Phrōjhana Region
I feared my thoughts would turn into crystals in my head.Phrōjhana is an arctic Outer Shell region near Hēla. Its caverns are coated with ice and snow from above and the temperatures are freezing. Glaciers slowly breach through the boundaries between the surface and the caves with inexorable and force the stone apart to let in the sun and snow. Howling blizzards pour down from above and the cold lends an biting edge to the wind. It is a place for hardy folk and hardy beasts, clawing a life out of frozen rock.
Geography
The Frost Lands
Between the shelter below and the raging blizzards above, the Frost Lands are the largest part of the Phrōjhana - at least, as far as humanity is concerned. These caves are as much ice and snow as rock, and it is not always easy to determine which one the next cavern will be carved from. Frigid rivers have formed from the glaciers above, forming pools or lakes deeper underground. Some are covered by thick sheets of ice and slipping into the midnight-black waters is usually a quick death. Some parts of the Frost are frozen over, the stone foundation covered by meters of ice and stone. Further down, the cold relents before branching out into the Warrens. Compared to the rest of the Outer Shell, the grottoes and passages in Phrōjhana's Frost Lands are larger and more open, but this space is always at risk of being stolen by an avalanche or glacial cave-in. Geothermal vents and geysers are oases of heat, islands of warmth surrounded by ice and cold. They are havens for resting beasts and weary travelers. The caverns of these vents contain an abundance of life that feed off the steam and heat, coating the walls and ceiling with a shocking contrast of color to the white and blue just beyond. All but the strangest life in the Frost depend on these vents and geysers. In desperately cold seasons, even predator and prey share these caverns without strife. The cold kills everyone, without distinction.Not all such caverns are hospitable to human life. Some spew noxious gas or create pools of terrible acid. Less frail things still make these caves their home, having long since adapted to such poisons as the lesser of two evils. Things that feed off of melting stone and toxic fumes to stay out of the chill.
The Rime
Below the Frost Lands and closer to the Inner Shell, the Rime are far enough from the Surface that to avoid the worst of the ice and Blight. Most of the Rime consist of endless labyrinthine tunnels, with only the occasional cave of any size. Travel through the Rime has a few established routes surrounded by unknown and unexplored territory. The Rime isn't as cold as the rest of Phrōjhana, but neither is it as lively. Much of it is stone, with nothing to allow fungi or mushroom to grow. The irony has given rise to a popular jest among the people in Phrōjhana: the gods has given them a choice, starve or freeze. Despite that, the Rime's position as an area between the Inner Shell and the rest of Phrōjhana lends it some importance. Way-stations and merchant-stops dot the caverns large enough to support them, relying on food from either of its destination to stock its larders. These intermediate stations often function as neutral ground for diplomatic functions or other meetings: to destroy one of these would be to cut the vital flow of goods in and out of Phrōjhana. The people of Tah'loh pay particular attention to the action of visitors, fearful of what could happen.There is a sort of rivalry between those who chose to stay in the Rime and those who live in the Frost Lands. Those who live further into Phrōjhana and suffer the cold think of those who don't as weak, fragile or lesser than themselves. Those who stay in the Rime think themselves smarter than the damned fools who willingly live in such terrible places.
The Freeze
The caves here are made from sculpted from ice from primordial eons past. Beyond the Frost Lands and deep into the glaciers that have invaded the subterranean world lies the Freeze. Some of the passage ways lead all the way the surface, straight across the depth of the glacier. Any human here are mere visitors into a land of ice and snow, guests to beings that thrive in temperatures that can kill the unprepared in mere short order. The grottoes of the Freeze are carved from howling winds and nesting beasts, aided by the occasional meteoric impact. The flowing, almost organic curves of the glacier filter sunlight from above when the thick shroud of snow allows it and lighting the ice with an azure gleam. The only plant that grows here are the blood-red algae that feed on Blight, spreading across the glaciers like great jagged scars.Flora & Fauna
Due to its proximity to the Surface, at times separated by no more than a jagged gash across the icy ceiling, Phrōjhana sees visitors that from above with some regularity. Some are predators who have learned to come below to raid the geothermal chambers for prey, while others seek shelter from storms or Blight. At home in both freezing temperature and lethal zones of Blight, these creatures tend to be even more bizarre than those in Phrōjhana proper.Out in the Freeze, life is rare and alien. The things that live here make their home in nests of ice and in the heart of raging blizzards. Few know anything about them, but there are many superstitions. Some seem more like ice come to life than creatures of flesh and blood, so they are regarded as spirits, devils and god-beasts of the coldest parts of Phrōjhana.
Fortune & Frostbite
The Outer Shell The Outer Shell are the tunnels and caves nearest the surface, in some cases separated only by mere feet of stone. The grottoes are are smaller and support less life than those deeper down in Araea, though some must contend with visitors from the Surface. Read more about the Outer Shell
Ice-Cutting
Phrōjhana does see enterprise from hunters to explorers, but its largest industry is that of ice-harvesting. Teams of harvesters cut large blocks of ice from glaciers or frozen lakes to be sold back in cities and settlements, for reasons that range from preserving food to chilling drinks or providing water. It is dangerous, unpleasant work, but at least Phrōjhana is not at risk of running out of it anytime soon.Singing Ice Some ponds and lakes of black ice sing when disturbed. The ice cracks across a wide expanse and creates a tone that rings out across the water in eerie, otherworldly sound. Most consider it bad luck to hear such song - a practical superstition, as the ice is very thin. Others believe that the song holds secrets and use it as a form of divination. Either by tapping the frozen lake with special tools and dropping sacrifices on it, they listen to the tones and compare them to intricate charts to tell fortunes or decipher prophecy.
Steam Tunnels
Not all of the Rime is so uniform and dead. Some parts of the Rime have tunnels near always shrouded in hot steam from springs and vents in the rock. These tunnels are often credited with restorative abilities that range from minor to miraculous, but many are content with enjoying the warmth. These tunnels are where the only place in the Rime where things grow. Barnacle-like fungi dot the walls while blood-red stalks sprout between them to grasp for the venting steam, while roaming beetles feed on either. Some are useful, but only a few of the plants here are readily edible.The Palace
The largest known cavern in the Freeze, if not all of Phrōjhana is known as the Palace. Deep in the heart of a glacier and carved by generations of monsters, the Palace is an enormous chamber of sheer ice. It spans several stories in height with multiple chambers and tunnels that connect to the central cavern. Tales persist that not all of the its architecture is made by claw or howling wind alone. Some say it is now desolate and abandoned. Those who have been there say otherwise.Some parts of Phrōjhana are half-submerged beneath frigid water. Entire chasms in the Freeze are filled with water and some of the most dangerous travel ever done in Phrōjhana is by boat.
River Amāv
Amāv is the largest single continous river in Phrōjhana and large lake. It is a common goal to reach the lake for prospectors, fishers and hunters, both for what the lake offers on its own as well as to access the river for quicker travel. One exit from the Rime leads directly into the subterranean river, making the ramshackle encampment there the only real port in Phrōjhana and perhaps the entire Outer Shell.The Nomads
Phrōjhana connect to the surface region of Hēla through multiple paths and its settlers have come into contact with the Phtangi Nomads. As long as they can remember, the Phtangi have made their homes not in the sheltered caves below, but on the wasteland Surface. They eke out a living from whatever they can, travelling across the arctic tundras on the back of their Goa Striders. The people in Phrōjhana have a complicated relationship with the Phtangi. There is little direct conflict, as the Phtangi seem remarkably reluctant to fight another human and so far, the Phrōjhana settlers have been content to trade and occasionally send aid to stricken tribes of Phtangi. Whether or not they should be let into the caves remain a matter of fierce debate. by Diana Franco
So once again you really make geography interesting. I was engaged almost the whole way through, mainly hitting snags with similar sounding places. you do a great job of diffrenciating words, using synonyms instead of repeating yourself with each locale, but ice is ice I suppose. I really liked the inclusion of vents and geysers as a fundamental part of the ecosystem. it actually seems to have a very important role as this is a resting point for the wildlife. This says alot about how the ecosystem works without really saying much at all for those maniacs that dig deep into what they read. It's showing and not telling and that's pretty cool. I REALLY like the fact that ice cutting is included. despite the fame of frozen, not many know just how big the ice business was and the song, though it could use a little more expansion, was a really cool idea. I also want to know more about the wildlife. This is as harsh and unforgiving as other places in the world and I love what that can do for an evolutionary timeline. Great job as always Q