Maika
Summary
The largest of the three 'great lands' of Nerzin, Maika is situated on the far eastern end of the massive continent. There is some debate as to where Maika begins and ends precisely. The east-by-northeast desert region is considered a separate place, for example, owned by distant foreigners in the form of Atenkhet's trade companies. The west-by-southwest region is broken up by a number of fiercely isolationist monster civilizations. Their xenophobia has long put up a hugely impassable wall, and they are in a constant cold war with one another. Outsiders intruding upon them in great numbers ever typically triggers another war, and so the people of Maika avoid them greatly. Thus, depending on where one asks, Maika can be made up of two to five additional regions. Not quite as prosperous as Tomu, nor facing the foreign world as Aochen, Maika has long lived in its own isolated world. Many of its civilizations have regarded themselves as the center of everything, and do not bother looking outward. Given their great distance from others, this is often a practical issue rather than an ideological one. The arrival of Atenkhet's trade companies, and the foreign nebusah, nebura, mertakan, etc, greatly rattled Maika's perception of the world. What followed was a curious blending of cultures, Atenkhet's Uatkara and rigid mindset meeting Maika's spiritualism and competitive spirit. The net result birthed new ideas the likes of which Maika, let alone Nerzin, had contended with before. New architecture blending Atenkhet's geometry and Nerzin's nature-integrated methods accompanied deeper spiritual insights, one looking at the world more concretely than before. Combined with exotic foodstuffs finding new grounds to grow, traditionalism ever warring against change, and intellectualism always on the rise--Maika's true treasure is its many different peoples.Geography
From mountains to jungles, to deserts and shrub lands, forests and plains, Maika has it all and more. The farther from Tomu one travels eastward, the drier it becomes and the typical 'Nerzin magic' fades away. For many, this often represents the metaphysical border of where Nerzin is as an idea, rather than a continent. By necessity as much as practicality, the more mundane lands are ever considered apart of the continent. Given how little attention is paid to them, however, there is not much to be said for those who do not already live there.
While not quite the homogeneous flatness that defines Immensio, Maika is rather flat compared to the roughness of Aochen and Tomu. Still possessed of its own mountainous areas, many of these tend to form large valleys and plains, which centralize the huge sweeping storms that pass over. Much of the harsh weather that lands in Tomu, and then Aochen, first crosses Maika. It is a testament to Veltrona's powerful weather that the great roving rainstorms still have enough left over, even after passing across Maika.
A truly bizarre quality arises, however, from the great spires that dot Maika. These varied, twisting pillars were once thought to be the work of goddesses and thus sacred. Eventually there were those who wished to know more. In breaking apart the spires, the rocky shell revealed cores of twisting ores and crysium, offering an unimaginably wealthy opportunity. Greed soon overrode piety, and many of the spires were mined down to the veltron and deeper.
Nobody is quite certain where they came from, but one notable thing is they do return. New spires erupt in mighty earthquakes, molten shells hardening once again into twisted and gnarled form. Strangely non-volcanic, even the oldest of dragons and jiuweihu are befuddled by it. Furthermore, the petrakin are oddly drawn to the spires themselves. Certainly not to worship or anything, they gather around and busy themselves with each other. As far as they've cared to say, the spires just serve as a convenient place to meet. Rare are those who trust the mysterious petrakin to their word, however.
Natural Resources
Frequent rainfall and equitable farm land leave Maika rich off in food, complimented by the decent magical life sprouting across its western front. A combination of farming, shepherding, and nomadic lifestyles combine together to define much of the rural workload. Larger cities sit at crossroads and river junctions, forming powerful hubs that stretch influence inordinately far across the land. In turn, a number of villages, towns, and hamlets form a web work of smaller gathering points. Altogether, Maika's wildernesses and veltron can produce quite a lot in sheer quantity, if not the exotic quality commanded in other lands.
Its mineral wealth, in much the same imagination, is not spectacular but makes up for in raw opportunities. The spires themselves offer fanciful materials when they do emerge, though there is some contention if they should be mined or not. Older faiths and spiritual beliefs still maintain their divine nature, and this is a rather sore point for many.
Alternative Name(s)
The Green Desert, Nerzin's Purse, Goddesses' Rest
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