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Zhech Summary
General Info: All attempts to colonize the island have met with failure one way or the other. Decades as a volcanic wasteland have left any remnants of civilization as out of place fossils. This island was once lush and green, inhabited by a myriad of species, but now it has been scorched clean of all but its most resilient inhabitants. Now, there are only two species left on the island in any great numbers.
Appearance:
From the horizon, this blackened isle looks like nothing special, a collapsed mountain sometimes seen smoking, others sitting inert. The lack of other notable land masses in its immediate area would be the only reason landfall on this isle would occur at all; its barren surface was not always so but is a wasteland roamed by monsters. The shores of the caldera slope gently into the sea, besides some minor geological landmarks there is little here to draw interest. The volcanic rock assumes all sorts of strange and otherworldly forms and configurations; this is due to the occasional magma flows throughout the island.
Climate:
Hot. The utter lack of foliage on the island means there is no isolation from the sun: the hot days are unbearably so, the cold days are tempered by the many volcanic springs, geysers, and the natural heat of the Zhech. When it does snow, this is merely rain by the time it hits the islands surface.
Habitat:
Zhech Ants
These insects have developed iron-like hides in response to the harsh volcanic environment. They eat soil, metal, and minerals. They vary in size to the point where the workers are the size of house cats, the soldiers are the size of horses, and their Queen is about the size of a small bus. They possess incredible strength even for their size, able to crush near anything with their pincers. The soldiers are capable of spewing out a strong acid capable of melting stone in moments. These creatures have worked their way into the volcanic rock, and they have tunnels honey-combing the whole island.
Vulkan Salamanders
The only other species capable of surviving the harsh environment found in the Zhech, these giant lizards are also the only known predator of the Zhech Ant. They generally possess a blackish grey mottled hide, perfect for hiding amongst the volcanic formations. Their saliva is usually at about the temperature of magma and can melt metal as easily as flesh. Their life-span is unknown, but what is known is that they hatch from the volcanic pools across the island, reaching a juvenile size in about six months. Juveniles can weigh up to 500 lbs and measure up to about six feet long not counting the tail. The largest specimens reach about twelve feet long and can weight up to a ton. They eat Zhech Ants as well as each other.
Kano Mushrooms: These toadstools grow in the shade of the crater, grown basking in the ash and volcanic heat of the Zhech they have grown very toxic as well as naturally spicy. The toxicity results in a psychedelic trip that some have described as "pretty neat" before being eaten by the indigenous wildlife.
Notable NPC(s):
Ol' Vulkan Sala
This is the largest Vulkan Salamander on the Island, nearly 18 feet long and almost two tons of reptilian aggression. Covered in countless scars sustained in a lifetime of battle have left its hide a dull grey in color. It survives by eating anything it comes across, and it has been known to relentlessly hunt down anyone it perceives as invading its territory (the whole island). This beast has recovered from many grievous wounds throughout its life and it always comes back for vengeance; even going so far as to walk through Magma to find his quarry.
Zhech Queen
There is only ever one Zhech Ant Queen, and during her life-time, she is the mother of every single other Zhech Ant. Though she is massive, the Queen is also immobile; her every need is attended to by the workers around her, they move her periodically throughout the massive maze of tunnels they've made through the rock beneath the Zhech.
Groups:
N/A
Vicinity:
San Ogon
This once thriving port has been reduced to a ghost town. It exists as a few wrecked shells of brick buildings covered in volcanic sand and rock. These make for some interesting rock formations, but anyone caught sight-seeing will soon find that the town's new residents are Zhech Ants!
St. Elmo's Landing
This shoal on the north side of the island has the deepest draft of the whole island, making it an ideal spot to unload ships. As such, it the spot for many shady dealings the island is sometimes used for. It's also a spot for clandestine battles due to the wide, flat, area just inland of the shore. Rarely visited, only a couple totems on the shore mark this area.
Lost Site
This was once the site of an expedition that met with disaster, it still has some of the surveying equipment on site, but no one from the initial group remains.
General Info: All attempts to colonize the island have met with failure one way or the other. Decades as a volcanic wasteland have left any remnants of civilization as out of place fossils. This island was once lush and green, inhabited by a myriad of species, but now it has been scorched clean of all but its most resilient inhabitants. Now, there are only two species left on the island in any great numbers.
Appearance:
From the horizon, this blackened isle looks like nothing special, a collapsed mountain sometimes seen smoking, others sitting inert. The lack of other notable land masses in its immediate area would be the only reason landfall on this isle would occur at all; its barren surface was not always so but is a wasteland roamed by monsters. The shores of the caldera slope gently into the sea, besides some minor geological landmarks there is little here to draw interest. The volcanic rock assumes all sorts of strange and otherworldly forms and configurations; this is due to the occasional magma flows throughout the island.
Climate:
Hot. The utter lack of foliage on the island means there is no isolation from the sun: the hot days are unbearably so, the cold days are tempered by the many volcanic springs, geysers, and the natural heat of the Zhech. When it does snow, this is merely rain by the time it hits the islands surface.
Habitat:
Zhech Ants
These insects have developed iron-like hides in response to the harsh volcanic environment. They eat soil, metal, and minerals. They vary in size to the point where the workers are the size of house cats, the soldiers are the size of horses, and their Queen is about the size of a small bus. They possess incredible strength even for their size, able to crush near anything with their pincers. The soldiers are capable of spewing out a strong acid capable of melting stone in moments. These creatures have worked their way into the volcanic rock, and they have tunnels honey-combing the whole island.
Vulkan Salamanders
The only other species capable of surviving the harsh environment found in the Zhech, these giant lizards are also the only known predator of the Zhech Ant. They generally possess a blackish grey mottled hide, perfect for hiding amongst the volcanic formations. Their saliva is usually at about the temperature of magma and can melt metal as easily as flesh. Their life-span is unknown, but what is known is that they hatch from the volcanic pools across the island, reaching a juvenile size in about six months. Juveniles can weigh up to 500 lbs and measure up to about six feet long not counting the tail. The largest specimens reach about twelve feet long and can weight up to a ton. They eat Zhech Ants as well as each other.
Kano Mushrooms: These toadstools grow in the shade of the crater, grown basking in the ash and volcanic heat of the Zhech they have grown very toxic as well as naturally spicy. The toxicity results in a psychedelic trip that some have described as "pretty neat" before being eaten by the indigenous wildlife.
Notable NPC(s):
Ol' Vulkan Sala
This is the largest Vulkan Salamander on the Island, nearly 18 feet long and almost two tons of reptilian aggression. Covered in countless scars sustained in a lifetime of battle have left its hide a dull grey in color. It survives by eating anything it comes across, and it has been known to relentlessly hunt down anyone it perceives as invading its territory (the whole island). This beast has recovered from many grievous wounds throughout its life and it always comes back for vengeance; even going so far as to walk through Magma to find his quarry.
Zhech Queen
There is only ever one Zhech Ant Queen, and during her life-time, she is the mother of every single other Zhech Ant. Though she is massive, the Queen is also immobile; her every need is attended to by the workers around her, they move her periodically throughout the massive maze of tunnels they've made through the rock beneath the Zhech.
Groups:
N/A
Vicinity:
San Ogon
This once thriving port has been reduced to a ghost town. It exists as a few wrecked shells of brick buildings covered in volcanic sand and rock. These make for some interesting rock formations, but anyone caught sight-seeing will soon find that the town's new residents are Zhech Ants!
St. Elmo's Landing
This shoal on the north side of the island has the deepest draft of the whole island, making it an ideal spot to unload ships. As such, it the spot for many shady dealings the island is sometimes used for. It's also a spot for clandestine battles due to the wide, flat, area just inland of the shore. Rarely visited, only a couple totems on the shore mark this area.
Lost Site
This was once the site of an expedition that met with disaster, it still has some of the surveying equipment on site, but no one from the initial group remains.
