Avrodian Cloud Forest

Shrouded in damp mist, the Avrodian cloud forests blanket the peninsula. During the day, the clouds and canopy block out the suns, keeping the forest in gloomy shadow. At night, however, it comes alive, as the plants and animals glow with Lunar power.

Geography

Only a small portion of the peninsula's southeast isn't covered by trees. As such, the cloud forest defines life on the peninsula. In order to survive, one must adapt to the forest's rules.

The cloud forest can be divided into three layers: the canopy, understory, and undergrowth. Each layer has different conditions. Different organisms prefer different layers.

Canopy

The highest layer of the forest is the canopy. It is where the leafy tops of tall trees knit together to form a ceiling over the rest of the forest. The canopy is the brightest layer. Here, sunlight can still pierce through the branches, and the ever-present fog is thinner.

Birds, cloud wyverns, species of floatbeasts, and numorous other arboreal creatures live in the canopy. Many are content to never touch the ground in their lifetime.

Understory

Beneath the canopy is the understory, where shrubs and young trees compete for snatches of sunshine. The understory is much darker than the canopy and thick with clouds. During the day, it is quite quiet. At night, its nocturnal inhabitants awake to ignite the forest with bioluminescent lights.

Undergrowth

The forest floor is dark and humid. Ferns and mosses carpet the ground. Countless species of mushrooms return dead plants to the rich soil. The suns are a rare sight down here, only visible through gaps in the canopy left behind by fallen trees.

When night falls, the shadowy undergrowth turns into a different world. Giant starbarks create the illusion of a starry sky with their glowing trunks. Animals such as cloud wyverns use Glow to communicate and distract. Adult sapphire swallowtails flit to glowing flowers, their translucent wings rendering them almost invisible in the dim light.

Though it is beautiful, the nocturnal forest can be deceptive. The Starbark's nodes, while illuminating, are also dizzying as they layer on top of one another. Some plants extinguish their glow when disturbed, plunging parts of the forest into sudden, inky darkness. Others flash and pulse, drawing unlucky insects into a carnivorous maw.

Type

Forest, Cloud / Water (Subtropical)

Location under

Avrodian Peninsula

Included Locations

• Clezora

Contested By

• Estodia
• Vrasia

Inhabiting Species

• Cloud Python
• Cloud Wyvern
• Giant Starbark
• Mikzee
• Sapphire Swallowtail