Vandarch: Difference between revisions

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The '''Vandarch''' is an inland sea which constitutes the dominant geographical feature of northwestern [[Levantia]]. Bounded by many nations and fed by many rivers, the sea has played a key role in the cultures of its coastal peoples from antiquity to the present day. The sea is hydrologically a lake, as until the completion of the [[Grand Vandarch Canal]] in 1975 it was isolated from the [[Kilikas Sea]] by the largely-impassable marshes of the Ereglasian Isthmus. It was not however an endorheic basin until this time, as the Ereglasian marshes do drain the Vandarch into the Kilikas. As the construction of the [[Carolina Grand Canal]] caused the River Urce to flow ''into'' the lake rather than draw water out, much of southern Levantia also falls within the Vandarch's catchment area. Despite its historic isolation from the world's oceans and its relatively fresh water even after the completion of the Grand Vandarch Canal, the Vandarch was (and is) generally considered a sea by its inhabitants due to its sheer size.
The '''Vandarch''' is an inland sea which constitutes the dominant geographical feature of northwestern [[Levantia]]. Bounded by many nations and fed by many rivers, the sea has played a key role in the cultures of its coastal peoples from antiquity to the present day. The sea is hydrologically a lake, as until the completion of the [[Grand Vandarch Canal]] in 1975 it was isolated from the [[Kilikas Sea]] by the largely-impassable marshes of the Ereglasian Isthmus. It was not however an endorheic basin until this time, as the Ereglasian marshes do drain the Vandarch into the Kilikas. As the construction of the [[Carolina Grand Canal]] caused the River Urce to flow ''into'' the lake rather than draw water out, much of southern Levantia also falls within the Vandarch's catchment area. Despite its historic isolation from the world's oceans and its relatively fresh water even after the completion of the Grand Vandarch Canal, the Vandarch was (and is) generally considered a sea by its inhabitants due to its sheer size.
==Etymology==
==Etymology==
====Gothic====
'''Déithaigh'''
 
The Vandarch has gone through several major name changes throughout its settled history. While its Fenni name is unknown, the first references to it in [[Fhasen|proto-Fhasen]] dialects refer to it as ''Déithaigh,'' or 'Godsgrave', and is believed to be religious in origin due to early Fenni religion and its focus on freshwater as divine blood.
 
====Wandark====
Two competing etymologies exist for the Gothic name '''Wandark''' (''Wandák'' in modern [[Hendalarskisch]] orthography), with both agreeing that the ''Wand'' element represents the Gothic word for "wall, barrier".
Two competing etymologies exist for the Gothic name '''Wandark''' (''Wandák'' in modern [[Hendalarskisch]] orthography), with both agreeing that the ''Wand'' element represents the Gothic word for "wall, barrier".


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Both theories converge on the idea of the sea as enclosed by land rather than opening up into a wider ocean, a notion which implies a high level of seafaring knowledge among the Gothic peoples of the southern Vandarch coast well into the ancient past.
Both theories converge on the idea of the sea as enclosed by land rather than opening up into a wider ocean, a notion which implies a high level of seafaring knowledge among the Gothic peoples of the southern Vandarch coast well into the ancient past.
====Gaelic====
 
In the Fhainnin Gaelic mythos, the Vandarch is the result of the fall of an ancient god, though the name associated with this belief (English: Godsgrave; Fhasen: Déithaigh) has in part given way to a Fhasen reinterpretation of the Gothic name 'The Barrier' (Fhasen: Tá Bacain) following the Christianization of the Ninerivers region. The term 'Mar Déithaigh' has made a resurgence in recent decades under Faneria's government's cultural conservation programs.
The common name for the Vandarch used in modern Fhasen, ''Tá Bacain'', is a direct result of adoption of the term 'wall' in relation to the sea, and was promoted by Catholic clergy as a means of divesting the language from pagan influences.
====Vandarch====
The term 'Vandar' was coined as a Latinization of the Gothic ''Wandark'', and was used to refer to the entire sea and surrounding Basin. [[Vandar Orientalis]] was the first administrative example of this term in use, though the word would develop into 'Vandarch' through adoption of the '<nowiki/>''k''' sound beginning in modern [[Yonderre]]. Most countries in the world refer to the sea as the Vandarch, including many unofficial references in Fhasen in spite of encouragement for the use of endonyms in Faneria.
 
==Formation==
==Formation==
Prior to the last Ice Age, the Vandarch formed a large bay of the Kilikas Sea known as the Urvandarch Gulf and was much saltier than it is in the present day. It also shrank dramatically during the Ice Age, in line with global sea levels in that period, as Levantia to its north was trapped under an enormous ice sheet - as was the [[Kupferberg]] to its south - formed from previously liquid fresh water. Much of its current surface area, along with much of what is now Hendalarsk, Eldmora-Regulus and Yonderre, remained ice-free but was reduced to barren tundra by the combination of extreme cold and lack of moisture, forming the erstwhile Vandarch Desert (Hendalarskisch: ''Wandáschwöste'').
Prior to the last Ice Age, the Vandarch formed a large bay of the Kilikas Sea known as the Urvandarch Gulf and was much saltier than it is in the present day. It also shrank dramatically during the Ice Age, in line with global sea levels in that period, as Levantia to its north was trapped under an enormous ice sheet - as was the [[Kupferberg]] to its south - formed from previously liquid fresh water. Much of its current surface area, along with much of what is now Hendalarsk, Eldmora-Regulus and Yonderre, remained ice-free but was reduced to barren tundra by the combination of extreme cold and lack of moisture, forming the erstwhile Vandarch Desert (Hendalarskisch: ''Wandáschwöste'').
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====Climate====
====Climate====
====Ecology====
====Ecology====
The Vandarch is the native home of several breeds of fish genetically distinct from oceanic counterparts, with some historic periods of wetlands around the Ereglasian Isthmus allowing for aquatic species to pass between the Vandarch and the Kilikas with some difficulty due to the fresh nature of the Vandarch's waters. The Sea is also host to a number of species of crustaceans and mollusks, but features no native shrimp. The Whitegill Eel, Vandarch Squash Lobster, Northern Blue Eel, Brigandine Fish, Capjaw Salmon, and the Freshwater Sliverfish are among the most well-known endemic species of fauna.
The Vandarch is the native home of several breeds of fish genetically distinct from oceanic counterparts, with some historic periods of wetlands around the Ereglasian Isthmus allowing for aquatic species to pass between the Vandarch and the Kilikas with some difficulty due to the fresh nature of the Vandarch's waters. The Sea is also host to a number of species of crustaceans and mollusks, but features no native shrimp. The Whitegill Eel, [[Vandarch pike]], Vandarch Squash Lobster, Northern Blue Eel, Brigandine Fish, Capjaw Salmon, and the Freshwater Sliverfish are among the most well-known endemic species of fauna.
 
The flora of the Vandarch are similar to those in the Kilikas, but with a much greater concentration of seagrasses and kelp due to the warmer waters. Coral reefs exist in limited quantities, primarily in the eastern and southern regions of the seabed, and the sea has two species of algae mat and one species of seaweed that grow rapidly in mutualistic blooms in the spring and historically have been used as food sources and fuel by coastal peoples. These blooms are the basis of some salads and other dishes in modernity, though they are generally considered a nuisance for private boatowners.


The flora of the Vandarch are similar to those in the Kilikas, but with a much greater concentration of seagrasses and kelp due to the warmer waters. Coral reefs exist in limited quantities, primarily in the eastern and southern regions of the seabed, and the sea has two species of algae mat that grow rapidly in the spring and historically have been used as food sources and fuel by coastal peoples. These algae mats are the basis of some salads in modernity, though they are generally considered a nuisance for private boatowners.
====Hazards====
====Hazards====
Several dozen of the hundreds of species in the Vandarch, such as the [[Whitegill Eel]], are considered poisonous, but almost none other than the Whitegill and some types of conch are venomous. The Vandarch has few large predators, with the generally placid [[Kestrel Shark]] being the largest at nine feet fully-grown. Swimmers are attacked on occasion by Capjaw salmon during breeding season, but such attacks are rarely fatal. The most lethal species in the Vandarch per attack are the Whitegill Eel, both from bites and improper preparation, the George's Grenadier Conch, and the Ereglasian Seanettle, a type of jellyfish which anchors itself to coral similarly to a tubeworm.
Several dozen of the hundreds of species in the Vandarch, such as the [[Whitegill Eel]], are considered poisonous, but almost none other than the Whitegill and some types of conch are venomous. The Vandarch has few large predators, with the generally placid [[Kestrel Shark]] being the largest at nine feet fully-grown. Swimmers are attacked on occasion by Capjaw salmon during breeding season, but such attacks are rarely fatal. The most lethal species in the Vandarch per attack are the Whitegill Eel, both from bites and improper preparation, the George's Grenadier Conch, and the Ereglasian Seanettle, a type of jellyfish which anchors itself to coral similarly to a tubeworm.
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The Vandarch is a common destination for boating sports, such as snorkeling, diving, waterskiing, and boating. Communities across national borders, especially in the Kestrel Isles, share a robust sailboating community and frequently challenge Burgundine visitors and other tourists from seafaring countries abroad to participate in races and other events. While not as vibrant as a tropical sea, the Vandarch has its own natural beauty, often being depicted as serene and safer than other aquatic destinations. The Sea also has a great number of historic towns and forts along its coast which serve as attractions, and the sea's generally shallow nature makes it popular among international organizations training crews on seabed scanning, cable-laying, and other business-related technologies.
The Vandarch is a common destination for boating sports, such as snorkeling, diving, waterskiing, and boating. Communities across national borders, especially in the Kestrel Isles, share a robust sailboating community and frequently challenge Burgundine visitors and other tourists from seafaring countries abroad to participate in races and other events. While not as vibrant as a tropical sea, the Vandarch has its own natural beauty, often being depicted as serene and safer than other aquatic destinations. The Sea also has a great number of historic towns and forts along its coast which serve as attractions, and the sea's generally shallow nature makes it popular among international organizations training crews on seabed scanning, cable-laying, and other business-related technologies.


Sea-based tourism saw a decline in the mid-1990s owing to the catastrophic [[Sinking of the MS Hollona|sinking of the MS ''Hollona'']] in 1993 which raised questions of maritime safety, the decline not turning until the beginning of the 21st century.
===Indigenous Peoples===
The Vandarch Basin is the ancestral homelands to several Gaelic and mixed-Gaelic peoples in its northern reaches, as well as native Gothic peoples in the south and several extinct or later assimilated first peoples such as the pre-Gaelic ''Fenni''. In addition, the Vandarch has seen a number of movements of foreign peoples such as Coscivians, Aengles, Latins and Romance-descent peoples, and non-native Germanic and Gaelic peoples in varying degrees throughout history.
== See Also ==
== See Also ==
* [[Vandarch Sea Trade Zone Organization]]
* [[Vandarch Sea Trade Zone Organization]]
* [[Vandarch Canal Crisis]]
* [[Vandarch Canal Crisis]]
* [[Grand Vandarch Canal]]
* [[Kilikas Sea]]
* [[Kilikas Sea]]
* [[Kestrel Isles]]
* [[Vandarch pike]]
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Bodies of Water]]
[[Category:Bodies of water]]
[[Category:Vandarch]]
[[Category:Levantia]]
[[Category:Levantia]]
[[Category:Yonderre]]
[[Category:IXWB]]
[[Category:IXWB]]
{{Template:Award winning article}}
[[Category:2022 Award winning pages]]
[[Category:2022 Award winning pages]]
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