Howling Waves
Geography
Because the Dorsal Tesseract is defined by its relatively dearth of seismic activity, circumvection-related forces are the predominant factors in how the landscape takes shape.
In the case of the Howling Waves, winds driven by strong temperature fluctuations betnween the adjacent Caudal- and Rostral-adjacent cube layers have eroded the sedimentary rock into a network of rolling hills bounded by dry canyon complexes near the commissure and cube edges. The 'waves' are in referrence to the fact that the smooth, hard hills of sedimentary rock exhibit a wavy pattern; the sediment is not of uniform depth or age across the whole of the expanse, though the spacing between the layers is relatively consistent, creating the appearance of waves propagating across the hill faces.
Dark olivine inclusions shimmer and glow beneath the dark Distal sunlight in places, giving the illusions of bodies of water to the unwary traveler. This is not to say that the howling waves are a desert, but many of the shallow ponds that form in surface hollows during the early spring wet season dry up and disappear during the summer dry season. Many of the unique Distal aquatic species that live here, including specialized semi-aquatic subspecies of Distal polyps and golden skirt cuttlefish, adapt by hibernating in mud burrows during dry spells.
Though the Howling Waves are located in the Distal Tesseract, it is also Dorsal-adjacent. This adjacency has a curiously strong influence on the region's geology. There remains much speculation on how such associations - where the two layers that share many geophysical commonalities don't appear to be directly physically connected to one another - are formed or how they are mediated.
Ecosystem
In terms of ecology, the howling waves are a somewhat typical Distal shrubland environment. Nutrient-poor due to limited geological activity and constant wind erosion, plants are most dense in the shallow valleys of the Howling Waves or tucked into the canyons that replace the typical edge mountain ranges in Dorsal environments.
Localized Phenomena
The Howling Waves 'howl' because of the strong wind currents that flow through the area between the commissures to Distal B and D. The denser and less-eroded waves in the rock cause turbulence in the air as it passes through, generating a distinctive howling sound.
Fauna & Flora
A small population of 'dry-looking' jet meantwigs stalks the hardened lanscape looking for prey. The local population of Distal polyps has a semi-aquatic ofshoot that lingers in and around the seasonally-dry ponds of the region (see Geography). Distal urticators in the Howling Waves have developed migratory instincts, travelling towards the edge highlands to feast on grasses during the dry season before returning to the waterside during the wet season. This brings the urticators into the threat range of the polyps, which become active during this period, but the draw of fresh water and new growth detritus is too strong for the spiny creatures.
Distal grasses and shrubs of all description propagate wherever the soil quality permits it. Despite the Howling Waves being a primarily Distal environment, clumps of Penrose fescue also grow there.
History
A few of the more secluded canyon sections at the edgeward outskirts of the Howling Wastes have served as hidden retreats for covens belonging to the Way of the Biocosm. Monasteries and other small religious compounds can be found scattered throughout the region, though, as Biocosmism is not as popular with the nearby Vale Verdial population and the remoteness of the site, almost all have been abandoned with time.
Type
Expanse
Location under
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