Giant orooms, the tree-size fruiting stalks of massive fungi are a common sight on the island of Gtara.
Climate: Mild, wet, and often foggy
Geology: Hills and towers of eroded sedimentary rock
Life: Giant oroom, diving tringbow, dalraifids, pod rope trees
Inhabitants: Gtaran Natives - Descended from Yaiyairi (Lantern People)
Music: Gtara Theme - A song capturing the feeling of Gtara
Gtara is an island with a mild climate and lush vegetation. Much of the island is close to sea level at high tide, making tidal wetlands a common occurrence. Giant orooms, the fruiting bodies of massive fungi, grow out of the island's many lakes and tower tens of meters into the air. The oroom lakes and flooded forests provide a rich habitat for rare and unusual species.
Once inhabited by the so-called Lantern People, Gtara is home to magnificent gardens and estates ornately decorated with abstract sculpures carved from stone. Footbridges provide a walking path over the island's many streams. On Gtara, the line between indoor and outdoor begins to blur. In the mild climate, the Lantern People to built pagoda-like open structures with minimal walls, allowing gentle breezes to provide fresh air.
The creation of Gtara began when a formation of alternating shale and sandstone beds was subjected to compressive forces and folded extensively. A section of the folded rock broke the surface of the sea. When the uplift stopped, the new island eroded until it was very flat and very close to sea level at high tide. A moist climate in the region allowed pioneer species to transform the rock into a rich soil, which came to support a thriving ecosystem.
Music: Nightworld - A song about nightfall on Gtara
The Yaiyairi Lantern people, descendents of ocean-going fishermen from Inkititch, were among the first to settle on Gtara. They found the island to be one of the most beautiful places they had seen, and they honored it with their works of art which now decorate the island. Those who chose to stay became the Gtarans, and the Gtarans believed there was no distinction between nature and society. They sought to live in harmony with the creatures around them. Their architecture was built to blend in with the forest, providing homes for wildlife species rather than destroying their habitats. They grew decorative gardens within the swamps and constructed walkways on stilts above the water. The Gtarans were a nocturnal people, exalting the thrill of the darkness and worshipping the creatures of the night. Wishing to honor their cultural heritage, they have teamed up with the Tolakhir Survival Committee to preserve the island's eerie nighttime beauty for future generations.
A Gtaran village
Audio: Bubble Song - Sounds from the swamp of Gtara at night
One of Gtara's many oroom lakes.
The island of Gtara is a haven for unusual wildlife. Giant orooms tower above the water, providing a perch for diving tringbows as they go fishing for small aquatic creatures. Tiny glowing creatures resembling fireflies feed on pahfer pods hanging from pod rope trees, and predatory dalraifids ambush their prey.
Dalraifids bear a resemblance to both reptiles and insects, and they are one of the most diverse groups of creatures found on Gtara.
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