Kubrajzar

A map of the Great Land

**Kubrajzar** (lit. *the Great Land*) is a great continent occupying a significant portion of Galbar's western hemisphere. It was created by the Lifeblood during the great age of creation before the retreat of the gods from Galbar.

> ...large blocks of rock rose as far as the eye could see. It was an instantaneous act, there was no tsunami or anything.
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> That wouldn't do. The lifeblood called for strong winds and endless rain, forcing the humidity to seep into the rocks, bending down the great spines of rock and making them melt into the lands bellow, filling the region.
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> Once it was done, a new continent had been born. The rocks turned into three great mountain chains forming an immense valley. The southern one had been the target of most of the Lifeblood's shaping force, it was the smallest, but also the most jagged, beyond it, southward, the earth had been shaped into wind-carved mesas. To the east, another mountain chain, gentle but formidable, separating the valley from the sea. Finally, to the west, the tallest of the continent's mountain chains, the one least touched by the lifeblood, still retaining its jagged, cubelike shapes.
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> The breeze from the islands to the east came soon after, filling the continent with life. The mountains acted as dams to this fresh, humid wind. The east coast and the southern mesas would have regular rains, but the central valley region, it was almost drowned in that humidity, rainforests, and swamps would be natural to this region, and, as the many lakes and rivers sought the ocean, a great river would be formed.
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> Yet, for some lands to receive so much, others had to be deprived of it, beyond the western mountain, in the last shores before the sunset, was a great, dry wasteland, and endless sea of barren rock where life would always struggle.
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The mountains of Kubrajzar teem with a peaceable subspecies of hornless, lithe yeti. The peoples living near the mountains generally offer up their dead to the mountain, to be consumed by these mottled guardians. Moreover, the continenet is home to a community of alminaki and human hybrids - the humenaki - as well as itztli. These were brought by Meghzaal in a great storm of ink, song, and poetry. He also brought magnus pods, leeoli wisps, various magical trees (hawthorne, lonethorn, alder, among others) and celestial sheep. Later the god Iternis created a number of domesticated rideable animals, namely dromedary and Bactrian camels, across the desert and mountain regions respectively, yaks, and giant river eels - 15 feet long - that are capable of travelling overland for a short distance. The greater river at the heart of the continent is also home to the terrible river hydra. The mountains are of the continent are also the only known source of stellar-steel, iron imbued with asteroids by the god Sirius. It shares many properties with asteroids but to a lesser degree, being durable, dense, chemically unreactive, electrically unconducive, and mana conductive. It is therefore quite difficult to work without magic, but it is possible.

## Biomes

The Kubrajzar boasts four distinct biomes, separated by an immense series of mountain chains which act as a fifth biome. These mountain chains split Kubrajzar into a south-eastern plain of wind-carved mesas and a north-eastern coastal region, both which receive regular rains. Between them lies a central valley, encased by great mountains to the north, south, and west, with humid winds and rains - as well as water from the surrounding mountains - pouring in to bring about rainforests, swamplands, lakes, and a central river of incredible size. All along the western coast of the continent, beyond the mountains, is an endless rain shadow region.

### Central Valley

A great valley that lies nestled between Kubrajzar's three major mountain chains, one enclosing it from the north, the other from the south, and the greatest one in the west, with the sea to the east. This unique feature means that humid winds from the east, carrying rains, are trapped in the valley. Along with the being a natural drainage basin for the surrounding mountains, this means a tremendous amount of water converges on the valley, and the accompanying humidity resulted in great rainforests, bogs, lake-lands, and the development of a tremendous river that begins at the head of the valley and surges all the way through it and into the ocean.

The lower and mid-valley is home to the Lake Itzli civilisation, and the city of Qabar-Kirkanshir, the eponym for the Qabar-Kirkanshir cultures, stands in the upper valley. Vespians are also present in the valley.

### Western Badlands

A vast region covering the west of Kubrajzar, made up of deserts and badlands. Though ill-suited for life, the region is inhabited by humenaki nomads and sedentary peoples near oases. These people belong to the Qabar-Kirkanshir culture. The trading town of Tekhen, based around a major oasis, is present in the region and is the point of entry for caravans into the region as well as the point of departure.

These merchant tribals are also pastoralists who herd goats while coming and going from the region in caravans of camels and yaks, crossing the immense mountains in the process, to carry trade goods from the badlands. Such goods include salt, precious stones, and metals mined by sedentary inhabitants and which are in high demand by the people of the city of Qabar-Kirkanshir in the Central Valley. The nomads also produce animal hides and drive their herds along with the caravans, meaning they are also able to sell meats and dairy products such as milk and cheese at both sides of the trade route. From the Central Valley, the nomads carry grain, cloth, ink and other agricultural or manufactured goods. There are also all kinds of arcane things to be found in these caravans - inks that can only be produced in certain climes (*soulsong ink you say?*), Orchid Mantis tokens, mana-imbued artefacts, precious gems and wards, bound faeries, tongue of troll, exotic or rare herbs and ingredients, songs and tales from far off lands, and other things from beyond the Badlands; for nomads travel far and meet many strange and wonderful people and creatures on their way...

The Badlands are home to large populations of Vespians.

## Magic

The servants native to Kubrajzar have the natural ability to summon demons using a specific method granted them by Yamat. This technique requires a bowl of water (with a larger bowl required to summon larger demons), a knife, and the spell crafted by Yamat to summon forth the essence of the Pit of Yamashin. The summoner must cut a portion of their body and allow drops of their blood to enter into the bowl - the more blood used the stronger the connection to the summoned demon colony. When that is done the summoner casts the spell, which takes the form of a soft golden flame that hovers slightly above the bowl before descending downward. Once that is done the water will turn brackish and black before eventually becoming pure black and gaining red eyes. At that point, the bowl has become a portion of the Pit and through the usage of magical energy the summoner can shape how the demon forms, though one must be careful as to not use too much or else the demon will go feral (or too little which will cause the colony to die). After being shaped, the demon will last so long as it is given a consistent portion of mana energy from the summoner, at any point the summoner can stop which will result in the colony wasting away and returning to the Pit. Such emonomancers accompanied by a demon are not an overly uncommon sight across the continent.

## Civilisations

* Lake Itztli
* Qabar-Kirkanshir

## References

1. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5088946
2. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5093001
3. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5102791
4. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5105972
5. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5119618