geography & locations
The Highreach Valley -- The greater region depicted on the map. The various subregions within vary enough to have their own names, but as a general rule, the Highreach Valley has a stable, comfortable climate for most of the year other than winter. The temperature is often mild, somewhat cool, and due to a prevailing wind from the west, rain falls on this side of the mountain and results in a decently lush land. Portions of the Valley are forest, while others have tall grasses, but some portions get less rain than others, and so some areas might have merely a scattering of grass and some bushes. Beastclan tend to populate any area where they might thrive, and so they can be found anywhere from where the land meets the sea to the closest mountains. Prey is plentiful and plants abound here, despite the frigid winter climate.
Winter is toughest in these lands; none but the capable tend to survive, and this is when hermits either shelter with capable Beastclan or with Refuge. Thankfully, the rest of the year is good enough that stores of food can be used in these tough times to great effect, even with the slightly increased population.
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The Gypsum Bluffs -- The Gypsum Bluffs are the border between the rest of the Highreach Valley and the sea, shining white stone cutting straight down into the rolling sea meters below. This border region also covers the rare places where the land slopes gently enough to create beaches where the Maren come ashore to trade as well as where the mountains surrounding the Valley cut down into the water far sharper than the Bluffs ever do. Other than occasional rocks jutting out of the water, the sight of the ocean beyond is unbroken during the stunning sunsets. It is by far the most picturesque place in the Valley, matched only by the soaring peaks of the Shatterbone Mountains.
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The Jade Forest -- words
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The Peridot Fields -- Grassy and alive, the Peridot Fields are the barrier between the Jade Forest and the Sunstone Expanse, little mountain streams and the Lapis River cutting straight across and winding into the forest. Nothing is particularly notable about this region other than its ability to support great amounts of wildlife and how Beastclan congregate where the it and the Lapis River meet the forest.
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The Lapis River -- The only sizable source of freshwater other than the streams crisscrossing the valley, the Lapis River breathes life into the land as a whole and rejuvenates all who cross it. It acts as a home for animals, a way of transportation to the sea, and allows the Beastclan to stay in one spot instead of roaming to wherever suited them the best. In winter, the river all the way past the forest freezes up, leaving those who need water to either break the ice and take the water underneath or to resort to underground streams or the odd hidden hotspring, leaving Refuge as the place with the easiest wintertime access to fresh water. The Lapis River flows into the Aquamarine Sea, shining with the rays of the setting sun every evening.
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Harpy's Perch -- At a vantage point far above the expanse of the Valley lies Harpy's Perch, a section of carved stone jutting out from the sides of select landforms in the Shatterbone Mountains. The harpies of the Highreach Valley congregate here when they do not have business below or abroad, and it is common to see them wheeling about when they do not have to approach other Beastclan, any dragons of the valley, or go and aid or communicate with other harpy clans.
For the rare dragon that is able to make their way up to this point and can communicate peacefully with the harpies, it is a dangerous vantage point full of both wonders and the watchful eyes of those that are not their kind.
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The Sunstone Expanse -- The Sunstone Expanse is the type of land that one may expect to find when traversing Dragonhome, all cracked earth and near-desert. Don't let this visible scarcity fool you, though; it is a diverse environment, shrubs and the rare tree breaking up the landscape in the try region sheltered by the mountains. Prey can be found here, although they often escape underground during the cold nights, and it provides an easily quiet region for the inhabitants of Refuge to hide from the Beastclan and hermits of the Valley due to the perceived lack of prey. The Expanse has a beauty all of its own, for those willing to seek out the cracked earth near the mountains, and it brings solace to those of Refuge just as much as it provides an invisible shield.
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Refuge -- A small settlement sheltered by the mountains and in the innermost region of the Sunstone Expanse. It is one of the furthest places from the mountain pass, mostly for safety, and they are almost certainly safe. Dug out of the mountain itself, the bulk of Refuge happens to be a series of tunnels and caves that most of the dragons prefer to being out in the open expanse. Despite the low population, the caves are extensive; books from the Sunbeam Ruins abound in the huge library they have, supplied with books that Beastclan ferry over near every season but winter, and when snow piles up outside, their extensive food storage and abundance of materials allows for boredom to be staved off. Founded by Avisa and Lucerna, this is a home open to all who need it.
