Three Sisters

Three super-massive volcanic Mountains rising threateningly from the Brokenridge Mesa that dominates the northern sky of this region.

Geography

The three super-volcanoes rise from a series of interconnected mountain peaks that jut from the land atop the Brokenridge Mesa.  The black volcanic rocks that make up the bedrock of the volcanic area is actually just marble mesa's capstone, as it extends far beneath it.  The magmatic upper stone layer is the base upon which the oblong bowl-shape of the Three Sisters region builds.  When the continental shelves to the north, south-east, and south-south-west of it had collided into the tectonic plate that had been there causing it to rise nearly a hundred meters the original three barrow-hills turned volcanic and erupted.  The catastrophic force caused an eruption to blast forth from three points at the top of the once-land while crushing its outermost edges into a slight upward hill.  As the ground buckled and the three newly-formed super-volcanic vents erupted, their mountains formed - three massive igneous formations cutting like teeth into the sky surrounded by an open maw of hundreds of sharp-edged mountains.  The magma surge filled the bowl-shape and cooled as it began to flow over, leading to streaks of black stone flowing over the edge and down the white marble like blackened tears, giving rise to the myth of The Sisters' Tears.

Ecosystem

The volcanic soil grows lush and verdant forest in the sheltered valleys between them, and the runoff from the snowcaps provides ample water which creates a lush green ecosystem over the dark earth and black pitted stones. The constant cold of the upper peaks prevents the forests from creeping upward on the mountain slopes but hardy shrubs and lichen grow, in a variety of colorations and species.  None but the Vahobu know the plants and animals that run rampant through these near-tropical jungles...

Ecosystem Cycles

Below the frost-line of the volcanoes, the weather stays consistent. The Seasons are similar to that of the rest of the Brokenridge Mesa, but the areas in the Volcanoes and the passes between tend to be hotter, humid, and devoid of most mammals. Thusly, the seasons don't much matter to the Vahobu. However the seasonal migrations of the animals are noted and tracked by the hunters of the Vahobu.

During the Pechu (Spring) the animals begin rigorous mating to rebuild their numbers. Then, after only a short time the animals move out of the mountain valleys of the three mothers, only to return just before the rains of Zuso (Winter).

During the Neha (Summer) the Mulapahigie get very aggressive, and their violence and territorial natures are heightened. The Riesawu spend most of this time hunting the now larger numbers of small game available in the valleys and it is during Neha many youth catch their hunting companions. During Goipayi (Autumn) when the rains come and break the heat of Neha, the Riesawu retreat into caves and small holes, unable to swim the now swelling streams that turn the lowest areas of the valleys into marshy swamps. Mulapahigie use this time to eat all they can, preparing for the long rest of Zuso.

Zuso in the Three Sisters is not like winter in the rest of the world. There is no snow, or cold. It storms, with lightning and thunder like the sky is trying to destroy the ground, but it is not a common storm. Lightning strikes the ground because of the metals and minerals that the vahobu haven't dug yet, and the Watchers mark the strikes as place where the ores are. But lightning isn't the danger during a Three Sisters winter. The danger is in the Iethu Vaboushe - the fogs. As the land gets colder below the ridgeline, the natural compaction forces volcanic gasses upward through the ground and out through the lowest points - which, on the Brokenridge Mesa, is the valleys between the Three Sisters volcanoes and the caves within the crust of them. The Jaoga Boushe are varied but all can kill in just a few breaths. The Jariwa Boushe occur outside. As the gasses build up and are released into the valleys, the water often absorbs them. When it doesn't it usually disperses into the evening vaboushe that rolls across the land normally. If it doesn't disperse enough, when the thunderstorms roll in and the lightning begins striking the metal-rich ground, the gasses can ignite in a roiling fiery explosion. These infernoes can ignite the water, or trace gasses in the caves and begin a catastrophic series of fiery explosions.

Localized Phenomena

Because of its height and the venting of natural gasses from below the volcanoes, the region remains humid and steamy, and has never known snow or winter as we know it. Instead, when the sun dips lower in the sky, at morning and evening a sort of grey fog settles in as moisture condenses from the ground and lower levels of the air. When the fog rolls because of the wind, the vegetation of the region releases their seed and pollen. At night, during spring and fall, there are usually rainstorms. During the summer months the region is subjected to heat and humidity that can kill, and during the winter months the storms are only broken occasionally.

Alternative Name(s)

The Few Mothers

Type

Mountain Range

Location under

Brokenridge Mesa

Included Locations

• Yagolai-Chare

Inhabiting Species

• Baji
• Chouzha
• Ihapi, The Bird of Death
• Koua
• Riesawu
• Zhufa