Didun
Nestled within the heart of the Ventford Forest, Didun is a tranquil elven farming town interwoven with the natural world around it. From the moment one steps onto its mossy paths or hears the gentle bubbling of spring-fed wells scattered throughout, it becomes clear that Didun is not merely built upon nature—it is built with it. Fertile land, shaded groves, and carefully cultivated plots of farmland dot the settlement, all arranged with careful reverence to the towering trees that dominate the skyline. At its center lies the ancient and awe-inspiring Grandfather Tree, a slumbering treant who once saved the town in its youth and now stands as a silent guardian. Elves make up the majority of the population, but others are welcome, so long as they too show respect to the forest and its spirit.
Demographics
Didun is composed primarily of wood elves and high elves, though half-elves and the occasional human or halfling can be found in its borders, often those who have proven their love for the land or have ancestral ties to it. Most residents are farmers, foresters, herbalists, or caretakers of the forest itself. Scholars studying natural magic, druids in training, and clerics devoted to deities of life and death—particularly the Raven Queen(now Ilmos God of the Hunt and Nature and Krorone Goddess of Darkness)—are also common. Despite their noble lineage, the elves of Didun do not live with haughty airs. Instead, their lives are spent in quiet devotion to growth, tradition, and the unbroken cycle of nature.
Government
Didun is governed by Lady Carta Elmshade, a noble elf of serene presence and rooted wisdom. While she holds formal authority, leadership in Didun is as much about listening as it is about command. Lady Carta’s rule is guided by a council of elders, druids, and clerics who help mediate decisions and ensure that both the forest and people are treated with equal reverence. The governance is soft-spoken but firm, rooted in ancient traditions and a belief that stewardship of the land is stewardship of the soul.
Defences
While Didun has no walls and no standing army, it is far from undefended. The forest itself is a barrier—dense, magical, and familiar only to those welcomed by its people. Druids and rangers serve as unseen wardens, guiding the lost and guarding against threats. In dire times, the elves will awaken guardian spirits or enlist the aid of awakened trees and beasts who dwell in mutual harmony. Legends whisper that if Didun were ever to be truly threatened again, the Grandfather Tree may rise once more.
Industry & Trade
Agriculture is the lifeblood of Didun, with carefully planned crop rotations and forest-harvested goods sustaining both its people and its reputation. Crops are grown seasonally and include grains, fruits, and healing herbs. Didun trades with nearby towns in exchange for tools, fabrics, and metals rarely found in elven lands. Beekeeping, foraging, and silviculture are prominent trades, and spiritual goods—like bone-carved talismans, memory-tea brewed from remembrance leaves, and elixirs of dreamroot—are sought after by pilgrims and mystics alike.
Infrastructure
Buildings in Didun are grown or built around the environment, not in spite of it. Homes and structures are often nestled between tree trunks or suspended within their boughs, with bridges of woven vines and rope connecting tree-dwellings. On the ground level, carved stone paths meander through the forest, marking trails to farms, communal wells, and storage silos built of living wood. Irrigation channels flow from natural springs and hidden aquifers, carefully redirected to nourish both crop and grove without waste. A series of gently enchanted lanterns, powered by bioluminescent fungi and crystal fireflies, keep pathways lit under the canopy’s shade.
History
Founded in 2319, Didun was established by a small elven migration seeking peace and fertile lands to call home. The forest was young then, wild and unwelcoming, and the first settlers were nearly destroyed by barbarian raiders. It was during this time that the elves called upon their gods for protection, and the miracle of the Grandfather Tree occurred. The awakened treant’s victory is considered a foundational myth, shaping Didun’s view of nature not as a resource to be tamed, but a partner to be honored. Since that day, the town has grown with patience and respect, evolving into a serene sanctuary within the embrace of the Ventford Woods.
Geography
Didun sits in a naturally sheltered bowl within the Ventford Woods, where low-lying hills and scattered springs shape the land into terraced plots.
Climate
The climate is mild and temperate, with early mists, warm springs, golden summers, and quiet, leaf-filled autumns. Winters are gentle but marked by somber reflection and spiritual rites, as the town gives back to the soil what it has taken. The sound of birdsong and water is ever-present, and even in silence, the forest seems to breathe with its own rhythm, old and watchful.
Maps
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Grenias: Didun - The Elven Farming City
“Long before this harvest, and before the ones our mothers and their mothers tended… there was only fear here.We were not always so rooted. Once, the forest was but a fledgling thing—timid, wild, easily scarred. Our people came to this place seeking quiet, after wars and wandering. They planted, they built. They whispered their thanks to the winds and sang to the earth, hoping it would hold them.”
She pauses, looking upward at the Grandfather Tree’s massive boughs, now swaying in the lantern light.
“But peace is not always left unchallenged. The raiders came, time and again. Savage, blood-hungry. They saw no spirit in the trees, no soul in the land—only weakness to be carved. On the eve of the second raid, our people prayed—not with offerings of gold or screams of war, but with something deeper. They wept into the soil. They sang until their voices cracked. They offered not their weapons, but their hearts. And something heard them That night, a tree rose—not over weeks or seasons, but in the hours between one breath and the next. A sapling at sunset. A giant by dawn. And when the raiders came, as they always had…”
She gently places her hand on the bark beside her.
“...he awoke. His roots cracked stone. His limbs swept the sky. And those who dared to bring harm to this grove were met not by steel, but by the wrath of the land itself. When it was over, and silence returned, he did not boast. He did not stay. He looked upon our people—torn, tired, and trembling—and said, ‘Watch over my children until I awaken from my slumber. I will want to see how much they’ve grown… and what they’ve seen.’” She steps back now, voice fading to a hush.
“So we have watched. We have tended. We have learned. And tonight, once again, we feed his dreams—not with fear or blood, but with laughter, with warmth… and with hope.”
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