Medieval & Fantasy Minecraft Roleplaying

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Strandir Territory Climate and Wildlife

French Roast

Lord of Altera
Pronouns
She/Her
French_Roast
French_Roast
<CLIMATE>

All of the Strandir territory lies in the far north of the continent, in what is referred to by some as the Whitelands. These are snowy arctic tundras and mountains, which run along the whole length of the northern coast. They are almost completely devoid of tall plantlife, and yet rich in certain small shrubs which blossom in the short summers, and bring with them a variety of wildlife. The summers last a meager two months, brought on by the somewhat more temperate air which blows in from the west-southwest, from lands that belong to Hawklight and Kane. The rest of the year, the environment is incredibly hostile, blasted by the frigid coastal winds from the open northwest and enduring blizzard-like conditions. Deep snow engulfs the tundra and makes it largely impassable by most means.


Original

The temperatures tend to peak at around no more than 40F (4C), and during the winter, it bottoms out as low as -20F (-29C). It can feel significantly colder in the harshest conditions without proper clothing or shelter from the wind, making it one of the most dangerous environments on the continent. Because the coastal tundras are bordered by large mountain ranges and the open ocean, precipitation is frequent, which means that during the short summer, the ground is saturated with water constantly due to snowmelt and rain, and for the rest of the year, the tundra becomes buried in deep snow. Even during the summer, the temperature tends to drop below freezing overnight, creating a layer of hard permafrost below the surface which never completely thaws.

Due to the climate, clothing tends to be very thick. Horses are impractical due to the deep snow which they cannot easily traverse, even if they are bred to be able to handle the cold climate. Anybody who goes out during the winter does so wearing bulky clothing made of animal pelts, and they utilize skis and snowshoes to navigate the deep snow efficiently. And anybody with half a wit about them makes sure to be back inside the walls come nightfall, or before any kind of snowfall begins to form. A light snowfall can turn into a blizzard in a matter of minutes in the coastal tundra.

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<LANDSCAPE & SEASCAPE>

Strandir territory is primarily along the northern coast of the Whitelands, in the coastal tundra. These are vast stretches of open, frozen grasslands, which thrive on the gentle lower slopes of the far northern mountains. The mountains themselves are tall, jagged peaks which pierce the northern sky and act as a barrier to insulate the cold northern coast from the more temperate lands that lie to the south. Any winds that blow such warm airs from the south are forced over the peaks, cooling the air significantly and also causing a significant amount of condensation which leads to the heavily cloudy and wet conditions on the north coast.


Original

Strandir territory also includes some of the inner valleys south of the northernmost mountains. The conditions here tend to be as harsh as those of the coastal tundra, albeit somewhat more sheltered from wind. Vast glaciers and snowfields cover sections of the higher plains and passes, making them inhospitable to life, but the lower regions bear moderately more plant life than the coastal tundra, and with it, a wider variety of wildlife. They are known as the Summerlands because during the short summer, the mountain passes are safe enough to be crossed by hunters and gatherers.

The ocean around the northern coasts is frigid, and deathly cold. Any man who falls into the waters faces almost certain death unless his companions can act quickly to fish him out and has the resources to quickly warm him. The coast itself is rocky, and in some places icy year-round, due in no small part to the permanently frozen peaks and stony islands which jut out of the water. Around the Stoltfar Harbor itself are many of these formations. Ice sloughs off of them into the water, creating the dangerous floats. Between two of the behemoth clusters of frozen islands, the current forms perfectly to push ice floats out of the way and form the only safe passage between the open ocean and the Stoltfar Harbor. A smaller ship, such as the Strandir cargo ship Emberlys, can slip through the strait intact, but larger ships, such as the colossal warships of the Hawklight fleet, would be lucky to navigate the strait without breaking on the jagged rocks to either side. It is because of this that the passage has earned the name of the Strait of Ruin.

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<PLANTLIFE & WILDLIFE>

Due to the combination of the brutal coastal winds and the layer of permafrost soil, most flora on the coastal tundra and in the inner valleys is only small shrubs and grasses, with shallow root systems. On the higher plains and the mountain peaks, it is almost entirely devoid of plant life, the ground too rocky and frozen and the air too thin to allow plant life to grow. Surprisingly, however, this sparse, seemingly insignificant plant life is often nutritious, and vital to all wildlife in the far north. During the short summer, many of them blossom, dotting the tundra with patches of colorful wildflowers, and many can be harvested for berries or herbs which serve myriad purposes.


Cloudberry original Pasque flower original

Cloudberry, lingonberry and bearberry are all edible berries which grow on shrubs and are commonly harvested. The leaves of the bearberry plant are also often used in herbal tea. Diamondleaf willow, unlike its relatives in the southern lands, only grows a few inches off the ground and spreads out in large carpets. The leaves are rich in vitamins and are harvested for use in food. Reindeer lichen is found everywhere, and is used in the distillation of the liquor aquavit. Tufted saxifrage is a delicate flower which is one of the only plants one may find in the rocky peaks in the higher regions of the Whitelands. Pasque flower is a beautiful but highly toxic plant that produces vibrant purple blossoms.


Original

The plant life forms the base of the food chain for a variety of wildlife. Reindeer and tundra hares commonly feed on the plants, and are in turn hunted by the Strandir for their good meat and pelts. These are also preyed upon by foxes and wolves, as well as brown bears in the more southern reaches, which the Strandir do not actively hunt but will kill when competing over prey or in self-defense, and make use of their pelts. Close to the waters, seals may be found preying upon fish and shellfish while trying to evade their own land-based predators. Seals do not have useful pelts, but their blubbery meat is often used in stew as a local favorite. In the frigid ocean waters, a number of fish dwell, including halibut, salmon, coalfish, cod, and herring. All of these thrive at varying times of the year, providing a constant source of food for the Strandir to harvest even during the coldest times of winter. Crabs, mussels and shrimp are also harvested from the local waters.

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OOC Notes/Trivia:

  • The climate of the northern coast is based off of the real-life regions of northern Norway and northern Alaska.
  • Similar to these regions, the temperature in the Eastern Frontier northern coast does not drop nearly as severely as some parts of the real-world continental arctic regions, due to the fact that rather than solid land over which cold air travels, there is open ocean, which keeps the air somewhat more temperate. This is comparable to the way real-world South America and South Africa have no regions as cold as locations mirrored in the northern hemisphere, because of the open ocean separating them from Antarctica.
  • All wildlife and plant life described is native to northern Scandinavia, the region upon which the Strandir culture is partially based.
  • If you have questions about travel within/to Strandir territory for any purposes, I encourage you to ask me about it. The location was strategically chosen due to its inaccessibility, and I want to ensure that this is roleplayed out correctly.
 
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