The Lupine Range
A Broad Expanse To Wander
There was something different about the forest that day as they walked. The change was subtle, but it felt more alive, more wild. The air was earthier, the sounds of life bolder and coming from everywhere at once. Somehow the woods they'd been in the last few days felt dead by comparison to this vibrant landscape. When they stopped at a stream for water, he asked his guide.
"Forest different?"
"Wolf territory," she breathed with a peaceful sigh, a grin splitting her face. "Hope they find us."
Geography
The region's southern reaches scoop up a handful of the Northwestern Ursine Mountains. From there it stretches North through deciduous and coniferous forests and swinging wide around The Dragon's Eye. Finally a section of the northern savannas are theirs, the boundary between them and the Catlands marked by a series of guideposts.
Ecosystem
A series of ecosystems are extant within the range, but all are pretty well what we expect for each biome type.
In the mountains and their foothills, the wildlife and weather are equivalent to the Appalachian mountains on Earth. The coniferous forests are similar to the Black Forest, while the deciduous forests are most akin to the eastern forests of the US. The section of savanna that is part of the Range is most similar to the Great Plains in terms of ecosystem.
Ecosystem Cycles
The seasons affect each area of the range differently, but equally. The winter is least harsh in the coniferous forests, as they provide some sustenance and shelter year-round. The summer is most brutal in the plains and most bearable down in the mountains. Spring is more of a rainy season, with precipitation almost every day throughout the range.
Natural Resources
The Range is rich with resources, used sparingly by the clans. A wide variety of wild game is abundant, as well as wood and stone and even veins of iron ore, though they don't tend to mine or work it themselves. Lupines touch the earth lightly, taking only what they need and never staying long enough to deplete the resources in an area.
History
Raids and skirmishes between Cats and Lupines were fought for nearly a century along the range's northern reach. Eventually a great mediator appeared and put an end to the seemingly endless warring. At last they set up the guideposts which mark the territorial divide, which are maintained to this day.
While the Ursines never warred with the Lupines, the foothills in the reach was still the setting for an impressive peace ceremony. Both Nations recognized the need for territory to be peaceably agreed upon as they began to coalesce and become the institutions recognizable today.
Though the Ursines consider all of the mountains around Drimotea to be theirs by blood right, they gifted the few North of the Esnora River to the Wolves. The Lupines, in return, gave symbolic gifts: a necklace of wolves' teeth (signifying a surrender of weapons a finely-wrought carving of an acorn (while a real one would never survive in the Ursine Mountains, this was meant to show a new beginning and a hand-sewn, rag-stuffed heart (invoking the legend of Dog becoming Wolf- a sign of truest love and friendship). These pieces have been carefully preserved and are still National treasures in the vaults of Drimotea.
Tourism
While the untamed wilderness of the Lupine Range has it's own appeal, most who come to this part of the world come for the people. While none of the wandering clans who call this Nation home run or maintain tourist trap attractions, they welcome any good-faith visitors with open arms.
Those who are fortunate enough to cross paths with such a wandering group will simply not be allowed to leave until they have been treated to at least one meal and one night's rest in the relative safety of the clan's camp. Many find themselves charmed and travel with the group for some time, trading stories and learning from the wolves, as they are more than happy to answer faith questions asked in genuine curiosity.
Every traveler's tale of the Lupines is unique, as the clans show each person different things depending on who and where they are. An Ursine traveling with a clan in the foothills may be told the stories that the moonshadows between the hills tell. A city woman wandering in the trees may be shown the hiding places of owls or how the stars sparkle and wink through the leaves. As these experiences are the main draw for visitors, towns on the border of the Reach sell guidebooks explaining the clans' migration patterns and the best way to arrange an encounter (some of these are more accurate and useful than others).
Welcoming does not mean naive, however. Lupines can very easily sniff out freeloaders or those who seek them out to start trouble. These people are given the customary meal and rest, but are not allowed to travel with the group past the sunrise. Methods of ditching unwanted guests include: intimidation; moving the camp in the night while they sleep; tying their feet and leaving them (this holds them a couple of hours max, and usually gets the point across and finally, if all else fails, simply handing them over to border authorities for causing a disturbance.
Comments
Author's Notes
I could really break this down a lot further, but for our purposes here it's enough. I can breakdown specifics about how the specific biome affects each nomadic clan on the ethnicity page.