Letka Cape

Letka Cape was a diverse coastal headland in the far West Marches of Rakkimar. It was part of the broader Letka region, one of the barrier lands of west Gildegra, which was about 600 miles long and 400 miles wide. It was full of pristine rugged wilderness - forests, fjords, glaciers, tundras, taigas - and dotted with pockets of industry set up by Sedia and Halcyon. 
== History ==
The broad area was historically home to a wide range of indigenous Gildegran peoples, mainly the Essu in the east and the Feñet in the west, as well as the coastal raiders known as the Vandals. The area was known for its plentiful game for hunting, and good trees for kayak-building. In the early fourteenth century, the Euluskan Empire (operating out of the Autonomous Electorate of Sedia) established several small settlements here. They named the region Letka, which derived from the Essu toponym Litqaa, meaning "the place for chopping wood". The Euluskan settlements grew into small industrial towns linked by a coastal road and a singular inland railway. Letka was somewhat cut off after the fall of the Empire in 1519 from the mainland - administratively it was disputed between the Kingdoms of Sedia and of Rakkimar. Rakkimar contended it owned the region because of its location, but they had no settlements to boast of. Sedia set up some industry, sent a couple ships of labourers or goods occasionally, but little more than was needed to maintain sovereignty and extract some resources. During the early God Wars, once Sedia was sieged, Letka was left completely isolated and its infrastructure began to deteriorate. It was site of a few small skirmishes between the Euluskan League and the Boreal Alliance superpowers, but it was left to its own devices as its inhabitants fought to survive.
== Geology ==
The region was characterised by its grandiose geological formations. The west was formed of metamorphic rocks sheared and uplifted through tectonic action and carved by glacial erosion. The central regions were open, flat, and sedimentary, with wide eroded valleys. Down in the east and south, the rocks were dense and metamorphic, with lots of erosion, and even some ancient volcanism forming basalt spars and other landforms near the Granite Valley. The landscape was dotted with granite and schist mountains once home to great glaciers - these ranges included the Dovetail Mountains (the highest being Tomahawk Peak at 6,700m), the Halcyon Mountains, the Empress Dateria Mountains, and the Reindeer Mountains. There were numerous striking fjords - the most obvious being the Great Letka Fjord, which was unimaginably huge, with steep sides and wide valleys, its mouth home to numerous islands. In the east, there were also the Shrike Fjords, a stunning parallel series of thin spidery valleys dotted with ancient igneous deposits. The region was home to some seismic activity too. Even the smaller islands had their own fjords and glaciers; the largest being Academy Island in the bay. 
== Ecology ==
=== Taigas ===
The landscape was dotted with numerous taigas, like the Blacktrestle Woods and several others. These areas boasted a Köppen Dfc climate. These were full of coniferous trees (pine, fir, and larch) and their landscape was covered in mosses and lichens. Local fauna included mooses, wolverines, giant owls, bears, deer, lynxes, jackalopes, birds of prey, and swarming insects, Other notable unique animals included bears with symbiotic moss on them, huge elk, and harewolves, 
=== Temperate Rainforests ===
On the cape itself, in the north shadow of the Dovetail mountains, and low in the glacial valleys were temperate woodlands which were chilly and very wet (Köppen Cfb and Cfc). They were full of gorgeous plants like hemlock, giant redwoods and Sitka spruce, red cedar, ferns, mosses, and brackens. They were home to eagles, black and brown bears, river salmon, glimmering fish, silver foxes, some amphibians, giant salamanders, swarms of ants, and numerous water invertebrates.
=== Tundras ===
At high elevations around the mountains, as well as notably in the rain shadows to the east of the mountains along the cape's east coast, there were numerous tundras and barren grounds (Köppen ET - the coldest and bleakest of all climates). They were home only to succulents, dwarf shrubs, sedges, mosses, and patches of spotty grass. Here, the only cohabitants were caribou, arctic hares, snow leopards, sabretooths, mammoths foxes, lemmings, and colonies of migratory birds like terns. Some of the coastal tundras were home to penguins, petrels, and auks. 
=== Temperate Deciduous Forests ===
In the warmer, rainy foothills of some of the larger mountains, and toward the central bay coast were humid forests (Köppen Dfb). They were full of oak, maple, birch, hickory, and meadows of wildflowers, and home to deer, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, fireflies, ravens, ptarmigans, and wolves. On the more open and damp grassland areas of these forest transition zones, there might even be huge herds of muskoxen and water buffalo.
=== Wetlands ===
Most notably the muskeg in the northeast, but also near some river deltas it was humid and waterlogged (Köppen Dfb). Here one might find cattails, reeds, willows, water lilies, and other low muddy plants. Fauna was limited to waterfowl, wading birds, numerous amphibians, bog spiders, and countless biting insects. 
=== Alpine and Ice Caps ===
At the highest elevations of the numerous mountains, it was barren and cold (Köppen ET and even EF). Little grew except for a few wildflowers and shrubs. Here one might be lucky to see mountain goats, soaring birds of prey, and a few marmots.
=== Seas and Waterways ===
The waterways were home to marine climates (Cfc and Cfb) and full of things like salmon, tuna, pike, hake, sturgeon, crab, prawn, lobster, and eel. The open seas were numerous in whales, sharks, cephalopods, and schools of fish, which numerous industries locally capitalised upon. Seagrasses, kelp, and driftwood were the only plants an observer might notice from above.
== Notable Human Settlements ==
=== Anchovy Bay ===
A small port centred around an industrial fish cannery on a plentiful, windswept coast. Notable indeed.
=== Pilot Point ===
A coastal town centred around a large industrial whale processing plant, and the closest port to Sedia too.
=== Carbide Rye ===
A booming valley town centred around gold+iron mines in the rocky hills. 
=== Sawhorse Falls ===
A logging village on a river in the mountain foothills. Plentiful and warm.
=== Firedamp ===
A decently sized coal-mining town in the glacial fjords, one of the roughest areas landscape-wise.
=== Kerosene Springs ===
A mechanised company town drilling for oil and natural gas out in the plains, lone and level.
=== Dovetail Lake ===
A touristy mountain retreat of log cabins and fishing lakes, home to a rich fur trade. High-altitude and picturesque.
=== Letka Breaking Yards ===
An industrial port responsible for scrapping and salvaging old ships towed here.
=== The Datrian Star ===
An encampment in the shadow of a massive beached shipping tanker, the CVR Datrian Star, which ran aground during the early God Wars.
=== Cloverleaf Juncture ===
A large rail junction and supply town.
=== Sforza Hydro Dam ===
A two-mile hydroelectric dam over a large gorge with workers' trailers and yards nearby.
=== Palisade Station ===
A scientific atmospheric research station out in the barren inhospitable lands.
=== Inuksuk Point ===
A resupply waystation on the train line, meant for repairing vehicles and taking on supplies for long journeys. 
=== Echo Relay ===
A radio relay on Academy Island which also houses the region's telegraph nexus.
=== Halcyon Light ===
The region's largest lighthouse, built by the Sedia Light Company, and its associated port town.
=== Kintirakkivik ===
A Kintirakki Essu village in the great glacier.
=== Trans-Tundra Railroad ===
A large branching railroad that covers the island, with some unfinished segments and some precarious mountain bridges.
Category:Places
Category:Ecology