Noricca

Noricca is one of the ancient nearly untouched forests of Helvara. It lies in the Hedgedom of Strisia, a region of Helvara ruled over by a great witch coven and its mistress, Mirena.
While the forest is under the protection and houses the domain and sacred grove of its own circle of druids, the Circle of Lunn, in Strisia the druids do not have unchallenged and unquestioned dominion over the forest like other druidic circles in HElvara might have such as the Circle of Dáhaì in Ebirecca. Unlike the forest of Ebirecca, the druids of Noricca have to share their territory with the witches of the Hedgedom of Strisia and live under their supervision while the witches grant them dominion over the forest in an uneasy alliance. While the witches accept the necessity of having the druids protect the woods, they are themselves intensely connected with nature and have a vasted interest in many things of and in the forest. And so the two groups remain content that both respect the natural world while trying to coexist.
Nevertheless, Noricca houses a wonderful diverse range of flora and fauna and is also home to a particular type of Devara Rocks, the Norecs. These stones are found only in ancient woods where they can develop undisturbied over long spans of time up to millions of years. These stones with unique magical properties are formed into unnatural shapes by nature itself. In Noricca the stones appear in the form of horseshoes and take on a blueish colouration with streaks of silvery colours. While in other parts of Helvara use and possession of these stones is largely a monopoly of the druids, in Strisia it is also common for witches to have easy access to the stones.

Geography

The forest covers an area of approximately 960 sqaure kilometres over the territory of Strisia. The terrain is mostly hillsides interwoven with rivers and streams that runs through the forest towards the ocean.

Ecosystem

As there are almost no industries in Strisia, where the forest lies, people take only what they need from the woods. Alongside the close protection of the Circle of Lunn and the witch covens of Strisia, the forest remains largely undisturbed and its ecosystems flourish. The forest grows dense and wide through Strisia and has some of the largest and trees in all of Helvara. The woods grow many magical plants and flowers that the witches of Strisia and druids value for spellwork and potionmaking equally.

Localized Phenomena

Due to the high number of magic users in Strisia the woods of Noricca are often teeming with Sprifts, little impish creatures form the abyss, who try to gain a bond with someone to become their familiar. It is not uncommon for a Strisian Druid in Noricca to have a Sprift as a familiar, while in the rest of Helvara this is not something often seen.
large stretches of the forest and notably the heart of the woods and with it the druidic grove are covered by a colourful carpet of purple flowers that grow around the bases of trees. It is these flower carpets that give the forest its name "Noricca" which can be translated from the druids language into "Purple Grove".

Climate

The forest is large enough to affect Strisia's climate.

Type

Forest, Temperate (Seasonal)

Included Organizations

• Circle of Lunn

Ruling/Owning Rank

Archdruid

Owning Organization

Hedgedom of Strisia

Contested By

• Circle of Lunn
• Hedgedom of Strisia

Related Materials

• Devari Rocks