Zansa Village is a lillit village in the Heralaya Mountains in south-eastern Lamaris. The village is an arcology, with the whole population living within a single large structure suspended above Zansa Valley.
History
Zansa Village was founded during the early days of the Behemoth Era as a refuge for lillits. Steelfeather tribe discovered an air mana boulder in Zansa Valley, and realized they could build a large, defensible nest around it. Construction began immediately, and within days they had a platform that could hold the whole tribe. A sustained Jet spell was cast through the boulder, which lifted the platform high above the valley floor, providing them a safe place to roost.
The original platform was cramped, not particularly balanced, and did not protect the inhabitants from the elements. New layers of wood, earth, and metal were added to provide living quarters and redirect the jet for stability. As other tribes passed through the area they too wanted to stay on this platform in the sky, and began adding their own sections to the structure. This haphazard approach worked at first, but things soon needed to change.
A few years after the initial construction, the structure was destroyed by a behemoth named Ramoth. At this point the settlement had a sustained community and implemented several defensive measures, so the attack should not have been as devastating as it was. Unfortunately, one of Ramoth's fire attacks pierced the defenses and struck one of the jet vents, which rapidly grew the flames and set the base ablaze before it could be contained. The mage controlling the Jet spell succumbed to the fire and smoke, and the whole structure collapsed to the ground. Hundreds of lillits died that day.
In the aftermath of Ramoth's destruction, the remaining lillits were determined to rebuild. They realized that allowing any lillit to do their own construction had resulted in features which made the structure less safe. They decided that a permanent settlement like this needed a permanent barakchan, just like any other tribe, so together they formed Zansa tribe and selected Yvonne Phoenix Zansa as their barakchan. Phoenix directed the construction of Zansa Village, complete with airtight vents, housing for all 74 tribal members, and a communal space for eating and storytelling. The structure was much smaller than before, but functioned much more smoothly.
Over many generations, tribes staying in Zansa Village have left their mark on it. Permanent villagers are all part of Zansa tribe, and all but three barakchan have been of Zansa tribe. The village has expanded substantially, now capable of housing up to 900 lillits at a time. Multiple communal spaces have been built within the structure, and there are even some accommodations for non-lillit visitors.
Geography
Zansa Village is nestled at an altitude of ~170 m557.74 ft
0.17 km
0.11 mi above Zansa Valley. The valley is surrounded on three sides by the Heralaya Mountains with an opening to the southwest. The area is ideal for lillits to hunt rabbit, snake, fox, deer, and tahr.
Climate
| S | W | B | C | B | S | M | C | T | H | H | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 19 3 | 10 20 6 | 22 21 8 | 43 23 10 | 74 24 11 | 119 25 12 | 186 25 13 | 121 24 12 | 68 22 11 | 27 21 9 | 9 20 7 | 3 20 4 |
| S | W | B | C | B | S | M | C | T | H | H | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.2 66 37 | 0.4 68 43 | 0.9 70 46 | 1.7 73 50 | 2.9 75 52 | 4.7 77 54 | 7.3 77 55 | 4.8 75 54 | 2.7 72 52 | 1.1 70 48 | 0.4 68 45 | 0.1 68 39 |
Zansa Valley has a subalpine subtropical highland climate. At more than 3000 m9842.52 ft
3 km
1.86 mieters above sea level, the region's climate is dominated by strong high-altitude winds that crest over the mountains and bring cool dry air through the valley. The temperature range does not fluctuate greatly between seasons, with a difference in the monthly average temperature between winter and summer of just 8°C. Daytime is generally warm followed by cool nights and mornings. Precipitation falls mostly in the summer.
Summer in Zansa Village is warm and wet. Snow and glacier melt is at its peak, and the occasional monsoon stumbles into the valley to dump rain. Floods are common in the summer, turning the normally tranquil Opom River into a roaring rapid and triggering mudslides on the mountain slopes. Most days are still warm and sunny, and nights remain cool.
Winters are cool, dry, and feckin wimdy. Temperatures typically remain pleasantly warm during the day and infrequently drop below freezing at night. While snowfall is generally confined to the mountains surrounding the city, there are occasional instances of snowfall in city, usually a light overnight dusting that melts by midday.
Spring and autumn are mild in both temperature and rainfall. Spring is a bit warmer and autumn is a bit wetter, but the difference is small.