[Mkguild] Fan Shoar

[Indagare .]

Here are some thoughts I have on Fan Shoar. Please get back to me on this:

*Fan Shoar*

Fan Shoar is one of the five continents of MK's Earth. It is located in the
northeast quadrant of the world map, north of Irombi and the Central Sea
and east of Yamato, Khumar, and the Oriental Coastlands.



*History*



If Irombi is the cradle of human civilization, Fan Shoar is where humans
first spread. How long ago this actually occurred is not known, but there
are many ruins, and some are seemingly only a thousand years younger than
those found in Irombi. Most creation myths involve ancestors that migrated
out of some underground realm to the surface or other form of migration
from somewhere dangerous.



*Climate*



Fan Shoar has a huge range of environments from the arctic north to the
sub-tropical and tropical south.



-*Starfrost Tundra:* The northernmost area of Fan Shoar, this land is
continuously frozen except near the coasts and south. Various structures of
ice and snow exist in the forms of pillars and arches, though there are
rocky outcroppings and caves are oddly common. The closer to the center one
gets, the colder it gets. Some crystals form in an area where the highs
never reach above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. These are known as everfrost
crystals and they emit cold and a chilly, bluish light. The further in one
goes, the colder it becomes and the colder the everfrost crystals are as
well. Tales say there is an area where it is so cold people are frozen
alive.



-*Balewinter Timberlands:* To the immediate south of the Starfrost Tundra
is an area of tiaga. Tribes of nomadic wanderers calling themselves the
Kupuni roam the area. They use yurts and reindeer, though in winter they
occasionally build igloos. Though they chiefly hunt or fish they are more
than willing to engage in trade, usually for anything fire-related. In
return they are happy to provide everfrost crystals and the furs and skins
of rare, northern animals.



-*Stormwing Forests:* South of the Balewinter Timberlands, this area has a
temperate rainforest climate (similar to the Pacific Northwest). The
Tigmest people make this place their home. They build cedar longhouses
whose windows and doors end up looking like faces and which are flanked by
totem poles. There are eighteen tribes and each one has a particular animal
they feel a connection to and which forms the base of their totem poles.
The Stormwing Forests has many rivers and lakes as well as rises and
waterfalls. Salmons make a yearly run on the waterfalls. All the Tigmest
tribes are matrilineal. They do occasionally war against one another, but
will unite against common enemies.



-*Greymist Mountains:* Forming a long line to the southeast of the
Stormwing Forests, the Greymist Mountains are fairly low but still present
a reasonable challenge to climb over (about the same as the Appalachian
Mountains). There are many breath-taking scenes from the mountains, though
they are also home to some dangerous creatures and few people tend to live
on them permanently.



-*Watakimari Confederacy:* Stretching from the Greymist Mountains to the
northwest to the Yajiit Sunlands and the Okelamala Swamp, the Confederacy
is a more or less unified area. There are many mounds built in the shapes
of animals (though this is only obvious from above) and several sites of
cities. The people of Watakimari are matriarchal and have a strong base
around the many rivers that run through their lands and specifically the
three great lakes near the center of it. The area as a whole has a
temperate climate, though the areas closer to the Okelamala Swamp and
Yajiit Sunlands are much warmer and more subtropical.



-*Yajiit Sunlands:* A more appropriate name is unlikely to be found. There
are areas of prairies on the outskirts with golden yellow flowers and
inside is an area known as the Rainbow Desert which resembles the US
southwestern desert with its many outcroppings. There is a large canyon
there as well. Within the Sunlands are the Xablan who build their homes on
the sides of cliffs. Particularly impressive is the city of Taxal located
on the western end of a bay. It extends from the western bay to the
Skystone Mountains in the east.



-*Skystone Mountains:* Home to the Phisqantinsuyu Empire. It stretches
north from the Watakimari Confederacy to south where the mountain range
ends. The empire paved roads and uses stone almost exclusively in
construction of buildings. The mountains themselves are beautiful and are
named for the fact that there are actual flying islands around it. These
areas seem to defy gravity, though the reality is they are being held up by
naturally-forming crystals imbued with properties from the Elemental Plane
of Air.



-*Okelamala Swamp:* Nearly due east of the Yajiit Sunlands and on the other
side of the Skystone Mountains this swampy area holds many secrets. It is
named after the people living there, who build their homes among the trees
and live off the bounty of the swamp. It is most like the Everglades in
nature.



-*Katzl Empire:* Just south of the Yajiit Sunlands, it extends west to east
from the Central Sea to the Keystone Mountains and as far south as the
Tinikawar Rainforest. Centers of worship and power exist in the form of
step pyramids dedicated to the sun. They have the most advanced
astronomical records of anyone in the world.



-*Tinikawar Rainforest:* Taking up a majority of the southern portion of
Fan Shoar, this rainforest is home to many different tribes. It is also
home to a large river which links almost all of the region. It is named
after the legendary Tinikawar Empire which once ruled the area but which
has long-since fallen. Vine-covered ruins can be found in many places. The
tribes of Tinikawar share many cultural similarities and trade with one
another (and some outsiders). Major cities still exist on the coasts,
though there’s no centralized government.



-*Qwixota Plains:* The southernmost tip of Fan Shoar is covered by a vast
prairie. The Quixota tribe roams over it on their horses. They have many
settlements made out of baked clay located near watering holes, but most
are not continuously settled except during the fall and winter months.
Anyone wandering in is expected to care for the buildings and any crops for
as long as they stay.



*People*



The humans of Fan Shoar have darkest skin that has a ruddy look to it. They
are about average height. Their hair is usually strait and black with
iridescent sheens of blue, purple, or red; facial hair is uncommon.



Much like in Irombi, Humans are the only civilized sentient race that is
native to the continent, but other intelligent creatures do call the
continent home. Particularly common are elementals of various sorts as well
as talking animals (scholars speculate this is due to the influence of some
outer plane). There are also rumors of lizardfolk, frogfolk, and birdfolk
in the Okelamala Swamp and Tinikawar Rainforest though they’ve yet to be
verified.



*Fauna*



Fan Shoar is home to a wide variety of fauna which largely resembles the
animals of North America and South America.



*Civilization*



The people of Fan Shoar are different than their counterparts in RL
Americas during the Middle Ages; being the second home to humans, much
knowledge has been lost but there has also been much retained. Horses are
common as are llamas.



Shamanistic magic is highly developed in Fan Shoar, though it is different
from that of Galendor. It includes much more alchemy and the use of
familiar spirits (generally small, elemental beings that take on the shape
of an animal) is common. Shamans in Fan Shoar can produce a wider variety
of effects than most in Galendor can accomplish because they can also
detect raw magic and regularly treat with elemental spirits who are
sometimes considered members of a given empire or tribe and who often align
themselves in defense. Extreme care is taken when dealing with any
extraplanar being, however, particularly those from the Heavens and Hells.



Most of the civilizations in Fan Shoar are matriarchal; men are given honor
and respect, especially as talented crafters, artists, warriors, and
shamans, but lines are traced through the mother and kinship is reckoned
stronger when it is through the mother and her relatives. Similarly, men
move in with their wives and must prove their worthiness as a husband
before any marriage proposal is accepted.



*Religion*



Much like in Irombi, their closeness with spirits allows the people of Fan
Shoar to understand the capabilities and morals of celestials to a great
degree. While they do not see Daedra worship as innately evil, they are
fully aware of the dangerous nature of most of them and treat them
accordingly. They far more likely to worship the Aedra and Eli (whom they
call the Great Spirit), but pay due respect to Daedra when needed. Shamans,
particularly, tend to be capable of sensing the Daedra at work and will
offer something that, effectively, is a very polite request for them to
stay away.
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