Mountain Range Concept Discussion

Okay, so I've been thinking of how to go about fleshing out that mountain range around Frost Peak. What I have so far is a rotating season concept; basically, there are four seasons taking place in the range around Frost Peak, all active at the same time. Each season takes up a quarter of the range. The seasons perpetually rotate around the range. Some fauna and flora would continuously migrate to keep up with their respective season, and others would stay in their own habitats, either hibernating or changing shape/looks depending on the season currently moving through the area (think Pokemon's Deerling). This means if you're in the right place, one could actually witness the fauna and flora changing to suit the season, or animals and even some plants move by you to keep pace with their season.

Everyone's thoughts? Anything to add? Any criticisms?

Well I have to say it'd be hard to execute and you would need names for the seasons or the event that causes them. Maybe some lore on the area and some sub zone ideas? Other than that i like the concept. Frost Peak and the Fairy Kingdom are two areas that need more development so I fully support you and would pledge ideas...but when I do that I forget to follow up XD So I'll say "I may help you, I may not." There. No chance that'll backfire.

Okay, an update on my thoughts so far.

There are going to be three seasons in constant rotation counter clockwise taking place in the mountain range around Frost Peak mountain. There will be a sunny season, a rainy season, and a windy season. As I said before, some animals, and even a few plants, will migrate to stay with a specific season, while others while stay in certain regions of the mountains and adapt to each one as it passes through. The sunny season will be known for having the most predator activity of the three, the windy season will come next and be known for copious amounts of dimensional instability (ie. smaller mountains growing out of larger ones) that causes strong and unpredictable winds to blow through the region, and last will come the rainy season and it will be known for causing plant life that would normally be unlikely on a mountain to grow fast and wild, and certain types of predators change to a plant-based diet. There will also be sort of in-between "mini seasons" where two of them meet, the transition between windy and rainy being the most harsh, the one between rainy and sunny being incredibly surreal, and the one between sunny and windy being quite physically refreshing. As of yet, I haven't fleshed out any fauna or flora for the region, and I still have to think of names for the range and for the seasons, if necessary.

EDIT: I have some ideas for fauna and races: Gorgons are one, I think it's be a neat area for them, as well as earth elementals in the form of stone beasts that can change from just looking like part of the scenery into living, sometimes man-eating animals. I don't know if there's anything like that on the wiki, yet, so I might have to make another article. :3 Lemme know if you guys have any other ideas!

Hmm...Interesting. I'd like to see it used more, detailed better, before really starting in on it, but so far, it seems interesting.

Okay, so I've been thinking about names for the mountain range and the seasons. I thought of morgensch for the sunny season, zephros for the windy/unstable season, and precitin for the rainy season. Think is, I think these names kinda' suck. I've never been any good at coming up with "symbolic" names, or ones with an underlying meaning related to what I'm naming. DX Can someone help me? Or should I just make up some words that I think sound cool and pronounceable?

HERE IT IS! The idea in full, after talking with many other people to help get ideas to make it work! ^_^ Feel free to read and give feedback!

Navroze Mountain Range
Danger Level: Normal (Morgin), Hazardous (Zephin), Low (Pluvin)

These are the mountains that surround Frost Peak, and as such, they are quite an expansive locale, with many sub-areas littered in and around them. They are riddled with rocky winding paths, steep canyons, deep caves and mysterious subterranean caverns eliciting many rumors of treasures and ancient artifacts lying hidden away. However, the thing the Navroze mountains are best known for is their ever-changing climate. Three seasons take place all at once throughout the area, each of them covering roughly a third or so of the range. They are all in perpetual motion, rotating through the mountains around Frost Peak. They usually last about one and a quarter months, although some wide variations have been observed. This cyclic phenomenon fascinates scientist who are hard pressed to explain it with meteorology alone. The entire area seems to have its own independent climate and weather system that is hardly ever influenced by the rest of Felarya

The "first" season in the cycle is known as Morgin. Telltale signs that a section of the range is in Morgin are the mostly sunny and hot weather as well as areas of verdant flora and very active fauna. Though hot, the terrain isn't nearly as harsh as places like Lamina, as numerous rivers and streams brought on by the previous season flow through the land, making fresh water plentiful. The true danger comes from much of the fauna that either becomes active during Morgin or migrate to follow it. It involves dangerous predatory animals roaming the land as well as some sapient predator species that inhabit areas of the range, such as gorgons and harpies who prefer that climate and are thus more commonly encountered during Morgin.

The "second" season in the cycle is called Zephin. This chaotic season is characterized by harsh winds blowing through the area, caused by an important rise in dimensional instability that typically accompanies it. This instability also manifests itself in the inexplicable growing of smaller mountains and hills from the sides of larger ones, seemingly overnight, which greatly effects the air flow in the region going through Zephin. Temperatures are much cooler than in Morgin but remain mild. In general, both fauna and flora are extremely subdued during Zephin, to the point where mountains gripped by this season seem barren and desolate. Earth elementals, however, tend to thrive, as their sturdy bodies can easily withstand the harsh winds, allowing them to scrounge for food in the form of animals taking shelter from the winds, or brave/foolhardy adventuring parties traversing the mountains.

The "third" season in the cycle is named Pluvin. It is characterized by heavy and constant rainfall, and a lush, persistent flora. Temperatures are the lowest of the three seasons and can sometimes reach almost freezing levels. It is theorized by some that the massive amount of moisture is gathered from other worlds that become connected to the range during Zephin. Obviously, due to the intense rainfall, many rivers form down the mountains, and the flora of areas affected by Pluvin flourishes in very varied tones of color. The Pluvin-time fauna is comprised of many reptiles and a myriad of insects who greatly enjoy the humidity of the season.

There are a few "in between" areas of seasons as well which have unique characteristics of their own. The transition from Morgin to Zephin in particular is said to be eerily calm, with strange, ghostly lights appearing during the night. These 'in between' seasons are a gradual process that, to someone staying in one spot as it happens, would seem to take about seven-eighths of a full day to complete.

Good job on this   The zone is original and very interesting both visually and in design. One thing I really like is how it allows all sort of unique migrations from animals.
And over time you fleshed out that idea to a nice result.
I'd like to add it ^^ Please tell me if you agree with the disclaimer

This time, I do agree with the disclaimer. ^_^ Thank you very much.

I like that first suggestion, actually! I hope Karbo doesn't mind if I add that in there. ^^; Thank you!

Okay, time to start fleshing out some sub-areas! Anyone who feels up to it, please comment! ^_^
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Name: King's Crown Peak
Danger Level: Normal (Morgin, Pluvin), High (Zephin)

A tall mountain to the south-east of Frost Peak, part of the Navroze mountains. Normal enough during Morgin and Pluvin seasons, it turns into a sight one can describe as either 'majestic' or 'demonic' come Zephin. During this season, this peculiar mountain seems to grow a number of smaller mountains and hills very close together around it's summit, effectively blocking off access to it from the ground. From what researchers can tell, each of these smaller mountains grow in the same place every time Zephin rolls around, as opposed to the rest of the range where the growths of extra mountains is completely random. This mountain also becomes a hub of harpy activity during this time - despite the winds, skilled or powerful harpies can fly to the top of the mountain where other creatures can't access, and many of them enjoy taking their lovers there for a sort of honeymoon due in part to its exclusivity. There are other rumored reasons for this, as well, such as the idea that this mountain is the birthplace of the entire harpy race, though this is not confirmed. There are also rumors that, if someone were actually able to climb to the summit of the mountain during Zephin, they'd be granted an audience with the guardians, though other rumors state they can meet one of the gods that govern a realm of Heaven.

There is one thing that can make a trip to King's Crown peak worthwhile, however - according to those who've researched the area, the mountains that encompass the summit are packed with rare minerals like psierin, as well as numerous kinds which have yet to even be identified, let alone studied!

It's a good idea I think, visually interesting. That sort of mineral crown created by smaller mountains would create an almost surrealistic effect ^^

Ilceren wrote:

That's nice Nyaha, the work you spent on this really shows. I believe it would be wise to assign a danger level to each "season" so people could get a better impression of the threat levels rather than just say "varies" and let it to the imagination.

Aside from that, I like how it seems to fit with the surroundings. The Pluvin season could be one of the reasons the Great Marshes extend almost to the mountain range base. Maybe there's even a small area south that is not affected by the season rotation and is constantly in Pluvin, feeding the extensive marshes and swamps beyond.

Oh I like that ! It just makes sense  

Ilceren wrote:

The idea seems good to me, Nyaha. The only thing I find that lacks a bit of reason is the name of the place. "King's Crown Peak" is not a bad name, but I wonder why should it be named after a male when there are plenty of females over there when the season lets you see the crown. I would suggest a change to "Queen's Crown Peak" for that reason. It may even sprout rumours about a queen of Harpies living there.

Ohhhhhh interesting proposition. It does have a bit better ring to it. I like it, personally! However, it is up to Karbo what the name will be in the end. :3

Okay, so Karbo has asked that I develop the area's fauna and flora before I go making up sub-zones for it, which I don't completely understand yet but I'm happy to oblige anyway, since I already have had some ideas. Here's the first one!


Kil

Size: adult males 5'6" shoulder to ground, adult females 5' shoulder to ground
Threat: Very Low

Kil are bulky ram-like animals residing in the Navroze Mountain Range. Males are covered in dark brown fur while females' fur is lighter brown or tan. Most notably, they are adorned with horns that connect to eachother over their heads, in ovoid shapes. Their faces also feature two pairs of fourteen- to sixteen-inch-long, pointed green ears. They have powerful hooved legs, making traversing uneven mountainous terrain an easy task, which is just as well. Kil, though animals, are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis, using their horns and ears as means to gather energy from sunlight. This trait forces kil to migrate constantly to keep pace with the season of Morgin. Kil's horns grow vertically until maturity, then grow horizontally as they age past maturity. It is worth noting that newborn kil's horns do not connect to eachother until about two or three months of age, and as such they are unable to photosynthesize efficiently. To counter this, mother kil produce milk for their young, who in turn nurse from their mothers. In addition to sunlight, kil also like to have plenty of water. To this end, they are able to use their four ears to locate water, listening for the sounds of streams running down the mountains. Kil are pretty well at the bottom of the food chain, but this doesn't mean they are defenseless; their strong legs can deliver vicious kicks, and when cornered, their hard, thick horns make durable weapons as well.

Kil milk is something valued both by local mountain-dwellers and chefs from far-away lands. To milk a kil, one must approach carefully, offer her a bucket or two of water to drink, then move to the side and milk it while she is drinking. Kil cheese is a typical product of kil milk. The quality of the milk depends greatly on the age of the milked kil: ones with perfectly circular horns are said to produce the most delicious milk of them all, however, to find a kil that is both at the perfect age and is also a mother is quite rare, so not many get to experience this supposedly-heavenly taste. Some kil have been domesticated and are kept in the Chomikai Commons around Negav so that their pelts may be harvested, however, they are all males, as female kil can become very aggressive during mating season, making them dangerous to keep around people.

I wish to add the Kils to the zone. It's a solid idea that fit it really well ^^ please tell if you agree with the disclaimer

I do agree with the disclaimer, thank you! :3 I'll keep working on this project! Next up, a flora species. Coming soon!

Okay, so some of you might have heard about this idea already, but now it's time for as deep a discussion as we can have about it! Introducing my new flora idea!!
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Primordial Bloom

Growing mainly in the Navroze Mountain Range, primordial bloom is the name given to a species of small flower, greatly resembling a pansy, which grows close to ley lines which run throughout the region. These flowers have the peculiar ability to absorb primordial magic and use it to create nutrients for themselves, rather than using typical photosynthesis. As such, these flowers can be found growing in many peculiar places, such as in deep caves or underneath/within other kinds of flora, due to the fact that they need neither sunlight nor water to survive. Primordial blooms are useful to many spellcasters, as they can use the excess magic energy stored within a plucked primordial bloom to fuel their own spells. However, the opposite is true for users of primordial magic - standing close to one will not only give the spellcaster less energy to work with, but also affect the direction of any spells they cast. Primordial blooms' most defining trait, however, occurs during the season of Zephin in the range: after all of the flower's petals have been blown off the stem by the harsh winds, the flower will begin leaking primordial magic while simultaneously trying to pull it back into itself, creating a unique and sometimes incredibly complex spirograph of glowing magic energy where the petals were. Extremely high caution is advised to those near a primordial bloom in this stage of being, as touching the spirograph will create a disturbance in the flow of energy and trigger an 'explosion' of magic, capable of fatally injuring a human-sized person, and even severely wounding a giant.

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So, thoughts?

I have added it in the wiki, it's a good idea and I like the fact they grow unlike others plants, regardless of light
Please tell me if you agree with the disclaimer.

I do agree. Didn't I tell you that already? O.o Have you been losing my PMs again? XD