Lake Vieleshche (vē lĕsh chĕ)

Believed to have once been an extension of Lake Grosher, Lake Vieleshche is now separated from Lake Grosher by miles of boggy plains that are prone to flooding after a hard rain. The lake is one of the southern markers of manneskor territory, them considering the land south of it to be unlucky. Still, this hasn’t stopped explorers from the Frontier Lands probing the reaches of the lake.

Geography

Lake Vieleshche is roughly 125 miles long and 75 miles wide, it’s northern and western banks are higher land then it’s southern and eastern banks. The latter often flooding during the spring and early summer. The lake has an average depth of 62 ft. with a maximum depth of 210 ft. As mentioned the territory between lake Vieleshche and Lake Grosher is very low and boggy year round, often flooding to a depth of several feet in places during the spring melt.

Fauna & Flora

There are more than 250 species of fishes found in Lake Vieleshche including bluegill, brook trout, freshwater drum, gar, lake sturgeon, lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, rock bass, walleye, white perch, yellow perch, and many others. Native mammals include the black bear, fox, elk, white-tailed deer, moose, beaver, river otter, coyote, gray wolf, lynx, and many others. Bird species native to the lake include herring gulls, whooping cranes, snowy owls, wood ducks, great blue herons, golden eagles, piping plovers, and much more. Reptiles found there include lizards, venomous snakes and turtles including the snapping turtle.

Some of the animals that inhabit the lake include: • Lake whitefish - The lake whitefish is a species of freshwater fish that belongs to the salmon family. Lake whitefish are a valuable commercial species. Lake whitefish feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as snails, clams, and the aquatic larvae of insects. • Walleye - The walleye is a large freshwater fish native to the lake. • Yellow perch - The yellow perch is a species of perch. Adult yellow perch feed on aquatic insect larvae, crustaceans, mysid shrimp, fish eggs, and small fish. • Great blue heron - The great blue heron is a large wading bird common to freshwater wetland habitats throughout the Frontier lands, including Lake Grosher and Lake Vieleshche. Great blue herons have a long, sharp bill that they use to capture a variety of small prey animals such as fish, crustaceans, insects, rodents, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. • Common snapping turtle - The common snapping turtle is a widespread turtle that inhabits freshwater wetlands east of the Tågbaf Mountains, including the Lake Vieleshche region. Snapping turtles have a reputation for being quite aggressive.

Plant life includes, but is not limited to, white waterlilly, pitcher plant, arrowhead, black spruce, cattail, cotton grass, dragon's mouth orchid, seedbox, tamarack, pye weed, lady's slipper orchid, marsh marigold, holly, monkey flower, sundew, tail-beak rush, buckbean, marsh-wort, bog rosemary bulrush, marsh bell-flower, blue-joint grass, meadowsweet and meadow willow, grow there as well.

Among the more dangerous, and non-mundane denizens of the lake are aboleth, ankou, basilisk, belostomatid, boruta, elder thing, emkrah, fire beetle, freshwater merrow, gargoyle, giant amoeba, giant ant, giant gar, giant hellgrammite, giant lake octopus, giant nymph dragonfly, giant snapping turtle, giant spider, hippocampus, kelpie, lamia matriarch, larabay, living topiary, lurker in light, mi-go, mimic, mindslaver mold, moonflower, neh-thalggu, nereid, peryton, redcap, sandpoint devil, scarlet spider, skin stealer, soucouyant, spawning canker, spring-heeled jack, tear of nuruu’gal, thrasfyr, and xtabay.

Natural Resources

The abundant wildlife and freshwater are the only known resources of Lake Vieleshche, however these are enough for the manneskor people, particularly the Gressfolk and the Fjernhjem to travel there during the summer, and the north and western shores are dotted with temporary settlements during that period. The lake area is considered a neutral area with feuding prohibited, and raiding “discouraged”.

Type

Lake

Location under

Frontier Lands