The Wittgenstein Institute - Data Incomplete (thewittgenstein) wrote in incompletedata, @ 2017-05-20 12:00:00 |
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GOALS
JUST THE FACTS
Distance (walking time) North/South~15 miles (5 hours) East/West: ~9 miles (3 hours) 135 mi2 (86.4k miles) Environment The setting is a tropical rainforest environment hugging an oceanic coast to the south and enclosed by (volcanic) mountains to the north. The east and west perimeters of this enclosure, should specimens choose to explore comprise a sort of loop where they may find themselves placed a mile back from the perimeter if they get too close--or randomly placed on the map if they don't get the hint. Daytime temperatures hover around 80oF (27oC) with oppressively high humidity that tends to form a fog around far off trees, limiting visibility. Many evenings, brief but extremely heavy thunderstorms will puncture the night, dropping temperatures about 10oF for the rest of the night. But both humidity and temperature rebound by the day's return. Days are long and hot, and while the thick forest shelters those in the rainforest from the 16 hours of sun a day, those staying on the beach or mountains may find themselves needing to take shelter during the brightest part of the day. For reference pictures, consider Khao Sok, Thailand Fauna Unlike a "normal" rain forest, the animals here are not shy from human contact. They are not, in fact, more afraid of you than you are of them, though by and large herbivorous creatures are as likely to ignore specimens as anything. This area includes a wide variety of animals, more biodiversity than expected, even for a rain forest. The understory has a rich variety of insects, small lizards, amphibians, and snakes--though only about ⅓ are poisonous. To offset this, the canopy and understory hold a wide variety of butterflies and flowers--not that these are edible, but they are pretty. Major mammals of the understory include tapirs, anteaters, various rodents, and even the occasional tiger or leopard. Near the river, a herd of elephants can occasionally be spotted. In the southwestern forest (sorry site 3), the reptiles skew a little larger. In the canopy, a wide variety of tropical birds and territorial monkeys and as specimens get higher to the emergeant zone, they may see the outlines of predatory birds, such as harpy eagles and pteradactyls. Hopefully, it will only be outlines. Along beaches, specimens may encounter nocturnal scorpions and the occasional rodent or snake from the forests. However, most animal life on the beaches is more apt to be crustaceans and invertebrates brought in by the tide, sea birds which live and nest near the waters' edge, or fish and dolphins observed at a distance. In the mountains, specimens may find a variety of rodents, wild pigs, wild dogs, and the occasional nesting grounds of wild, predatory birds. Flora If specimens suck at hunting, the rainforest provides a bounty of plants and fungi--not all of which are edible. Unfortunately, for the earthbound among the specimens, the majority of edible fruits, like mangos, breadfruit, durian, and lychees grow in the canopy of the forest. Collecting these requires some degree of climbing, and may lead to encounters with wild animals that also live in the canopy--particularly birds, insects, and monkeys who don't seem particularly afraid of specimens (and may be rather territorial). requiring climbing. though some edible plants exist within the rainforest understory. A plethora of bright and vibrant mushrooms exist, however, unless you have some experience with these, it is probably best to exercise caution. Along beaches, specimens may be able to forage sea beans, coconuts, bananas, and figs and understory plants such as cacao and citrus plants may be found in higher concentration along the edge between beach and forest. Seaweed may be harvestable from the sea with the tides, but not all of it is edible. Specimens on the mountains will find sparser vegetation and wildlife, but may find edible clover, herbs, coffee, and wild grapes growing on mountainsides, as well as occasional caves with pockets of mushrooms. On the peak of the central mountain, sits the Tree for scientist use only, if you dare. Aquatic life Like the forest, the river itself represents a panoply of life, teeming with fish, insects, amphibians, and drawing any number of large mammals and reptiles to it for sustenance. Specimens properly equipped can catch snakeheads, river catfish, barbs, dorado, eels, shrimp, crayfish and a variety of similar fish. Though the rivers also attract caimans, piranhas, leeches, electric eels, and the occasional bull shark. So swimming or fording can be at your own risk. Many of these fish are present, though less common still in the estuary zone, though the ocean also hosts fish, crustaceans, and invertebrate like octopus that can provide food, though watch out for jellyfish, sea snakes, man-o-wars, and sharks. River water is non-potable without purification, boiling, or iodinization. Water from estuaries and the ocean requires desalination. Rainwater can be collected and consumed, though may occasionally be too acidic to be considered reliable. |
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