Gloaming
The great Gloaming is a deep and dark cloud forest with trees that sprawl high enough to blot out the sky. It has long since been overtaken by the Feywild, abandoned by Ehlenestra. Now its true name and existence have been buried by history.
Geography
The Duskwild is named so for its perpetual gloom, lit only by the dappled light through the canopy and the strange bioluminescent glow of mosses and fungi. There is a frequent persistent cloud cover called silvagenitus, which rolls in from the Gemini Mountain Ranges to the southeast and southwest, further obscuring the forest from sight. A heavy fog envelopes the air, covering fauna and flora in beads of condensation.
Fauna & Flora
Fauna exist in two categories: dwarf/pygmy varieties and mutated beasts which are no longer classified as animals. The former include lorises, flying squirrels, capuchin and howler monkeys, tapirs, sloths, and over 400 species of birds.
The latter are megafauna, beasts transformed by ambient magic. These beasts include owlbears, girallon, krenshar, giant spiders, stirges, spider eaters, and giant owls. The great Grey Render uproots trees to shift the soil. Shocker lizards swim by the banks of the Beltz River, electrifying the shallower waters.
The flora are massive broadleaf trees making up a canopy, sheltering smaller bushes and shrubs below. The trees grow across expansive sloping hills and through wet valleys. They are populated by a dominating mix of oaks and rhododendrons.
Gloaming was once inhabited by Gnomes, the Forgotten Folk. When the Barrier separated the Duskwild from the rest of Astoria, the gnomes were forced to adapt to isolation and the incursion of the unchecked Fey. Some gnomes sold their souls to the Fey, turning into goblins. The rest disappeared, presumed dead.
Natural Resources
Gnomes once made great cities within the hollowed trunks of trees, connected through a network of veins. They learned to communicate with the plants and through them with other gnome communities. Timber was never in short supply, though the soil acidity made agriculture difficult. Because of this, most gnomes relied predominately on hunting and gathering. The forest supplies a broad range of wild fruits, nuts, and game animals. Additionally, the ground beneath the soil is rich in crude oil—the decomposed bones and lifeblood of dragons.
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