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rarecardbox2021-09-25 02:10 pm
holographica) wrote in rarecardbox2021-09-25 02:10 pm
Entry tags:
System Restore Glacier Area
"Now, don't forget your protective equipment. There aren't many of our kind equipped to survive more than a few hours in these climes, think about what that says for your chances - and that's not even getting into what happens when the sun goes down. You can't rely on me to haul you back if you freeze solid, so! Bundle up, Analogger."
[ Overview ]
The Glacier Area is the Digital World's northernmost landmass, stretching from the North Pole and the Absolute Zero Line encircling it to the ice floes along its southern coastline. The temperature here is punishingly low, which can be a problem for lifeforms not adapted to the climate, as low digital temperatures naturally slow their processes until they freeze up completely.
It is naturally isolated from the Digital World's other landmasses and populations. Though some powers have interests in the Glacier Area, the local Digimon inhabitants are mostly undisturbed by and indifferent to their incursions; the effort that goes into an expedition to the Glacier Area makes attempts at long-term control impractical. Digimon here are mostly wild, but many are non-aggressive unless provoked, saving up their energy for more important conflicts, such as those with the "spirits of the dead" said to roam the glacier at night...
Reaching the Glacier Area involves a perilous journey across seas that can become quite rough, enduring temperatures that become ever lower and more dangerous at night as you approach the ice floes. The shortest route by sea or air is from Sanshan Misty Isle, and those with access to the island can find Digimon there that have made the journey before and may be willing to help someone make it again. There are also two Linkporter stations in the Glacier Area, one on the southern coast and one in an inland facility. When active, these stations are by far the easiest and safest way in.
[ Subregion ]
[ Ice_Floes ]
[ Ice_Floes ]
image credit
This is a standard div for sections on infopages.
Sea Caves and Aquatic Nurseries
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Tamer Union Warehouses
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[ Point_of_Interest ]
[ Archive ]
[ Archive ]
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[ Subregion ]
[ Access_Glacier ]
[ Access_Glacier ]
Super-compressed, frozen data flows south from the Absolute Zero Line at a rate too slow for living beings to perceive; over the eons of the Digital World's existence, that data formed the Access Glacier, a broad waste of howling blizzards and eerie towers that gave the Glacier Area its name. It's bounded to the east and west by highlands that direct the ice's flow, and ends when the ice shears off into great floes at the southern shore. Assuming absolutely perfect conditions, it would take the greater part of a day to cross Access Glacier east to west on foot, and a day and a half north to south - but conditions on the glacier rarely approach perfect, and brave or foolish travelers are likely to be hampered by deep snow, high winds, and poor visibility.
Life on the Glacier
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Being made of ice all the way down, the glacier is largely devoid of flora, hosting only a few tough, scrubby plants. Instead, its flat surface is broken up here and there by strange, slab-like monuments driven deep into the ground, standing anywhere from six feet to two stories tall. They are engraved, usually with Digicode, which if deciphered reads out mixed junk data - long strings of numbers, random passages of text, and assorted data from a multitude of sources. Those that don't bear Digicode instead have vertical columns of carved and uncarved sections, like extremely long barcodes. At night, the carvings glow faintly in different colors, providing navigational landmarks for locals and travelers alike. The Digimon of the Glacier have names for some of the more prominent stelae and those that point the safest ways to its edges.
At night, the glacier becomes a different place. Ghostly and undead Digimon emerge from the mountains and the labyrinth beneath the glacier, and roam across its surface. Many are solitary and only wish to wander under the moon's silver light, but some pose a threat to living beings and will hunt down any that they see. Either way, it's good to avoid disrupting them; many of the Digimon that live on the glacier during the daytime will hunker down in burrows to wait out the dark. Frequently-seen species at night are Bakemon, Phantomon, BlueMeramon, and SkullBaluchimon. IceDevimon don't share in the same spirit of lonely nighttime meanderings, but come down from the mountains to enjoy the atmosphere.
Rumor has it that it's not only Digimon that emerge at night - genuine spirits seep up from the labyrinth too, malevolent masses of abandoned data that torment or possess Digimon caught out in the dark. For diurnal Digimon of the Glacier, especially Mammon herds, these are considered the greater threat.
Rumor has it that it's not only Digimon that emerge at night - genuine spirits seep up from the labyrinth too, malevolent masses of abandoned data that torment or possess Digimon caught out in the dark. For diurnal Digimon of the Glacier, especially Mammon herds, these are considered the greater threat.
Passages into the tunnels under Access Glacier range from large, yawning, ominous pits to small, unassuming crevices. Some are sheer drops, and others are gradual descents. It's rare to accidentally break through the surface ice and fall into the labyrinth, since most tunnels are deep beneath the surface and most places that could have entrances already do, but it's been known to happen. Watch your step.
Legend holds that, in ancient days, one leader of the Mammon vowed eternal war against the revenants that plagued its glacier, naming them cursed beings. It fought with such fervor and diligence that the battles melted its flesh away, and it became the undead SkullMammon itself, a cursed being doomed to forever hunt other cursed beings. The legend may be exaggerated, but the Ultimate-level SkullMammon is among the Digimon that may emerge from the Labyrinth at night, and it does take exception to ghosts, demons, and similar. It does not speak - it only marches across the glacier, stray Mammon gathering into a herd around it, crushing its enemies as it sees them and descending back into the Labyrinth come morning. Beware...
[ Subregion ]
[ Absolute_Zero_Line ]
[ Absolute_Zero_Line ]
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The Digital World's northernmost point has never been seen or visited and never will be, as the temperatures there are so low that it is physically impossible for anything to exist. Beyond a certain line of latitude, all processes stop entirely, creating a circular zone not unlike a hole in time itself. What happens to data that passes beyond the Absolute Zero Line is beyond comprehension, but roughly speaking, it seems to drop out of time, then eventually return, broken down completely into water and ice by immense temporal contortion.
The Absolute Zero Line is physically marked by a deep moat and sheer ice wall that completely encircle the featureless, frozen forbidden area, making it impossible to accidentally cross. A great variety of warning signs have been posted around the perimeter of the AZL over time; they vary in age and style, some simple wooden signboards hammered into the ground by helpful locals, others sturdy, weathered notices posted long in the past by Tamer Union (metal) or rendered in even more archaic Digicode (stone tablets). One would have to intentionally pass the warnings, jump or fly over a seemingly-bottomless pit, then scale a several-story-high wall, after which crossing the line would lead to a quick but horrific death. Don't do this, it's a bad idea.
[ Subregion ]
[ Standby_Forest ]
[ Standby_Forest ]
The highlands of the western side of the Glacier Area are much tamer than the eastern mountains, and are heavily forested. Dense coniferous woods shield the ground from the vicious blizzards, and odd, rustic chimneys jutting from the earth vent hot air from some mysterious underground furnace, keeping the forest's understory just cold rather than deathly frigid like the glacier.
Most of the Glacier Area's Digimon live here, and nearly all spent their childhood here - of the places where DigiEggs manifest, Standby Forest is the most hospitable, so most of its newly-hatched Digimon live to see more years and higher levels, while harsh conditions elsewhere throttle survival rates. There are wilder, predatory Digimon in the more mountainous parts of the forest that might look at unaccompanied partners and see lunch, but the Digimon of Standby Forest are largely friendly and see their new analog visitors as fascinating novelties.
Glowing Village
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Snowman Mountain
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Flora of Standby Forest
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[ Subregion ]
[ Access_Labyrinth ]
[ Access_Labyrinth ]
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[ Subregion ]
[ Eastern_Highlands ]
[ Eastern_Highlands ]
The mountains bounding Access Glacier to the east are craggy and inhospitable, and are where many of the glacier's nocturnal haunts roost during the day. These mountains see less snowfall than the rest of the landmass, but what does fall never melts, mounding up into great walls of snow and ice that shear off into avalanches if disturbed.
Ymir Ruins
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