Gallis Forests

With their old name lost to history, this massive equatorial rainforest is largest in the world, with scattered White Woods breaking the canopies. A variety of peoples inhabit this realm, although the Wood Elves and Gnomes are the primary races to call this region home.

Geography

This region is covered in greenery making detailed surveying difficult. The terrain generally slopes upward towards the Gallis Highlands in the north of the region. Many small inlets and natural harbors can be found on the southern coast where small rivers and creeks feed into the Narrow Sea. The Whitewood River runs through the middle of the region, emptying a the southern tip, southeast of The Hollow. The river has hundreds of tributaries and smaller offshoots, making navigation difficult.

Localized Phenomena

The region is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the northern reaches, closer to the Gallis Highlands. This has led to a high regard for the earth god Tercior.

Climate

The northern half of The Forest is a equatorial rainforest, where enormous trees form a thick canopy. The southern half of the region is largely thick temperate forests that receive the rain that does not fall in the northern rainforests. These northern rainforests extend up much of the southern slopes of the Gallis Highlands as well. As with the Sibus Peninsula, the northeast part of the region can also be wracked by tropical storms in the late summer and early fall.

Fauna & Flora

The Gallis Forest are home to a wide variety of creatures including some of the most recognizable, and dangerous, in the realm: mind stingers, archar, tenmar, bark owls, and arbaq. Primates and parrots flit between the leaves of the canopy, while jaguars and tenmar prowl the forest floor. The wide diversity of life also extends to the plant kingdom, with an innumerable number of exotic plant species. The peoples of The Forests rely on a deep knowlegde of these plants to differentiate helpful from harmful, and everything in-between. Finally, and possibly most notably, White Woods are easily seens shooting through the canopy. The peoples of the forests live in close proximity to the trees here, where they are vital religious symbols. Some clans even reside on the trees, building town-complexes among the thick branches.

Natural Resources

Timber is the primary export of the region, particularly beautiful exotic woods. Various spices, herbs and medicinal plants of exceptional value are also exported, but difficult in cultivation make them luxuries. Closer to the Highlands, scattered mining operations extract rare and valuable gems and metals.

History

The Gallisan's, or Forest Folk, for which the forests draw their name, were the first peoples to inhabit the forests some 2,000+ years ago, and one of the oldest recorded civilizations in Gloratium. The Forest Folk were a gerontocracy of wood elves, gnomes and a human minority. Governed by an elder council of the various clans and peoples, the council was formed of three elves, two gnomes and one human elder. Trade along the Whitewood River flourished, with small settlements dotting the river banks and inland clearings. Over time, the elven majority consolidated power through their more natural connection with the magic workings of the world. As a result, Gallisan society transformed into a magocracy, with the most powerful spell casters of each race assigned a seat on the council transforming the council into a group of four wood elves and typically one gnome and human representative, each, ruled by a single elven ruler revered with deific status. Thus began the reign of the Alarim.
The Alarim empire ruled over the Gallis Forests up until the arrival of the Forefathers, building large pyramidal temples throughout the forests, with their rule growing to also encompass the Silver Wood. It was under the Alarim that the important connection between the White Woods, magic and the natural world was more thoroughly understood. As a result, the White Woods in the Gallis Forest gained special reverence and protection, and became centerpieces of Alarim culture. Even today, most significant settlements center on a single tree, or stand of White Woods. Alarim culture flourished across the Forests, with settlement spreading to the Bone Islands, before the Alarim turned their attention north.
The arrival of the Forefathers, and the beginning of the Silver Dawn age, saw the conquerors met with a formidable enemy in the Alarim. While smaller in number, their knowledge of the dense jungles and attunement to the local magical forces made confrontations difficult. After fighting a drawn out guerilla warfare campaign, the Forefathers granted the Alarim a special place within their bureaucratic hierarchy, closer to that of equals rather than subjects. This helped local merchants gain a more equal footing in trader negotiations with Forefather merchants, and a slight edge over other kingdoms. As a result, The Hollow, the only major port in the Gallis Forests became a major trade center and home to one of the world's largest banks, the Oak Reserve. Today the Gallis Forests remain sparsely populated with only a handful of major settlements, with hundreds of smaller enclaves and outposts scattered among the treetops.

Type

Region

Location under

Galladia

Owning Organization

Emerald Throne