Amhumap (/ˈamhumap/)
Amhuyumakamap, better known by its shorter name of Amhumap, is a one-of-a-kind area found on the planet Niskhisima. A massive flat expanse of land, Amhumap suffers from the most extreme and most frequent overflows of magic on the entire planet. Though it's unclear why this place, of all the land on the planet, is affected so strongly, it's undeniable that it is. Whether it is because it acts as a well, drawing Vita up from the planet's core, or whether Vita naturally gathers here due to its shaping and thus overflows (or perhaps Vita just gathers here, for no discernible reason), ultimately matters little.
Characterized by the regular overflows of Vita, Amhumap suffers from sudden bouts of magic unpredictable both in timing and the form it will take. Sometimes the entire expanse will be scorched to the ground by fire, while the next time it may be ravaged by lightning storms, and the third will submerge it with an ocean's worth of water, draining away slowly... until the next time the Vita overflows and the cycle starts all over again.
Though Amhumap as a location ultimately matters little on the scale of the entire galaxy, marks of its existence can be found far and wide. The tumnihup found here is popular among both Vita-Touched and those hunting Vita-Touched. After all, it's very easy to kill a poorly trained Vita-Touched if you give them a crystal that will blow up if they make a single, simple mistake with it.
In the Third Age, Amhumap became a popular symbol among rebels. According to them, it shows the inherent danger and beauty of Vita, that one cannot have one side without the other. But also that Vita is an inherent part of the world (and the galaxy as a whole), and that hiding it or forcing it away will simply result in backlash. That Vita will not, and cannot, ever go away. That the best they can do is embrace it, lest they get swept away by the coming storms.
Geography
Amhumap is a flat expanse of land, though the exact form it takes varies depending on how long ago the last overflow was, and what form said magic took. However, the 'stable' form it typically returns to is a massive grassland, rapidly growing stalks of grass stretching as far as the eye can see. In areas that suffered the worst of the overflow, the damage is usually too bad to support plant life. Instead, they are covered in massive crystals, which glow faintly... or strongly, when another Vita overflow is coming.
The expansive plain is bordered in massive mountains, which tamper almost directly into the ocean. It's not agreed upon whether the mountains are part of Amhumap. Most would consider Amhumap the plain itself, as this is where the magic overflows, yet few have come up with separate names for the bordering mountains... or the island as a whole, since Amhumap takes up so much of it.
Ecosystem
Despite being derived from life, the constant overflows of Vita that ravage Amhumap make it extremely unkind to, well, life. While some plants can eke out an existence on the flatland, few animals can manage the same. The unpredictable but extremely dangerous magical storms that torment the plain mean that inhabiting life must grow, and reproduce, extremely rapidly, so they can spread before the next overflow wipes them out. Notable among these is quryiwsa, the grass-like plant that makes up the fields that many consider Amhumap's normal form. Very few animals live in the plains themselves, but several have managed to find a balance between living in the plains and retreating to the mountains to evade the unpredictable magic. However, if magic makes the plains uninhabitable for extended periods of time, for example due to flooding, many of these animals die, and species regularly go extinct.
Ecosystem Cycles
Though Amhumap experiences no seasons, the overflowing of Vita is certainly cyclical enough to shape its ecosystem. While the acts of magic created by overflowing Vita can't be quite predicted, there are methods to tell when gathered Vita begins to pile up. Animals with enough sensitivity to ambient Vita can use this as an early warning system, while others may grow to be intelligent enough to tell via the use of the massive crystals in their habitat. Warned of an incoming flow, these animals will migrate away, moving into the mountains, where food is far scarcer. Here, some will hibernate or brumate, while others will switch to lifestyles more suited to this alpine environment. Then, once enough time has passed and the magic has largely worn away, they will return to the plains once more, where the seeded plants will be rapidly growing back.
Localized Phenomena
Amhumap's defining characteristic are the spontaneous acts of magic which terrorize it, created by the overflowing of gathered Vita. These overflows are unpredictable in timing and in the form of magic they will take, but are always large-scale and almost always devastating. From massive fires to unnaturally persistent lightning-storms to sudden flash-floods, anything is possible... as long as the expanse itself remains the flat land it always is. The magic is always restrained to the plain itself, ending at the edges of the mountains, though its effects may carry on. Clouds of ash from burning plants will be carried off by the winds, water draining from the sudden inland sea will carve through the mountains, and windstorms may carry material from the mountains back to the plain.
Natural Resources
Due to its harsh but unique features, Amhumap has a large collection of endemic plants and animals found nowhere else, making them quite valuable to those who are interested in such things. More generally, the tumnihup which can be gathered here is extremely valuable, as these crystals can be used as powerful conductors of Vita in the hands of a Vita-Touched.
History
Amhumap's history is unclear and poorly documented, as the island never had settled inhabitants due to its inhospitable nature. The inhabiting people of Niskhisima, the niskhi, have certainly been there before, as several of their cultures grow quryiwsa as a domestic crop, but when, how, and why they went to Amhumap is lost to the time--as is the reason why they left the island.
Niskhi legends tell of a very different planet long before their time, back when they were barely-derived humans. Living alongside a long-since extinct intelligent species, their planet was like many others, all Vita drawn away by strange machines. Their extinct fellows came to realize that these machines meant them ill, that Niskhisima and its people were being used, and destroyed the machines, unaware of what that would do to the planet. The backlash of suddenly returning Vita wrecked havoc on the planet.
It's unclear to what extent this magical backlash could have--and has--changed the planet itself. Likewise, it's unclear whether the island of Amhumap would have existed before, or may have been formed during that event. Much about its history remains unclear, and answers may never come. Whether Amhumap is a wellspring of Vita formed during the backlash, or an island that naturally gathered more Vita than the rest of the planet due to its shape, or if its shape is because Vita gathered there naturally... Truly, we may never know.
Tourism
While Amhumap, due to its extremely dangerous nature, doesn't draw in regular tourists, it does receive regular visitors, both on-planet and off-planet. The island altogether is extremely inhospitable, with no one living there permanently, but bases and headquarters certainly exist in the mountains. From there, people wait out the overflows of magic, until they are certain (or as certain as one can be) that the unpredictable magic has faded away for the moment, and then go out to harvest. Here, an extremely valuable resource can be found: tumnihup. Usually seen as massive crystals on the plains, overflowing magic can shatter them as easily as it can form them, and it is these shards which hunters gather. Extremely valuable both on- and off-planet, these risky gathering runs draw in the most desperate of people, who are willing to face certain death because they need the money so badly.
Alternative Name(s)
Amhuyumakamap; Field of Magic
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