Lake Morshu

Lake Morshu See Morshu
Photo of Lake Morshu and the Island of Ringutis, containing Castle Morshu.
Location	Baltica, Liplan Kretin
Type	Lake
Basin countries	Baltica
Max. length	79 mi (127 km)
Max. width	19 mi (31 km)
Surface area	602.12 sq mi (1,559.5 km2)
Average depth	164.43 ft (50.12 m)
Max. depth	381 ft (116 m)
Water volume	98.2 cu mi (409 km3)
Residence time	5.8 years
Islands	13
Settlements	Nuglente , Zemute

Lake Morshu, is the largest Lake situated entirely within Baltica, and the source of the Lirga river that runs through Belgorta. It is a deep-water lake situated within the lesser Kunijan Hills, within the Republic of Liplan Kretin. It is a freshwater lake, and as such has been a place of settlement for both Gintarian Dolch and Ras-Kretin for centuries. Spanning approximately 79kms in length, and 19kms in width, it has a surface area of 602.12km2, only 38km2 behind Balticas second largest Lake, Lake Bjurgis.

Name

Lake Morshu gets its name from Sir Morshu Meier, who was the first Dolch to discover the lake in 1460. In Ras however, the lake is sometimes referred to as Lake Mantas, after King Mantas the Northman, who was responsible for the creation of the Confederation of Kunijan, which reportedly stretched all the way to Lake Morshu. Although the two names are used interchangeably, due to most Inhabitants around the lake being Gintarian Dolch, Lake Morshu is used much more frequently.

Geography

Lake Morshu is largely divided into three distinct parts, this being...

1. Nordsee (Northern Lake), the Northern part of the lake, which is fairly shallow and home to the largest settlement along the lake, Nuglente.

2. Ostsee (Eastern Lake), the Eastern part of the lake, is more deep than its Northern counterpart. Largely recognised by the large collection of Islands which are located within it, Including the Island of Marz, on which Castle Morshu is located on.

3. Sudsee (Southern Lake), the deepest part of the lake located along the South edge. Most of the unique wildlife of the lake remains isolated to this area.

An Image of the "Ostee" (Eastern Lake) part of Lake Morshu.

The Kunijan Mountains make up most of the Northern border of the lake, whilst the South and East are mainly bordered by the Kunijan Hills. As such, land North of the lake is considerably higher in altitude, and the Lake itself is significantly more shallow along its Northern side. The lake is a draining point for the large Tungle River, which runs through the Northern Kunijan Mountains. Meanwhile, the lake is also the Source of the Lirga River that runs through Belgorta. Since 1988, the Lake makes up one of fourteen "Natural Wonder" sights in Baltica and is frequently tested for pollution spills due to its proximity to the Manufacturing hub of Nuglente.It remains a very popular tourist attraction regardless.

The Lake is believed to have been formed by tectonic activity that most likely took place 10-5 million years ago, or possibly even before that. It is commonly believed that during the formation of the Kunijan Mountains, Lake Morshu was formed by the movement of tectonic plates, during which a natural low basin formed and eventually become filled with fresh water that ran off from the nearby mountains. The multiple islands that formed within the lake are mostly the result of either sediment deposits or natural "highpoints" which peak through the surface of the Lake. The largest Island within the Lake is the Island of Ringutis, alongside the Eastern part of the Lake.

Because Lake Morshu is a freshwater lake, it on occasion freezes, especially around its more shallow Northern side as well as occasionally on its Eastern side. The South, however, usually does not freeze over, largely because of its depth, although it has on rare occasions frozen over, most infamously in 1807. The area around the lakes is characterised by its grasslands, which span across the entirety of the lakes Basin. Around some of the shore, wetlands and peatlands can also be found. Most of the land around the Basin is not significantly fertile but is much more fertile than the surrounding hills, which are usually much sandier and contain fewer minerals. The Northernmost area of the Lake, around which the city of Nuglente resides is the most fertile area around the lake, largely because of nutrient runoff from the Lirga River. A large part of the Northernmost area however has seen a large amount of deforestation during the 20th century, attributed to the increased urbanisation and Industrialisation throughout the Northern part of the Lake.

Fauna and Flora

Lake Morshu is rich in biodiversity. In total it hosts over 100 unique plant species and 30 unique species of animal. Although Lakes are common in Baltica, the size of Lake Morshu and its proximity to the Kunijan Mountains makes it a unique ecosystem special to the region.

Birds

One of Lake Morshu's most recognised local species, is the Morshuan Blue Duck, a unique species of Duck that inhabits the area around and within the Lake. It came within the break of extinction multiple times throughout the 1900s, largely because it was considered a delicacy and many were hunted for sport. As Lake Morshu began to see increased Industrialisation, it put the Blue Duck further at risk as much of its local habitat was cut down to make room for Industry. However, due to new law introduced in the late 80s, much of the Blue Ducks' habitat has been restored, especially on the Islands within the Lake. In recent years it has become the face of the "Morshu Recovery Scheme", introduced in the Early 2010s as a way to protect and restore Lake Morshu back to its pre-Industrial heights.

Fish

Although Lake Morshu does not have a wide variety of fish species within it, it is home to a thriving community of fish, most of which inhabit the deepest Southern part of the lake. The most common species before the 60s was the Wide Chin Pike, a species that largely due to inbreeding, evolved to have a particularly wide jaw that cant be closed. However, in the 70s, Salmon were introduced into the Lake in the hopes of creating more biodiversity and possibly creating a new income source for the fishermen around the lake. However, this has largely been a catastrophic development, as the number of salmon in the lake has grown rapidly to the point where they have been classified as an invasive species, due to them out-competing the native fish within the lake.

An Image of a captured Marsh-Brown Stoat.

Mammals

Along side supporting a wide variety of fish and bird species, Lake Morshu also supports multiple mammal species, one of the most recognisable being the Marsh-Brown Stoat, a unique species of Stoat native to primarily the Eastern part of Lake Morshu. They are commonly found along tall grasslands, and occasionally within the Islands that dot the lake. Alongside the Marsh-Brown Stoat, another common mammal found around Lake Morshu is the Kunijan Lake Hare, which although not exclusive to Lake Morshu, can be found in abundance in both the Northern, Eastern and Southern parts of the Lake.