Description:

The Spine’s Shadow Prairie is a protected wilderness area that covers 325 sq. miles (208,000 acres, ~842 km2), that was created to shield the region's last prairie remnants. The area borders the Chipped-Spine Mountain Range to the north and extends to the southern shores, where there is little in the way of civilization, mainly secluded homesteads, and abandoned mining setups. Major human settlements create the borders to the east and west, with the Red Snake River flowing through the center of the zone.

The Chipped-Spine Mountain Range runs on a slight angle southwest to northeast though it is a fairly straight shot from east to west. It is so named as it looks like the curved spine of a great beast pushing out of the relatively flat land and for the local legend of the Great Tokota. The Red Snake River winds down from the mountains, flowing lazily and occasionally twisting back on itself on its way to the ocean. At its deepest point, when the mountain snows are melting, swelling the river with fresh water, it is nearly 25 feet (just over 7.5 meters) deep, though there are places where the river is no more than a meter deep. At its widest, the river is 4 miles across, though it averages a width of less than a quarter mile (~400 meters), especially when the land is more rock than soil. The depth and width of the river shift and change with the season and the year, being shallower and thinner in summer than it is in winter.

Grasses grow unimpeded in all directions, with the only bits of civilization far to the east and west, and the homesteads and farms that hug the coast to the south. The grasses are tallest in the north, reaching heights of 3 feet in places, especially those farthest from the shore, where the elevation made it less advantageous for agriculture and herd grazing and the natural ecosystem was left comparatively undisturbed. The shorter grasses in the south grow as they could better handle the effects of the herds of sheep and cattle constantly grazing on them and the lack of water caused by the irrigation needs of the farms that dominate the region. With time, scientists are hopeful that the taller grass species of the north will be able to return to the south, repairing the soil and helping to retain water and nutrients for other native species to return as well. But realistically, that will take many years at best, but more likely several decades as this land has only returned to its natural form within the last fifteen years, having been owned previously by one of Fosbir’s largest ranches.

The prairie is home to many species that couldn’t survive in the more arid parts of Fosbir including bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs, as well as several species that live throughout the region, but find the prairie a more comfortable environment for at least part of the year such as kangaroos, dingoes, wolves, coyotes, jackrabbits and many other small mammal and reptile species, and a seemingly endless number of birds in all seasons. The prairie also houses some of the region's oldest and largest trees, though they are few and far between. Many were cut down by settlers long ago as wood is so rare, but within the borders of the prairie they occasionally pop up once again. Today, gum trees, junipers, and cottonwoods can all be seen offering shade and making use of the rich soil throughout the prairie.

Landmarks:

• The Chipped Spine Mountains - As the highest points in the area, the mountains were once a spiritual place, held in sacred regard by the indigenous peoples, but when gold was discovered in the mountain by settlers from afar the land was quickly divided and mining operations sprung up on both sides of the range. As time went on, the veins dried up in the center and today most mining operations only exist on the western edges and beyond. When the prairie was made a protected zone, and the ranchers returned the land, the mountains became the northern border.
  
  When gold was found in the range, many other dig sites were created, looking for a variety of valuable resources that ranged from gold and silver to precious gems like opals and diamonds. Most never uncovered anything of value, and not only damaged a spiritual landmark but special insights into life that have since disappeared. Some miners failed in uncovering ore or gems, but instead uncovered fossils, ranging from plant seeds to prehistoric rhinoceros, camels, horses, and even massive swimming reptiles. There are still several sites being excavated today, and travelers and explorers still venture into the tunnels and caves that mark the mountain’s exterior, but now it must be done with the approval of both the rangers and game wardens, and the indigenous tribal leaders who in recent decades have been given partial control over the land that was once, and still is, integral to their cultural identity.
• The Red Snake River - Named for the color of the river during the annual droughts and when they end every year. During the drought, the water level of the river lowers. In the places where the river is already shallow, you can see the red rocks that make up the riverbed through the water, making it seem like the scales of a massive snake. When the drought ends and the waters rise, the river is full of sediment and mud from the banks which turn the river a familiar, dusty red color for a few days to a week before the water level stops rising. The name is also inspired by the myth of the Great Snake who tried to swallow the moon, and who is trapped in the prairie by the Great Tokota.
• Snake Back Crossing - A shallow draft cable ferry company built on the eastern side of the river on the main trail through the prairie that was used to carry mining supplies and goods across the river to and from the gold and silver mines on the other side of the prairie, which have since built up self-sustaining communities. Now the crossing is run by the rangers and game wardens that protect the prairie; it’s manned by a small crew with only a few ferries still in operation, which can be hired to ferry people, tokotas, and supplies across the river.
• The Great Gum Tree - Largest and oldest tree in the area, perhaps the entire region. An important and spiritual place for the native populations and a meeting place of tribes in the past, though tribal members still occasionally go to the tree for spiritual events, such as the solstices and equinoxes. Now it is one of the largest spots of shade in a sea of grass. Its exact location is kept intentionally vague for fears of the tree being harmed, by accident or through malice.
  
  In the last few centuries, and even as recently as thirty years ago, the tree has been the site for Moon Dances. Moon Dances were spiritual ceremonies carried out by many of the native tribes which were done in the hopes of reigniting the Great Tokota's heart and bringing unity and prosperity back to the land. They are so named as many believed that in completing the dances, as well as reviving the Great Tokota, the moon would appear unblemished as it did in legends from before the Great Snake tried to swallow it.
  
  Today these ceremonies and others like them have become more private and personal to the tribal communities, whereas in the past they were events that multiple groups would have joined in at one time.

Lore:

There are local myths that tell the story of the creation of mountains and rivers which took place long before the region became known as Fosbir. Before humans walked the land, in the time of dreams and legends, the world was inhabited only by animals, and in those days, Fosbir was an endless plain of swaying grasses, swaying in a gentle and sourceless breeze. But it wasn’t to last. The Great Tokota heard rumors from the other animals that the Great Snake had plans to eat the moon in hopes of an unending day, where they would always be warm. The Great Tokota knew that this would spell disaster for all the other animals, and even Snake themself so the Great Tokota went to find Snake, in hopes of convincing them of their error.

The Great Snake knew their plan had been discovered and so they hid, knowing Tokota would try and stop them. They waited for night when they could hide in the grass and make their move. When the Great Tokota arrived and called out for Snake, they didn’t respond. And as the moon rose higher in the sky, Tokota grew more and more worried that they were too late. Eventually, Tokota stood on their hind legs to see over the grass, hoping to spot the Great Snake's red scales in the light of the moon. And when they did, the Great Snake made their move.

Snake sprung out from the grass beneath the Great Tokota and coiled up their legs, concealed by the swaying grass, and before the Great Tokota could act, Snake was on their shoulders, high enough that they could stretch and reach the moon. Tokota realized too late and watched as Snake lunged at the moon, mouth open. But luckily, the Great Snake's mouth wasn’t big enough to swallow the moon whole. Snake landed on the ground with the moon in its mouth like an egg, and before it could swallow, the Great Tokota bit its tail.

In pain, Snake cried out, dropping the moon which fell low onto the horizon, as if it had only just risen. In anger realizing their plan was foiled, the Great Snake turned back and bit Tokota on the leg, their fangs dripping with venom. The Great Tokota knew that if they called out for help, the other animals would hear and come to their aid, but then Snake would get away and perhaps try and swallow the moon again. The Great Tokota knew the other animals wouldn’t be able to stop the Great Snake from escaping into the tall grasses of the plain, so they didn’t cry out, and they held Snake in their jaws as the venom did its work.

And as the Great Tokota lay down in the grass, feeling the venom, they looked up and saw the moon; realizing now that it had been marked by the Great Snake's fangs and venom. But as it rose, Tokota knew that Snake would never again be able to enact their plan. The Great Snake cried out in anger, hissing as they pulled their tail and writhed in the grass, still trapped in the Great Tokota’s mouth. And when Tokota died, the Great Snake realized that they might always be stuck, but that didn’t stop them. They thrashed, and twisted, hissing all the while. They rubbed through the grass and into the dirt beneath, their deep red scales digging into the ground as they tried to pull themselves free, but to no avail.

Today, the mountains and the river in the prairie are named in memory of the animals from the story. And the legend was the way the earliest people of Fosbir explained the constant shifts in the river's path and water level. The Great Snake never gave up, always moving, always hissing, and in time became the river, with their hiss becoming the sound of the flowing water, as they tried to free themselves from the jaws of the Great Tokota. As Snake changed, so too did Tokota; who in death became the mountains. The only peaks in the otherwise flat land of the prairie, and even in this new form, they still held tightly to the tail of the Great Snake, keeping it trapped on the ground, unable to achieve its goal.

Original location inspiration by The-Nerd01