Terrain Features
During the Night of Fire, the entire world changed. Now that it is over, is the land still changing and if so how rapidly? Is the general terrain makeup (contours of the land and soil composition) changing, or just vegetation? Do massive changes happen overnight, or does it take weeks/months for changes to occur?
Basically, if I look over the city wall today will I see the same thing when I look over tomorrow? A week later? A month later? By my understanding of the setting, it will change. I just want some clarification on how significant the changes will be over those time periods.
I'm guessing that, before the Night of Fire, the land around Khadim was mostly flat farmlands (correct me if I'm wrong). Was there a river, lake or other source of fresh water? The city will need fresh water from somewhere. If there isn't a river or lake they will need a spring or wells. With the abundance of magic pre-NoF they could generate it magically, but that wouldn't be my first choice for how to build a city. Wells supplemented by a magic system (water either created by magic or drawn up by magic) could work.
How has the land nearby changed since the Night of Fire? Do we have a forest, swamp or barren area? Do we even know what is beyond the city walls?
Comments
Looking over the Journal of Alec Mal, it seems there was a river and it is still in its usual place. That helps with a lot of problems the city would face.
Helix! Helix! Everyone loves a helix!
Right. Khadim is built along the west bank (and a little on the east bank) and the shore of the lake under the letter "M" in "Empire" on the Desolation map. You're right in assuming that around the city was mostly fairly fertile farmland for several dozen miles before you started to hit more interesting terrain.
Now, however, if you look north from the city walls, you see the river snaking away towards a pretty evil-looking forest. No-one who has entered the forest since it appeared has survived. South along the lakeshore there appear to be ruins where the lake bed has shifted to the east by about five hundred yards. Due west is changeable - the terrain immediately outside the city walls is fairly stable and is still mostly fertile farmland for the first mile or two. Then you hit some kind of invisible line. Cross that line and the terrain is in flux. The only stable bit is the path leading towards the village Nathyn came from. East is mostly still lake but I wouldn't advise fishing on it. Strange storms swirl up out off a clear sky, things swim in the lake that probably aren't fish. On the other side of the lake? No-one's made it there since the Night.
I leave a lot of the exact details to the requirements of the story.