Merelela
Tale is that when The Redeemer first exploded into energy, three pulses fleed its core, sectioning the planet of Barenae in its Splinters.
- The first, the most powerful, created the Magical Sections.
- The second, the most durable, created the Ancient Sections.
- The third, the weirdest, released the souls of the Gods, created the Sanctuary Sections.
And when the Second Pulse grazed the space between Ferolia and Inudea, the pieces fell apart, leaving the sight of a bow being drawn, right towards the land of Merelula, maybe an omen of what was to come to our people.
Geography
The Idiril Ocean splits Velsai into many parts through its middle section, Merelela being the biggest one, occupying a little less than the middle of the Section in its outer part. Even if its considerable size makes it hard to abstract and describe, its beaches do share a very common aspect, usually being very short and made out of very colorful sand or sediments.
Aside from the more coastal zones in the Inner seaside, Merelela stands out for its many forestal zones, reaching the point where the massive amounts of trees fight for their survival. Layers upon layers of varied plants pile upon each other, giving the continent much more altitude variance than its modest mountains and chasms might suggest at first. Even when it would be easy to assume that these flora concentrations are more or less uniform, the climates and ways the environment interacts do vary as one traverses the continent from side to side.
It's also important to remark that Merelela has the most waterfalls out of any minor continent in Barenae. Many famous examples are the Double Falls on the borders of Velsai with Anithes Flor and Hadana and the biggest of them all, the Marid's Lap.
Picture yourself hanging from a nest, made of vines, hundreds of meters up in the air.
Above you, the birds bounce around, in their mating rituals and festivities, while the occasional glimpse of the light of The Redeemer pierces through the leaves and creates an almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Right below you, the trunks of the trees lead your eyes to a very far ground, vertigo taking over each of your senses. Waterfalls appear here and there, as your sight is captivated by the struggle between two animals, just out of reach for you to identify them.
You return to the safety of your makeshift hammock and think if maybe nature can get any more imposing than this.
Perhaps the most shocking part of the geographical distribution of Ferolia is the fact that, when it comes to the contamination of the Continuum and the opportunities for life to grow in the Outer Rims of Barenae, Hadana and in this case Merelela, has gotten one of the shorter sticks. The dense canopies give up to almost skeletal and gigantic trees, where people hang their houses. The citizens, despite not having as many modern and functional systems as the people closer to Mikoto, are well equipped to deal with a noxious and hostile environment derived from the exposition to gas and the essence of the Continuum. This area, which is highly regarded as one of the most left behind in all the Plane, has been home to many valiant adventurers, who had to thrive and find a way to get to a better place.
Fauna & Flora
There are few places in all of the Plane of Barenae that compare in the diversity of species to the forests of Merelula. The plants go from the lowly variants of daisies and dry bushes found on the Outer Rim to the titanic trees that form the dense canopies of the center, also including most recorded species of carnivorous and omnivorous plants in all of Ferolia. On the topic of the bigger trees, the way that the forests interact creates a very special dynamic.
Due to their massive size and abundance, different ecosystems form at different heights. On the floor, the absence of more various species and the presence of larger spaces have favored the dominance of creatures of considerable size, prey or predators, that live above all the subterranean species. As one goes up, beyond the heights were the tribes normally construct their hanging villages, the overall size of the creatures is reduced, as the branches collapse and twist, making it harder for some of the bigger aerial animals from other parts of Ferolia to fly comfortably. This environment leads to the presence of any animal that has skill climbing or gaining altitude, including great amounts of rodents and simians rather than the colorful birds normally found in rainforests, which are still present, especially in the zones nearer to the beaches where they start their migrations, but in a rather reduced quantity.
Aquatic life
As water is a very important part of Merelula due to its many waterfalls and rivers that lead into the outskirts of the Splinter, the aquatic life, starting with the seaweeds and ending on a very diverse collection of fishes and amphibians of small to medium size (given the reduced space), is also incredibly prominent and highly observed.
-"You've ever seen a Mhyuj?"
-"What's that? You'll have to explain."
-"Hmmm, have you ever seen a dolphin?"
-"Ha, have you?"
-"Well, Earth is not the greatest place to spend time, but it's got some pretty sick animals."
-"Okay, so it's like a dolphin?"
-"Yeah, but it's red, kind of a plague and will turn you into a diseased shell if you touch it for one second too long. So don't go putting you hand into the water like that."Conversations between Barenanians and Foreigners
The hand of the Goddess
The Sylvan Light, responsible for overseeing the development of life in all Barenae and particularly her assigned Splinter, takes special care of every being, giving everything a much more savagely beautiful feel, as its will to persist and live increases. Not only this, but some of the creatures receive more favors than others. Insects particularly, associated with the goddess' moth-like form, are rather big and can sometimes even be used as mounts with permission from her. While it's not unusual to see insects of such size in other places, Ferolia possesses the greatest quantity of types. Sometimes, the land itself possesses other life, which generates creatures that are split between animal, plant, and elemental. These are often referred to as Primordials by the population and are unique in its design and behavior, therefore increasing the attractiveness of the region as a whole.
History
While this region was relatively left alone after the end of the Core Period (as were most of the faces sectioned by the First Pulse), there's been records of occupation from sparse tribes since 1024 D.R. In terms of progression, Merelula has never been at the helm of technological advancement, but there's one trait that's defined the continent for most of history: its impenetrability.
Nearly since the signing of the Moleras treaty, the inner civilizations have attempted numerous times to colonize the jungles of Merelula, and their people have resisted each time. Not only sieges but also invasions into the capitals of the many tribes throughout the forests. Each time, their superior knowledge of the wildlife and terrain made the natives impossible to outmaneuver, while the enemy troops fell into traps constantly. This has given the region a reputation of being inexpugnable. Not only that, but it's one of the few regions of Barenae where the Zephyr Empires couldn't establish their cruel dominion, turning it into a paragon of resistance.
In internal terms, maybe the most important event in its history was the formation of the Waterfall Republic on 1974 D.R, a collection of most of the ancient tribes of Merelula, that progressively helped each other to end the conflicts with the Baranui goblins, raise as a single nation and achieve a more advanced technological level, comparable to the other sections of that time.
Tourism
As with any large area, anyone from all over Barenae is free to visit, since the kingdoms and factions that handle Merelela are very open to visitors and touristic activities. These, however, do tend to keep to the beach regions, where all kinds of nautical and touristic complexes are built alongside the major cities on the coast.
Those more adventurous, on the other hand, are free to travel inside the forests and visit the many capitals and settlements along the paths carved through the trees. The more touristic activities in these cases are more directed towards historic events and safaris to discover the local wildlife. People here do tend to keep much more to their business and are less helpful to visitors, but it's still a welcoming environment nonetheless.
Only those with a strong personal interest venture farther than the treelines into the moorlands. Though the architecture and craftsmanship there are quite particular, its tourism sector isn't very well defined, to the point where some of the more wary or unconfident tourist enterprises actively avoid using it as parts of routes and maps.
Alternative Name(s)
The Mark of Ferolia, The Prey's Hide
Type
Continent
Did you know?
That the other names that Merelela receives, despite having a derogatory tone, are mostly based around the fact that it's opposite on the Idiril Ocean to the arrow-shaped Kalar Cape, giving the impression that it's being hunted.
Natural Resources
Merelela's greatest exportation source comes through its massive array of plant life and its various derivates: wood, leaves, fruits, and vegetables... Even ink can be extracted from some of its hybrid vegetables. The same can be applied to its animals: while several restrictions are imposed by the authorities, poaching is still a serious problem. Those who breed and keep animals in a responsible manner extract all kinds of alimentary products and leathers very appreciated all around Barenae for their authentic nature.
While the prominent amount of waterfalls would suggest that some mining efforts could be performed, the inhabitants pay much more attention to the water itself, to the point where the water from some of the most sacred or pure springs is bottled and sold as a specialty of the region.
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