Forest of Grien
Geography
The forest of Grien can primarily be divided into two parts. Half of the forest, the western half, is more of a jungle, and the climate is significantly wetter. The eastern half is much more temperate, and the climate is slightly cooler. The jungle portion is much denser, and has heavy amounts of undergrowth. The temperate part is slightly cooler, and in winter the trees lose all of their leaves. There are also two massive lakes on the continent. The massive lake Eo in the northwest is populated by huge reptiles and is not often sailed due to the frequency of shipwrecks. Many brave adventurers make their fame sailing out and killing a great beast. In the temperate forest, there are trees that lay low, the canopy only around 30 feet off the ground, letting far more light to the forest floor. In the winter, many trees lose their leaves, creating skeletal fingers that lift towards the sky. It is said that the winds from the Frozen Wasteland blow south in the winter, brushing anyone unfortunate to be near with an icy finger. It is theorized by many that this section of woodland is much colder solely due to its proximity to the Frozen Wasteland.
Ecosystem
The ecosystem is varied and flourishing, with a huge amount of plant life. In the temperate forest, Ouknurn trees grow widely, with large ovular leaves that spread in almost perfectly circular patterns, forming a semicircular crown of leaves. They creatures in this part of the forest often are quick and nimble, dashing through massive amounts of undergrowth to hunt equally quick prey. Prey often leaps through the trees, dashing around to avoid predators. The sapient life lives in massive clearings, the trees cut down to make massive log cabins and cities. They chase down their prey with bows and arrows that shoot with immense force. Many used to be pack animals, but now have societies with structures so strong no rebellion could shake it. In the tropical forest, prey takes a different route, aiming more for defense and camouflage. You could be completely surrounded in this part of the forest and barely know it. The plant life is dense, often with large sprawling leaves to better collect the minimal amounts of sunlight that shine through. Many plants have evolved somewhat dangerous methods of sustaining themselves, like feeding off of blood and meat, and even evolving to move properly. The prey animals hide and burrow, working to keep itself safe. The predators go for strength and ambush, leaping through dense undergrowth for their well hidden prey. The sapient life build massive cities among the trees, creating huge spires out of the marble plentiful in the area.
Ecosystem Cycles
In the temperate half, the ouknurn trees lose their leaves in the winter, leaving skeletal fingers that reach towards the sky. The undergrowth gets crunchy and dry, and it gets remarkably cold, often snowing instead of raining. In the rainforest, the winter gets cool but never cold, and there seems to be a constant moisture in the air in the summer, almost feeling magical. This is typically not appealing to outsiders, and those who live their will often be made uncomfortable by how dry the air is outside.
Localized Phenomena
In the tropical forest section of the Forest of Grien, there is a constant mist in the air during the summer. This causes frequent and heavy rainfall, as well as storms caused by the conflicting fronts between the temperate and tropical forests. It is said that one of the most dangerous places to be is the border between the temperate forest and the rainforest, as massive storms rage there constantly, especially in the summer. There is an interesting phenomena in the rainforest where a combination of the glow from the moons and the moisture in the air creates a beautiful array of colors that make the night sky almost appear to have a huge galaxy stretching across it, despite the empty blackness that usually overtakes it.
Fauna & Flora
In the temperate half, there are massive ouknurn trees that soar into the sky with their almost perfect half-spherical tops. There are multitudes of sharp, thorny undergrowth that tangle around paths, as well as the small red poison flowers that grow amongst them. Tiny rodents skitter through their burrows, while larger ones dash through trees, gliding on skin made into wings. Huge multi eyed beasts stalk, perfectly hidden, ready to catch their prey. Larger herbivores like the spikey, four legged creature that is the pokelion, or the terrifying two legged death carrier, strut through the trees, ready to bolt at a moments notice. Lion like sentient creatures chuckle as they cut down trees, and silent wolf creatures ready their bowstrings to bring down a huge triboar. Tiny rodentfolk dash through intricate cities, built completely underground and through massive and elaborate webs of structures held up by only three trees. In the rainforest half, hundreds of species of leafy plant cover the floor, and moss coats the entire ground in a soft blanket. Vines compete for space with the huge, sky scraping trees whos leaves form a canopy so dense that the sun rarely hits the ground below. Some of the plants can move, seeking nothing more than to push themselves into a patch of sunlight, while others have gained a hunger for meat. Brightly colored rodents leap between trees, dashing at immense speeds and creating a beautiful sparkling effect when they move in groups. None of the herbivores here get too large, as they cannot move through the trees too effectively, but the predators certainly do. The carnivores leap through the trees at speeds to rival the prey they desire. The sentient life build huge cities, mining the large amounts of stone and specifically marble present in the area, creating vibrant cities and leaving behind ominous ruins.
Natural Resources
Naturally, lumber is the main export of the area, as wood is so common. Pelts, livestock, meat, and other animal products are also extremely large natural resources. In the rainforest section, the massive amounts of marble are sought after by Eshaqin builders and blacksmiths far and wide. The storms in bottles harvested in the boundaries make lovely children's science projects when small, or great power sources when larger. They are even used as weapons, as when broken they release their storm.
History
This continent has been here since the beginning. It has existed for almost as long as Ebelar has, and has undergone relatively little change since then. The creatures there have relatively advanced societies, which have grown from little more than villages into thriving cities. Currently there are four societies in the forest of Grien that qualify as cities. There are numerous countries, as well as massive countries, nations, and states that exist within the forest. There are also massive gangs, such as the Dawn Fires, which have extensive control over expansive territories. This has led to deadly wars, civil wars, and massive rebellions throughout this continents history.
Alternative Name(s)
The great forest/The sapling forest
Type
Forest
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Inhabiting Species
Related Myths
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