Lorgan's Notes: Greenglimmer Districts

Map with layers here

Research:
Greenglimmer Districts

by our studious hero,
Lorgan the All-nighter

In this Research Document:

all images by Shade Melodique
unless otherwise stated

Districts

There are two administrative districts within Greenglimmer: the general Greenglimmer district, and Selaserat. Both seats are found in Selaserat, in adjacent building complexes known locally as the Gubs. Unless it is West Sel specific, all government traffic goes through these two complexes.
Greenglimmer is governed by a council made up of willing forest-dweller representatives and five ghosts. The head is Anmidorakj. She attends festival functions, but is so secretive otherwise, some believe she doesn't exist. She is a southern Talin Kanderite, and proud to the point of self-harm about it. The rest of the council carries out various administrative functions and tends to keep their heads down, causing little controversy.
Selaserat is governed by the Kjiven Council, many of whom are bribed to look the other way when it comes to the underground. The mokosie (means lead councilor in the language Heth), Hrivasine, is said to be the worst of the lot. Younger ghosts are not enamored of his being Kjiven's grandson and are demanding he retire and allow someone less corrupt to lead the city. But, since he and Anmidorakj are related (if I remember correctly, she is his great-great-great-great grand-niece or some such. Kanderites are pretty obsessive about family lineage because magical lineage can be gleaned from it), nothing comes of it.

Of note: Since I last visited Selaserat, the underlying barrier preventing encroachment of the city into the trees has strengthened--and I am very curious as to who cast it, and how it operates. Those with little magic claim greddels or native ghosts haunt the border, but there's far more to it than urban legends.
I wonder why it's there in the first place. To prevent Selaserat from expanding, like the western side of the river did? Farmland takes up areas once lush with rainforest foliage. If so, I doubt Hrivasine or Anmidorakj have anything to do with it. A larger city would prove a financial boon to them, and they enjoy speaking through coin.

Population

~12 Million.
Population stats are not accurate. Greenglimmer is a place where ghosts go to hide, and the secretive nature of most of the living local tribes keeps their numbers unknown.
The elfine stronghold of Embeckourteine has many more ghostly beings than they admit. Why? At least a quarter are ancient elfines from Kjiven's rule. They don't want many to know they survived, and they don't want to answer questions about cowardly flights when the Wiiv came for the citadel.

The population of tribal beings living in the forest is a guess, and likely far lower than the actual number. All assumptions come from the Mid, a small district office that has the untenable task of being an intermediary between Selaserat's Council and the living forest-dwellers.
The forest-dwellers don't trust the Mid officials, and the Mid officials are cautious around them. According to Dough, though, something happened within the last five years to trigger hostilities. Forest-dwellers have started looting farms on the eastern side of the river, targeting homesteads of native beings who chose agriculture over the traditional hunter/gatherer living.

Another census failure is Selaserat. The criminal element doesn't want officials to know how many peons they have under their palm. This has become a major factor as to why Hrivasine remains in power; no one knows how many ghosts will heed his call if he gets angry.
It is whispered that there is an entire other city below the surface, with as many, if not more, inhabitants living in bedrock-carved caves. Again, fingers point to a large population of ancient flood survivors, but I see no reason for that to be true. I can see a corrupt leader hiding mercenary followers, however.

The Flood

Greenglimmer, along with every other district bordering the Dryanflow, sustained intense devastation after one of Dryanthium's dams burst 19,876 years previous. The Dryanflow, engorged on the waters, tore the forest and communities bordering it apart. It took centuries for the affected areas to return to their former glory. As one might expect, this had lasting effects on the living and the ghostly, as well as the forest itself.
In western Greenglimmer, the forest cleared by the flood turned into farmland. In the east, the Labyrinth of Trees grew increasingly thick and convoluted. Selaserat rebuilt, but other than a few farms on the outskirts, it has not grown into the forest, but down the Dryanflow bank.
Kjiven was swept away in the flood. Elfine authority and communities got washed away with him. The seat of his power, Kjivendei, fell to the local tribe, the Wiiv, and it has taken millennia for the elfine ghosts to reclaim their importance.

Of note: scholars point to the giant lakes as Denz Chak's inspiration for flooding the Fields of the Condemned, and that this catastrophe, which destroyed life, limb, and ghost, was the example the Beast used to destroy the dam, which in turn created The Nectar flood.
It's strange, how a devastating tragedy like the Dryanflow flood affected beings in other parts of the Evenacht thousands of years after its destructive waves raced through the rainforest.

Selaserat, Hethetor District
orig pic by Maria Orlova, Pexels

West Sel farm
orig pic Tom Fisk, Pexels

Greenglimmer: Ghostly Habitations

Selaserat

The most prominent settlement in Greenglimmer is Selaserat. A city whose original purpose was to part traders from their money by way of tolls, it has not changed much since Kjiven declared it a port.
It has an involved and seedy underground, is what I'm saying. Any visitor should keep that in mind.
The city spans the Dryanflow bank, with some farming communities in close proximity. The official population according to the 6118 census is just over 500K, but when one realizes that at least 300K of them are ghosts, the city itself does not take up as much room as one might expect.
The ghostly citizenry is primarily elfines from various southern Talis cultures. A large number of humans from Aristarzia, and fauns of Neumbeken descent (northern Talis), live there as well. The living beings hail from all corners of the Evenacht, and many are descendants of Elfiniti rainforest tribes who decided to settle down in a protected environment rather than remain in the trees.
The architecture is primarily elfine, with a faux-Hethetor lean. Half-timbers decorate the exteriors, with a combination of brick and wood construction. Its current incarnation formed after the devastating giant-lake flood, and the Aristarzian influence in newer quarters is apparent, with lots of delicate columns and large windows.

West Sel

West Selaserat, abbreviated to West Sel, and pronounced by locals as "Westel", is the toll-collection side of the river. It is a smaller community of approximately 15K, mostly ghosts, but living laborers as well.
Everything west, from farm produce to travelers, goes through West Sel. It's the only place on the west side of the river officially allowed to ferry passengers across to Selaserat (and the price is steep because so many travel south on Riverbank Road to Yjoudespayr, to bypass the ship tolls. They take boats from there up to Dryanthium).
West Sel is overseen by Mokosie Skrathyn, though the three other council members hold more sway in the community. The River Authority, which oversees Dryanflow tolls, patrols and rescues in Greenglimmer, is stationed at the docks, even if the river controller's office is in Selaserat.

entry to the Eydis Temple ruin, Embeckourteine
orig image Adem Albayrak, Pexels

Embeckourteine

This is a wildelfine settlement through and through. Other than Selaserat, it is the only elfine habitation in east Greenglimmer to survive the Wiiv onslaught after Kjiven met the Final Death.
The population is almost solely elfine. A scattering of living rainforest natives and ghostly acolytes of Maed Enne and Gapp Keobo reside there, but they live on the edges of the community.
They are led by a mikjel (war chief) rather than a mokosie, though why, I have no idea. There hasn't been a major conflict in the area since the Wiiv uprising.
Ruins dot the landscape surrounding it, showing the movement of the habitation through the years. The city is the place to visit if one needs a guide to one of the Uprise ruins.

The Gate

The Gate is the only other large community. It is what its name implies; the gate into Greenglimmer. During Kjiven's reign, it was the only safe way into the forest from the east and south. Whoever did not want to pay the Dryanflow tolls would take the Roundabout from Yjoudespayr, circle east to the Gate, and enter Greenglimmer that way. Then they would have to take the Pacour (means 'high road' in certain elfine dialects) to Hope Road, then travel south along Riverbank until they reached Selaserat and the docks there.
This, as you likely guessed, put days upon days of extra travel on itineraries. Kjiven wanted to force everyone to pay the tolls, and the inconvenience succeeded where threats did not.
The Gate is far more diverse than the majority of Greenglimmer communities. Ghosts from many faelareign, from many eras, reside there, along with Happendance-side locals.

Greenglimmer: Tribal Communities

Before the elfines arrived, Greenglimmer was home to small tribes that subsisted on fish, small wild game, and foraged foodstuffs. Kjiven subdued most of them, and those who did not fall to him hid as deep in the rainforest as they could.
These tribes welcomed other Elfiniti peoples who searched for a home with fewer ghosts. The arrivals also disappeared into the rainforest.
The rainforest peoples are primarily rufang. For those new to the Evenacht: there are nine species of conscious beings in the evening lands, and rufang are one of them. Their name translates as "two-hearts" because they have two torsos; one with hands and a head, and another with four to six appendages. Some combinations are unfortunately considered monstrous by the average faelareign ghost.
The Elfiniti dwellers are shoulder-height to an average human but have a more muscular, stocky build. Their heads are divided down the front by a multi-colored beak, with two large brown-to-black eyes on each side built for low-light conditions, and the backs have a row of feathers that run to their shoulder blades. Their skin is dark brown to soft black, and their hands have four fingers.
Their lower torso has a stout barrel covered in dark fur with green or blue undertones, short legs that end in paws, and a cat-like tail that whips around even when the rest of the body is still. While not speedy, they can plow through forest-floor flora with ease.
The majority of the rest are chavosine and evaki.
For more info: The Living Beings of the Evenacht.

There are three main tribes one might encounter in Greenglimmer, and each has an important seat of power.

The Nest

The Wiiv are the most well-known tribe because they sent so many ghosts to the Final Death after the Dryanflow flood. Traditionally from the Hoop, they migrated to the Labyrinth and effectively disappeared after their uprising ended in so many of their warriors dead.
The Nest, which, according to most accounts, rests somewhere near Selaserat, is considered their largest community. Very little is known about it other than it's within easy striking distance of the port and is near the Bayikemal Escarpment. As they are known as the most ferocious living fighters in the Elfiniti, this is not the brush-aside threat most visitors assume.
Many smaller tribes displaced by Dryanthium have put in with the Wiiv and share communities with them. The Mid believes the Nest has grown due to this immigration, and has a population equal to that of a medium-sized town.

Attl

The Imtri lived north of the Hoop until the Wiiv vacated, then claimed those lands for their own. They are hunting and gathering chavosine, and are ambivalent to ghostly presence. Attl is considered their ancestral home.
When rainforest arguments spill into physical conflict, rumor has it the parties will visit Attl and ask the yim for an audience. The yim will make a judgment on what has passed. Apparently their word stands as law, and even the Wiiv accept the rulings. The mountain guides out of Embeckourteine are Imtri, and this has caused some forest-dwellers to look upon Attl with suspicion. To keep their standing, the yim evict members who live in ghost communities. The outcasts don't agree with the ruling, and unrest brews.

Luck's Hold

Eioveine are traditionally from the dammed area of the Dryanthium, and are Avies (an evaki people). They migrated north to avoid the dryan rule and settled in Greenglimmer. Most live as farmers on the west side of the river, leaving behind their foraging days. That being said, one of the most sacred spots in the Labyrinth of Trees is an Eioveine temple complex called Luck's Hold. They follow the local deity Strans of Twisted Vines, who helps travelers through the labyrinth with blessings of luck.
Luck's Hold is manned by a court of mabrodeiv, or artisan priests, and most of the residents are associated with the temple in some way. The majority of buildings house visitors who either stay a night or two while they receive blessings, or who need to see Tenathi, a healing deity who has an altar there. Because of the blessings of luck and healing, Luck's Hold is the most important habitation of the tribes.

Wiiv home
orig image Cottonbro, Pexels

When the Wiiv heard that Kjiven died in the flood, they attacked Kjivendei, burned the citadel, and sent its inhabitants to the Final Death. The warriors looted everything they could carry but died on the trek down the mountain. Only shredded corpses and blood-stained loot remained.
No one knows who slaughtered the Wiiv victors. It's a good bet, the tribe disappeared into the Labyrinth because they fled whatever killed their best fighters. Rumors at the time claimed that they lost so many, they no longer had adult hunters and their food supplies suffered accordingly.

Of note: the villages of the forest dwellers rarely have a road leading to them. Often, several small paths wind through the trees, and intersect their settlements. This can prove irritating for map makers, for they have no obvious roads or definitive spots to mark. So village placement is guesswork.
Villagers themselves can become lost in the Labyrinth. This is why so many seek a blessing from Strans of Twisted Vines at Luck's Hold. They pray at the altar, and Strans will bestow upon them Luck, which will get them through the forest.
He accepts nature-related items as tribute and is especially fond of a Greenglimmer flower, flame-on-the-ground, or blue francil.

blue francil
orig image nsamenvato, Envato Elements

Greenglimmer: Ruins

The ruins are spectacular. Overgrown by forest plants but still stubbornly pushing up from the understory, they make for a startling sight when one accidentally happens upon them while traversing the Labyrinth. The ones in the Uprise Mountains are better kept and some, like Kjivendei, have an air about them of great power, despite the tumbled state of buildings.
Nearly all ruins are elfine in nature; the few forest-dweller ones are so overrun by the landscape, only accident identifies them. That being said, the Scar puts even Kjivendei to shame.

Kjivendei

These ruins attract visitors from all corners of the Evenacht. It has made several lists of must-see ruins. The Wiiv destroyed much of it, that is true, but what stands is a testament to elfine building prowess. And Kjiven's Tower still stands. Accounts of the time say that the Wiiv, while they obliterated nearly all else, could not near the tower, so gave up on their destruction of it.
The architecture is blocky and made of yellow, non-native sandstone. Windows are small slits, the doorways twice the height of faelareign. Wood poles stick out of some, and one can imagine the flags hung from them.
Due to warped protection spells, it is not safe to be in the ruins after dark.

The Shield

The Shield is a fortress that once guarded Kjivendei's back against Happendance encroachment. it is carved into the stone of Mount Nedak, and since it takes up the entire eastern side, it is an intimidating sight.
There is a small community of elfine ghosts who perform rituals to Nature and Strans in the northernmost temple, but otherwise the dark, still extant halls hold nothing but air.

The Scar

The Scar avoided the flood destruction of its sister communities. As part of the Parley foothills, it weathered everything but the dwindling popularity of its patron, the forest deity Glinth. Once the priesthood left, so, too, did the people.
It is a ruin made of local rock so well fit, few holes have developed in still-standing walls. The columns are stacked blocks of rock, the arches are stacked blocks of rock with a larger one set across. There are dozens of sculptures of Glinth, who is carved in numerous guises, but retains the same four eyes, deer-like nose, and opposable fingers.

When it comes to Kjivendei (and other elfine ruins like the Shield and Csadus), don't stay after dark. Bad things happen to those who do. Even the most talented in ghostly Mental Touch avoid the places when the day gives way to night.
I was in Deousem following a lead when night fell. My skin prickled from the touch of magics that arose as the light faded. The magic, rusty with disuse, had a feel about it, like nymphatic protections, but with malicious intent.
Whether the magic had deteriorated into a glump of mis-actualized castings, or if the wildelfines purposefully wielded the spell as a protection device, it was still active, and still wont to harm.

Kjiven's private bathing house, Kjivendei ruins
orig image Alberto Frias, Unsplash