Zoroc

Created by Ezra W. (discord: datartkid)

Deep underground, there is a vast expanse of caverns that are a sanctuary to large reptiles with gnarly teeth and feathers. Originally made by Zirco as a shelter for reptiles after the Big War, humanoids and the like soon made their way down and learned to live with such reptiles. While there is no access to direct sunlight, Zorocians make due with a special rock that is scattered around the ceiling of the caverns. It emits the same amount of light as dawn or dusk, so the caves are never truly pitch dark.

Geography

Zoroc houses a surprisingly humid climate. It has a mix of tropical rainforest and humid plains life. The hotter temperatures make it ideal for the large reptiles. Where there is not vast jungle, there are large open plains with patches of forest where different types of large reptiles roam.

Landmarks

Chuyi Jungle

This large tropical resides in the western part of Zoroc. It is just as dense as the jungles above the surface. The lack of direct sunlight causes most of the plants to be bioluminescent and wild colors instead of typical greens. This then allows dinosaurs to blend into their surroundings better than in other places, causing a large dinosaur population to be found here.

Vessie de Zirco

This enormous lake is the main body of water in Zoroc. It is a vast underground lake that some would even consider an ocean. The Vessie de Zirco is filled with large aquatic reptiles and other sea creatures. A few Zorocians have made a life on its relatively calm waters, but most fear what lurks in the deep dark depths.

Zirco's Impression

In the middle of Vessie de Zirco, there is a large barrier of rocks that sounds a large foot like imprint. Some say it is Zirco's foot while others say it is the foot of a much larger creature that used to roam the lands. Either way, no one lives in the impression, but many have capitalize on the strangeness by hosting tours into the vast impression.

Towns

Kald

This is the smallest main city in Zoroc. Surrounded by Vessie de Zirco, it is very isolated comparatively to the other main towns. Most of the buildings are made of withered stone and decorated with the bones of large reptiles that wash up on the coast. The most common occupations of Kald citizens are fishing, stone cutting, small scale ranching, or boat transportation.

Mevania

The most western city, Mevania is located in thick Chuyi Jungle. The buildings here are mostly made of wood and are covered in lush plants to hide them from the large predators that stalk the jungle most hours of the day. Many have learned to adapt with dealing with such creatures by making more permanent defenses and wearing camouflaged clothing with spiky jewelry.

Oriso

This main city is located the most south in the plains of Zoroc. Many Zorocians here are ranchers with large reptile farms. They are heavily into big hats and boots. Most prefer to ride around on prized raptors than walking. Most of the buildings here are open concept to accommodate the creatures to be allowed in.

Vetera

The most eastern city, Vetera is the capital city of Zoroc. Being so close to the Vessie de Zirco, it has a good mix of ranching culture as well as coastal culture one would see near an overland region. Many citizens spend their weekdays taking care of raptors, and then spend the weekend going to the lake to relax. The one thing that makes Vetera stand out from the others is that the entire city's buildings are made from a mysterious stone that is not from this earth. Some speculate it as extraplanar while others say it's from space and got buried thousands of years before. Regardless, it has been carved out into cool looking buildings.

Culture

With much of the industries being stone and rock based, Zoroc has a deep culture in mining and other early gold rush life. There are heavy typical western themes with dinosaurs replacing cattle and horses.

Government

There is not an overall ruler of Zoroc, so instead, each major settlement has one head macho called a major. Majors are elected every 5 years, and one cannot be major for more than two terms. Each major then has a sheriff directly underneath them to oversee law enforcement as well as other day to day duties. The sheriffs are decided on who can wyrmling ride the longest.

Food and Art

The typical staples of Zoroc cuisine are dinosaur meat, root vegetables, and beans. Most Zorocians love to have their meat with a sweet spicy BBQ sauce in addition to a cooler leafy salads. Fruits such as figs, bananas, and oranges grow well in the jungle, so many Zorocians enjoy those on the daily.

Most of the art scene is acoustic songs with a defined beat to help people dance along to them. The local term for the dances is octo-dancing which refers to most of the moves follow an octagon shape path. Many Zorocians also partake in stone sculpture work as well as jewelry making. They take great pride in their stone cutting and their metal earring making.

Religion

Zoroc's main deity of choice is Zirco because he was the one who made the haven hundreds of years ago for these creatures. Before great hunts or celebrations, many create ephiages of him or his many forms to then destroy as a way to honor him. Day to day worship has followers burn small bundles of wood as offerings. Many like to carry geodes around to remind them of their devotion to destruction. While Zirco is the main deity, other gods are also worshipped around Zoroc.

Population

While any race can be found in Zoroc, the population tends to be races that like the heat more, such as tieflings, dwarves, and genasis. Dragonbornes, kobolds, lizardfolk, and tortles are found in abundance here as well due to the large reptile friendly ecosystem that has thrived in Zoroc.

Because they are underground with few paths leading to and from the surface, Zoroc is self sustaining, so there is a large range of jobs. Most deal with the mining and gold panning industry but others include dinosaur ranching and hunting. No job is seen lower than the other since everyone needs to do their part to keep Zoroc alive and thriving.

Clothing

The most common pieces of clothing to wear is reptile skins and canvas clothing. Thicker cloths are needed to help protect ranchers from the reptiles, but most are reasonably breathable with the humid climate of Zoroc. This and the abundance of reptile skins, Zorocians make it a staple to wear something almost entirely made of reptile skins whether it be hats, boots, or even full jackets/pants.

Wedding Traditions

Earrings hold a significant importance in Zorocian culture. Future engagements will send each other the largest pair of earrings they can make as a proposal. If the earring tears the ear lobe, it means the marriage is cursed because the person doesn't know how to properly balance practicality and art.

To properly commemorate a wedding, the newly wedding couple will come together before the wedding to make a stone sculpture. It can be as extravagant or as plain as the couple wants. Then at the wedding, they will destroy the statue and put it back together. This represents that even in the up and downs in a marriage, the couple will do their best to fix what they have and make it something new to cherish.

History

• 250: A meteor falls onto the land and gets buried

• 1000-2000: underwater rivers form and start to carve underground

• 2000: The Century War ends. In this new barren landscape, creatures were looking for refuge, barely being able to survive. With Adyn missing, Zirco carved out an underground region for them to survive. The creatures thrived and grew large under these new conditions.

• 2100-2300: Humanoids arrive and start to make cities. Some religious scholars commune with Zirco and learn about the nations original intent. To keep the peace, most start to look after the reptiles, and it leads to the modern day ranching of the large creatures.

• 2389: Major Skirmish. As cities grow larger and larger, there becomes a need for an organized system of government. Towns come together to organize themselves, but it ultimately ends with many different families trying to take power. After many months of physical fighting, citizens come together to reorganize everything. They come up with a fair way to decide who gets to be in charge, raptor riding. This tradition get used to this day.

Capital: Vetera

Leader(s):

Government System: Confederacy

National Mascot: Velociraptor

Patron God: Zirco

Demonym: Zorocians

Population: Dense near large cities

Major Imports:Wood, textiles, crops, other animal products

Major Exports:Reptile skin goods and reptile meat