Landscape of Xapyctal
Xapyctal Caverns is a region that lies south of Froyonder and north of the Bazakun Desert. This region is in a constant wet season due to floods from the nearby sea and the River of Ice. Years of erosion and deposition by the River of Ice have created a large alluvial fan that encompasses all of the Xapyctal region. Due to this erosion, Xapyctal has a very low elevation. It is effectively one very large flood plain. The River of Ice has also carved out huge caverns in Xapyctal. Most cave systems in Xapyctal remain unexplored.
Xapyctallite Expeditions[]
Xapyctal gives its name to a precious crystal found exclusively in its caverns, called Xapyctalite. In Asoumiranz, these crystals are prized for their beauty, and jewelry made of these crystals could cost upwards of 1,000,000 johackles. Many people go on expeditions to collect these crystals, but few return. Expeditions into the cave systems are known to be very dangerous, as Xapyctalite crystals are large, smooth, slippery, and sharp. Those who return from expeditions become very rich, and gain a lot of media attention.
One famous explorer, Vontno Glast, recalls,
"There was one point in the most popular cave system, Cave Cvaron, known as the Fork of Death. When I came in, I didn't know what to expect. When I arrived, I was in a large area that split into two caves, and you had to get past this huge crystal and go left. It was the hardest climb of my life. At the bottom, I could see about a dozen corpses impaled on crystals. It was horrid!"
Fauna[]
Only Conics are known to inhabit the caves, building stockpiles of trinkets and using Xapyctalite crystals as talismans. There is only one human settlement in Xapyctal, known as Xapyctal Hamlet. This is a Djornti project to colonize Xapyctal and take advantage of the wet, fertile, mineral rich soil of the Ice Delta. So far, the hamlet has withstood major river floods. There is also a rumor that black slimes inhabit Xapyctal caves. This is impossible, as the slimes would have a lot of trouble navigating the slippery surfaces, and none have ever been spotted in the caves.