Igoris

Igoris is a continent of icy glaciers and unpredictable magic. Due to its location at the southern tip of Fillimet it only experiences one sunrise and one sunset a year. While the continent provides a hostile environment for the researchers probing to learn its secrets Igoris does provide a haven for the small variety of life which has adapted to the unrelenting ice.

Geography

Igoris is the southernmost continent on Fillimet, bordered only by the Lokiran and Min Oceans, both to the north. During the dark season of Igoris the surrounding oceans are frozen in a giant sheet of ice, meaning the continent can only be safely reached by water once per year towards the end of the light season. The continent has no known native sapient inhabitants, although it is home to the occasional temporary research base and a small assortment of wildlife well-adapted to the frigid wastelands. The continent itself is a mostly flat expanse of cold and glacial ice, with the Igoris Mountains providing the only real landmark. The Society of Scientific Exploration and Discovery believes this was not always the case.

SSED Field Report

Icecap Project, Record #223F - Our continued excavation and analysis of glacier layers throughout the work site have shown results hinting that in ancient times Igoris may have once boasted a warmer climate with a much larger diversity of life. Each core cut from throughout our 64 sites of research shows materials consistent with a warmer climate, with a variety of biomes ranging from dense tropical forests to arid deserts found in an assortment throughout the cores. Our team is hoping to take additional samples spread across the ice on the far side of the continent before our residence at the Igoris Outpost concludes in order to confirm this theory, and hopefully construct a map showing the biomes of Igoris during this time period. Each core also contains a layer of magically-charged charred material, layered consistently and evenly across each sample. These layers all correspond to the same time period, which we estimate as somewhere between 800 and 500 in the Historical Fillimet Era. This material marks a clear delineation between the tropical and frozen state of Igoris. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts at analyzing this material and have therefore collected sampled to send back for further study. Artifacts retrieved from Icecap Project Section E4 also hint at the possibility of a permanent settlement in the region during this warm period, prior to the cataclysmic ice event. The team recommends a future expedition include an effort to further investigate this possibility. A full list of these artifacts is included in the appendix of this report record.

Fauna & Flora

Despite its hostile environment the continent of Igoris is home to a small variety of plant and animal life. Most species find shelter within the ocean waters surrounding Igoris or the mountain Peaks of the Igoris Mountains, although some have adapted perfectly to make their home on the vast glaciers forming the flat, barren ice fields of Igoris.

SSED Field Report

Icecap Project, Personal Journal #723ZB - The resident Icefang matron birthed her long-anticipated puppies last night! Such unusual creatures, Icefang appear to be a distant relatives of the Brown Wolves that roamed the forests of my youth, but the way they behave sometimes I wonder if they might simply be some sort of sentient ice? If past Icefang litters are any indication, one of Igoris' famed many-day ice storms will begin tonight. Head Scientist Egris has ordered all personnel back to base to be safe. This means possibly abandoning several delicate experiments to the elements, but experiments are easier to replace than people and we can't spare the resources for another rescue mission until our annual supply shipment next month. Welcome to the loneliest place on Fillimet. But at least we have puppies!

Natural Resources

Ice is the most plentiful natural resource of this frozen expanse. There are some minerals of interest in the Igoris Mountains but nothing of sufficient value to encourage any population to go through the trouble to mine them. Igoris does have a surprising array of wildlife for such a frigid environment, and an especially varied collection of fish available offshore in the Lokiran and Min Oceans.

SSED Field Report

Icecap Project, Record #684B - Our continued efforts have been unable to determine the source of Igoris' unusual impact on magical spells and their properties. Some more superstitious members of the team have begun to whisper that the myths of Ancient Magic rippling beneath the ice may actually be truth, although I myself remain unconvinced. The native plant and animal life of the continent has clearly adapted to accommodate these surges and unpredictabilities, and I believe our answers may lie in further study of these adaptations. I have attached a chart of requested non-native plants to this report. Please provide several samples of each, as contrasting their behavior once planted near their Igoris native counterparts may provide the key in unlocking this mystery. Unfortunately it would be premature to begin to rely upon any use of magic upon Igoris until the successful conclusion of this study, so we must continue to rely upon the annual shipments from the mainland.