Twilight Plains
Glowing so brightly yet still so dark...
Throughout the sprawling Riftlands that run the length of the entirety of the Rifts, are many fascinating lands. It is said that once, these sub-biomes were more like the ecosystems that border them, but over time the energy secreted from the Rifts corrupted and warped these ecosystems into an almost alien variant of itself. One of these ecosystems is known as the Twilight Plains.
I forbid it! It's too dangerous. You are never to go to those fields again...
Climate
A cold landscape with a constant temperature of around 4°C no matter where on the globe it may be. A strange phenomenon shared by all sub-biomes located within the Riftlands, however, the Twilight Plains often appear to be colder than other Rift ecosystems. That is due to the high winds that sweep across the open fields. These winds erupt from the very same Rifts they border and are only felt stronger here due to the lack of shelter. While these winds are not great enough to knock a man from his horse, they are enough to provide further support to allow remarkable creatures to take to the skies here.Ecosystem
With a unique landscape, come similarly extraordinary creatures. One such animal is the Faerwin. Small mouse-sized birds that light up the area around them with the use of their bioluminescent sacks found on their bellies. These lights can be used in all manner of ways. One such use is to attract mates. It is thought that members of the species that have the brightest lights have a greater chance of attracting a partner to mate with. Furthermore, they can also be flashed as a method of warding off predators from below of which there are many. One example of a creature that may prey upon the Faerwin, is the Mantaere. These aerial omnivores have been noted to hunt in flocks of four and five using similar bioluminescent lights to confuse the Faerwin and pick one off from their giant flocks of up to one thousand.They may not prey upon humans but that doesn't take away from their ferocity...
Rift Grass
A species of grass found only within the Riftlands; it would appear it does not grow elsewhere. While humans and their common livestock are not adapted to feed on Rift grass, some have evolved the ability to digest it. This has allowed a group of isolated Cenathans found within the Minor Twilight Plain along the eastern lowlands of the continent to use it as food for their livestock, which happen to be native to the plains. While almost all other grass species are green, the Rift Grass found here comes in many a colour with the most common being orange, blue and purple. Some scholars suggest that it is because they do not take their energy from the sun like most plant species do but instead from the energy that radiates from the Rifts, which then sinks into the ground to be later taken up by the roots of the plants that grow here. This may explain the bioluminescent features of not only the grass but the animals that feed on it and the beasts that later prey on them.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
What a unique ecosystem! I love the idea; they remind me a bit of what happens within the Wild Magic Zones of the material in Saleh'Alire (Though I haven't written about them much yet)! Absolutely lovely, light little read.
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Thank you for the kind words! I'll be sure to check Saleh'Alire out. The name alone sounds awesome.
Ha, thanks lol. Don't tell Barron that, though! The poor guy practiced for weeks before our World Anvil Radio interview in 2018 to try and say it right hahah. Kudos to him for getting it right, though! He did amazing!
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