Makal
The stormy island of Makal is a subcontinent unto itself. It has a variety of biomes, cultures, and states: from the great amphibious coral-reef states of the North to the militaristic plains tribes of the Southwest to the hermit-Solars of the Eastern deserts.
Makal is famous for its intense monsoons and ocean currents, with shipwrecks and lost explorers from across the equatorial belt often washing up on Makal's shores. It is also the home of sugar distillation, with sugar farming dating back many centuries here. The work is traditionally done by Prisms, as the sharp leaves of the sugar cane bounce easily off their stony exterior.
Just like the years of old, Makal is a hub for trade and exchange. While sugar has long since become a global cash crop, Makal has done its best to keep up with new crops and crafts. The arrival of Selkie fleets in the last few centuries have seriously helped this, as Makal has become the vital trade connection between Izekra and Ekraht.
Geography
Makal sits 80 miles off the coast of Ekraht- but the journey is made easier by the island of Zadhara, a 60-mile long, 16 mile wide island that bridges most of the gap.
Makal is sizeable: its northern area is roughly 800 by 950 miles, and its 2 Southern peninsulas are 580 and 225 miles long. At the heart of the north are the Dumenzura mountains: formed by largely dormant volcanoes, the range is 460 by 470 miles across, and can reach over 15,000 feet high (so about as tall as the Alpine mountains in real life). The Dumenzuras are the stormbreakers of Makal- they are impenetrable and largely unexplored, but they provide a nice buttress for the South.
Four rivers flow out of the Dumenzaras into the North: The Northeastern Isikoi, the Southeastern Ebresko, and the Western rivers of Kazru and Mazru. The Isikoi river is the largest and most famous: 630 miles long, largely unexplored, and infamously hard to navigate. The other 3 are all well explored and understood, but the Isikoi is shorthand for mystery in greater Ekratan media.
Northern Makal is home to a combination of dense jungle, arid savannah, and blistering desert. The Northwest is known for its savannah, with bands of dense monsoon-jungle; the Northeast is known for its rainforest; the heart is known for its craggy peaks; and the East is known for its deserts. While it is believed to be more intense the deeper inland you go, veteran explorers know that it actually has mild patches once you break through the band of intense climate.
Southern Makal is dominated by a large lake known as lake Itaini. Itaini is 117 miles by 119 miles of (mostly) fresh water, and home to a robust isolated ecosystem. The Southwestern peninsula has larger, cooler plains, and the Southeast has dense forests with stretches of monsoon jungle.
Fauna & Flora
Makal's wildlife has an unfair reputation as dangerous. It can be a little intimidating, but travelers ought to know that malaria and fungus really is a greater threat here than anything with legs.
Makal is famous for an abundance of two kinds of animal: monkeys and spiders. The world's largest orangutan population lives in the North, and all kinds of monkeys and apes abound. Large and industrious spiders of all kinds can also be found in every one of Makal's climates. The mountains famously house immense spider colonies, with interlocking webs the size of small cities.
Also stunning are the tigers, leopards, and civets. Sun bears live in the North, and rhinos live across the island- large ones in the savannah and plains, small ones in the forests and jungles. Tapirs are not uncommon, same with elephants. Deer of all kinds- from mouse deer to large stags- can be found. Dholes and boars are to be expected.
In the water, look for dugongs and all sorts of large fish and dolphins. Freshwater dugongs are a unique feature of the great lake of Itani. The Southwestern plains feature bison and wild horses.
Type
Island
Location under
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