Lausá

Lausá, informally called simply Eastern Serrona, is a geographical and cultural region on the continent of Serrona in Eldham; typically being divided in two, the other region of Serrona being called Vustada (or simply Western Serrona).

Overtime the conception of where the border between Lausá begins and Vustada ends has changed over time but most seem to consider all land East of the Celestial Sea and Batu Strait to be Lausá while all land to the West of this arbitrary border is culturally and geographically a part of Vustada.

Today the region is home to a diverse array of ethnic groups ranging from the native Lo'Oix, Mari (Lausán Humans), and Kolssons to the foreign-in-origin Havenites, Adalorians, Sylvanians, and more.

Physical geography
Lausá has some of the most fascinating geography of any region on Eldham; including both manmade and natural physical geography. It features territories of virtually all biomes from mesas, to rainforests, to deserts, to plains, to forests of all kinds.

Frozen expanses
Notably however, Lausá has the single largest expanse of tundra and taiga on the entire server, even beating out those in the similarly diverse Vustada. The coldest known location on all of Eldham is found in the middle of this large expanse of tundra and taiga on the Isle of Tumiria, in the main borough of the modern city of Kazkaya. Nowadays, the region has warmed due to urban settlement but its frigid nature remains undeniable. It is difficult to estimate due to constant human intervention, but the region in this expanse of tundra also is believed to have one of the three tallest mountains on Eldham; however due to human habitation the natural height of one of these mountains was cut down. Nowadays the city of Kamieniec sits at the top of one such massive mountain chain and the religious center of Gehenazar sits at the foothills of the mountain once believed to be the tallest on Eldham.

These regions are also home to the only dragon species in all of Serrona, the Serronan Windrider (Lo'Oi: Sérona Zoapálo) which contrary to many dragon species is actually relatively small and does not ever attack animals for the purposes of predation. There is notably zero species of vultures that live in Lausá and for this reason the Windrider has taken its niche in eating carrion. Windriders are surprisingly docile to people to the extent they have taken advantage of towers and empty barns across the landscape of Southern Lausá to use as nesting sites. These regions are also home to the largest species of wolf on Eldham called the 'Spirit wolf' (Lo'Oi: Flokovoala) which is notorious for its aggressive nature which has made the gathering of sheep in pastures in Eastern Lausá's taigas near impossible; forcing ranchers to remain in open expanses away from forests where the wolves reside. The wolves feature prominently in a famous text called the Dé'I Dakoroto written by Xeroise Ronango'O, hunting people who wander into the woods and using their large size to even take down horses.

The Ythmyrr Vents
Perhaps some of the most noteworthy natural landmarks are in that of modern Medtremar; which is the location where multiple tectonic plates intersect to form a volcanic landscape known as the Ythmyrr Vents (Lo'Oi: Ová'Áa-la-toá-Gotás, literally 'Rising-heat-for-(the)-gods'). A scientist from the USSE was the first to dangerously enter the risky era and document its attributes for science, his name being Jaspir Spéd. He documented that the region was the intersection of the Lausán, Vustadan, and Kaladinian tectonic plates. This created numerous volcanic plumes and vents, most notably the Artho'Ogi; a series of three volcanic vents which are named for and said to be the birthplace of the minor Forge Gods in Oxinto mythology; said to be triplets born the attribute of knowledge, skill, and strength - the three attributes necessary to be a worthy metalworker and forger. This landscape has also produced the largest river of lava in both Rathnir and Eldham on the overworld; called the Styrveli; a word originating from a Mari language term for 'evil air' in reference to the toxic underground fumes emitted along the Ythmyrr Vents. It is believed that around 200 years prior to the Rathnirian discovery of Eldham that an eruption at the Vents - while not particularly devastating physically - resulted in the expelling of enough toxic gases to kill the population of much of Southern Kaladinia and Northern Adalor; resulting in the area being almost entirely unpopulated even by the time of the Rathnirian discovery as numerous individuals refused to live near the area. With modern develops in seismology however in the USSE, the area has since become reinhabited with cities such as Renapheus and Ythmyrr Beach existing in the area.

Wetlands
The region of Lausá is home to two gargantuan expanses of wetland, the first being the Kjarrlands in the geographic region of Western Kolssonafell and the second being the Great Swamp in Central Medtremar. The Kjarrlands in particular are one of the very few places where hippopotamus can be found, grazing on land during the night and relaxing the day's heat away in the waters. They are notoriously territorial and cities only recently began to be established there year-round, such as Duckia and Astranza. Pygmy hippopotamus are known to live in the rivers and the Great Swamp in Medtremar as well. Hippos have become a sort of cult figure for many in the area, with a hockey team in the USSE being called the Akaishiran Hippos.

While technically not a wetland, there is also a series of floodplains in Southern Kaladinia and Western Xeka. These floodplains tend to have clay or silt filled ponds which act as breeding grounds for numerous frog species and the region is home to the Medtremari Swamp Pheasant which is renowned for its bright colors. The Pheasants nearly went extinct due to overhunting from Barbossan pirate settlers in Kaladinia; but due to the passing of the Natural Authority Act in the USSE which declared these floodplains to be national forests, the Pheasant populations have quickly regrown. To this date, among pirates, particularly those of Barbossan decent, the bright purple and red pheasant feathers are considered particularly fashionable.

The Gleaming Groves
Within Central Kolssonafell, to the South of the Agseirsan peninsula there is a region known as the Gleaming Groves. It acted as a sanctuary for Kolsson mages for numerous years; even in prehistory. It is noted for its expanses of fungi-ridden grass that give the landscape of deep turquoise coloration and for the mineral-filled waters of the region. In fact, the waters of the Gleaming Groves are so filled with minerals that it is undrinkable, not only being toxic but easily creating digestive obstructions. There are scattered sturdy trees in the area, however it is believed when it rains in the Gleaming Groves the minerals from the water end up forming residue over these trees that builds up over centuries forming trees that give the appearance of being almost of amethyst. Much of the ecology of the region is a mystery