Fountains of Creation
Named for the immense, inter-connected magma chambers and the subterranean forges they power, this volcanic mountain chain is no-man's-land between The Grand Sultanate of Ignia and The Exalted Khanate of Terra.
It is a popular - and thus much-contested - lairing ground for both red and gold Dragons. Despite this and the considerable environmental dangers, the Fountains are also a popular refuge for outlaws.
Geography
hysically, the mountain range extends from the IronSpine mountains which make up Nations of Primus' western borders, and extend downward into Gehenna.
However, the "Fountains of Creation" refers only to the part of the range that separates Ignia and Terra. The (non-volcanic) mountains in Primus have their own name, and Gehenna is so sparsely inhabited that no regional name for the range as a whole has arisen, at least to the knowledge of the Cartographers' Guild.
The Fountains of Creation are wholly and intensely volcanic. Especially on the Ignian side of the range, the lava flows are so constant that the geography is constantly in flux, which, in Ignia, is normal for solid matter that doesn't melt entirely into a liquid state. The centremost points of the range have more stability, and the Terran side behaves much like a volcano in Primus.
Ecosystem
The Fountains represent a snapshot of interaction between Elemental Realms. Some scholars have found it informative when speculating about the formation of Primus, which stabilized from the fusion of all four Elemental Realms. The Fountains represent a similarly stabilized fusion of elements.
In the fountains, Fire and Earth exist together and are inseperable from one another. Molten earth is the region's defining trait, and is considered a para-element. Many para-elementals have formed from it, including the Magmin and Lava Children, as well as Lava Mephits.
The magma chambers and calderas of the fountains many volcanoes make popular lairing grounds for dragons, and the giant city of Thermax only exacerbates the strain on species lower in the food chain. After millennia of this, most of these large creatures hunt outside of the Fountains, or have much of their diet imported.
Smaller creatures, either too small for a dragon to find worth the trouble of hunting, or inedible, subsist on the range's many mineral deposits, or the few plants which thrive in its molten soil. Burrowing creatures also have an easier time evading the large predators, and a more robust ecosystem exists within the terra-non-firma than a Primer might imagine possible.
Ecosystem Cycles
The Fountains feel timeless, and though its citizens can track days by the passing of the sun, the seasons have no effect on the climate.
Climate
Opposite on the Wheel to Auria, strong winds or even gentle breezes are rare, causing the smoke from the Fountains' eponymous volcanoes to plume nearly uniformly outward. This smoke is the primary characteristic of the climate. It, along with the other gasses exuded by the volcanoes, create a climate that can be extremely dangerous to breathing creatures, causing poisoning or even suffocation.
Fauna & Flora
Gold and Red dragons lair here in the dozens, a concentration unheard-of in nearly any other realm. The intense and constant heat are ideal for their fiery forms, and the plentiful supply of precious stones and minerals from nearby Terra only add to the appeal.
Fire Giants dwell here too, in massive fortified cities and citadels. Efreet, Dao, and Azer, and Lava Children as well as earth or fire-influenced elementals such as Genasi and Magmin inhabit the chain as well, though typically in its subterranean regions.
All manner of fire and earth elemental creatures roam the slopes, but since the range is so densely populated by dragons and giants, very little wildlife survives unless it is inedible by the above-mentioned creatures or too small to sate them. Fire Bats, a great deal of Thoqqa, pure Elementals and Mephits; a small list, indeed.
Like in both its neighbouring realms, little flora exists here. One famous exception is the Tandersol flower, which is extraordinarily heat-resistant.
Natural Resources
By far, the Fountains' most valued resource is its temperature. The Forges which operate below the volcanoes are heated sufficiently to melt almost any metal, but because the fire is tempered with Earth's stability, the temperature is much easier to manage. Moreover, it is not so hot as to vaporize more delicate minerals entirely, which is known to happen in Ignia. Its proximity to Terra also imbues the fountains with a respectable and renewable supply of metal and stone, but in truth this abundance pales in comparison to Ignia proper.
Tourism
As a no-man's land shared between Ignia and Terra, the Fountains of Creation are sometimes sought out as a refuge for outlaws. Only the truly desperate - or those who happen to also have elemental ancestry - attempt this, though, as the large population of lawful giants and territorial dragons make it difficult to establish a sanctuary.
Alternative Name(s)
The Para-Elemental Realm of Magma
Type
Mountain Range
Location under
Included Locations