Post by Khaarus on Jun 8, 2010 20:54:18 GMT -5
Leng is a large, formerly volcanic island that was thrust upward some several hundred million years ago. The plateau is identified as a series of connected volcanic plugs that, thanks to erosion and siltation, have been filled in to a vast flat expanse of rock. The plateau ends abruptly near the edges of the island, thanks mostly to wind erosion. This gives the plateau its distinct "walls" of cliff face that make access to the interior of the island nearly impossible. Only in the south where the bay islands reside, and in the far southeast corner where erosion has weathered a small lowland area, do people reside. The plateau is similar in qualities to the Superstition Mountains, except for being isolated on an island in an Arctic environment.
The areas of human habitation are extremely limited. The rugged terrain allows for only the tiniest fragment of agriculture, mostly of perennial cabbages. This forces residents to rely almost entirely on fishing as a source of food and income. Mining is considered a taboo by locals, and was further abandoned when foreigners tried to excavate nearly a century ago and found little of mineral wealth in the basalt rock. The additional impediment of the Arctic climate, in which the island is locked in ice for most of the year, has further repelled any major attempts at settlement. The only two population centers are Zi'yeh Kla, located on a small island, and Mholog, located at the only lowland area of the main island.
Leng has seven islands isolated within the shelter of the Bay of Madness, named thus for the winds that whip around its semi-circular circumference. Due to this natural shelter, the bay remains primarily ice-free for most of the year. This allows the small fishing fleet of Zi'yeh Kla to capture fish and then transport them across the ice to trading ships that come from Benacia. Until the advent of ice-breaker ships, this was the only means of contact with the outside world. A single small island resides off the southeastern coast outside of Mholog, which is known as Devil's Island and is uninhabited save for local legends of sea monsters. Mholog itself is situated in the protection of a tiny lowland area of the island - the only such projection - and is literally built into the rock cliffs. The small city, although ancient and containing much strange architecture, has little to share with the outside world and trades only with nearby Zi'yeh Kla, which has become more of the "metropolitan" center of Leng.
The areas of human habitation are extremely limited. The rugged terrain allows for only the tiniest fragment of agriculture, mostly of perennial cabbages. This forces residents to rely almost entirely on fishing as a source of food and income. Mining is considered a taboo by locals, and was further abandoned when foreigners tried to excavate nearly a century ago and found little of mineral wealth in the basalt rock. The additional impediment of the Arctic climate, in which the island is locked in ice for most of the year, has further repelled any major attempts at settlement. The only two population centers are Zi'yeh Kla, located on a small island, and Mholog, located at the only lowland area of the main island.
Leng has seven islands isolated within the shelter of the Bay of Madness, named thus for the winds that whip around its semi-circular circumference. Due to this natural shelter, the bay remains primarily ice-free for most of the year. This allows the small fishing fleet of Zi'yeh Kla to capture fish and then transport them across the ice to trading ships that come from Benacia. Until the advent of ice-breaker ships, this was the only means of contact with the outside world. A single small island resides off the southeastern coast outside of Mholog, which is known as Devil's Island and is uninhabited save for local legends of sea monsters. Mholog itself is situated in the protection of a tiny lowland area of the island - the only such projection - and is literally built into the rock cliffs. The small city, although ancient and containing much strange architecture, has little to share with the outside world and trades only with nearby Zi'yeh Kla, which has become more of the "metropolitan" center of Leng.