Post by Colonel Nick Fury on Oct 28, 2007 17:34:26 GMT -5
Savage Land
Location: The Savage Land is an artificially created tropical forest region nestled in a ring of volcanoes mountains on the icy continent of Antarctica.
Origin: The Savage Land is not a natural region, but rather is a construct. Ages ago, the enigmatic other-dimensional entities known as the Beyonders contacted an alien race called the Nuwali, offering to pay the Nuwali to create a game preserve on Earth stocked with the fauna and flora of various geological periods. Hence, the Nuwali created the Savage Land as a wildlife preserve where Earth's life forms could be studied under relatively controlled conditions.
Map of the Savage Land:
Physical Features: The Nuwali constructed advanced technological devices within caverns beneath the Savage Land that helped to give it a tropical climate. But the main means of heating the Savage Land was the ring of active volcanoes surrounding it. Presumably the Nuwali chose the site of the Savage Land knowing that the volcanic heat would enable them to create a tropical environment best suited to the life of the Mesozoic Era (the "age of dinosaurs") once the climate of that era changed over the rest of the planet. It seems that the volcanoes are so active that they produce enough smoke and steam to completely obscure the Savage Land from being seen from space, and you generally cannot see the sky directly from within the region. This perpetual cloud cover makes a sort of greenhouse effect, which helps to maintain the humid and warm climate.
Native Inhabitants: None. Over a period of many millions of years within the Savage Land the Nuwali preserved many of Earth's life forms past the point that these species became extinct in the outside world. Hence, plant and animal species from the Triassic period (the beginning of the age of dinosaurs) through the Pleistocene (the "Ice Age") continue to flourish there. The Nuwali also brought the Man-Apes, an evolutionary predecessor of Homo Sapiens, as well as early Homo Sapiens itself.
Later, Atlantean scientists in Pangea (a colony near the Savage Land) used genetic engineering and equipment left behind by the Nuwali to experiment upon Man-Apes they had brought from the Savage Land. The Atlantean scientists genetically altered the bodies of the beast-men into bird-people (the Aerians), monkey-people (the Tree People), fish-people (the Tubanti), and other animal-like races, all of which had human-like intelligence. These creatures were later returned to the Savage Land and its surrounding environs. Human tribes also populate the Savage Land, with some being friendly and others being war-like and cruel. However, recently, Nereel of the Fall People was able to broker a truce and form the United Tribes, which a tribe of evolved Saurians joined as well. The United Tribes now have a joint leadership under Nereel and the Saurian C'Rel
Sights to See: Aside from the amazing dinosaur herds which roam the Savage Land, there are also a number of buildings worth seeing (ironic, isn't it?). Among them are:
* The City of the Sun God (ruins)
* Sauron's Citadel
* The High Evolutionary's Citadel
* The Village of the United Tribes
Historically Relevant Highlights: The X-Men have been to the Savage Land more than almost any other location, so much so that it's surprising they didn't just move there (though there may be an X-Corp branch there nowadays)! The X-Men first encountered the Savage Land early in their history, when Ka-Zar emerged onto the Antartctic ice shelf to rescue some scientists. They did not return there for a long time, until Angel fell off a cliff in a battle with Sauron and encountered a weakened Magneto and his Mutates. The X-Men found a secret passage under the ocean from South American to the Savage Land and confronted Magneto, who was seemingly killed. Not long after returning to the Mansion, however, Professor X sent them back down south to confirm or disprove Magneto's demise. The mutants found Magneto's astral form influencing a hidden race of bat-like people, who lived in a radioactive industrial complex deep within the Savage Land. The radiation actually cured all ills and wounds, even fatal ones, as Jean and Cyclops discovered.
Following their escape from the Savage Land in a hot air balloon, the X-Men did not return to the Savage Land for a long time. However, Iceman, who had followed his teammates south at a later time, hit his head and was amnesiac even after their escape. He found an island inhabited by Karl Lykos, Sauron's alter-ego, but did not recognize him until a battle between Lykos/Sauron and Magneto caused his memory to return. He was then rescued by Havok and Lorna Dane, who had also spent the interim time searching for their already-departed teammates.
Months later, Lykos's girlfriend Tanya Anderssen saw a picture of her love in the paper, and contracted with Angel to travel to the Savage Land to rescue him. Angel, along with Peter Parker (Spider-Man) found the area under the control of the Mutates, and the two of them were devolved into a bird-man and an arachnid, respectively. Only the intervention of Ka-Zar and Lykos's willingness to drain their mutant energies and become Sauron again returned the heroes to human.
Following the transformation of the X-Men into a team of international mutant heroes, the X-Men (except Beast and Phoenix) fell into a crevasse and were presumed dead, but in reality they found a passage to the Savage Land. There the new team was ambushed by Lykos, who drained Storm and transformed into Sauron. Together with Zaladane, Sauron resurrected the Sun God, Garrok, in a giant city built by??? However, the X-Men defeated Sauron and Zaladane with the assistance of Ka-Zar and the Fall People. It should be noted that a tryst between Colossus and Nereel on this excursion appears to have resulted in the birth of a boy named Peter.
Shortly thereafter, the X-Men traveled to the Savage Land again, and this time found Sauron teamed with Zaladane and attempting to take over the Savage Land in Ka-Zar and Shanna's absence. Sauron had built a citadel in the middle of one of the lakes, with a machine that sapped the will of the X-Men before they even arrived. The mutants were captured easily, except for Angel, whose exposure to Sauron allowed him to escape. Meanwhile, the X-Men were devolved by Brainchild's devolver machine. As Angel and the returned Ka-Zar assaulted the citadel, Brainchild, lusting for Storm, kept her in her normal form, and though she was exhausted from Sauron's depredations, she managed to free herself and then with Ka-Zar, liberate her teammates. Though Angel was captured while distracting Sauron outside the citadel, together the X-Men managed to defeat the Mutates and then defeat Sauron by draining him of energy and reverting him to Karl Lykos.
During the Evolutionary War, the alien Terminus, using the body of Garrok to manipulate his giant robotic form, destroyed the Savage Land by trashing the climate-control machinery and snuffing the volcanoes. Some of the inhabitants and the Mutates survived by jumping into another dimension, but the land itself was exposed to the Antarctic climate for the first time in millennia and 90% of the people died. Fortunately, the High Evolutionary used his scientific expertise to restore the Savage Land to its original working condition and with its fauna intact (through cloning or time-travel), using the immense life energies of Garrok.
Shortly after the High Evolutionary left, however, Zaladane took control of the Savage Land, and on a raid in South America, her bird-riders found and abducted Lorna Dane, who had just been exorcised of the entity Malice. The X-Men followed Lorna's trail, and came into conflict with Zaladane, who claimed to be Lorna's sister and used advanced machinery to steal Lorna's magnetic powers for herself. Though the X-Men rescued Lorna, they could not defeat Zaladane, and were forced to leave her in charge of the land.
Months later, Magneto returned to the Savage Land, and used the machinery in Sauron's citadel to integrate Rogue with a duplicate of Ms. Marvel, made from memories which had been given a shared life by the Siege Perilous. Magneto and Rogue were then recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to take down Zaladane, who had already captured Shanna and Nereel and made them her slave. Magneto finally ended Zaladane's rule by kiling her, and Nereel took over as de facto leader.
Months later, the X-Men flew to the Savage Land to pick up some vibranium for their power sources, and found that Sauron had returned. Sauron captured Cyclops and Havok and fed off their energies, mutating himself into a giant form, but Jean Grey entered his mind and fought him, allowing Lykos to commit psychic suicide, taking the Sauron persona with him.
Sauron healed, however, and remained a perpetual thorn in the sides of the X-Men, and Wolverine later bested him and foiled another plan for domination of the Savage Land. More recently, a team of X-Men helped a tribe of evolved Saurians emigrate to the Savage Land, where they found the various races living in harmony. However, Brainchild and the Mutates plotted to control the Savage Land with intelligent but non-humanoid dinosaurs, and Brainchild also devolved Storm into a feral version of herself. The X-Men eventually foiled the plot, protected the village and strengthen the United Tribes by getting the Saurians to join them. Storm was also eventually returned to normal.
Recently, the X-Men went to the Savage Land and fought against another group of Saurians called the Hau'ka, who have military and scientific knowledge rivaling humanity's as well as a number of mutant individuals. The Hau'ka brainwashed Marvel Girl III, whose body began to change form to match her new Saurian mentality. Meanwhile, Brainchild proposed an alliance with the X-Men against the lizards, but it was a ruse and he captured Storm and hooked her up to a weather machine in an attempt to destroy the outside world with violent climate changes. Fortunately, the X-Men were able to stop him.
Brainchild remained in the Savage Land, but was soon confronted by the new Avengers after he created a prison break to free Sauron. Wolverine had also been tracking Sauron to the Savage Land, which is how he became part of the new Avengers. Just prior to M-Day, Sentinel Squad O*N*E training squads were sent to the Savage Land to fight Brainchild's new super-powered Tyrannosaurs, outfitted with mechanisms that gave them telekinesis and possibly other powers. The first squad was destroyed completely, and two more were sent. Lex saw the futility of the frontal attack ordered by Sgt. Steele and disobeyed orders to escape destruction. He then led his squad back, but sacrificed their robots, using them as decoys while they rescued Commander Rhodes and Skylark, capturing Brainchild in the process.