Whitewurm Isle
Whitewurm Isle is an Abronese island between the North Sea and the Sea of Achith. It is under the jurisdiction of the Duke of the Isles from the hold capital on Ditani Island, but unlike Ditani, Whitewurm Isle is only sparsely populated, since little of the terrain is useful for farming aside from some of the western coastline. It is, however, a fairly important tactical location, though not in recent memory. During the Achith War, the Dragonlight Fortress was constructed on the island's eastern coastal cliffs to keep watch for Achithian warships crossing the sea of Achith, though the fortress has long since been abandoned.
Geography
The topography of Whitewurm Isle is diverse and largely untamed. The island is roughly 70 miles in length (from east to west), and about 50 miles in width (from north to south). The western and southern coastline of the island along Thimlor Bay and the Strait of Durmeda are sandy and fertile, and a few farms have sprung up along the western coast. Piers and fishing villages dot the coastline along the bay and strait, making the island a popular stopping point for grain barques transporting goods between the southern cities and Ditani.
The western lowlands away from the coast consist primarily of old-growth forest, while the eastern part of the island is primarily mountainous terrain. The mountains are old and quite heavily eroded, with some peaks reaching just above the timberline. On the southeastern shores of the island, around Dragonlight Fortress, the land is rocky, and steep cliffs consistently drop a hundred feet or more from the ridge into the sea. No major rivers flow across the island, making it inhospitable for much more than subsistence farming, but spring-fed streams and ponds dot the island, and the island's location ensures that rain is frequent and often heavy, so crops can be irrigated well.
Fauna & Flora
The flora and fauna of Whitewurm Isle reflect the island's terrain. The western lowlands are largely old-growth forest: large conifers and oaks form a high canopy while the understory and shrub layers are somewhat sparse and mostly deciduous. Game is readily seen, as are typical woodland animals such as foxes, mustelids, and rodents. The southern coastal woodland is younger, comprised of varied pines, oaks, maples, and poplar trees, along with abundant underbrush, some fruit-bearing. The fauna in these woodlands is similar to that of the old growth forest, but more abundant and more difficult to spot, owing to the more dense vegetation.
The mountainous eastern half of the island primarily supports midland and highland vegetation. Firs, pines, spruces, and other coniferous trees are found in abundance and are mostly younger; windstorms and lightning-induced forest fires are common in this region. The southeastern coast is rocky and supports shrubland vegetation: tall coastal grasses are plentiful here, along with low shrubs. Game is somewhat sparse here but not to the point of scarcity.
Natural Resources
Though Whitewurm Isle is not particularly conducive to farming anywhere except the western coast, the straight conifer trees in the mountains to the east are strong and would provide good timber, though no one has had the initiative to acquire the resources to set up a lumber operation in this remote area. Similarly, the mountains themselves are likely quite rich in mineral resources, but since the resources of the Abronese mainland are plentiful, no one has yet considered the island worth the expenditure required to set up a successful mining operation here.
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