Engoru Savanna

The grass was almost as tall as her—and in some places even taller—, but that was only because they rainy days had just passed. In a few big moons the cattle would have eaten all that grass, and the land would be exposed as the head of a bald man.
— excerpt from Benti-Zai

Geography

Engoru is located in Melung, approximately between 15º and 20º latitude lines. It stands to the south of the Zurki Grasslands and to the north of the Taller Greens. The medium altitude of the place is around 520 meters above the sea level, with the highest point being 953 meters above sea level and the lowest 365 meters. Just like any other savanna, Engoru's landscape changes drastically over the year, since it rains only during a quarter of the year. The main river in the region is the Green River, that originates in the Sunbringer mountains and grows receiving water from minor rivers of Engoru. Its level is higher during the summer (wet season) and decreases gradually during the rest of the year, since many of its tributary rivers get dry.

Fauna & Flora

The permanent vegetation of Engoru consists mostly of grass, with scattered bushes and trees here and there. The exception is near the rivers, where a layer of trees may happen. The trees have usually crooked branches and hard leaves, besides hard barks; they tend to be short, comparing to the trees in the rest of the world, but are very resistant to the drastic changes in humidity during the year. The animals are varied: birds, lizards, big and small herbivores and carnivores, rodents and many kinds of insects and other bugs. Some of them, like many species of birds, migrate in the dry months to the south or to the coastlines, where food is more abundant. The majority of the animals, however, is adapted to survive to the changes of the savanna, being able to keep without food for a long period of time or with resources to lose less energy and water. The benti, a sapient species of bird, happened to appear in this place. Although still living like animals, they can think and even have their own words, what made possible for some of them to befriend the zivar, one of the human peoples that inhabit the region.

Natural Resources

Engoru's trees are very resistant to heat and fire, since wildfires happen in the drier season and the vegetation is adapted to resist them. For this reason, many countries, specially in Talung, have interest in this wood. Since the regions of Engoru with more trees are the river banks, that many times are inhabited by humans, the logging activity can cause conflicts between the harvesters and the locals. The hadakin, the travelling people, usually go to Engoru in search of grain, usually the zoku cultivated by the zivar, and exotic animals or plants. The region has species that do not happen anywhere, such as the boratsis and and the sunfruits, and that are very valuabe in the rest of the world for their medicinal properties, taste or simply for their beauty.

Type

Savannah

Included Locations