Çatall (CHAR-tall)

Çatall — "the Tusk" in Borachi, so named for its hooked shape — is the region of southern Jugore (~25–15°N) dominated by the Mërshë Mountains and its foothills. Compared with the rest of Jugore, Çatall is relatively sparse, with few centralised communities. Despite this, the traditional lifestyle of the Borenae persists in most areas of the region, making it surprisingly interconnected and inhabited, with small grumball communities being found all over.

Geography

Çatall is dominated by highlands — hills and mountains, with an average elevation of 550m (1800ft) above sea level — which are alternately covered in dense grasses or tropical rainforest. The ground here features large amounts of clay, as well as laterite, meaning the hills are rich with aluminium and iron, making for its primary exports. Additionally, the mountains contain significant amounts of gneissic and granulite rock.
The region's tectonic plate is currently moving along a north–west to north–east curving vector, causing a rift to form of central Jugore, and new hills and mountains to form along the border of Tax-Xatt and the Heartlands. This tectonic movement has caused significant seismic activity in recent centuries.

Climate

Çatall features a coastal-tropical climate, with temperatures ranging between 10–35°C (50–95°F). Summers are on average between 26–33°C (76–91°F), with Winters averaging 9–16°C (48–61°F). The region experiences abundant rainfall between Flame's Start and High-Autumn — known as the Rainy Season — with comparatively little precipitation during late Autumn, Winter, and early Spring.

Fauna & Flora

The fauna of Çatall is extremely diverse, with many isolated species of mammals — including marsupials, found only there and in southern Tax-Xatt where it borders the region — as well as a wealth of reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, insects, and mollusks. Notable mammals include tigers, tahr, macaque, langur, gaur, civets, leopard cats, dwarf elephants, wombats, echidnas, and platypuses. Several unique apex predators live in the region, most notably the Murudrake, a gigantic cassowary-like feathered repile, believed to be an offshoot of Wyvern.
The region is home to many kinds of trees — several of which bear fruit — including coconut, fig, mango, palm, arjun, banyan, asoka, peepal, acacia, macadamia, paperbark, lilly pilly, sandal wood, banksia, black plum, and teak (which is the primary timber used in construction). Otherwise, rough, hardy grasses cover large swathes of the region.

History

During the ancient past (c.2500–2000 BE) Çatall was under the dominion of a Lich known as Zgjat the Lingering, who was ultimately defeated by a popular uprising, and his burial mounds formed the basis of the town of Five Hills. Since the time of Zgjat, the region has joined the wider Borenae culture, and was ultimately brought under the sway of the Vekhen Empire (though relatively bloodlessly).

Type

Region

Location under

Southern Stretches