The Shaded Forest

The Shaded Forest or Móhcin'lón (Styrásh Móhcin'lón, "darkish wood") is one of the largest forests found on the southern part of the Northern Sarvonian continent, along with the Hovel Frond, the Folkmore Trees or the so-called Shadowloands. It stretches from the plains of Tannahn to the very feet of the Prominent Mountains. The Luquador River flows through it making it stay lush in the central parts despite possible lack of water during summer. However, at its borders, the Shaded Forest unlike other forests is pretty much a dispersed one, with a western and a northern arm, consisting mostly of a large variety of deciduous trees and fertile land in between the vast spaces.

Description. The Shaded Forest, as so many other northern forests is quite dense and lush. It lacks of many types of evergreen trees, yet the wide amount of deciduous trees that fill the forest makes up more than enough for the lack of evergreens. Trees like the ashwude, the silvery mithril birch and its cousin the white birch tree thrive on the humidity of the forest. Famed are the immense ilyenti trees that keep the city if Elin'dór far above the surface of the ground. Maple trees also grow in this forest, being a quite important part of the diet of many forest dwelling creatures as well as providing building and trading material for the Injerín elves. Peace pines and some sub-species of the cloewen tree are among the most common of the evergreen trees found in the Shaded Forest.

Despite the fact of being a quite lush forest this dosn’t mean that it is a dark one. Sunlight filtrates easily through the leaves of the trees, this makes the plant life on the floor of the forest just as lush as the trees.

Close to the Luquador River there is always great abundance of silken moss and along the ground in the forest there is always plenty of lythien around the many trees of the forest. The wolf and weeping willows also grow quite abundantly on both sides of the river, thriving on the humidity.

It is also very common to find large patches of flowers growing in the clearings and by the riverbanks. Beautiful gems of nature such as the cerubell, the lotann and the hanging horn adorn the green forest ground. It is also possible to find patches of blackmoss and sou'cald, and small shaded plant foliage like the arv in the more darker parts of the forest.

In the small clearings in the forest there grows knifegrass in abundancy allong with plenty of al’tho grass. In the southern parts of the forest it is possible to find goldenbell bushes as well as poeritt and rik’tyan in the open clearings and the areas surrounding the edges of the forest.

Thin, almost invisible paths around large bushes and trees are abundant, as if these trails were the veins of the forest. In a sense they are indeed; the living inhabitants, be it beast or elf, use these trails to circulate around the forest. There are also a small number of wider roads that connect the Injerín cities and are as well leading to the Prominent Mountains. These roads are used mostly by trading caravans and voyagers.

Location. The Shaded Forest is located on the southern part of the Northern Sarvonian continent, extending from the feet of the Prominent Mountains south towards the city of Worldquest over the plains of Tannahn. The Luquador River flows through the forest making it stay lush in the central parts despite possible lack of water during summer. The Shaded Forest area also harbours the famous Injerín cities of Lýlei’soulá (Styrásh Lýlei’soulá, "Song of Bards") and Elin’dór (Styrásh Elin’dór, "City of Wonders") as well as the main gate to the Kurakim underground city, the Mirthal KaommErons (Thergerim Mirthal KaommErons, "Silver Forest") gate.

People. The depths of the Shaded Forest are inhabited by the Injerín elves, settled mostly in their two cities, Elin’dór and Lýlei’soulá, though some small settlements can be found spread throughout the forest. In The Prominent Mountains, close to the spring of the Luquador River lies the home of the Kurakim dwarves.

The Injerín elves are famed for their artistical skills and for their wonderful works both in pelting and in wood carving. The cities of Elin’Dor and Lýlei’Soula trade mainly with the Kurakim dwarves that have their home in the Prominent Mountains, receiving dwarven spirits, goldwork and smelted arrowheads in exchange for lumber.

The Kurakim dwarves have developed quite an unlikely love for the forest, even venturing outside their deep caves to cultivate the grounds and hunt in the mountains.

Climate. The Shaded Forest lies quite north, its climate typical with cold winters and temperate summers. Sheltered by the Prominent Mountains there are rarely any serious blizzards, yet some avalanches may occur during extremely cold winters.

During the fall the Shaded Forest is filled with different tones of reds, yellows and orange as the leaves of the deciduous trees, while winter brings heavy snowfall that covers the forest in a tick blanket of white.

As spring approaches the forest is a quite a sight, hundreds of different tones of green appear as the trees once more grow leaves and the forest flowers start appearing.

During the summer the Shaded Forest is temperate, maintaining a quite pleasant temperature

Flora. Mithril and white birches are the most common trees of the forest along with peace pines and ashwude, not to mention the ilyenti trees. Small groves of maple trees can be found throughout the forest as well as some cousins of the cloewen tree. Wolf willows and tear willows grow quite abundantly in the forest too.

Among the smaller plants we mainly find the silken moss, lythien, blackmoss and sou’cald.

The flowers that grow and thrive in the forest are few but of great beauty, the cerubell, hanging horn and lotann are among the most common, the rik'tyan and goldenbell bush as well as the poeritt can also be found. And of course there is always some knifegrass growing in the clearings that are usually filled with alth'ho grass.

Fauna. The bigger and more dangerous animals of the forest are, among others, the Argrothin black bear and the moss bear, as well as several packs of mithral and Ashmarian wolves.

Some species of deer are also found in the shadows of the trees as well as their bigger cousins, the cloaked elk and the stilted elk. Other of the greater prey animals are wild pigs and woolly boars.

Among the smaller animals of the forest are the mimsies and ferrets that seem to thrive close to the elven settlements, maybe this has to do with the more abundant sources of food provided by the garbage of the city. The rolling hedgehog also feels quite at home in the shadowy parts of the wood as well as several kinds of small mice, rats and squirrels such as the kuatu. Also the greycat can occasionally be found in the northern parts of the forest.

As for insects the forest has a fair share of them, for example the ceruwing butterfly, the red diamond butterfly, the white spiral butterfly and the quillý’efér can be found in the open clearings where there are abundant flowers, giving colour to the otherwise dull forest.

The waters of the Luquador River also provide a good home for the lín’már’jóh. The lu’an moth is also fairly common in the forest as is the busy malise and the industrious myrmex and the orm.

The underbrush and underground of the Shaded Forest also provides home for creatures such as the etherus worm, that stays mainly underground, and the black grass snake.

At the feet of the Prominent Mountains one can also find caprici goats. It is also rumoured that the mysterious uncil cat, the "Ghost of the Mountains", has its dwelling place in the same mountains. Both wolverines and great wolverines can be seen in the foothills of the Prominent Mountains even though it is very rare to see both species in the same area of the dispersed wood.

As for birds, the Shaded Forest is famed for its large population of nightbirds and snowbyrrs that dwell among the high branches of the trees. On the ground a very common sight is the cuuloo and the mathmoor, a ground bird, often domesticated and used for riding by the elves. Even though cuuloo and the mathmoorare very rarely seen together.

Close to the elven settlements it also is quite common to find taenish, cawing for food and feeding on the garbage as well as scavenging the kills of the hunters.

There have been tales of sightings of the beautiful blue glitras in the forest but this has not been proven true... yet.

Resources. Filled with several different types of timber, the Shaded Forest would be a lumberjack’s paradise, wood for all kind of uses can be found quite easily in the forest. The Kurakim dwarves and the Injérin have a trading deal about the timber rights. Yet some of the timber is shipped off to both Worldquest and even to the western city of O'kroi'parda'ael.

Maple trees provide the Injerín elves with an additional, very important trading resource in form of sweet, sugary sap. The forest also provides a wide variety of medicinal herbs that are greatly treasured for trading.

The large quantity of mimsies and ferrets as well as moss bears and mithral wolves provide prey for the fur traders, a quite abundant trade because of the cold climate of the forest.

Myth/Lore. There are many that have noticed some trails in the middle of the forest, leading to a clearing where nothing seems to grow but knifegrass and weeds. Some have claimed that the fae use these trails to move around in the forest, some believe they are simply deer trails. Other many voices tell the tales of Atha, the protector of the forest and how he gave up his life to safeguard the woods he loved so much. Here is his story as told by the bards and scribes of Elin’dor:

The Dryad Trails
(by Radaroc)

In days of great antiquity there lived a Injerîn Green Druid in the depths of the Shaded Forest. Simply taking up the name "Atha", which means "druid" in the elven tounge, he was known by most of the elven folk who dwelled there. Assisting any who came in need of finding a rare herb or maybe a lost child. As the time passed Atha came less often to the cities and was content to wander the sun dappled trails of the Shaded Forest. As to those who sought his guidance, he could only be found if he desired it to be so.

But, there finally came a day when he could no longer be in peace. A band of Kulgimz, of which tribe none know, had come to the border of the forest, with axes. It was spring and Atha was about greeting the newest members to the forest, and congratulating the saplings on making it through the hard Northern Sarvronian winter. Suddenly he was blinded by pain in his chest, he then noticed that he was lying on his back having fallen when the pain struck him. He had just risen to a sitting position when the pain came again. However, he was steeled to it and recognized its source: Trees were being felled in his domain.

Atha called upon the forest to show him the way to these people who were harming it so. To his left a path opened between the low brush which was rooted there. Giving a prayer to Grothar that these folks could be talked to in order to cease in their mindless destruction, he raced down the new path, which was born beneath his feet. He came across the humans swinging their axes with wild abandon at the trunk of an old cloewen tree. Atha called for them to halt, but their eyes burned with a wild fire. Unbeknownst to Atha, mystrans were controlling these people, survivors of a great battle off in the northwest. It had driven them to wreck terror and fear on any it could. By chance they had come upon the Shaded Forest and had decided to destroy anything living.

The barbarians charged Atha who could only ask the forest to aid in defeating them. Roots conveniently were in the right place to trip up a attacker or nettles that before would have been a nuisance brought great men to the ground as fiery pain flared on their legs. But this was not enough and the men attacked the forest with not only malice but pain as well. Atha knew what to do, as he was prepared to accept the consequences of his actions. A day later as the sun shone through the trees in the east, Atha strode confidently into the Kulgim camp. They were resting, but not sleeping. Some rose to attack him but Atha whipped darts with a paralyzing poison on the barbed tips. They hung in a bandolier across his chest but their numbers were great and it did naught but slow their advance. His only weapons gone, he turned and ran, but not in retreat. As the cloewen had been desecrated, he thought it only right that they assisted in the forest's revenge. So he stepped up to a most ancient and mighty specimen and soon the transformation began.

The Krói'lón which had once been Atha stood over the slaughter. It felt no true emotion about the dead only that they had deserved each smashing hit of its terrible roots and branches. Atha came more fully into the conscience of the War Dryad and also accepted this, knowing that his time on Caelereth would be over in two more days. Atha moved deeper into the forest, turning his back on his fallen foes and there, in the woods he had loved so much, he found peace in the warm embrace of Avá.