Siluras: Background

Mechanics | Skeleton | Thinking | Background

The plane of Siluras is an almost unspoiled paradise. Animals evolved for size and power over intelligence, leaving the plane empty of the more common "civilized" races such as merfolk, humans, goblins and elves. Still though, certain species have laid claim to specific areas of the plane and the land is rich in mana. Planeswalkers that manage to find their way here will be treated to an enormous boost in power as well as creatures to summon to their cause. There may be more here then meets the eye, as, though they be very few, there are signs of other things present on the plane.

The plains are vast fields where oceans of grass with the occasional rock outcropping dots the land. The most obvious denizens of the fields are the massive sauropods. Creatures of huge bulk, with heads that tower up into the skies on necks that reach anywhere from ten to thirty feet high. They mostly keep within sight of the forests though, to eat the tops of the trees and only head deeper into the plains when it's time to breed. The interior of the fields though is the domain of the cats. Living in large family groups called Prides, each family has it's own territory picked out and fiercely defends it. Each pride has a single leader called the Pride-Master, with the rest of the family group designated Pride-Mates. The pecking order within each Pride is very strict, dictating when an individual gets a turn to feed and what tasks it gets within the group, be it hunting, rearing the young, or patrolling the borders of the territory.

The waterways of Siluras are mostly vast oceans and massive river systems. Of all the coastal areas, most are huge cliffs, with islands that rise up like spikes driven through the skin of the water and up into the sky. These cliffs are home to hundreds of different species of birds and a few different species of flying dinosaurs, which fly out over the water and skim fish from just below the surface. The water itself is filled with life, from the smallest fish to serpents of massive size which cruise through the depths. The wurms of the water have also inflitrated inland, following the river systems up among the trees and swamps. It's not altogether uncommon to see a small dinosaur or other animal plucked from the riverbank by a long serpentine form and pulled into the rapids.

With so many large rivers, anywhere they meet becomes saturated and makes immense bogs and mires. In these areas, too overgrown for the serpents of the rivers, yet too wet for the larger animals, the insects have made their homes. Hives which reach the width of a building can be found hanging from the cores of long dead trees. The water and mud is also filled with leeches and centipedes which take turns feeding on each other. Occasionally, the mana gathers strong enough in places to give motion to the muck itself. These beings rise up, using bones of creatures long dead to give themselves strength and form, and they wander, looking for living things to add to their bulk. While not particularly uncommon, these horrors don't last long once they get too far from the pool of mana that birthed them and they melt back into the muck.

Updated on 24 Sep 2012 by Calus Drakin