Yularan Geography and Biota

Yulara is an island of northwest Rathnir predominantly featuring deserts, savannas and patches of green plains, with multitude of different climates, flora and fauna in different regions, due to the major influences of Syltor and Helmian lands surrounding the island. Due to influx of human inhabitants and development of agriculture, there has been major changes to the biomes through the decades, and thus many of the research is done in the combined Yularan Institute of Archaeology, Climatology and Ecology.

Climate of Yulara
WIP

Birds

 * The Ibean Raptor (Raptor Ibiens), is a small bird of prey that is highly intelligent. The raptor commonly consumes desert and field mice for a diet, and sometimes even juvenile river serpents. Residents in the Ib region of Yulara use Ibean Raptors frequently as messenger birds due to the Raptor's ability to reach high air speeds when diving. The Raptor has a very strong sense of direction, making it a natural messenger bird. Ibean Raptors nest commonly in the branches of desert shrubs and in desert cliff crevices, where males partner for mates each year during mating season.


 * The Heliodusic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax heliodusionensis) is a large bird with a long bill first discovered in the Heliodusion region of Yulara, along the estuaries of the Epipia river. Despite its name, the Heliodusic Cormorant is common along much of the Yularan coastline. Its diet consists primarily of coastal fish. The Cormorant male has a more colorful plumage than the female in order to attract mates, and both sexes mate for life. Common nests are found along beaches, where eggs are wrapped in seaweed and downy feathers for nests. The mother cormorant incubates the eggs for 4-month period before hatching takes place. Maturity takes 1.5 years.

Drakes and Pseudodragons

 * The Umbra Pseudodragon ( Draconis minor, umbra), often referred to as a "Darkdrake" by locals is a small Pseudodragon that hails from northern Valle but are most often found within the dark city Innercity of Skyreach. Having a classic shape of a small dragonoid, they are unique in that they possess the ability to camouflage within shadows or places lacking enough light, leading to their nickname among the locals. Friendly, if shy creatures, they have been observed to behave similar to Faries, and have shown a limited inkling to use illusion magic, provided they within a dark place. These "Darkdrakes" have a pitch-black skin, phosphorescent yellow eyes, and have been noted to smoke when placed into a source of light; though it has been determined that sunlight itself does not harm them. Their diets consist of rats, birds, insects, but have been noted to predominately feed off of the latent magic present within Skyreach due to the Ley line source beneath it. While a nest has never found, it has been surmised from their population density that they take around a year to hatch, and can live up to around 350 years old, though no upper limit has yet been confirmed. The Darkdrake has domesticated by locals, most often spell casters and wizards as pets and familairs.

Unclassified (lack of information)

 * The Draconis, Vacuus (Draconis Yularnas Vacuus) is the name assigned to the set of bones and skull found within the southern region of Valle, under Skyreach's Central Tower. The Bones were discovered by the local governor (Astra Cornaro) while attempting to unearth the origin of a leyline point (Which was later to be revealed to be the large chamber that the bones and skull presided in.) According to Astra, he found it in a perfectly preserved state, alongside an ancient tome. He has refused to elaborate upon what he had found within the tome and had details burning it after reading its contents. As to the skeleton, he claimed to have "Moved it to somewhere safer", and also gave a scant few details on it, but did produce a small shard from it. The sliver of bone shard was pitch black and seemed to cause light around it to dim, and could only be described as unnerving to anyone who came into contact with it.


 * The Ex Infra (Ex Infra ) was a monstrous creature that apparently roamed the world before the arrival of the gods*, long before the modern era. A husk of the creature was found by Astra Cornaro Somewhere beneath Luperkania. The husk has been relocated to a "safer and more secure area" according to Astra. Though refusing to provide solid evidence of the creature, he described it as "An amoeba like creature made out of iridescent black slime, with multiple eyes "floating" on the surface" and being around "50 feet wide/across" referring to the book found in the cavern of the Draconis, Vacuus, he stated that they may have once been members of Ex Infra far larger, though would not elaborate further.