The Mur Fostisyr (Um. "Land of the Blue Light)
No land that I have ever seen has failed to affect its inhabitants; still the
Mur Fostisyr has an exceptional impact upon its people. Each race that
makes their home there shares a rugged, almost defiant existence which
makes them considerable forces, despite their modest numbers. The
hunters and craftsmen of the Land of Blue Light live in a very special
world.
Its four sizable islands and a score of smaller islets lie clustered around a central bayin the icy waters. They are isolated by storms and cold most of the year. It is harsh place that sits astride the line where the trees stop growing and the brilliant heath marches toward the eerie lights of the dark northern sky. Scattered forests of fir dot the slopes and isolated coastal plains in the South, while wild and spongy moor-like plains sweep across the northern flank.
Everywhere, volcanic peaks, bubbling geysers, and frigid fjords dominate the course of twisted paths. To say that there are mountains in the Mur Fostisyr is inaccurate; the peaks of the mighty Harl Syina are the land. The great black massifs rise miles straight out of the sea, holding back the waters of the Fuir Gath Ku. Dominating the area is the Yalf Hurm ("Land of the Glass Spires"), along and often breathtaking island which is cut lengthwise by a chain of jagged spires . This range is carpeted with dark forests on the southern decline, and appears wild and untameable from the North.
In the Spring, when the heavy rains, snows, and ice storms pound rocky fields of colorful wildflowers and spawn a plethora of thundering streams. Two sizable rivers allow for passage into the interior. This northern domain borders both the Fuir Baath Ku and the Ky'taari Shay ("Waters of the Ky'taari') . The latter bay lies in the northwest and forms the core of Kyvinaar, the land of the Ky'taari proper. It is the western most realm of the Mur Fostisyr. Jaded with myriad lakes and silvery glaciers.
Southeast of the Yall Hurm, across the Yalf Yorn ("Bay of Glass Spires") and Yon Vu ("Straits of Death"), lies the second largest of the principal islands -the Adea Hu ("Pillars ofBlack Ice' ) . This is the home of the numerous and warlike Syrkakar clans. The Adea Hyis formed out of the same series of peaks that give birth to the Yalf Hurm, although it is not nearly so rugged as its larger companion isle. It is the most forgiving land in the Mur Fostisyr. This is in part due to the one huge mountain rises from its center, an uplift the natives call Kanga Syrn ("Mountain Father") . Relatively gentle slopes and sheltered valleys create accessible havens along the coast, and permit commerce to cross reasonably passable ridges. Perhaps more importantly, two protected vales lie guarded within the mountain's bizarre womb. One is a long expanse of pine and rich grass which parallels northwesterly mountain-course and sits nestled between the Kanga Syrn and a long wooded ridge known locally as the Hegra Surm("Bark Wall' ).
The other valley rests within the dry caldera of the Mountain Father. What was once a volcanic cone surging with molten terror is now a moss and tree covered oval, surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs of glassy rock. Hundreds of hard crysfaline pillars protrude from this natural fence, and give the island its name. The Syrkakar apparently realize that the natural defenses, fertile soil, and wonderful views are unique gifts, because they make their capital in this beautiful bowl. Syclax ("Town of Five Gates') is the city, and the valley is the Yon Syclax. Their kingdom is called the Mur Brya ("Land of Trees").
North of the Adea Hu, across the Fuir Gath Ku, lies Gosli Hyr ("Isles of Green Light'). It is actually a collection of three medium sized islands which are separated by narrow channels . Each is has steep faces which rise quickly from the shallows and rise to a single sharp summit. Like most of Kyvinaar and the Yalf Hurm, these are rocky, treeless places carpeted by vivid heather and wildflowers, moss, lichens, and scrub pines. Every night a halo of diffused green light illuminated the northern horizon and gave the cold sea the texture of black silk.
Gosti Hyr is in pan populated by a wandering race who hunt, fish, travel, and sleep in sturdy ice boats. These stocky folk, the Fustir-Gost, roam to the north and appear to be spread across many lands. Some of their kind occupy another isle northeast of the the watery reaches that compose the Nay Fostisyr ("Waters of Blue Light") . Its pumicy shores are called Mur Fustir ("Land of the Cold Ones' ), and unlike the other mountainous isles, it appears totally barren . Dark grey, cave-riddled rocks are all thatpeekout from the swirling ice flows born of the Fosark Ay ("Northern Sea'). Of all the spots of the Mur Fostisyr, the fourth big island is undoubtedly the most bizarre. It is a ribbed volcanic cinder cone sown with tall gold grass and surmounted by two high needle- like spires set ten miles apart. Like a great crown placed in a swelling sea, it can be seen from most anywhere. Iam sure it is the highest point in the Land of Blue Light, and perhaps all the northern sea.
Its four sizable islands and a score of smaller islets lie clustered around a central bayin the icy waters. They are isolated by storms and cold most of the year. It is harsh place that sits astride the line where the trees stop growing and the brilliant heath marches toward the eerie lights of the dark northern sky. Scattered forests of fir dot the slopes and isolated coastal plains in the South, while wild and spongy moor-like plains sweep across the northern flank.
Everywhere, volcanic peaks, bubbling geysers, and frigid fjords dominate the course of twisted paths. To say that there are mountains in the Mur Fostisyr is inaccurate; the peaks of the mighty Harl Syina are the land. The great black massifs rise miles straight out of the sea, holding back the waters of the Fuir Gath Ku. Dominating the area is the Yalf Hurm ("Land of the Glass Spires"), along and often breathtaking island which is cut lengthwise by a chain of jagged spires . This range is carpeted with dark forests on the southern decline, and appears wild and untameable from the North.
In the Spring, when the heavy rains, snows, and ice storms pound rocky fields of colorful wildflowers and spawn a plethora of thundering streams. Two sizable rivers allow for passage into the interior. This northern domain borders both the Fuir Baath Ku and the Ky'taari Shay ("Waters of the Ky'taari') . The latter bay lies in the northwest and forms the core of Kyvinaar, the land of the Ky'taari proper. It is the western most realm of the Mur Fostisyr. Jaded with myriad lakes and silvery glaciers.
Southeast of the Yall Hurm, across the Yalf Yorn ("Bay of Glass Spires") and Yon Vu ("Straits of Death"), lies the second largest of the principal islands -the Adea Hu ("Pillars ofBlack Ice' ) . This is the home of the numerous and warlike Syrkakar clans. The Adea Hyis formed out of the same series of peaks that give birth to the Yalf Hurm, although it is not nearly so rugged as its larger companion isle. It is the most forgiving land in the Mur Fostisyr. This is in part due to the one huge mountain rises from its center, an uplift the natives call Kanga Syrn ("Mountain Father") . Relatively gentle slopes and sheltered valleys create accessible havens along the coast, and permit commerce to cross reasonably passable ridges. Perhaps more importantly, two protected vales lie guarded within the mountain's bizarre womb. One is a long expanse of pine and rich grass which parallels northwesterly mountain-course and sits nestled between the Kanga Syrn and a long wooded ridge known locally as the Hegra Surm("Bark Wall' ).
The other valley rests within the dry caldera of the Mountain Father. What was once a volcanic cone surging with molten terror is now a moss and tree covered oval, surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs of glassy rock. Hundreds of hard crysfaline pillars protrude from this natural fence, and give the island its name. The Syrkakar apparently realize that the natural defenses, fertile soil, and wonderful views are unique gifts, because they make their capital in this beautiful bowl. Syclax ("Town of Five Gates') is the city, and the valley is the Yon Syclax. Their kingdom is called the Mur Brya ("Land of Trees").
North of the Adea Hu, across the Fuir Gath Ku, lies Gosli Hyr ("Isles of Green Light'). It is actually a collection of three medium sized islands which are separated by narrow channels . Each is has steep faces which rise quickly from the shallows and rise to a single sharp summit. Like most of Kyvinaar and the Yalf Hurm, these are rocky, treeless places carpeted by vivid heather and wildflowers, moss, lichens, and scrub pines. Every night a halo of diffused green light illuminated the northern horizon and gave the cold sea the texture of black silk.
Gosti Hyr is in pan populated by a wandering race who hunt, fish, travel, and sleep in sturdy ice boats. These stocky folk, the Fustir-Gost, roam to the north and appear to be spread across many lands. Some of their kind occupy another isle northeast of the the watery reaches that compose the Nay Fostisyr ("Waters of Blue Light") . Its pumicy shores are called Mur Fustir ("Land of the Cold Ones' ), and unlike the other mountainous isles, it appears totally barren . Dark grey, cave-riddled rocks are all thatpeekout from the swirling ice flows born of the Fosark Ay ("Northern Sea'). Of all the spots of the Mur Fostisyr, the fourth big island is undoubtedly the most bizarre. It is a ribbed volcanic cinder cone sown with tall gold grass and surmounted by two high needle- like spires set ten miles apart. Like a great crown placed in a swelling sea, it can be seen from most anywhere. Iam sure it is the highest point in the Land of Blue Light, and perhaps all the northern sea.
Geography
The Mountains
Only a small percentage of the land of the Mur Fostisyr is not mountainous. The slopes of the Barl Syrnac rise immediately out of the icy waters of the Fuir Gaath Ku, soaringmiles into the sky. Fortunately for the inhabitants, the soil is rich, and there are many sheltered vales within which hardy crops can be nurtured.
The outward-facing shores of the land, pounded for ages by the harsh waves, are beautiful beaches of fine black sand, while the inner shores are a mixture of this sand and large broken igneous rocks. Along the Shore of Taliraan, one of the regions in the land of the Ky'taari, there is a white Taliraan, one of the regions in the land of the Ky'taari, there is a white the primary building material of that people . Apparently this sedimentary rock, formed long ago deep under the ocean, was thrust up in the quakes and eruptions which formed the landsthemselves . It is in thehills just above that the ky'tal is quarried . Trapped within the depths of the hills are many other materials, including gold, silver, and the enchanted materials laen and eog, which are formed in the natural volcanic furnaces.
Volcanic Activity
There are no active volcanoes in the Mur Fostisyr, yet the people there would almost certainly perish if it were not for the several dormant ones which do exist, providing heat to warm the enclosed valleys, creating hot springs, and making the interior of the Uda Tyygk, the secret city of the Udahir, livable. Thus there are always clouds and steams rising from the land, betraying the geothermal warmth without which the Mur Fostisyr would be a cold, barren cluster of dark rocks.
Sheltered Vales
Vales are the havens of life in this Land of Blue Light, locked in and protected from the bitter polar winds by the hard flanks of the Barl Syrnac. Warmed by the steams of natural hot springs produced by subterranean volcanic activity, the many isolated valleys in the MurFostisyr are centers of civilization and growing things which would not survive the long cold winters on more exposed ground. Even with the springs, however, the vales are not exactly tropical jungles: in the winter of thelong night (eight months of the year in which the sun does not show its face) it is chilly, to say the least. Only during the brief summer are the vales truly temperate.
The Waters
The waters of the Mur Fostisyr fall into two natural categories: , the many freshwater lakes and streams, and the sea which divides and surrounds the land.
The Lakes
Aside from the small thermally warmed pools in the vales, the freshwater streams and lakes which lace the land are without exception bitterly cold throughout the year . The sources of the rivers arevaried, including melting glaciers and snows on the mountain peaks (the rivers fedby these snows are obviously much broader and faster moving during the summer months, when the snows have a chance to melt). During the winter, the surfaces of nearly all the lakes and rivers freeze over to a depth of up to two feet .
Only a small percentage of the land of the Mur Fostisyr is not mountainous. The slopes of the Barl Syrnac rise immediately out of the icy waters of the Fuir Gaath Ku, soaringmiles into the sky. Fortunately for the inhabitants, the soil is rich, and there are many sheltered vales within which hardy crops can be nurtured.
The outward-facing shores of the land, pounded for ages by the harsh waves, are beautiful beaches of fine black sand, while the inner shores are a mixture of this sand and large broken igneous rocks. Along the Shore of Taliraan, one of the regions in the land of the Ky'taari, there is a white Taliraan, one of the regions in the land of the Ky'taari, there is a white the primary building material of that people . Apparently this sedimentary rock, formed long ago deep under the ocean, was thrust up in the quakes and eruptions which formed the landsthemselves . It is in thehills just above that the ky'tal is quarried . Trapped within the depths of the hills are many other materials, including gold, silver, and the enchanted materials laen and eog, which are formed in the natural volcanic furnaces.
Volcanic Activity
There are no active volcanoes in the Mur Fostisyr, yet the people there would almost certainly perish if it were not for the several dormant ones which do exist, providing heat to warm the enclosed valleys, creating hot springs, and making the interior of the Uda Tyygk, the secret city of the Udahir, livable. Thus there are always clouds and steams rising from the land, betraying the geothermal warmth without which the Mur Fostisyr would be a cold, barren cluster of dark rocks.
Sheltered Vales
Vales are the havens of life in this Land of Blue Light, locked in and protected from the bitter polar winds by the hard flanks of the Barl Syrnac. Warmed by the steams of natural hot springs produced by subterranean volcanic activity, the many isolated valleys in the MurFostisyr are centers of civilization and growing things which would not survive the long cold winters on more exposed ground. Even with the springs, however, the vales are not exactly tropical jungles: in the winter of thelong night (eight months of the year in which the sun does not show its face) it is chilly, to say the least. Only during the brief summer are the vales truly temperate.
The Waters
The waters of the Mur Fostisyr fall into two natural categories: , the many freshwater lakes and streams, and the sea which divides and surrounds the land.
The Lakes
Aside from the small thermally warmed pools in the vales, the freshwater streams and lakes which lace the land are without exception bitterly cold throughout the year . The sources of the rivers arevaried, including melting glaciers and snows on the mountain peaks (the rivers fedby these snows are obviously much broader and faster moving during the summer months, when the snows have a chance to melt). During the winter, the surfaces of nearly all the lakes and rivers freeze over to a depth of up to two feet .
Ecosystem
The Seasons
Weather changes similar to those in our own world, including ex-tended periods of almost total darkness at and near the poles. The Mur
Fostisyr is no exception, and the peoples's lives are heavily shaped by these seasonal changes. It should be mentioned that the world's largest moon by far, Orhan, orbits the planet at the rate of five times per year . (The year being 350 days long, each month therefore lasts seventy days). Orhan is very large, though more distant than the Earth's moon. Its path is nearly equatorial, and so it shows regular
Ecosystem Cycles
Temperature and Precipitation
Precepitan Codes: very Dry = less roan two inches ; Dry = two to roar incnes ; Moderate = four to six inches ; Heavy = eight to ten inches ; Very Heavy = over ten inches . The inches refer to inches of rainfall in that area over the period of the seventy day month.
| Month | Northern coasts | Southern coasts | vales | Upper Altitudes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tirilif (spring) | 35 -60° Moderate | 45 - 65° Very Heavy | 65 - 75° Heavy | -20 -0° Dry |
| Arit | 45 -60° Dry | SS - 75° Heavy | 60 - 80° Moderate | -IO - 10° Moderate |
| Norinif | 25 -40° Moderate | |||
| Dakurif | 15 - 30° Dry | |||
| Ilaarif |
Precepitan Codes: very Dry = less roan two inches ; Dry = two to roar incnes ; Moderate = four to six inches ; Heavy = eight to ten inches ; Very Heavy = over ten inches . The inches refer to inches of rainfall in that area over the period of the seventy day month.
Up we raise our shining blades
Like wolf teeth they brightly glitter
Now the time for bravery calls us
Fearlessness shall mark our deeds
Long before the night has fallen
Our howls from under shields be heard
Spears and arrows rip the air
Roaring blades resound so grimly
Long I’ve railed with blood red blades
Charged the fields with thunderous spears
Well-fed are the ravens who follow my trail
Viking hordes thrusting forward
Type
Continent
Included Locations
Inhabiting Species
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