through Banato, and finally proceeding to form the natural border between Nuln and Walstad. It's flow is generally slow and steady, so by the time it reaches banato the water is nearly undrikable due to heavy sediment content. The Wild elves have placed many sentry points along this river to look for ships from Riscana, any threats are usually met with deadly force.
- Baraiu River: An offshoot of the Sasarai River that heads east through Banato, feeding into the Dukura Gulf. Its flow is much faster than the Sasarai and thus is somewhat cleaner. Most Villages in Banato are along this river.
- Dukura Gulf: The widening of the Baraiu leads to the Dukura Gulf, a large body of water that eventually joins up with the Leyandran sea. Since traveling by water is a much easier entrace to Banato than by foot, the Wild Elves are constantly patrolling the Gulf in their own ships.
Unique Flora & Fauna
There are many species unique to Banato's jungles, and for the most part this is a good thing. Most of these creatures have more than one name, one given to them by the Banato, and one given by outsiders such as Riscanans. Most of the world knows them by the outsider terms, since the Banato for the most part do not share information with those outside their nation.
- Black Lotus: A deadly flower that blooms only in the darkest parts of the Deshuto jungle. Even the aroma of the Black Lotus is incredibly toxic to most forms of life, the inhaled particles quickly inflitrate the bloodstream and attack tissue, organs, and muscles. If they remain in the area, death is usually inevitable within 30 minutes unless the individual has an exceptional constitution. The Black Lotus itself has but one flower but an expansive root system under the soil that can spread out for thirty feet or more. Corpses of those killed by its venom become fertilizer for the plant. Alchemists can grind down a black lotus into an even more potent poison, however the danger in retrieving a specimen means that it is (thankfully) prohibitively expensive to acquire.
- Kilshuo (or Death Spore): A type of fungus found sometimes on the banks of the Sasarai River, usually found at the roots of waterfront trees. The Kilshuo resemble a large puffball fungus, immature ones a sickly white, growing blacker and blacker as the fungus matures. The more mature it becomes, the more delicate it gets, and the more spores reside inside it. When a Kilshuo is ruptured, spores quickly erupt in all directions. The spores if inhaled cause terrible nausea, sickness, and eventually death (Within 6-8 hours in most cases). The Wild elves in Banato harvest this fungus as a sort of biological weapon, most often flinging them with catapult like devices onto enemy ships. Outside of Banato they are referred to as Death Spores, the name coined when a derelict ship floated back into Riscana's waters, all of its crew dead, with only some residue fungal matter left as evidence to the mystery.
- No-re-shu (or River Dragons): While not actually related to dragons, No-re-shu are every bit deserving of the moniker. These large aquatic reptiles usually lurk in the muddy waters of the Sasarai, waiting for prey in the water or on the shore. They share some features with an earth Crocodile, but No-re-shu have 6 limbs instead of four, their backs are covered completely with scales that are harder than steel, they have a spined dorsal fin upon their backs, and their fanged jaws are even more dangerous. No-re-shu scales are prized by the Wild Elves for making armor, and the creatures' meat is considered quite a delicacy.
- Kra-tu (or Spine Hounds): A ferocious beast often raised by the Wild Elves to serve as hunting aides. They resemble wolves, except their back from snout to tail is covered in huge barbed spines, somewhat like a porcupine's but far larger and sharper. Aside from these spines, they have no fur to speak of, a necessary adaptation to the jungle's heat. These feral creatures have extremely accurate senses of smell, and are adept climbers as well, thanks to their large claws. Kra-tu spines are often used as arrowheads by the Wild Elves.
- Shio-ta (or Devourer): A huge creature that lives within the jungle, eating everything in its path. The Shio-ta is thought to belong to the same family as the bullete (or land shark), however, it has several edaptations suiting it to jungle life. Upon it's snout are four huge horns that the animal ritualistically sharpens against trees and rocks. By the time the creature reaches adulthood, these horns are sharp enough to cleave through foilage with ease, even ripping through tree trunks. Similar, slightly smaller spines run in a line down its back, with another cluster of four at the end of the tail. The Shio-ta's carapace is a deep green, camoflaging it well despite it being the size of a small house. It feeds on plants and animals as it pleases. Many of the paths the Banato use through the forest are actually Shio-ta feeding trails. Shio-ta are slow, somewhat passive creatures. If anything it tries to eat puts up resistance, it will often lumber off in another direction, eating as it does so. Shio-ta horns are quite valued by the Wild Elves in the construction of bladed weapons, and Their strong carapace also makes fine armor.
- (Actual) Dragons: Due to it's hostile terrain, there are corners of Banato that are still for the most part unexplored. A few dragons of old, mostly green dragons, still roam the jungles as ferocious predators. The Wild Elves have caught and killed a few of these beasts, usually drawing them into traps with Shio-ta corpses as bait. Nonetheless, The dragons tend to stay away from mortal society, many of them already bearing wounds from previous scuffles, and the Banato do not usually care to hunt them unless they become a significant threat, for there is much easier game. Dragon Teeth, Claws, and Scales are items of status in Banato, often worn and displayed by Tribe rulers.
Residents and Culture
Wild Elves make up the overwhelming majority of Banato residents, most other races not having the constitions or the strength to put up with daily life in the jungle.
The Banato Wild Elves
Though both groups would surely deny it, the Wild Elves originally migrated from Leyandra. It all began nearly a millenia ago with a colony around the location of the now wild elf city of Durmlon. This was a great expanisve time for Leyandra, and many ships coursed the globe looking for more riches and treasures to be had. Without human interference, they had little holding them back. Though at first Leyandra supported this small colony, their support began to grow very lax after the colonies in Walstad became much more profitable. Eventually, the decided to abort the Colony in the inhospitable jungle, sending a ship to take every elf back to Leyandra for possible relocation.
The elves of the colony, already infuriated that their colony had been forced to practically fend for itself for so long, saw this as an even greater indignity. Though many elves did board that ship, there was a collection that chose to stay, living how they could off the fruits of the jungle. They developed ways to cope in a harsh environment, and over the years their bodies begin to slowly adapt as well. Much of their elven refinement was lost, such things being worthless in a world where one must struggle just to stay alive. And thus, the term Wild Elf began to be used.
Major Cities
Most Wild elf cities are collections of houses built into the very canopy of the forest, allowing the wind from the outside to provide some comfort in an usually unrelenting heat. Most cities are also small, usually governed by a Chieftan. There are no jails, courts, or banks. If a Wild Elf is seen to be detrimental to the health of the village, they are usually exiled (which, because of Banato's environment, usually means death) without a second thought. It is a communal life, everyone in the village shares with everyone in the village, even the chieftan is not exempt from this other than a few paltry items of status.
- Entonoa (Capital): Situated at the end of the peninsula between the Sasarai and Baraiu rivers, Entonoa serves as a capital for the Wild Elves, if they could be said to have such a thing. It was the second city to be founded after the original colony, and has become the most populated. Entonoa is the seat of the most powerful of chieftans. It is the closest city to the Deshuto forest, and thus inherits some of its dangers. Thanks to its status, it attracts most of the Wild Elf craftsmen and serves as the training ground of Wild elf warriors.
- Toneko: Directly across the river from Entonoa, Toneko is the main landfall for those wishing to cross over from the southern penninsula. Due to its proximity, it shares many of the same qualities of Entonoa, and has many skilled craftsmen.
- Hakuno: Some distance to the west from Toneko, Hakuno sits at the junction between the Sasarai and the Baraiu. It was largely meant as an outpost in the defense of the capital, but since the country has expanded it has become a village in itself.
- Toren: A small outpost secluded from most of the rest of Banato, it sits on the opposite side of the Sasarai. No-re-shu hunting is most prolific here, and even most of the common folk are resplendent with shining silver scales. Clean Water is very scarce here, and there are great resevoirs constructed in order to store and purify the water from Banato's frequent showers. With No-re-shu in abundance it is one of the more dangerous places for Wild Elves to live.
- Oyanto: Named after the Wild elf word for "eye", it was originally intended as an sentry outpost similar to Hakuno to watch for possible Leyandran ships. Over the years it became a village in itself, much like Hakuno.
- Palonat: At the mouth of the Dukura Gulf, Palonat is a outpost dedicated to the Banato Navy. It maintains and creates new ships, both for protection and for ferrying goods along the rivers.
- Durmlon: The original Elven colony, founded in a location that is downright comfortable by Banato standards, on the south bank of the Dukura Gulf. It is the only village in the country where Wild Elves are not the majority race, though they have a significant number there. Many Leyandran elves have resided here since support was cut off, unwilling to cope with the harsher conditions further in, yet also unable to just leave their homes. Though the Wild Elves look upon them with scorn, the Leyandran Elves have a great respect for their more pioneering brethren. They also share a similar mistrust of their homeland due to the fate of the Colony. Durmlon is the only port in Banato that will accept ships from other countries, and even then many are destroyed before they get there by ships from Palonat. The city is mostly constructed on the ground, though the Wild Elves living in the city have made their homes in the trees as they are accustomed. Thus, Durmlon serves as a sort of missing link between the High Elf and the Wild Elf, and is the home of the only High Elves that will readily admit the Wild Elves are their brothers.
