Aveh Project: General Notes
What kind of terrain is found within Aveh? On the borderlands?
The majority of Aveh is composed of mixed terrain, sandy stretches and rocky scrublands being most common. The actual dune-systems are very dynamic, with relatively rapid movement, but the dunes themselves are generally relatively low (though exceptions do occur). Towards the various mountain ranges functioning as de facto borders, the terrain becomes thicker scrublands. Within said scrublands, most of the land is rocky and covered with small fungi, rock flowers, cacti and brush, with the occasional succulent.
Aveh is liberally peppered with oases, most of which have sprung up around natural wellsprings or the artesian wells sunk by the local clans. However, it is seldom that any one oasis is large enough to support more than a seasonal habitation, or perhaps a small village; most settlements within Aveh are small even tiny by foreign standards.
Approaching the Kislev border, with smaller patches not being unknown, the scrublands give way to coarse savanna. The sole major forested area is the Blackmoon forest, which is one of the areas hotly contested with Kislev.
Outcroppings and sinkholes are relatively common; sandstones and quartzites are the dominant mineral types, with occasional limestone deposits indicating where the continent was once seabed. These formations are almost always worn down into fanciful shapes by the ever- prevalent winds. Some few areas contain subterranean systems, which are generally avoided as being maws leading into Vorrhanik.
Aveh possesses two major seasons, with similar transitional periods. During the cooler season (Kessiajari, "water-wind"), most projects, industries and travel takes place. During the summer season (Esshiajari, "fire-wind"), the nomadic clans stick close to their water-sources and the settlements' activities slow down dramatically. During the summer season great windstorms can strike without warning, casting up great swirls of sand strong enough to abrade enameling off of metallic structures.
What kind of plant and animal life is found within Aveh?
Most plant life is heavily adapted for the arid terrain. Most common forms are cacti (both succulent and otherwise) and various types of brush, some of which are an important part of the native economy. Avik cacti are usually broad-stemmed in form rather like Terran aloe or agave with thorns lining their edges only. Brush is compact, flexible, and generally possess thick bunches of tiny, waxy leaves.
Other types of foliage include ball cacti, fungi and rock lichen, small stonelike plants which are found throughout the stonefields, and the occasional patch of sere grass. Savanna regions boast succulent brush, tall pampas grasses, and the occasional small tree. Blackmoon forest is densely populated with old-growth trees resembling redwoods or cedar, ferns of every imaginable type, and thick carpets and drapes of moss. More exotic woods are also found within Blackmoon, and are use in various industries.
Most wild Avik animals are on the small side, fleet, and/or well-protected. Desert reptiles are common, especially lizards (which in the case of some species may reach the size of dogs). Predatory avians are common, such as the esshianau, as well as the terrik, a flightless, partially- scaled avian rather like a heavy-set, omnivorous emu. Snakes are common and often feared. Conversely, there are some species of snake which are considered good eating.
There are a few species of desert ungulates, most of which are lightly-built and travel in small herds of about twenty. The most common of these is the darkia, a pale gold-tan antelope with slender, lyre-like horns. The ungulates are preyed upon by both the native raptors and the lirr'kirri, a large desert feline.
Most predators feed from the multitude of small burrowing rodents, insects, ground avians, and other reptiles which hide amongst the rocks and scrub; these small animals form the backbone of the Avik food chain.
What is the predominate phenotype of the Avik themselves? Are any populations an exception to this phenotype? If so, where are they?
In the main, the Avik people tend toward rangy, sinewy builds, with an emphasis towards leanness as opposed to heavy musculature. They are long-legged, with graceful extremities, prominent cheekbones, a slight tendency towards aquiline or classical features, and large eyes which are often slightly almond in shape. Head hair is thick, an unusual contrast to the tendency towards sparse to non-existent body hair.
The Avik complexion is tawny, with a soft amber-bronze cast. Avik who travel widely such as the nomadic clans generally have a darker, tougher skin than those who are more sheltered from the elements, as can be expected. Hair color usually falls within a certain range of shades, from rich sable to auburn, with the occasional dark blonde. Most Avik have brown, black or pale blue eyes; green, hazel and amber eyes are unknown amongst the core ("pureblood") Avik population.
There are three major exceptions to the general Avik phenotype: the Pasarikana population, those individuals inhabiting the Aveh/Kislev border, and the royal lineages.
The Pasarikana is one of the southeastern territories within Aveh, most of which is under the domain of the Amberstar and Skyweaver clans. These two clans and their requisite septs are typified by their coloration more than anything else. While sharing the 'standard' Avik build and bone structure -- though perhaps a little more solidly built -- this phenotype possesses a richer complexion (generally a deep mahogany with coppery undertones), sable to deep black hair, and dark or light blue-teal eyes. The greatest concentration of this phenotype is found within the center of the Pasarikana territory, such as the community of Noln. Along the borderlands, interbreeding of the native Avik population with the Kislei, combined with the more temperate climate, has led to a greater range of coloration as well as a tendency towards lighter skin- and hair-color than that found within Aveh proper.
The third and smallest variant population is that of the royal clan. Universal to this line, which includes the core-blood as well as the cousin-line within the Nisan territory, are the so- called "Fatima eyes" an eye color of a shocking, deep sapphire blue which is apparently a dominant trait, unlike 'normal' blue eyes which are inherited recessively.
Within the royal clan, the lighter hair colors are predominant; there is no clan-member who possess a hair-shade darker than mid-auburn, and most of the 'darker' shades are found within the cousin-line. Within the core bloodline, hair color varies from bronze-blonde and pale cinnamon to platinum-blonde, with both extremes being relatively rare.
These traits, taken together, make the royal clan instantly identifiable. Some members of Clan Fatima, particularly amongst the core-bloods, exhibit aberrant traits as well, such as unusually delicate bone-structure.
(Note: Clan Fatima was the subject of genocide during Shakhan's consolidation of power. It is highly unlikely, though not impossible, that individuals survive other than Marguerite Fatima, Bartholomei Fatima, and the half-blooded Sigrd Harcourt-Fatima.)
~ Dictionary of Terms ~ Clan Structure ~ Cultural Notes ~ General Notes ~ Theology ~