Terraced Streams
Introduction
During the Imperial Military Expedition of 105 ADA whose goal was to expand the domain of Empire towards the North East; with limited success, within the notes from the esteemed Explorer Paratiri Erol Rommer of the Ouran Laha Seekers, found the first descriptive reference to the environment of Terraced Streams and by their creators Cultivator Lupins. Terraced Streams are a habitat that is an example of a temporary localised Harmonious Environment; which is to say that the habitat shows aspects and influences from all the Karmaic Gods and their respective guardianships. In its Harmonious Environment state it consists of a network of dams that are constructed and maintained throughout the process by Cultivator Lupins. The overall process like with other Harmonious Environments the end result must be in a complete balanced nature, which is why even though Cultivator Lupins are reasonably common; and by extension the presence of dam-like structures are also fairly common, due to the complexity and overreliance on Cultivator Lupin behaviour, fully developed dam networks are fairly rare. Terraced streams are usually present around a section of a creek, stream or in extremely rare cases a small river. These sections are located within forests or woods with plenty of raw materials for which Cultivator Lupins rely upon to construct their dams.Stages of Terraced Streams process.
Group of Cultivator Lupins select a suitable site to establish their colony by digging a dens in the vicinity in a loose ring.
They then proceed stripping the surrounding woodland of bushes, small trees and branches which is used to construct their primary dam.
This is done by placing branches, twigs and other vegetation which is then compacted down with mud and the use of their wide flat fore paws.
After completing the prime dam, the water flow is stimmed and altered to create a small pond behind the dam.
This small pond extends beyond the original banks and creates an environment where Pond Reeds can thrive, which is the preferred staple food of Cultivator Lupins.
This pond also becomes a home for a variety of other fauna such as Shadow Leeches, which prefer the environment of stagnant ponds or pools.
As the colony's population grows the Cultivator Lupins use an unusual method of promoting Pond Reeds growth and increasing their yields.
This method is the use of 'fertilising' the pond through defecating and dumping of inedible reed stalks. Additionally the Cultivator Lupins construct secondary dams to create other ponds or pools to create more suitable environments for Pond Reeds.
This stage also when an Alpha Male and his harem emerges and a main central den is established.
| As a side note other factors that might contribute to the increase pace of pond establishment might be Shadow Leeches or Mud Newts hunting of Cultivator Lupins that are unfortunately targeted whilst defecating. This is because both predators do not consume the entirety of the corpse and the remains then sink and decompose at the pond bottom. It is at this stage that the colony can experience rapid loss due to overhunting and the poor leadership of the Alpha male, this can lead to one of the outcomes that creates a Discordant Environment. |
As the colony progresses and expands upstream, if one looks upon the area from the prime original dam then you would see a series of raised beds with a central channel constructed within; this incidentally where the name terraced of Terraced Streams is evidently becomes clear.
The habitat becomes teeming with flora and fauna with willows, frogs, birds such as Mini Kingfisher, and the occasional higher tier predators such as Meadow Kestrel and Forest Coyote.
As the ponds become shallower it becomes a more suitable for the growth of Bounty Wheat (wild), which the Cultivator Lupins gorge upon and is highly addictive to them.
However due to the specific circumstances and relatively slower growth of Bounty Wheat, the Cultivator Lupin colony slowly becomes restless and disperses and migrants to find new sites to 'cultivate'.
Ecosystem Diagram.
Karmaic Influences.
Harmonious Outcome.
As mentioned in the introduction, Terraced Streams are an example of a temporary localised Harmonious Environment. This is because throughout its process and its final outcome has created a habitat that is balanced within the Karmaic Laws. Much thought has from various renowned scholars have expressed theories and views on this topic, however the purpose of this entry I will summarise their findings by listing each of the Karmaic values and their respective Guardians.
God of Thought, Guardian of Fire.
As it is established in early lore and tenets that the concept fire has always been associated with thought and logic, and that it is evident from early studies and expeditions that Cultivator Lupins have been favoured by the God of Thought due to their complex use of dams to create a beneficial habitat for them to live and thrive in.God of Kindness, Guardian of Flora and God of Honesty, Guardian of Fauna.
With the variety of flora and fauna that are intentionally present, some that are promoted and others that become established after its creation, it is clear that the Guardians of Flora and Fauna wishes its presence is known. As with everything that is influenced by these Guardians their rivalry is present with the concept that fauna were the spark of this habitat's creation and with flora being the deciding factor into its harmonious outcome.God of Discipline, Guardian of Water.
Whilst a passive entity, the presence of water bodies; the initial stream or creek, creation of the ponds and pools and regulation of water flows, shows the importance of the God of Discipline's place within this environment.God of Respect, Guardian of Birth and God of Authority, Guardian of Death.
The continued friendship of these Guardians are demonstrated with the controlled regulation of the populations of the various lifeforms that call Terraced Streams their home. The following Karmaic Gods have so far seem to have minor roles within the establishment and continued development of Terraced Streams habitat, whilst there is much debate on the reasoning behind this, the presence of the remaining Guardians characterise Terraced Streams as a Harmonious Environment. The following extract is from the Karmaic Influences on Environs and Lesser Beings treastise of 254BDA| Some scholars say as it is a temporary harmonious environment then all Karmaic Gods influences do not need to present equally, while others state that just because reasoning is not fully understood in the apparent lack of equality doesn't mean that the above assumption is valid. |
How can the water flow if there is no rock to hold it up?, while true and there is no dispute of that (and no real need to dispute it!) it doesn't confirm the equal influences that is required for a constant Harmonious state. While followers of the God of Destruction would wail; often incomprehensible:
Healing is the reversion back to the original state! Streams are wounded by wood and mud, yet water will slowly inflict upon their health, healing the stream back to its original intent of flowing once more!, which is not entirely true as the water flow is not exactly the same, but that retort only results in more incoherent wailing.
Discordant Outcome.
In the section 'Stages of Terraced Streams process', it is mentioned that after the permanent establishment of the Cultivator Lupin colony and ascension of an Alpha Male, there is a distinct possibility that due to overhunting and poor leadership that this results into one of the Discordant Environment outcomes. As if the population of the Cultivator Lupins is not sustained and diminishes; especially before the dams are fully finished, the pools become stagnant and putrid, which creates an ideal breeding ground for Shadow Leeches. With the exponential rate on which Shadow Leeches reproduce, they proceed to attack the main dam in order to secure a route to more food sources. With this and the lack of maintenance that was undertaken by the colony, the dam eventually breaks and which produces a flash flood of pent-up water. The Shadow Leech swarm uses this to devour all fauna in their path before becoming stranded and perishing themselves. Conversely, in the surrounding area this is a lack of substantial predators that fail to keep the colony's population in check, the second outcome of a Discordant Environment occurs. Due to the nature and tenacity of Cultivator Lupins in general, they tend to over prolific to increase their chances of survival, in particular when migrating between colonial states and establishing said colonies. However, this tendency lends itself to be susceptible to overpopulation which results in stripping of first vegetation; then become more omnivorous, then other fauna and lastly turning towards cannibalism. This vile practice that they employ results into a fundamental shift in Cultivator Lupin behaviour in such extremes that they transform into a Rampager Lupin. The Rampager Lupin becomes enraged and blood thirsty, resulting into a frenzied killing spree of all fauna in the vicinity and would only halt in its gorging of its' prey after succumbing to its sustained injuries.Environmental Impact
Throughout various preceding expeditions and studies, various treatises have detailed the local habitat impact of Terraced Streams onto their surroundings, below is a summary of their findings:Creation of Dams
The Cultivator Lupins construct dams using materials from the surrounding woodland. This process alters the flow of water, creating ponds and pools which support various species of flora and fauna. Cultivator Lupins: Dam builders and their works, Holders of Life in their world; High Priestess Angret Lars. Priest Jos Ha Lars. Master Clerk Sttu Lan-ee. 201 ADAExpansion and Transformation
As the colony expands upstream, the habitat transforms, with raised beds and a central channel resembling terraces. This expansion affects the distribution of flora and fauna within the habitat. Karmaic Changes from Terraced Streams expansion; High Priest Mich-al Poloc. Priest Tomoth Beecheek. Priestess Cal Vok. High Clerks Josep Wheat, Kri Jor, Nico Bowls and Nico Webbing. 123ADAPromotion of Pond Reeds and Bounty Wheat
Cultivator Lupins fertilize the ponds by defecating and dumping inedible reed stalks, promoting the growth of Pond Reeds. This alteration of nutrient levels influences the ecosystem within the ponds. In addition it provides an ideal location for the introduction of Bounty Wheat. Complete Botantical works of the Pansol Region; High Priestess sisters Pu-sun 'Flower' Paud, Pen-Yun 'Tree' Paud and Yo-Lin 'Mushroom' Paud. 152 ADAHuman Domestication
Several successful attempts have been made to cultivate Bounty Wheat and has become a staple food crops especially for the farming settlements along the shoreline of Lake Pansol. This is in also part of the successful domestication of Cultivator Lupins which are used by farming communities throughout the Empire to provide irrigation, crop fertiliser and as a supplementary meat source to control their herd's population. Treatise on the absolution of Divine Authority on Imperial landscapes and societies; High Imperial Clerk Cas Bail Ghar. Imperial Clerks Fee Ovan and Oh Nan-baee. 201ADA
Type
Stream
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