Beneath the vast grasslands stretching away from Lake Chonia is a hive of underground rivers and aquifers that once fed the Grekian Sea upon which Old Grekia was built, known now to the Chonians as the Great Sea Beneath the Grass. When these hidden springs are all discovered and opened, the Chonians believe their combined flow will flood the arid savannah and rebirth the Great Sea, restoring life across the continent.
The Chonian tribes roam from Lake Chonia beyond the Stygian Weald into the savanna east of the mountains and into the riverlands of Pradjna. Each tribe lives in balance with a zevra herd. The herd and the Chonians travel as one, remaining in one place only long enough to draw forth an oasis from the Great Grass Sea. Once life is restored in a small region, the tribe moves on to leave nature to pursue its cycle.
An oasis on the open plains is a welcome sight for all life: flamingos, antelope, mudfrogs, legions of insects and the myriad critters to prey upon them. It is for the larger predators that it becomes safter to urge the zevra herd onto the arid steppe, away from the new oasis, before life erupts in the region. As the herd travels the Great Grass Sea, the zevra’s sensitive hooves feel for the next oasis beneath the grass dunes. Along the way, the Chonians survey the stars to better mark their path and improve their maps. When at last the zevra dance, the tribe knows to begin anew the task of encouraging an oasis. Continue reading The Tribes of Chonia: Order is in the Balance of Things
