North East Cliff Area Description!

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North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Lanen » Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:45 pm

This description is for the upper right portion of the map of the ERC age.

The upper cliffs are a dramatic contrast to the jungle surrounding them. They rise high above the landscape with small pits and rough patches where small birds rest and make their homes. The cliff is the color of the Arizona desert at sunset. A warm, dusty light brown and red color that when one looks at it, you almost feel quiet and serene. The plant life is sparse here but it clings to the cliffs where it can. Small, twisted trees grow sideways out from the cliff face. Their gnarled trunks show a testament to a life of struggle to grow at an angle they were not originally meant to. They have small oval shaped leaves similar to an olive tree. They also grow a tiny white flower which draws in little bee creatures. The flowers smell sweet like honey. Also living on the cliff are 2” long lizards who are bright orange with a green stripe down their back. They skitter here and there trying their best to stay out of the watchful eye of the birds above.

Thin green yellow grasses grow in small tufts around the cliff face. The blades are thin and sharp looking, much like grass that grows on the beach. Short little patches of pink star shaped flowers also grow around on the cliff. The lizards here seem attracted to the flowers. They make a good place for them to hide in the bright sun.

A bench carved from the natural rock sits facing the cliff face but pointed slightly west so one can look at the cliff stretching off into the distance.
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Jennifer_P » Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:34 pm

Warm, dusty light brown red--Mmm, I like that. :) It sounds like it'll fit in beautifully with the red, green, orange and blue hues of the vegetation. We can probably assume that the upper cliffs and the lower cliffs have pretty much the same environment, right? I bet it's pretty lush right up next to the waterfall on the far right.

(The ERC map, for reference)
Show Spoiler


So, let's break this up and see what we've got to work on. :)
Plants:
1. Small twisted trees with oval leaves and white flowers
2. Bright orange and green lizards
3. Birds (think you could elaborate on the birds a little more Lanen?)
4. Thin, green yellow grasses (we might have to change this, as grass is kind of vertex-intensive)
5. Stone-carved bench (This should get marked on the map)

It should also be noted that ametist's yellow six-legged lizards would be cliff dwellers, along with the 20-gallon tree.
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Lanen » Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:54 am

Yes I would assume that the upper and lower cliffs would be the same type of environment. Maybe they would have small changes but it makes sense that they would be pretty much the same. And for the waterfall (I didnt write anything about this because I wasnt sure thats what it was on the map) it would indeed be a more lush and vegetation filled area then the surrounding area. it would also attract more of the animals who would go there to drink.


The Birds:
From beak to tip of the tail the adults grow to roughly 8" in length. They are a dark brown color so they can blend in with the shadows in the hollows of the cliff. As far as looks go they seem to resemble a hawk or a falcon in general shape and design. They have seemingly large wings for their size and they use these to float along on the warm air currents and updrafts along the cliff.
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Jennifer_P » Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:26 am

Yes I would assume that the upper and lower cliffs would be the same type of environment. Maybe they would have small changes but it makes sense that they would be pretty much the same. And for the waterfall (I didnt write anything about this because I wasnt sure thats what it was on the map) it would indeed be a more lush and vegetation filled area then the surrounding area. it would also attract more of the animals who would go there to drink.

A thought occurred to me about the waterfall and the streams in general--perhaps they are in deep canyons? The underlying rock is limestone, after all, which dissolves readily in moist, tropical environments, often creating caves or dramatically altering the topography of the landscape.

The Birds:
From beak to tip of the tail the adults grow to roughly 8" in length. They are a dark brown color so they can blend in with the shadows in the hollows of the cliff. As far as looks go they seem to resemble a hawk or a falcon in general shape and design. They have seemingly large wings for their size and they use these to float along on the warm air currents and updrafts along the cliff.

Sounds good; they're predatory then--but are they fish eaters or chinchilla eaters?
And you want these guys, ABguy, or shall I draw them? :)
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Lanen » Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:38 am

Yea the birds are predators but fish or lizard eaters. I don't think their beaks would be big enough to eat anything else.

If the rock is lime stone then its very possible the water sources are sunken into the ground. Perhaps the waterfall is normal until it goes off the cliff and when it hits the pool at the bottom, that pool is recessed from the surrounding area. Creating a plunge hole.
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Jennifer_P » Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:06 am

I'm liking that...I'll draw up a sketch and see how it looks. :geek:

Yea the birds are predators but fish or lizard eaters. I don't think their beaks would be big enough to eat anything else.

Well, if they would eat lizards they'd likely eat small furry critters as well; want to restrict them to just fish, like kingfishers?
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Lanen » Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:23 am

your right, yes just fish then.
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Jennifer_P » Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:58 pm

For beak shape then, we'll want something long and narrow if the bird catches fish in its mouth:
Image
Or, if it uses its feet, then probably an eagle-like hooked beak and strong, clawed feet:
Image
Image
So were you think that it's a beak fisher or a foot fisher? :)
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Lanen » Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:38 pm

Lets go with foot fisher. We already have beak fisher type birds over in the lagoon area.
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Re: North East Cliff Area Description!

Postby Jennifer_P » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:44 am

Well Lanen, I've finished the "rusty falcon." I'm going to see if I can get her posted tomorrow. :)
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