Elrahnia is surrounded by numerous columns of rock that stick up from the sea.
Climate: Temperate Rainforest - Cool and wet with mild seasons
Geology: Deformed and uplifted high-grade metamorphic rock
Life: Cliff fungus, mountain tringbow, various deciduous and evergreen trees
Inhabitants: Alabows and some Tolakhir survivors
Music: Elrahnia Theme - A song meant to capture the feeling of Elrahnia
Elrahnia is a temperate and mountainous island with a moist climate. It is surrounded, not only by an ocean of water, but also by an ocean of dense clouds that form an almost continuous undercast. The island in the sky is known for its lush temperate rainforests and barren mountain peaks. With little land around it to keep ocean currents in check, Elrahnia is pounded by fierce waves that have crushed many boats against the sharp spires of rock that line the near vertical cliffs on the island's coast. Multi-leveled terraces and plateaus create numerous sheltered microenvironments, hidden pockets of rare and unusual lifeforms who are almost totally isolated from the outside world. Lashed by frequent, thunderstorms, the island is often struck by lightning, spawning fires that ravage old vegetation and make way for new growth. Some lifeforms are so well adapted to the fire that they depend on it to complete their life-cycles. Elrahnia's remote location, stormy weather, unforgiving terrain, and surprisingly rich microenvironments made it a haven for the Alabows, intelligent and inventive creatures who had been fleeing from enemies attempting annihilate them. With its stunning biodiversity and proud Alabow heritage, the island in the sky is one of the most spectacular places in Tringbowland.
A stylized representation of the mountains of Elrahnia
Music: Snowcapped Summit - A song about Elrahnia's icy mountain tops
Elrahnia formed when the formation of a tectonic subduction zone crushed an old marine sedimentary deposit. The old deposits were subjected to intense heat and pressure, causing them to transform into high-grade metamorphic rocks. The continued compressive force uplifted and distorted the terrain until it formed near-vertical cliffs that rose out of the sea to complete formation of the island. The island continues to grow, and its proximity to the subduction zone makes it somewhat volcanically active. Some mountains have volcanic vents which erupt ash and toxic gas from time to time.
One of Elrahnia's many volcanic vents
Long ago, the Alabows lived in peace with the other inhabitants of Tringbowland, but a huge disaster was wrongfully blamed on them. They were violently persecuted and systematically murdered until very few were left. The few who defended them were also targeted. Both the Alabows and their allies were forced to go into hiding. The allies fled into the caves of Tolakhir, while the Alabows themselves ventured out into the stormy sea.
Because of its remote location, Elrahnia was chosen by the Alabows as their new refuge, a place to escape from genocide and live in peace. Villages were established in many of the island's verdant hidden valleys. Alabow villages are still a common sight, and the survivors are proud to call the windswept island their home. Some Tolakhir descendents have traveled to Tolakhir and reunited with the Alabows, living in peace as they did so long ago. Together, they modernized this island's infrastructure, building a network of bridges and cable cars, along with windmills to solar panels to provide electricity.
Elrahnia's isolation and multitude of microclimates provide unique challenges and opportunities to all who live there. The lush valleys between the mountain peaks each contain thier own uniqe ecosystems. Lower valleys rarely experience freezing temperatures, while others get huge amounts of snow in the winter. Forested valleys and lower plateaus are home to a variety of deciduous and evergreen trees.
At higher altitudes, the environments are vastly different. The alpine tundra is dominated by stunted shrubs. Some wind-sculpted cliffs are covered in glowing yellow fungi. The highest peaks are covered by ice year-round. Some of the rocky and icy peaks at such an extreme elevation that they are almost always above the thick ocean of clouds. Grey skies and frequent thunderstorms reign supreme at the lower levels, but above the cloud layer it's always a bright sunny day. This environment is ruled by huge mountain tringbows, measuring 6 meters from wing tip to wing tip.
Audio: Mountain Wind - The sound of wind above the clouds
The alabows themselves are peace-loving creatures. They have a human-like body plan, but they are covered in black fur and have a crest of 3 horns on thier heads. They inhabit villages within cliffs and forested oases. They are closely related to tringbows, sharing a common ancestor with them only a few million years ago, a short time in geological terms. Highly intelligent, alabows possess their own language and culture. They are adept and building and tool-making, and they live by fishing, farming, and foraging in the mountains.
A village of alabow cliff dwellings
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