Old Siourma

Grove located in a meander from Jimuda river, close to the current town of Siourma, avoided by most locals and visited by foreign tourists and scientists.

It was originally a plain terrain of rock, where the founders of Siourma were settled at first. Deposition and floods had modified the terrain and brought soil and small rocks into the area, which is currently irregular and fertile, even more so since the flood of 702 Co.

Flora and Fauna

While most species are familiar to the region, some of the young trees are not native and the bloody snow is considered a plague.

Several small species and a couple of medium size herbivores live here, but they are not easy to find. You won't even hear any birds singing.

The unexplained silence

Animals here are especially shy. But, apparently, so is the wind. Even when the trees are shaking under its force there is no corresponding sound. Despite the river's constant burble, there is always an eerie silence in the east area of the grove, broken only by the tourists and —occasionally— travelers at the road.

There is something supernatural to it. Whether it's the ghosts from the forgotten cemetery, or that witch young people talk about, there is something there.

— A Siourma citizen.

For a couple of centuries, scientists had come to study the silence, but most of the visitors are tourists attracted by the odd quietness or the ghost stories around it.

More recently, the legend of the Truthteller Spirit has caught the attention of people from all over the universe. Most come moved by curiosity or fun, but some are looking for the answers that the mysterious entity supposedly provides.

History

The oldest trees in the grove are over three hundred years old, just like the neighboring town. The forest thrived when the original Siourma settlement was abandoned, leaving nature to recover that area. The materials they used for their buildings wouldn't last more than a decade without maintenance. The only thing that remained for a while was the path to the old cemetery, in the east border, but even that disappeared at some unknown time.

According to the Siourma's records, there was nothing but solid rock there, but the same floods that chased people away might have changed the soil in the area. It fits with the stories about that decade's weather. 

The locals would avoid the place, spooked by its silence. Meanwhile, as the stories about it spread, the place became an attraction for tourists and an object of study for scientists. Around 689 Co, the legend of The truthteller  was added to the local lore, getting even more attention towards the grove.

Location

Queendom of Siomicame.
Siouel world.

Alternative Name(s)

The Quiet/Grove of quiet trees
Forest of truth (unusual)

Type

Grove

Related Myths

• The truthteller

They sing.
Among the trees they sing.
And their song is the sound of oblivion.

They scream.
Among the tombs they scream.
And their scream is the silence that says:

You'll be forgotten too.

~ Local children's song

Credits	Header image built using elements from pixabay.com