The Deep South
Icebracc Tundra
The entirety of the south pole’s expansive ice continent. There is nothing but snow, ice, flat lands, and wind spiraling in a powerful anti-cyclone. Nothing lives here permanently, the only life being seavrons lounging on the glaciers that float away from the tundra coastline cliffs. But, a strong aura flows through its grounds, making scientists consider if more life flourishes in the deep underground of the tundra.
Psollo Timberland
A vast taiga forest full of giant pine trees and cold-loving, bushy ferns. The timberland surrounds the bay where the Kilaan City and its ports reside and pushes inward towards the northern side of the Howling Mountains. The ground is soft with snow and pine needles and hidden, icy waterfalls are found around every corner.
Howling Mountains
Cold from the base to their peaks, the Howling Mountains cross Psollo and protect the settlement of Howland from dangerous winds blowing in from the tundra. Flying over their peaks is a dangerous quest, their winds are so violent that they howl like wolves and can freeze a Ptithian's wings solid.
An abyss of ice foretold in ancient texts to be the resting place of a *Colossal assistant who had collapsed into the frozen ocean long, long ago. The abyss stretches deep into the glacial tundra that covers Psollo, with jagged spikes sticking up and inwards as if a meteor had struck it and sent shards spiraling everywhere. Lots of scaffolding and mining has created pathways down into the blue darkness, and a few dozen meters down it becomes pitch black aside from foe lanterns and dust lights were strewn about. Relics from the distant past, pre-history even, reside encased in the ice deep, deep below, making the abyss the most prized place for paleontologists, geologists, and archeologists. Fossils from long-extinct creatures, scriptures written in symbols older than Draconic, things that existed before the E.D era are a great mystery to Ptithians of the present day.
Settlements
CAPITAL CITY | Kilaan
Kilaan City is located on the mountain-side snowy prairies of the Psollo mini-continent. Originally a dock town for exporting and transporting the mining and fishing industries that brought in plenty of goods to the mainland, eventually the outpost developed into a small town. As years went by, Pab’Zuaan had a large migration soon after the “Swa Vanishes” event in 4700 C.E. This large migration was composed of Veluns who were tired of the Swavvels ignoring their idea that Swa was hidden or captured, so they left to form their own area where their community would be respected amongst one another. The population increased and Kilaan spread further out, farther away from the frozen coast, and into the dry mountains dense with pine trees, aspens, lichen, and shrubbery. A winter wonderland, the city is called, its architecture a wondrous array of log cabins in every shape and size, many large buildings looking like ski lodges of logging camps. The weather is cold and unforgiving, but the Ptithians who live there do not reflect the weather in their personality; rather, citizens of Kilaan tend to be passive and happy, going about their days one step at a time.
TOWN | Howland
The town of Howland is a market-linked section of the Kilaan territory, which inhabits the mini-continent of Psollo. In the deep south, it is cold, agriculture is limited, and only those who can withstand subzero during the harsh winters reside there, however, while this shoos away many Ptithians, others find the weather and lifestyle perfectly. Howland is built with homes being vertical patterned dens that start at the base of their mountain chasm and crawl upwards on the rocky walls and cliffs. There is a ground level in Howland, but with the frozen and slippery ground, it would be dangerous for those who cannot fly or climb easily to live in the city, for they would risk falling into the Antarctic crevasses of dark blue seawater. The mountains are sharp and eroded, the only flora that exists in sparse amounts are pine trees and moss, so most fruits and vegetables are imported into the city from other kingdoms that prosper in farming. The city has a good supply of iron and precious minerals, along with freshwater in abundance that is melted from the frigid peaks of the mountains. Those gains are exported to the city of Kilaan, first to be distributed to the main kingdom, then are sent out to the rest of Ptitheros. The people of Howland, although tough for being able to live in such a cold climate, are not a rigid bunch; most are content and happy with their lives, their daily tasks are simple and repetitive, a way of life they all grow up on and don’t have quarrels against because nothing is too rigorous. They are a community with few grudges, taking the South Cardinal and Their peaceful opinions about the world. Since Howland is a Southern city, it falls under the Deity of the South; Swa Verduro. Howland citizens are predominantly Vedlun by heritage. Howland was originally established as a small encampment for the cold-preferring Ptithians from Pab'Zuaan who sought a new home far away from the bustling Pab'Zuaan capital back during the "Swa Vanishes" event in 4700 C.E. Many other creatures followed them, but many stopped at Kilaan due to the weather. Kilaan and Howland began small, but the migration of Ptithians troubling times made the southern lands grow. Those who wanted a colder home, the ice, the frost, the winter, the fur-coated and warmth-blessed creatures who wanted the rippling winds of the Deep South, they continued on and founded a camp that was named Howll, representative of the Howling Winds that crossed the sea between Kilaan and Pab’Zuaan. As centuries turned into eras, generations continued on and on, the town of Howll was eventually claimed under the territory of Kilaan during the War of Sand and Stone to prevent the Tucruitorians from claiming more land where they weren’t supposed to. Once Howll was claimed, without protest either, Kilaan renamed it Howland and from there it was simply a steady increase of population growing and better resources being traded in and out from the cities.
VILLAGE | Hawlbrus
The farthest south civilization in Ptitheros, extremely close to the south pole, Hawlbrus is a dangerously cold outpost village where a thin population of people lives. Some are actual residents, living in ice-carved dwellings (very complex igloos), whereas others are scientists who only stay for a temporary amount of time. There is nothing but a glacier tundra for miles around.