Alyx Belt

DESCRIPTION Starting from the "great" glacier of Phyrania that forms a large amount of the rivers and streams in Phyrania, the Alyx Belt runs from Acalus the mountain that contains the glacier down through a heavily forested region that is protected by the lesser god of deer Uraxis. Due to the humid climate of phyrania, the forest and river are subject to a large amount of moisture and sunlight, this allows nature in all forms to flourish along the edge of the belt including a large amount of fungi that have medicinal properties due to the amount of fresh water and nutrients flowing through the river. A majority of the river is shallow in depth flowing through rocky outcrops but deepens as it comes off the mountains following into the heavy woodland below its depth ranges from 0.5-3m depth although it can become akin to a fast-flowing stream near the top of the mountain providing a dangerous obstacle to any travellers looking to cross it.
IMPORTANCE The Alyx Belt holds significant importance to the island of Phyrania due to the lack of settlements around the river or forest surrounding it this the river has become the main lifeline in a flourishing ecosystem that is protected by Uraxis the god of Deer allowing tranquilly over the entire forest. Although no settlements have been created near the river many trails have been created over time due to the location of the river being right between the two trade towns of Rania and Turin, Travellers and traders are known to use these paths as it allows a quick passage from one town to the next and avoids a lengthy boat ride down the Goldsilk river, the main trade route of Pyrania that leaves traders open to pirate attacks, although the paths can also be dangerous due to an increasing amount of bandits who set up near the river using its water and plentiful game to sustain themselves although these bandits are not usually permanent due to fear of angering Uraxis by damaging her land.

HISTORY During the short history of Phyrania, The Alyx Belt holds notable significance to the town of Turin, due to the small size of the trade town before a port connecting it to the Gold silk river the Rivera trail supported a majority of its trade between itself and the larger Rania although this trail was destroyed after intense flooding in 136 this was seen as a sign given by the God Uraxis as a warning to abuse her forest for profit although a port had already been established in the town by this point so no real efforts to rebuild a trade route was made. The Alyx belt was first discovered In 48 in initial expeditions of Phyrania and was initially planned to house a settlement along the river but these plans were scrapped when the terrain was surveyed and deemed too difficult for a first settlement but plans for this town are still prepared for future expansion

GEOGRAPHY The Alyx Belt spans 8km total length getting its name from its snake-like pattern slithering through the heavily wooded terrain of Uraxis's forest descending over 1km from its start point directly from the Acalus mountain a majority of the river runs through its own rocky pathway that has slowly been carved out, at its max-width the Belt stretches 5m across and has an average of 2-3m depth no permanent bridges have been constructed over the river but because of its fluctuating depth there are multiple parts in which crossing by foot is possible.
Flora The Alyx belt has caused Flora in the Uraxis forest to flourish this includes a large amount of fungus due to the large number of nutrients that flow from Acalus's glacier over 50 different fungi grow by the side of the Alyx belt many of which contain medical or magical properties it also contains a large number of different flowers many of which are believed to be native to the forest although due to the lack of research conducted in the forest many of these species are unknown.
Fauna The Alyx Belt is home to a large assortment of different animals allowing an ecosystem surrounding the river to flourish, due to the rocky nature of the river settlements are yet to have been made other than a religious sanctuary situated high on the mountain the river stems from. Because of its rocky and forested nature, larger animals particularly those that travel in packs are not common in the area, the area is heavily populated with different species of deer, wild hogs and small species of wolves and foxes although higher up near the glacier of which the Alyx belt is formed some larger animals can be found in small amounts. The Alyx Belt has not been fully explored and due to this the extent to which different species and animals live around the area is not fully known although it is thought to be plentiful due to the area being safeguarded by Uraxis, A list of all known animals can be found below
Deer 3 Known species of deer live around the Alyx Belt one of which is native to the area and has not been found outside of the forest surrounding the river.
Spotted brown deer: a medium-sized species the Spotted brown deer is by far the most common and typically travel in pairs and are easily identifiable by their white spots covering their body, while in heavily forested areas the brown spotted deer's white marks reflect with sunlight shimmering similar to leaves this helps them evade predators as while travelling at high speeds the constant shimmering can disorient predators and allow them an easy escape, they have an average shoulder standing height of 2'8" - 3' and typically weigh around 40-60 kg feeding primarily of the native fruits and berries of Pyrania
Alyx deer: native to the forest of Alyx surrounding the Alyx Belt the Alyx deer is one of the smallest known deers on the continent of Pyrania and are not seen outside of the forest unlike the other species of deer that roam the forest the Alyx deer typically travel in small groups of 4-5 although larger have been seen, the male deer have rough nose's that are made to dig up dirt and small rocks to create burrows in the side of hills allowing safe shelter for the females and juvenile like the other species of deer in the forest they also feed on the native berries and fruits and have an average shoulder standing height of 1'5"-2" weighing 20-40kg
White deer: an extremely rare species of deer thought to have come from a line of albino spotted brown deer are large deer that roam near the mountain tops in Phyrania, In the Alyx forest the White deer are concentrated near the start of the Alyx Belt allowing them to have a constant flow of water while eating the tall grass growing around them. These deer are usually spotted in pairs or solo as once the White deer gets a partner they stay for them for life, they are usually slender allowing them to move quickly through the snow at a high altitude with a standing height of 2'5" - 2'8" and typical weight of 30-60kg
Wolves The only species of wolf that roam the Uraxis forest is the Dire wolf, Dire wolves can be found in small numbers throughout the forest, particularly near the base of Acalus preying on any animals that stray near they hunt either alone or in pairs with a lifetime mate and are considered extremely dangerous due to their size and power. Dire wolves have a standing shoulder height of 38inchs and body length of 68 inches with an average weight of 70-90kg the reason for the lack of other species of wolves is due to the heavily forested conditions of the forest making it hard for predators to chase down prey, dire wolves survive in the region by creating multiple barrows along the base of Aculas waiting for prey to try and climb the mountain or drink from the base of the River.
Other : There are hundreds of other species That live in the Uaxis forest and survive with the water that the Alyx belt supplies these species include animals such as rabbits, small caiman, a wide variety of different bird species, Lizards and more.

Type

River