DAEJI

Crystalline Jungle 

Tabigaten jungles range in color from cyan to blue to violet, with the occasional bright red or yellow fruit. The majority of the fruits are edible, and some more unusual plants feature a metallic or shimmery texture, translucent leaves, spiraling shapes, or reflect colors like a crystal. The colors here are overwhelmingly beautiful and highly saturated, and plants tend to grow alongside buildings built here. Heavy rainstorms happen in short bursts almost daily, and everything appears twice as shimmery and metallic when the sun returns. Crystalline jungles are home to many reyins.

Fungal Forests 

Deep blue and violet forests of towering mushrooms, often found in the western quadrants of Tabigat at the edges of jungles. Fungal forests appear dark and foreboding at first, until you see the massive amount of bioluminescent plants and fungi lighting up the region. These areas are especially beautiful at night. 

Mossy Hills 

Smooth rolling hills in the northern stretches of Tabigat stretch on for miles in all directions. They are blanketed in extremely soft, plush moss. The moss will not rub off and make a mess of your fur, and it offers enough cushion to jump into without injury. Sophont settlements in this area don't feature buildings for sleep- the majority of citizens will sleep right on the ground or within burrows lined by moss. While some find it uncannily empty and devoid of cover, this also makes it one of the safer biomes to live in. 

The Shades 

The shades are areas populated mostly by the second tallest tree species in Tabigat, interspersed with a few younger trees and mushrooms. The forest floor is very open, with very few ground plants due to the shadows cast by the canopy hundreds of feet above. These trees can reach up to 500ft (150m) tall, though most fall around the 400ft (120m) mark. Shades and fungal forests are often found in close proximity.

Unzival 

Unzival is actually the capitol city of Tabigat, but it gets its own biome category as well due to its unusual location and features. Unzival is located in a massive valley surrounded by sheer white cliff faces on all sides, far below sea level. The valley can only be accessed through use of portals, flight, or descending a rocky spiralling staircase around the edges of the cliffs. The trees in the valley are so massive that they match the height of the canopy outside the valley. They are by far the tallest trees anywhere on Daeji and are thought to be tens of thousands of years old. 

Glass Jungle 

An exceedingly rare biome where every plant, tree, fungus, and fruit is transparent and glass-like, reflecting colorful light all around. Tiny clearings of glass plants can be found in crystalline jungles, but the only large glass jungle on Daeji is located on the island in the very center of Tabigat. 

Stardust Streams, Rivers, & Lakes 

Stardust is found everywhere on Daeji, but it is especially plentiful in Tabigat. A dark liquid with a glimmery property and glowing particles throughout, it is said to have healing properties. Many come to Tabigat to bathe in stardust as a form of spiritual cleansing. 

Unzival 
 

Almost right in the center of Tabigat lies Unzival, a city that's absolutely massive but very easy to miss. It's built inside a humongous, deep hole in the earth, and the trees inside are so ancient that they grow to the same height as the rest of the jungle's canopy. This makes Unzival impossible to spot from above. The buildings are largely built from white bricks mined from the cliff walls, many bridges allowing the city to have multiple vertical levels, and stained glass windows. Some trees are so massive that they can be hollowed out and used as large, multi-level buildings without risk of them falling down. 

Stardust Storms

The weather in Tabigat is usually calm and sunny with short bouts of intense tropical rain, with the occasional typhoon. The high concentration of stardust in Tabigat means that a lot of the rain that falls here shimmers and glows and causes anything it falls on to do the same.

Rib Spires 

Constructed out of the bones of ancient supermassive beings, most of these spires are now coated in a thick layer of clay (sometimes brightly colored), and some of them keep a rib-like appearance. These spires are found everywhere in Kaziki, come in many sizes, the biggest of which in the thousands of meters long. Cities are often built in the valleys between the ribs due to their shelter from the extreme weather. 

Clay Strata 

Gray, black, and cold color-striped clay cliffs near the border of Nevali. The majority of the slopes here are almost wave-shaped, with some drops steeper than 90 degrees. Areas extremely close to the border may feature red sand and warmer coloration . 

Marble Plains 

The only flat area in Kaziki, the marble plains are located in the southwest. Black and gray clay flatlands that stretch on for miles. The only slopes in the soil are paths carved out by tornadoes. 

Skull Caverns 

Massive, deep caves that can extend hundreds of meters down into the earth. Many skull caverns feature tooth-like growths surrounding the entrance. While these caves offer the most shelter from the weather, they are also rather dark and ominous, and many feature species of kaiju exclusive to each cave, so cities built in skull caverns are always located near the surface.  
 
Legends tell of strange noises emitting from the caves. Other stories warn of sophonts who strayed too far into a skull cavern and never returned. Each story tells a different cause of death- kaiju attack, caves dripping fermented substances, portals to another realm, or even holes that lead straight to the planet's core. 

Torn Shores 

The torn shores are found in northeastern Kaziki, where the land appears ripped to shred by massive clawmarks and nears the arctic circle. There is very little shelter from the blizzards here, plus the freezing cold, making it the most inhospitable area on the continent. Even the glaciers drifting through the northern seas appear ripped to pieces. Arctic reyins and bervain who've evolved thick fat and fluffy coats are the most common inhabitants here, living in the deeper warmer soil beneath the ground. 

Vizurax 

Known as the Coast of Light to the local inhabitants, Vizurax is Kaziki's gulf and is home to massive beaches of pitch black sand. Despite the fact that the gulf is experiencing a silent, endless lightning storm, swimming here is quite common, as the lightning is typically cloud-to-cloud. It's buildings stand surprisingly tall, heavily reinforced to weather tornado activity. Storm shelters are abundant, often used as bedrooms. 

Lightning Storms 

Storms happen almost daily in most areas of Kaziki; the rolling thunder is just normal to its citizens. They are even more prevalent in Kaziki's gulf Vizurax, also known as the Coast of Light, which is particularly notable for its endless, silent storms of cloud-to-cloud lightning. Other regions of Kaziki are not so lucky, with lightning striking the ground thousands of times per day. 

Tornadoes 

Despite the spiny jagged landscape, the high amounts of daily wind shear, atmospheric temperature variance in the plains east of the mountains, and near-daily supercell thunderstorms make tornadoes extremely common. These daily tornadoes rarely last for more than a minute on the ground, as they're often broken up by the rib-like cliffsides. However, the sheer number of them does mean that  they occasionally grow to significant strength, and cities are damaged occasionally. All infrastructure must be built with tornadoes in mind.

Hail Storms & Blizzards 

In the semi-northern regions of Kaziki, hail falls extremely often, sometimes every day. But in the furthest north reaches of all, blizzards are extremely common. Battered glaciers can be seen drifting through the sea. 

The Vast Red 

A seemingly endless expanse of red sand, constantly buffeted by harsh winds, making it difficult to navigate. The red desert takes up much of central Nevali, especially around the cities Venjigate and Bexeron. Sandstorms are almost daily here, with very severe ones making travel completely impossible. Occasional plateaus and arches of red-brown stone and clay serve as temporary shelters or waymarkers. 

Great Plateaus 

The great plateaus are home to the city of Blackreach, a city built atop the tallest  plateaus towering high above the desert. These are carved between by rivers far below, and each plateau is connected by wooden bridges built by the citizens. The drops are so high that the rivers below seem blurry and fake from the top.

Painted Arches 

On the east coast of Nevali lies countless rows of massive natural arches, eroded from the softer clay around them over thousands of years. The arches closer to the border with Kaziki are often dark and jagged, with spines of rock jutting out to sea. Those further in the southeast take on a colorful striped appearance.  Underneath the arches, large round caverns are incredibly common, some being so complex that the rocks collapse under their own weight.

Needle Points 

Located partially in Nevali and partially in Daeji, the needle points are towering spikes of dark black and brown rock. In the Nevali half of the biome, there is very little plant life, and the ground is coated in a thin layer of orange sand. In the Daeji half, sparse blue, purple, gray, and black plants and mushrooms sprout in the valleys along with dark gray soil. 

Fossilized Fungi 

Ancient, massive fossilized fungi larger than any living specimens found on the planet today, these are located in southwest Nevali. While they can't easily be hollowed out and lived in like a living fungus stalk can, some many towns are built atop the caps. This protects the inhabitants from most kaiju, but it also means the towns can only be accessed by climbing long flights of stairs and crossing many bridges between the caps, so dragons are often around to fly or open portals instead. The number of portals needed means that the number of solar and wind farms in the desert below is plentiful. So long as no sophonts are down there to attract unwanted attention, the kaiju generally have no reason to destroy the infrastructure. However, at times it seems like the energy output does not match what it should, and is instead being diverted into a network of wires that seems like it doesn't exist at all. Further study is necessary to determine the cause of this anomaly.

Oases & the Sphynx Run River 

Small oases located randomly throughout Nevali are one of the only sources of water on the continent, aside from the Sphynx Run river and its offshoots. The river flows from the top of a large cliffside in central Nevali, down a rather beautiful waterfall surrounded by thick teal plant and fungal life, and it enters the ocean all the way in the northeast as it passes between the plateaus of Blackreach. The river is named as such due to it being the location where sphynx ambassadors from the planet Pyrexia and xorryaddan ambassadors from the planet New Xorrya touched down to meet with a council of sophonts from daeji. While xorryaddans were quite familiar with encountering alien sophont life, this was the first time sphynxes had done so of their own accord, as they typically prefer a lower-tech lifestyle. Thus, the river was named in their honor. The meeting itself was divisive. While xaeviin military power has decided to legally abstain from from the Sunburst Alliance, this opinion is not shared among the common folk, and their inclusion is a topic of debate to this day. The daejiin species abstained from all votes whatsoever, and is thus sometimes colloquially included due to their relatively peaceful nature, though asking an individual about the subject matter directly usually results in a non-committal answer. 

Geyser Plains 

The geyser plains are the only other source of water found in Nevali. Located in the southwest and along the border with Marathi, the geyser plains are bright red, orange, yellow, and cyan-greenish heaps of clay shooting boiling water hundreds of meters into the air. The water settles in ponds in lower regions of this biome and often stays warm for a very long time, making these areas natural hot tubs. These are extremely useful for staying warm when the desert chills at night.

Cloudy Valley 

A set of deep valleys located in northwestern Nevali, cloudy valleys are where dust tends to settle when a sandstorm ends. The clouds appear billowy and fluffy, but with the deep red hue of Nevaliin sands. Standing atop the edges of the valley, you can see the clouds stretching on for miles ahead.

Dead Woods 

The dying remains of a large forest still sits along the northern border of Nevali, and wildfires here are common due to lightning strikes, as storms often drift down from Kaziki. The presence of the forest suggests this area was once lush. 

Blackreach  

Situated on the northeastern part of the continent on a set of towering plateaus surrounded by terrifying vertical drops. Bridges connect each section of the city, and dragons are often employed as search-and-rescue for any citizens who happen to fall or find themselves lost among the plateaus. In an attempt at self-preservation, the council communists of Blackreach do not communicate with its two capitalist neighbors to the south, as the two cities typically respond with threats of imperial force. Despite the risk, Blackreach always accepts refugees escaping from those cities. Blackreach is also the only city on Daeji that utilizes airships for travel. These airships are not derived from Xorryaddan tech like many on other planets are, but rather self-engineered by xaeviin. Xaeviin were once quite technologically advanced before the anomalies began, and some of their advancements still persist! Flight is the only way to reach the city regardless- the plateaus are so high that building stairs has been attempted, but actually trying to climb them would be futile to most reasonable sophonts. Ground-level posts staffed by dragons carry people in and out of the city. The air is thin at such high altitudes, and the sophonts born here typically adapt in time, while visitors may struggle. The height of the city is likely the only thing protecting it from capitalist seige.

This city looks like a war base, with massive triple-layered walls protecting it from dust storms on all sides. It is one of the only cities on Daeji with something of a military, and guards are pacing around the walls at all times, looking out for monsters and travelers to rope in. While it is very common for bervain to have clan militaries, officers, and/or warriors, this whole city has adopted this strategy as a means to protect itself and seek resources from others. It is one of few cities that has individual cramped houses instead of communal rest areas. It is extremely difficult to escape because of the massive amount of kaiju in the area, and the city's position in a steep valley. Workers are paid very little and made to live in very small quarters, but if they do manage to escape the city, the promise of a better life in Blackreach awaits. Despite this, some groups of civilians believe that they must work for what they have, and that life outside the city is no more hospitable than here- therefore, those who try to escape are likely dead, and foolish for doing so. Perhaps hypocritcally, the military has been attempting to plan a siege on Blackreach, hoping to secure the land, its position on high ground, and its resources for a second capitalist settlement. 

Bexeron  

This city is southwest of Venjigate, and has slightly better livelihood. Rather than a harsh ruling class and a helpless working class, Bexeron's working class has realized it has power over the ruling class. As of yet, it has not rebelled, but in dire times, workers will break into upper class homes, take enough supplies to defend for themselves, and venture out in search of a better life. Very few who live here are willing to reproduce nor have the means to raise a family, and therefore the population of Bexeron is always decreasing. Despite this, no revolt has been successful yet. A general strike is always on the minds of civilians, and yet the ruling class feeds them distractions and triggers groups to bicker amongst each other rather than focusing on the bigger picture. Eventually, something will have to give, right? 

Drought 

Not really considered a weather event, as it's just the norm in the desert. It only rains once or twice a year in most areas of Nevali. Even in the dead woods where lightning is common, these storms are usually dry. Tropical storms cause rain more often on the east coast, but for most of the continent, drought is a near-constant experience.

Sandstorms/Duststorms 

Being mostly dry, sandstorms are the most common weather event in Nevali. Dry thunderstorms and windstorms whip up sand that will travel across the continent for long distances, buffeting city walls, temporarily blinding travelers, and in worst case scenarios, collapsing walls and homes. 

Tornadoes 

Tornadoes in Nevali are rare due to the heat and dry air, but may occur in flatter regions, especially near the river as it feeds more moisture into the atmosphere. These are generally small and occur in groups, and most of the damage comes from the funnels sucking up hundreds of tons of sand, giving Nevaliin tornadoes an eerie red hue. These storms are usually accompanied by silent heat lightning. 

Wildfires & Fire Whirls 

In the dying forests of nothern Nevali, wildfires are common due to lightning strikes. Small tornadoes are much more common as one approaches the Kazikiin border, and these often pick up the fire and spread it further. It should be noted that dust devils, landspouts, and fire whirls are not true tornadoes as they are not borne of supercells, but they can still cause disruption for local towns. 

Marsh Sea 

An open plain of sand, moss, and aquatic grass, covered with 1 to 3 feet of water at all times. Marsh seas are located around the edges of the continent (noted by the blue tinted areas on the world map). These regions are wonderful for planting aquatic crops, as fresh water is filtered in during high tides. Marsh seas further inland are often more pond-like. They can also be made of stardust, or a mixture of stardust and water. 

Layered Hills 

These hills appear all over Marathi, like massive stairs resembling rice fields. They've been shaped this way artificially by hundreds of years of xaeviin farmers. Even though crops may not be grown on every single hill anymore, many of them retain their layered appearance. Each layer tends to feature a different crop, with drier crops planted near the top and submerged crops at the bottom, underneath increasingly deep pools of water. Unused hills may appear more wild and unruly, as crops are typically cycled here to preserve the ecosystems and ensure health of the soil. 

Salt Stretches 

The far western sea between Daeji and Marathi features the saltiest water on Daeji. Solid constructs of salt often become lodged on the Marathiin shores here, some forming large and beautiful archways and artistic shapes. The high concentration of salt in the sands makes the beaches sparkly and white, cyan, or pink. 

Rainbow Fields 

In central Marathi, beneath the great lake, lies the rainbow fields. Rolling hills with strange alien flowers covering every surface. Xaeviin settlements here fiercely protect the land, as many of the plants in this biome no longer grow anywhere else on Daeji due to the intervention of outside forces. Many of them are critically endangered. So dragons and wing-gliders are often used for transportation over the land, with only ecologists & biologists permitted to walk upon the earth.

Coral Reefs 

Off the southwestern border of Marathi, semi-aquatic alien corals grow both on the shore and in the water. Some are edible and can be gathered for food, while others are stinging and/or poisonous. In some regions, the coral grows all the way up the beach and into the grass where it has adapted over hundreds of millenia for semi-aquatic rather than fully-aquatic life. 

Crystal Shores 

Similar to the salt shores (but far less salty) the crystal shores are beaches where the sand is mixed with specks of crystal and sea glass. Sometimes this is collected by the local Daejiin and made into jewelry, but most of it is left alone to preserve the biome's beauty. The crystal shores are seen as one of the most scenic spots on Daeji, but it must be tread upon carefully, as the crystals that have yet to be eroded enough by the sea waters may be sharp. Shoes are a must, much to the dismay of those who wish to feel soft sand underfoot. These shores take up much of southwestern Marathi, surrounding the coral reefs on either side. Anomalous illusions are common here, many reporting to see massive beasts rising from the water, blocking out the sun. This has ruined many a romantic walk on the beach. 

The Underhangs 

In southeastern Marathi, regular hurricanes cause rough seas that erode the land quickly. Semi-cylindrical towers featuring dozens of waterfalls loom over a sprawling arrangement of aquatic caves along the shores. These caves are unusually smooth, lined by colorful, marbled teal stone, and many haven't yet been explored. The lower caves fill up when the tide is high; this isn't an issue for daejiin,  xorryaddans, or water dragons, but it makes a dangerous journey for species who require air. 

The Empty 

The only part of Marathi that isn't wet is known as "the empty", located just south of the Nevaliin border. Just as described, it is a seemingly endless expanse of open prairie, covered only by plush teal grasses and small flowers. It is said to be one of the most frightening places on Daeji. The perfectly flat, featureless plain seems to have no predatory beasts, nor any small creatures or insects. Nothing seems to live here at all aside from the plants; there's something deeply unnatural about it. Individuals have reported waking up here despite living far away, having no memory of how they've gotten here. They may wander for days before seeing anything else on the horizon at all.

Poison Mangrove 

Located in the northeastern tip of the continent are the poison mangroves, featuring sprawling white trees jutting out of lakes of various toxic fluids. The most populous of these are crux and vice.  

Crux is an extremely thick, swirling purple-brown substance with a texture similar to syrup. It is generally too thick to permeate crops, and is only dangerous if ingested directly. Some creatures will even bathe in crux, claiming it helps with fatigue as it has muscle-relaxant properties at microdoses, as long as it’s kept out of any orifices. 

Vice, on the other hand, is a very runny clear liquid with glints of color. It causes temporary paralysis and dizziness if ingested in small amounts, and can kill most bervain and reyins if it seeps into crops. Nature dragons are superb at detecting and removing toxins, so they are often hired for quality control at farms and food processing facilities. 

Hurricanes 

Hurricanes on Daeji form in the hot waters off the east coast of Nevali. They can move straight and go towards Xaevi, or turn north and dissipate before reaching Aishuziki. But most commonly, they move southwest towards Marathi. Hurricanes on the east coast are a constant threat, alongside the poison mangroves. Hence why much more farming is done in the west. Most hurricanes will have weakened by the time they reach the western part of Marathi.

Waterspouts 

Tornadoes form commonly on the more volatile half of hurricanes, the direction of which depends on which hemisphere it's in. They often form overseas or over the shallow pools covering Marathi. These waterspouts can travel on the ground for up to a half hour through the flat expanses of wetland. Not all waterspouts form during a hurricane, and some pass peacefully through the ocean without ever making landfall. 

Floods 

Many areas of Marathi flood regularly with the tides. Most floods are not disastrous or unpredictable, but a welcome part of life in Marathi. Most cities are built waterproof with furniture secured to the floor, so that sophonts which don't require air can continue living comfortably underwater during particularly high flooding. Those that do require air move up to higher building levels. Water levels during typical floods and during storms are required to be labeled on the sides of buildings, so that bedrooms for those who need air can be constructed above both levels. However, it is possible for tropical storms to cause more unpredictable or violent flooding, and these can uproot crops and reach higher levels at their worst.

Tsunamis 

The constantly quaking ground of Xyndrycu often causes tsunamis to form, moving up towards southern Marathi. Many of these crash down on the countless sandbanks, but the ones that are large enough to reach farmland can cause mass destruction and loss of food.