Belaruda


 * Belaruda, a land covered by dense tropical forest and full of beautiful, colorful wildlife. **

Belaruda is based off of the Amazon Rainforest where indigenous people inhabit its land. It has a very warm climate, but is counteracted by the cool moisture that comes with the rainy season that occurs during the Growing Time. Belaruda has an indigenous culture who live among the breathtaking forest and what it provides for them. They hunt rare wildlife that only inhabits Belaruda, gather plants and berries, and build their homes out of materials in the forest. Belaruda also has an abundance of turquoise that they trade and use themselves.


 * Geography **

Most of the region of Belaruda is covered in dense rainforest. It is thick with tall tropical trees and beautiful, colorful flowers of many varieties. Down the center of the entire region is the Willow River, with a calming flow and the bluest water anyone has ever seen. Many people within this region use the river for food, water, and transportation. The land is mostly flat except for the upper right corner of the region along the equator where Paputok, the region's active volcano, lies and where many inhabitants go to gather turquoise. This volcano typically erupts during the Dying Time, however it did not erupt during the past Dying Time and inhabitants are a bit on edge as to when it will finally erupt.




 * History **

Belaruda has always been the home of its native people. These people have always cherished Belaruda for its opulent resources of food, shelter, wildlife, and beauty. Just recently the people have begun trading other countries for fabric, food, and other necessities in return for some of the lands greatest resources. The people of Belaruda have realized that working with other regions will help them in getting a better reputation due to their not so pleasant history. Years ago, the people of Belaruda lived in one large colony together under a King. However, the Queen was unhappy as she was forced into an arranged marriage with the King, and she wound up having a secret relationship with another member of the colony. This secret later got out and a civil war broke out amongst the colony with several people dying, including the ruling King. After she won the war, the Queen established her own colony and instituted the new government that is known today in Belaruda, where the royal females would start their own colonies and pick their own suitors. Those who fled from the colony after the war set up their own colonies and after years of negotiation adapted to the new government.


 * Government **

Belaruda's government is loosely based off of the formation and rules of ant colonies. The people of Belaruda are so fascinated by the land's nature that they have decided to live their lives as closely to the natural world provided to them as possible. There are several colonies (like ant hills) that each have a Queen (Queen Ant) that began a colony on their own with a King of their choice. Typically new colonies form when a female descendant (daughter) of the Queen has reached the age of 18. This female will then have the job of finding a suitor amongst the many colonies and then become a Queen of her own colony. Amongst the colonies, the Queen and King are the rulers. The King and Queen's first born daughter will be chosen as the next Queen to build her own colony while the first male can be chosen as a suitor for a female from another colony. The other children are obligated to stay within the colony as workers, create their own families with those people who may decide to move over from another colony, and take care of their parents. The other inhabitants are workers and are grouped by certain jobs. There are gatherers who go out and gather berries, fruits, vegetables, etc. to help feed the colony. These are typically female ants. Hunters are typically male and have the job of hunting down wildlife for meat for the colony. There are also architects who work on gathering materials to build the colony as the colony begins to grow larger. This government creates a unified working system that is built strongly off of community and the need to work together to keep the colony going and safe. However, colonies have been known to fight against one another, especially when it comes to territory, trading, and the action of the female princess finding a suitor.


 * Inhabitants **

The people of Belaruda are native to the land and have always stayed amongst its rainforest for thousands of centuries according to history. They speak the common language of the world in order to communicate with inhabitants of other countries. They are of a darker complexion (dark skin due to the warm and typically sunny climate they live in. They wear light-weight clothing of cloth that they have dyed with berries and wear sandles made of leather on their feet. Many of the inhabitants have colorful tattoos, typically of swirls and patterns that reflect their colony, and many women have long dark flowing hair with feathers and beads placed in it. The men have a strong, toned build, while females are of a short, delicate, yet curvy stature. The wildlife is unique to the land of Belaruda. There are colorful, tropical, ostrich sized birds known as Tisus that sing beautiful music and are often very friendly with people, wild rabbits known as Bitias that only get to the size of a grapefruit which the children of the colonies sometimes keep as pets, bright orange monkeys called Yundars that look similar to spider monkeys but can change colors to camouflage, and many more. The people of Belaruda typically hunt the human sized fish called Owas that inhabit the Willow River, the wild purple pigs called Boris, and their most treasured species of the land, the Cylor, a lion-dragon mix the size of a large black bear that has the fur and build of a lion, but wings, talons, and fire breath like a dragon. There are also many other species of birds, lizards, mammals, and bugs that inhabit the land.