Tarlarch
The Wandering Isle
Tarlarch is a small, nomadic island adrift in the Shattering a vast, fragmented expanse where landmasses have broken free from the continental plate and now float in perpetual motion. Unlike most drifting isles, Tarlarch is uniquely alive, shifting not just in location but in terrain and structure, forcing its inhabitants into a relentless cycle of adaptation.
Key Features
The Ever-Shifting Landscape
Tarlarch’s geography is in constant flux, hills rise and crumble overnight, rivers carve new paths in hours, and forests may uproot themselves entirely. Some say the island itself is semi-sentient, responding to unseen forces or even the will of its people.
Certain landmarks remain fixed (perhaps magically anchored), serving as waypoints for navigation, but even these may subtly change over time.
The Mechanics of Motion
The island does not just drift it moves with purpose, skirting collisions with other landmasses or diving beneath storms. Some believe ancient mechanisms or dormant leviathans turn beneath its roots.
Survival & Adaptation
Settlements are built on stilts, wheels, or even the shells of giant migratory beasts to avoid being swallowed by sudden fissures or tidal surges.
Agriculture is near-impossible; most food comes from hardy, fast-growing crops, airborne fishing nets, or symbiotic relationships with mobile flora.
The people of Tarlarch are renowned scouts and cartographers within the shattering, though their maps are written in erasable ink or woven as temporary tapestries.
Cultural Impact
Leadership is fluid, those who can predict the island’s movements (seers, geomancers, or beast-whisperers) hold great influence.
Religion revolves around the "The Wild patriarch" a figure said to pull the island’s strings. Some view the motion as a blessing; others, a curse to be escaped.
Trade is opportunistic. Merchants leave the island to trade at Metalis-seguro, and return to the ever moving island is particularly difficult.
The Anchors: Rumours speak of ancient artifacts buried deep that could stabilize Tarlarch, but disturbing them might awaken something worse.
The Stillness: Rare, dreaded moments when Tarlarch stops completely—a sign of impending calamity.
Climate
The Rain That Never Falls Straight
Due to the island’s motion, rain doesn’t just fall—it curves, spirals, or even rises in bizarre wind patterns.
"Sideways Storms" occur when Tarlarch moves against a weather front, causing rain to lash horizontally. Locals build funnel-shaped roofs to collect water.
Heat That Moves Like a Living Thing
The island’s core emits pulses of geothermal warmth, creating pockets of scalding hot springs or sudden steam geysers that erupt without warning.
Some areas have "breathing rocks" porous stones that inhale cool air at night and exhale heat by day.
The Two Suns Effect
When Tarlarch drifts into certain zones in the Shattering, sunlight refracts through floating mineral clouds, creating the illusion of twin suns in the sky.
Shadows move unpredictably, and plants twist to face the dominant light source, which can switch suddenly.
Sunfruit Trees grow differently depending on which sun they absorb—some yield sweet nectar, others bitter, medicinal sap.
How Wildlife & People Adapt
Fauna Adaptations
Rain-Drinking Lizards – Scale-skinned reptiles that absorb moisture from the air, ballooning up before dry spells.
Stormhoppers – Frog-like creatures with inflatable throat sacs that let them float during sideways rains.
Mirage Parrots – Birds that mimic the sounds of water to lure prey, exploiting the island’s unreliable streams.
People Survival Tactics
Floating Gardens – Crops grown on buoyant rafts that rise with floods.
Wind-Traps – Nets that harvest water from humid air when freshwater sources shift.
Volcanic Saunas – Communities near geothermal vents use them for cooking and warmth when sudden cold snaps hit.
The Calm Before the Leap
When Tarlarch stops moving—a rare event called "The Stillness"—the climate becomes eerily stable.
The air grows heavy and silent.
Pools of water become perfectly still, showing visions of other drifting islands.
Some believe this is when Tarlarch chooses its next path—others fear something is watching them during the pause.
In summary, A Beautiful, Unpredictable Hell
Tarlarch is a tropical paradise in constant upheaval—where fruits ripen overnight, storms dance sideways, and the land itself refuses to sit still. Survival here means embracing chaos, and those who thrive are as adaptable as the island itself.
Fauna & Flora
Flora of Tarlarch
The plant life here is hardy, fast-growing, and often mobile or not rooted too deeply, otherwise it would risk being torn apart when the land shifts.
Graspvine A sinewy, blue-green vine that anchors itself to multiple surfaces at once, stretching like a net between rocks and trees. When the ground moves, it retracts and reattaches elsewhere. Locals weave it into bridges and temporary shelters.
Stormblooms Bioluminescent flowers that only open when the island is in motion, their petals reacting to wind speed. They glow brighter during violent shifts, serving as natural warning signals.
Tumblethorns Spherical, hollow shrubs that detach and roll with the terrain, scattering seeds as they go. Some are large enough for small animals (or clever children) to hitch rides inside.
Shaleheart Trees Massive, slow-moving trees with roots like hydraulic pistons. They lift themselves slightly before a major tremor, then replant. Their bark is iron-hard, and often used for tools, and the wood is used for buildings.
Driftmoss A floating, jelly-like moss that survives on air moisture. It clusters in the wake of waterfalls that appear and vanish, forming temporary "rivers" in the sky.
Hungerweed A carnivorous plant that thrives in newly opened fissures, luring creatures with the scent of decaying meat. It retracts underground when the land closes again.
Fauna of Tarlarch
Animals here are either lightning-fast, incredibly durable, or capable of flight, anything else gets left behind.
Riftstriders Six-legged, goat-like creatures with padded, prehensile feet that grip shifting rocks. They leap across floating debris with uncanny precision and are the primary livestock of Tarlarch.
Burrowghasts Blind, worm-like predators that "swim" through loose soil, emerging to snatch prey when the ground trembles. Their screeches mimic the sound of cracking stone.
Chameleon Crabs Shell-less crustaceans that mimic the color and texture of their surroundings. They cling to boulders during quakes, eating debris. Their flesh is toxic unless cooked in salt from tidal pools.
Emberfoxes Small, fox-like creatures with bioluminescent fur that shifts between red and gold. They’re believed to foresee tremors, fleeing before they happen, many follow them for safety.
Tideharpers Amphibious, long-necked birds with webbed wings. They nest in high Shaleheart Trees
The Stoneheart Tortoise A colossal, slow-moving tortoise whose shell is embedded with shards of rock and crystal. Over centuries, soil and plants accumulate on its back, creating miniature, mobile ecosystems. Some say the island itself rides on the back of an even larger one.
Ecological Adaptations
Symbiosis Many plants and animals rely on each other to survive. For example, Graspvine often grows on Riftstriders, providing camouflage while feeding on their shed fur.
Ephemeral Lifecycles Most creatures reproduce rapidly, as their habitats may vanish overnight. Eggs hatch in hours, and seedlings mature in days.
Storm Dormancy Some species hibernate inside sealed cocoons or burrows when the island moves violently, emerging only when it stabilizes.
Dangers & Oddities
Whisperroot A plant that absorbs sounds and replays them during tremors, creating ghostly echoes of the past.
Mirage Toads Amphibians whose secretions induce hallucinations, making victims see stable ground where there is none.
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