The Bolder Forest

The Bolder forest ("Bolder" is a human rendering of the Styrásh name for the forest; Bóll'dáth or Bóll'dáth meaning literally "learning place", or "place of knowledge") is situated in the province of Vardýnn. Badly damaged by an orc raid during the Third Sarvonian War, the forest still bear scars, despite the Aellenrhim elves care deeply for their home. The forest is punctuated by settlement in the natural clearing by elven enclosures. The forest extends into the foothills of the Warnaka Mountains in the North, which shadow the forest from some of the expected rainfall. Humans in the neighbouring towns of Voldar and Nyermermys are still wary and suspicious of the forest since the orc raid, and rumours abound in the cities of the evil that dwells there.

Description. Traditionally the elves dwell in natural clearings in the forest, enclosures known in Styrásh as Ophá (Ophá), which used to house one or two extended families, typically about 15 individuals. Many such Ophá exist in the forest, but not all are occupied. Within each enclosure small quantities of crops or vegetables can be grown. Commonly peasecods or onions are grown, though caroots grow happily in areas burnt down by the orcs. Ophá also contain large roundhouses known as Seeán’feárn (Seeán’feárn), a number of small timber storage houses and usually a building housing a large oven used for firing pottery or baking.

Picture description. View on the Bolder Forest and one of the many temporary streams emanating from the nearby melting mountain peaks. On the clearing you can see an enclosure of the Aellenrhim (Ophá) with several roundhouses, known as Seeán'feárn. On the horizon you can see the Warnaka Mountains. Image by Quellion.

Seeán’feárn are circular houses with conical thatched roofs. They vary in size from very small to gigantic. Walls are either constructed from granite (which can be found in the North of the forest as you approach the Warnaka Mountains) or more commonly by constructing a wooden frame which is filled by panels woven from young tree branches. This frame work is then coated in mud and wild grasses, which dry to give a very hard surface. Often small controlled fires are lit round the base of the roundhouse to aid the drying process.

Within the forest there are now many Seeán’feárn that are not within an enclosure, but within thick woodland. This type of living habit is much more common today within the modern tribe. Roundhouses have an impossible air of mystery about them, looking as though they have always been there. They almost look as though they should be there, and have a oneness with nature that human buildings seldom achieve.

Ranndár is the centre of the forest. Here the buildings are all made of granite stone. Long abandonded after the orc raid the elves have now returned to live here once more. Here can be found the council chambers and the old palace. A large temple to the Gods stands to the West. The ruins of the Great Library also remain here, a testament to the tribes turbulant past. The Library was the testament of everything the ancient tribe achieved. They were gatherers of lore and myth from all corners of Santharia. It also housed the Odosía (Styrásh: Odosía, "Everlasting Books"). Houses in Ranndar are granite block in construction, and rather grand than those elsewhere.

Location. The Forest is one of the most northerly in Santharia, and as a result the climate here is rather temperate. Located within the province of Vardýnn, it is closely bordered by the human settlements of Voldar and Nyermersys. To the north the forest extends into the foothills of the Warnaka Mountains, and to the south it is not a long journey to the margins of the scared Thaelon forest.

Map description. Location of the Bolder Forest, north of the ancient Erpheronian capitol of Voldar and south of the Warnaka Mountains. Maps drawn by Artimidor.

People. The Bolder is the ancient home of the Aellenrhim elves. They have lived here since time immemorable, and though the tribe is a shadow of what it once was, in the days before SW III; they still dwell here and are immensly proud of their home. Indeed, should you meet an Aellenrhim elf on the edges of the forest they will probably give you a guided tour of that area, pointing out all the multitudes of flora and fauna. Indeed, the forest itself is a shadow of it's former self, with many deep scars still obvious, espcially around Ranndar. They are the reminders of the orc raid in 207 b.S. when a raiding party of orcs from the North stormed through the forest, doing much damage, before finally setting light to a large area around the town. The elves have put much time and effort into repairing the damage done, but some of the forest's hurts still refuse to heal more than a thousand years on.

Coat of Arms/Sign. Occasionally, if you should happen upon an elves enclosure (or Ophrá), or upon the town at the centre of the forest, Ranndar, you will see the coat of arms that belongs to the Aellenrhim elves, a single candle on a dark field. Due to the multi-tribal nature of the modern tribe, however, outside of Ranndar you may also see this Aellenrhim coat of arms flown in conjuction with those of other elven tribes, especially on Seeán’feárn (large round houses) where the family live there owe their lineage to another of Santharia's tribes.

Climate. The Bolder is a temperate forest, with a mix of deciduous and evergreen species. Summer is extremly hot, while winter is mild. The Bolder gets rather less rainfall than one would expect for the province of Vardýnn. This is due to the rainshadow effect of the Warnaka Mountains. The area, however, is drained by the streams that emanates from the mountain peaks.

Flora. The forest is still on flora of various kinds. The flora and fauna of the Bolder is much the same as that of the Thaelon. This is hardly a suprise given their proximity. Mahood-Euwen trees also grow throughout the Bolder, though they do not reach the kind of proportions that they do in the Thaelon. Many species of moss are also shared with the Thaelon. Candlebushes are also native, growing in the wetter soils in the northern part of the forest, where small streams cut through the landscape, draining the heights of the Warnaka Mountains.

There are also many species of grasses growing here, however, only the drail grass is native, the others have been brought in by the elves, sometimes unknowingly, from the Aurora Fields, the Heath of Jeranis and the Steppe of Cruswick. One example is wean grass, the seed of which were brought in on the clothes and feet of three Allenrhim elves returning from the Auroran Plains, which then grew prolifically in the southern reaches of the forest. It is commonly used in the construction of Allenrhim housing.

Fauna. The cuuloo is a common site in the forest, as are deer. Currently there is know to be a gryphon roaming in the north of the forest. Sawis sheep are often found in enclosures, on the forest margins and in the Warnaka foothills, as they are farmed by some members of the Aellenrhim tribe.

Resources. Resources are limited, but there is enough for the elves to live here. Granite is present in the north of the forest. There is a good supply of supple woods suitable for making bows and such like. Honey is in ample supply from wild hives. Domesticated animals can also provide skins and furs, though elves normally wait until the end of the animals' natural life before undertaking this process.

Myth/Lore. There is much to tell of the forest's origins: Some Allenrhim will tell you that the forest was once linked to the gigantic Thaelon and that they were then seperated, though there is little evidence for this, and dates given for seperation vary widely. Some say that the High Avá'ránn created the forest in the Thaelon's image for Daltelár, one of the four Axhái, who served the High Avá'ránn's purposes well. Other will tell you that the homesick Daltelár, unwilling to be returned to her light elven form, created the forest to dwell in so it would remind her of the Thaelon and bring her comfort.

Humans have far less pleasant conitations about the forest. After the orc raids, the humans have had little contact with their elven neighbours, and the forest is regarded with much suspicion and rumour. In Voldar, the forest is often said to be cursed, or inhabited by dark elves, or practicioners of dark arts. All of which are thoroughly untrue!