The Draíochtenglade
The Draíochtenglade is a forest located at the center of Saolàralla, just east of The Dragontail. It is home to both the Cathairan and Taistealan elves. The forest is full of life and features a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is also the only region of Saolàralla to contain Life Emeralds. The region is split into three parts: The Cathairian Woods, The Taistealan Woods, and The Olcenmarh.Imagine being lucky enough to be born in a place where magic literally grows on trees.
The Cathairian Woods
My mother had described Aillay to me thousands of times. It's why I waited so long to visit; I though I already had a complete picture of the city. I was wrong. There are no words to describe the view of the waterfall from Aillay Tower. It's breathtaking.
Geography
The Cathairian Woods stretch from the Bailesruth to the northern edge of the Draíochtenglade and are home to the Cathairian Elves. The region contains 3 major cities: Aillay, Tēágartha, and Abhainntry. Aillay is known for being the most beautiful of the three, since the city overlooks the Easruth as it spills over Tabbinn Cliff, creating a breathtaking waterfall. Tēágartha is the largest city on Saolàralla, a distinction that is even more impressive after noticing that the city is supported entirely by the trees; not even a single structure touches the ground. Abhainntry is the eastmost Cathariain city; few elves are willing to furhter since after this point, the forest begins to meld into the Eastlands.Flora and Fauna
The Cathairian Woods contain some of the most vibrant plant life in all of Saolàralla. The canopy is a dark green rooftop speckled with large, bright flowers and buzzing with insects and small birds. Colorful vines wind their way up the trees in an effort to catch a drop of sunlight. The forest floor covered in fungi and moss, except where densely packed sméartor bushes prevent them from growing. The plant life here is so full of life magic that it sometimes collects on leafs, making it appear as though emeralds are growing on the plants. A lucky Catharian can find an emeralds growing on a plant near the ground, although it is more common to need to climb to the canopy to harvest life emeralds. The emeralds are extremely rare near the Catharian cities; the magic here was harvested long ago and rarely has time to replenish due to the sméartor farms. An elf looking to harness life magic for themselves needs to hunt for it in the dangerous, less settled parts of the Cathairian Woods. Outside of the Draíochtenglade, most people talk about Cathairy's birds. The Cathairians have names for over 300 birds, each more vibrant and beautiful than the one before it. The inhabitants of the forest, however, are more concerned with the more dangerous creatures. Poisonous snakes, wolves, and bears also wander the forest. And every so often, enough life magic collects in a single creature to create a beast that can use a bit of the magic themselves. Unfortunately, these creatures are especially dangerous, as the magic in their blood begins to drive them mad.The Taistealan Woods
Round and Around and Around we go
Following the life force in our forest home!
Geography
The Taistealan Woods are located south of the Bailesruth, stretching from the eastern edge of the Draíochtenglade and spilling around the Olcenmarh to touch the Dragontail in the west. This region is criss-crossed by Taistealan hunting paths, the largest of which is known as the Aistrosàn. While the Taistealan Elves don't live in cities, there are four major camps where all family groups gather to celebrate seasonal holidays: Samhrach, Fōmrach, Gheimhrach, and Earrach. All of the encampments are empty for the majority of the year. But when the time comes, the campgrounds spring to life with brightly colored tents, joyful music, and the unique smells of forest cooking. The festivities last for a week, right up until the night of the solstice or equinox. Then, the Taistelans pack up their belongings and continue on the Aistrosàn.Flora and Fauna
The wild flora and fauna of the Taistealan Woods is very similar to that of the Cathairian Woods. However it is distributed in a very different manner. As the Taistealans follow the Aistrosàn, they clear out the area they are in before moving on to the next. Most notably, any emeralds they come across, they harvest immediately. This leaves most of the forest's magic, and therefore the most vibrant life, concentrated just ahead of the Taistealans along the Aistrosàn.The Olcenmarh
It was stupid. He dared me to go 100 steps past the thorny tree that marked the edge of our hunting grounds. I figured that 100 paces wasn't that far; how much of a difference could that really make? Well, I was wrong, and I paid for it with my right leg.
Geography
The Olcenmarh is a swamp that is surrounded on three sides by the Taistealan Woods and is bordered by The Dragontail on the fourth. At the center of the swamp is the Dubhloch, a lake with water blacker than ink. Two rivers run into the Dubhloch: the Dorcabhainn flows from the mountains just to the north while the Truaillabhainn comes from the mountains to the south.Flora and Fauna
Upon first glance, the Olcenmarh seems grey, and devoid of growth. However, a closer inspection reveals that region is filled with an abundance of dark, twisted creatures. Scholars hypothesize that the darkness that permeates the region may be caused by a thinness in the Ethereal Veil. Most creatures give the Olcenmarh a wide berth, although the occasional Taistealan accidentally wanders too close, and, if he survives, comes back with stories of colossal spiders, carniverous plantlife, and even the occasional grisly witch.At a Glance:
Life Emeralds
Sméartor Berries
Explore The Emerald Realms:
Saolàralla
Bailesruth
The Eastlands
The Ethereal Veil
Tēágartha
Abhainntry
Samhrach
Fōmrach
Gheimhrach
Earrach
Sméartor Bushes
Taistealan Elves
Taisteala
Type
Forest
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i found the quotes made it fairly exciting. I mean magic literally grows on trees! So for starters, im really enjoying the names you have, but i have no idea how to pronounce them. XD I saw your very well designed sidebar and thought id suggest putting pronounciations in () to fix that very problem. THE CATHAIRIAN WOODS I wondered while reading this what the elves thought about it being a tourist hotspot. how's trade? Are their gift shops? At this point i also noticed you have excerpts. Excellent! you even went through and specified articles that in progress. dedication! THE TAISTEALAN WOODS Are there any groups who oppose the loss of magic or at least lack of it? you mention the strongest is just ahead of them as they focus on extracting those emeralds. THE OLCENMARH ok, so this isnt a negative, but there is a difference between a swamp and a marsh. i dont think anyone will notice though. ;] "A swamp is a place where the plants that make up the area covered in water are primarily woody plants or trees. ... A marsh, on the other hand, is defined as having no woody plants." " if he survives, comes back with stories of colossal spiders, carniverous plantlife, and even the occasional grisly witch." love the change to more crazy critters befitting such a landscape. overall id say you did quite well in making it exciting. It wasnt a boring read at all. I enjoyed it! the only additions id make here are the people. geography tends to be about the land sure, but the people are part of that land. a brief overview of there cultures would be neat but, it would be more than fine without them. This article stands on its own just fine.
Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate them! :-D My elven names are heavily inspired by Irish, and unfortunately I don't know how they should be pronounces either. I've made a note to learn the basics of Irish pronunciation and then come back and add them. As for toursity things, I haven't really built Aillay yet, so I don't know the details of what's in it or the trade. But I do have a few ideas that will hopefully become fully formed when I go to write the article on the city! As for the Taistelans and their appraoch to magic, they more view the magic as a renewable resource. They may clear the area out, but it'll always be back to it's full potential when they return the next year. Because of this, they don't see themselves as causing any long term harm. I haven't yet decided if the magic replinishes itself in the longer long term or if they really are slowly depleting the total magic stores -- that's something I plan on exploring a bit more when I write about the multiverse and how this particular plane was created. Thanks for the tip on swams vs. marshes. I learned something today! I did consider writing more about the cultures, but both of these are large enough to get their own article, and I don't want to encroach too much on that. I tried to show a hint of their culture as it related to the geography of the area, but I may try to include a bit more after summer camp.
Ooooo as someone who knows a little irish, I see what ur going for. I'm not fluent but I do happen to know alot of the phonetics of it if you want em. Duolingo does wonders. Samhrach for example seems to be like (Saw-rockh) where H is that sound from the back of the throat that the Gaelic languages and those derived from them love so much. This is based on the way Samhein is pronounced. Oh absolutely. Cultures should definitely be there own thing. I'm glad I could help =]
It's super cool that you know some Irish! I would never have thought the mh was pronounced like a w, lol, my brain was saying sahm-rock until I got around to looking it up. I was a little sad when I discovered that google translate doesn't have pronunciation guides for Irish like it does a lot of other languages.
Not a guide but I do think it has pronouciations of words in the translator and others do exist. It is a weird way of pronouncing mh- Bh- is pronounced with a v sound like Siobhan, a common Irish name, (shove-awn
Also thanks for the like and follow man. I appreciate that!