The Goltherlon residing between the High Fores and the Ancytharian Sea is one of
the most mystifying, and the most eerie, of any in
Santharia.
Once the
Goltherrhim had created exquisite homes out of the branches of trees, but
since their flight, their once charming homes fell into gnarled structures. The
canopy of the forest keeps the sunlight at bay and makes the forest appear
trapped in a perennial twilight. The animal life is unlike any other in
Santharia, and the hauntingly beautiful shadows that the forest creates builds
on the belief that
elven
spirits walk amongst the wood.
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Picture description. The
tranquil and at time eerie Goltherlon Forest.
Image drawn by
Eshóh. |
Description.
The Goltherlon Forest stands as one of the most enchanting in
Santharia.
Though, upon entering the forest, the trees seem to grow sparingly about in
casual tranquility, the deeper one journeys into the forest, the more mystic and
haunting the scenery becomes. The tall trees close to one another, and some may
entwine their branches with another. The roots of trees can sometimes make
travel dangerous, slithering crookedly across the ground before diving into the
earth, only to angrily surface again. Vines travel up the trunks of many a
baych
or oak that has chosen to make the Goltherlon Forest its home.
The thick canopy sends pools of light dancing across the ground whenever a
zephyr chooses to wander through it. Because of the denseness of the forest, the
rustling of leaves seems to echo off the tree, and the sound of a distant bird
may seem like the seducing song of a dryad or the haunting prayer of a lonely
elven
spirit. The lullaby of the forest is one that tends to stay with people long
after they have departed from the forest. The inner forest is shaded in dark
greens, blues, browns, and blacks. Moss grows over the trunks and branches of
many trees, while on the outer reaches of the forest, the trees grow with
trunks and leaves of lighter hues.
Because of the forest's previous inhabitance, there are some distinct attributes
that separate the forest from any other. The
Goltherrhim were known for their gorgeous tree weaving and vine-training,
forming from the forest beautiful homes and exquisite living tapestries from the
forest. As though sewn together, the creepers that entwine about the branches of
the trees and about one another make out elegant yet haunting designs, the
leaves making patterns that change and mold with the passing seasons. Many of
these mystifying houses now stand gnarled and knotted, terribly unkempt, and
give the wood the eerie feel, as though the empty and twisted homes still hold
ghastly spirits. Many birds and rodents may make their homes within these
hauntingly beautiful structures.
Also, because of
gnomish
inhabitance, there are places in the forest where one may find a village where
some of the trees have been cleared. Small homes built within the trees, though
sturdy, seem to detract from the mystery of the forest, but, to a traveler that
may perhaps be wandering through the wood, these villages may be of comfort.
Their size holds a daintiness, as most
gnomes
dwell in halfling-sized homes to fit their small statures. These small villages
create a nest from where the trees are pulled away, cut down and used to build
houses and fences, and the dim shadows are pulled back from the retreated
canopy. Most villages are thus lighted, or lighter, than the surrounding forest.
The terrain of the Goltherlon Forest can be deceiving: the large numbers of
trees that make the forest appear to be trapped within a perennial twilight drop
their leaves in fall and may hide dangers on the ground, such as ditches or pits
within the ground caused by some burrowing animal or run-off from the nearby
High Fores. Overall, though, the ground maintains a fairly flat quality.
However, this does not necessarily make traveling through the forest an easy
task. One must remember to place his or her steps cautiously as the roots of
twisting trees may have roots that break the surface. Vines and low branches can
crowd the path. Some travelers find the
herin’s
way safer; that is, they journey through the treetops along the stronger
branches of the Goltherlon trees.
The forest is not easily accessible to many. A small north and south entrance is
available, though many never journey into the forest, instead going around it
along the coast of the Ancythrian Sea. There is one passage to the Goltherlon
to the northwest, cutting through the High Fores. The path is called Helsalari
("Firetrail"), and was used during the war between the
Goltherrhim and the
Helcrani and is the only path from Hecrah to Goltherlon. The path is more
commonly used for trade between the
Helcrani town of Heleroth and the
Golgnomes of the Goltherlon, but is a small path, for while it starts out
around 12 peds in width, once well along the road, it has an average of hardly
five peds in width, and may offer many dangers.

Location.
The Gotherlon lies almost tucked away within the natural boundaries of the
surrounding landscape. Just north of the forest lies the
Hčckra, a volcano whose
activity is both a curse and a blessing, for while the volcano may spout
minerals from deep inside the earth that adds to the numerous natural resources
of the Goltherlon, the threat of an eruption makes it dangerous to live. Some also
fear that the myth of a small band of
fire
drakes taking up residence in such a place is no myth at all, or that a
sephet demon maybe living there.
Picture
description. The location of the Goltherlon Forest, embedded between
the Hčckra volcano to the north, the High Fores to the west and the
Ancythrian Sea to the east. Maps drawn by Artimidor. |
To the west of the Goltherlon Forest the mountains of the High Fores stand.
Erosion from these mountains is also a source for the natural resources in the
area. Very little danger comes from this range, as the
dwarves that take up
residence there seem to have very little use for the forest save lumber to help
fuel their fires. The Ancythrian Sea to the
east provides the local inhabitants with
fish and delicacies from the sea that many land-locked forests don’t really
have. The sea also keeps the climate of the forest rather mild.

People.
The
Golgnomes are currently the only tribe living within the forest. The forest
itself is a paradise for this tribe of gnomes, who value studies of science over
everything else. The plethora of natural resources and unique plants and animals to
study here make their location ideal. The
gnomes of
the Goltherlon are known for having dark, beady eyes that make many feel as though
they are untrustworthy. They tend to have black hair, though dark reds and
browns are sometimes found among members of the tribe.
The
Goltherrhim were the previous residents of the forest before the
gnomes ever
came to be at the Goltherlon. These
elves were
known both for their beauty (their long, flowing hair and long-lashes eyes), but
also for their raging tempers, which could contort their beauty into a mask of
hatred. Though they no longer reside in the forest, their beautiful
tree-dwellings are still left, though few are kept and many have fallen into
grotesque figures.

Climate.
Because the Goltherlon
Forest is so close to a body of
water (the Ancythrian
Sea), the climate stayed fairly mild. Most mornings, fog from the Ancythrian
Sea will cover the western part of the forest like a blanket until the midday
sun burns the clouds away. The morning mist gives the forest an mystic feel, and
one might expect a
unicorn
or some other wondrous beast to come wandering out of the forest or to arise
from the surface of the sea.
The winter and summer seasons tend to be equal in a year in
the Goltherlon. Usually
light showers will start the autumn season, as well as some chilly eastern
winds. In the winter, the storms may become violently windy, and though there
may be lightning storms over the Ancythrian Sea, these storms tend to break up
before reaching the eastern shore. Snow is rather rare in the area, though cold
winters may produce one or two in a year. In spring, the great storms of winter
become gentle showers mixed with an increasingly warm
sun. Eventually these showers lessen and
lessen into the summer months, which tend to be warm and quite enjoyable for
the inhabitants and the travelers who wander through the
wood.

Flora.
The Goltherlon Forest is a place filled with ancient trees and elegant vines and
flowers. Large black oaks grow as though sculpted out of the very
earth itself.
Their branches, gnarled and twisted, wrap about each other and form into strange
structures and grotesque figures. Their entwining branches and thick canopy
provide the endless twilight that shadows the forest floor, where
nightshimmer vines creep along through the roots that stick like thick worms
out of the ground, these vines climbing up various tree trunks and wrapping
about them in a shadowy embrace.
Baych
and
ashwude trees also stand tall throughout the forest, a strange contrast to
their more wildly growing brethren. Within the middle of the forest, the shadows
rip away most of their light coloration, along with
sou’cald
moss, which may turn their elegant trunks a dark blue, sometimes
appearing black, usually in the autumn months then the air grows thick with
moisture. Near the outer limits of the wood, however, the trees will appear in
their natural color, often flourishing into beautiful living statues that give
the forest an insidiously tranquil aura.
Bushes such as the
goldenbell bush grow about the forests together, sometimes in massive
congregations till they appear like waves of leaves and winding branches. In the
case that the massive trees of the forest provide a small space of earth, or
even a crevice of a tree,
shade
grasses will grow up elegantly, their soft blades flourishing in the dull
light of the wood. These grasses provide food and a nice resting spot for many
animals of the Goltherlon.

Fauna.
Because the forest is a bit secluded and cut off from most other forests, the
wildlife is quite unique. There are animals that live in the Goltherlon Forest
that cannot be found any other place in the world. One of these animals is the
snowy
deer. Known for its petite appearance, the
snowy
deer tends to travel in
herds, and when one comes upon them, their appearance is striking. In the
shadowy twilight that exists under the thick canopy of the forest, the
deer
almost appear to glow due to their white coats.
These deer
are a main prey for the
herín,
another creature who cannot be found at any other place on
Caelereth. Part of the
cat
family, this creature lives among the trees, sometimes finding homes within what
used to be the elegant tree-homes of the
Goltherrhim. They have long tails that give them balance. Goltherlon is also
home to a variety of rodents including hedgehog, rabbit, squirrel, and mice. At
first glance, looking about the Forest of Goltherlon, it would appear that there
were no birds, but in fact a plethora of birds makes their home in this wood,
but most remain hidden among the branches.

Resources.
The dense forests of the Goltherlon provide a
plethora of trees with which furniture, housing, tool handles, and other such
products may be made. The oaks
that grow within the forest are indeed strong and can be used to build sturdy
abodes. The black birch can be used to make elegant
bows, though it is more commonly used to
make arrow shafts and furniture.
The soil of the Goltherlon Forest is very rich due to
the ever-active movement of life through the forest. Things that die provide
the essential nutrients for things new to flourish in the ever-changing forest.
Most anything can be planted to grow within the forest if it is planted in the
right place. The
Golgnomes have successfully grown all sorts of fresh produce, including
lythbéls,
caroots,
onions, and
meldaraples. These
gnomes have also successfully
kept livestock. Many of the
Golgnomes successes, it should be noted, may also be attributed to their
success in sciences and their ability to create products that may cause plants
and animals originally unable to live within the forest to survive quite well.
The volcano Hčckra provides new rock from deep below
the surface of Caelereth, which the
gnomes
especially favor. Slabs of these rocks make good operating and experimenting
tables because they will not burn and will not often break. The erosion of the
High Fores, located to the west of the Goltherlon Forest,
provides many important resources such as coal and iron, as well as many other
raw metals. Though there is copper within the crumbling rock, there is hardly
enough for those living in the Goltherlon Forest to
put it to use as the
Thrumgolz have done within the mountains. Sometimes bits of crystals can be
found, but once the precious stones are cut and treated, they are too small to
catch a very high price.

Myth/Lore.
Because of the
Goltherrhim’s flight from the forest in 706 b.S. due to their belief the
land had been tainted, many are very superstitious about traveling through the
forest of Goltherlon. Some say that the spirits of
elves walk
through the forest, lost, trying to find a way unto
Avá’s
embrace. The haunting cries of birds that echo through the trees are believed by
some to not be birds but rather the voices of these
elves
singing their prayers to the
High Goddess.

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The Age of the Blood (822-50 b.S.)
|
800 b.S. |
Murder of Prince Tacujina
The heir to the
Goltherrhim throne is murdered on the way to the Vontron. He curses the
Helcrani with his final words; "May my blood haunt you and your children,
till Avá's
Dream is over. No peace will ever reign you and your people and always will you
fight among each other but never will you get rid of yourselves. And let
fire be
my witness and your reward for thy crime." Ecomentar, a small
Helcrani boy, witnesses the whole event and relates the curse to those that
would hear. |
789 b.S. |
Goltherrhim and
Sanhorrhim
Co-operation
The two elven tribes agree to extinguish
the
Helcrani as a united force. |
769 b.S. |
The Battle of Crow Hills
King Halmaran (uncle of the slaughtered Tacujina) of the
Sanhorrhim is killed by Ecomentar, the
Helcrani warlord and the boy that once witnessed the death of Tacunija. |
750 b.S. |
Helcrani and
Goltherrhim Massacres
A surprise attack by the
Helcrani captures many
Goltherrhim elves, including Anastara the Beautiful. A child named
Agaran escapes the
Helcrani forces and warns the
Goltherrhim Rónn, Envyanath. The
Goltherrhim forces surprise the
Helcrani and kill half of the forces present. |
748 b.S. |
The High Wars
The beginning of the High Wars, respectable, pre-planned battles between the
Goltherrhim and
Helcrani. However, the
Helcrani seem to be taking the upper hand in these wars and a peace treaty
in their favor seems to be not far off... |
736 b.S. |
Death of the
Goltherrhim Rónn
Rónn Envyanath of the
Goltherrhim is felled. Most believe it to be an accident, but renegade
Goltherrhim forces and the
Sanhorrhim army know that Nyermag, heir to the throne, planned the death.
His motive seems to be the halting of the peace treaty. |
732 b.S. |
Preparation for Siege of Helsalari
Rónn Nyermag (in secret) plans the siege of Helsalari, with the help of the
Sanhorrhim. |
731 b.S. |
Helsalari Siege
A great defeat to the
Goltherrhim. Nyermag perishes in the retreat when the town's army returns
from a war without warning. The new Rónn Noronnoh is forced to surrender to the
Helcrani. |
706 b.S. |
Flight of the
Goltherrhim
The dwindling
Goltherrhim leave their tainted forest, moving to either
Milkengrad or the
Vontron. |
The Age of Kings (500-1249)
|
610 |
Gnomes
in the Goltherlon
In an attempted trip around the western side of the Ancytharian Sea, a group
of traders and adventurers comes across a tribe of
gnomes
living in the Goltherlon Forest. Calling themselves the
Golgnomes, these
gnomes
demonstrate having much knowledge in the way of scientists and because of their
behavior and many of the antiques found throughout several of these
gnomish
villages, are connected to the separatist
Gnomes of
the
Helcrani tribe. |
611 |
Golgnomes Gain Recognition
The
Golgnomes are officially recognized as a race by the Kingdom of Santharia.
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