Sekhu

 

Among the smaller continents of Tear, Sekhu is located between Inik, Jumira and Waeyron on the southwestern edge of the Great Spiral Sea. Located in the western hemisphere, Vehira can be seen overhead from every part of the continent, ranging from only about 10 degrees over the horizon in Bhojop, to almost 60 degrees over the horizon in Sritari. Sekhu is separated from Inik by less than 100 km by the Strait of Tzeb in the northwest. The continent is 4200 km long from the northwest tip to its southernmost extent, and 3200 km from its northeast extent, near the city of Bhujop to the center of the long, open southwestern coast that runs from Sritari to Balaiti. Mandala is the most prominent city on the continent, located at 135W x 38S on the huge Mandala Bay, a critical deepwater port accessible only by narrow channels that run around the Tooth of Salid - a huge jagged landmass that separates the Bay of Mandala from the Great Spiral Sea. South of Sekhu, below the Balchur River, the climate is temperate and mild, but moving northwest, up the length of the Great Copper Plain, the climate becomes hot and tropical. To the northeast, between the Blueclay River, Bhujop and Yew, is a dry plain where temperatures range from oppressively hot to surprisingly chilly. Sekhu is among the poorer continents, and industry is light and underdeveloped. Aside from the many copper mines that can be found up and down the Great Copper Plain, providing an influx of wealth that reaches the masses, the majority of valuable exports from Sekhu, including rare gem stones, spices, and dyes are tightly controlled by a small number of powerful Companies and Great Families in the larger cities.

Great Copper Plain

The Great Copper Plain is a complex ecosystem that runs most of the length of western Sekhu from the Sanipun River in the northwest to the city of Madder in the south. The plain is so called for two reasons - first it is an enormous sorghum production region, with copper-colored fields of sorghum stretching from horizon to horizon in some places. At higher altitudes, where the terrain becomes rocky and uneven, these fields give way to weathered ranges of hills richly lined with copper metal. Much this metal is exposed close the surface and easy to mine, leading to the preponderance of independent copper mines here.

Mandala Bay

Mandala Bay is in fact made up of three bays that surround the city of Mandala in central Sekhu. While Mandala is host to a large and important deep water port, accessing Mandala Bay by sea is quite treacherous, as the mouth of the bay is protected by a huge, abnormal rock formation 200 km long and over 100 km wide known as the Tooth of Salid - for the city of Salid which overlooks the only navigable passage into the Bay. Due to the treacherousness of the approach, and the dominating position the fortress of Salid have over the channel, Mandala Bay, and indeed the city of Mandala itself, are considered unassailable by sea.

Sapphire Jungle

In the northwest of Sekhu, starting just below the 30th parallel, which runs through the city of Sapphire, the Great Copper Plain gives way to the Sapphire Jungle. The Sapphire Jungle is presumed to be an extension of the Green Diamond Jungle in Inik, with native plant species having spread across the narrow Strait of Tzeb to take root in Sekhu. With only a subset of the species from Inik having managed to establish in Sekhu, the ecosystem of the Sapphire Jungle invasive and unbalanced. Here broad-leafed, flowering plants flourish in the absence of an overhanging canopy of jungle trees as are found in Inik, sometimes these plants reach eight to ten meters in height, with thick, heavy leaves over ten meters long, and thick as leather hide.

Eastern Sekhu

East of the northward cut of the Blueclay river, Sekhu gives way to a high and dry plain. The complex waterways between Jumira, Waeyron and Sekhu experience enormous seasonal change sin temperature and current, that bring dramatic weather to this region year round. The spring is known for severe hurricanes that form in the sea north of Hollowport Waeyron, and batter the coast as they roll up toward Bhujop. The summer months see the central regions around Thaighu pummeled by frequent tornadoes. Monsoons drench the southeastern extent of the continent near Yew ash fall, and winters bring erratic electrical storms, hail, and occasional intense snowfalls.