Avantha Kolari
"It may seem strange to outsiders. The land itself tried to hard to kill us, but when darkness fell, we did everything we could to keep the forest alive. But that is what made it worth saving to our ancestors. Nothing can have value without struggle. The greatest beauty is found in teeth and thorns and bones."
- Surave Zenakaruun, Grandmaster of the Wild Hunt
The Avantha Kolari (Theen for "Borderland Forest") is the largest surviving forest on Tevhetra. While a natural growth prior to the Nightfall, it is currently sustained by Nuana and is thus considered Nuanat territory. It preserves many species of flora and fauna unable to survive elsewhere, is the hunting grounds of the Wild Hunt, and is the territory of several particularly dangerous specimens of Elder Beast. The denonym for the Avantha Kolari is Avanthat.Geography
The foothills of the Roosts form the western boundary of the Avantha Kolari, while it's bordered at the north by the Elgot River. Layma Alith serves as the southern-most point of the forest. The Ratavan River cuts through the forest, bridging its origin in the Roosts to the basin of Crystalglade, and serves as the forest's main natural source of water.
The dangers of the Avantha Kolari mean that the only permanent settlements within the forest itself are small waystations maintained by the Wild Hunt. A few towns survive on the edge of the woods: the Nuanat town of Layma Alith to the south, the Varen stronghold of Silver Keep on a tributary of the Ratavan, and Elgot Am to the north along the Elgot River.
The dangers of the Avantha Kolari mean that the only permanent settlements within the forest itself are small waystations maintained by the Wild Hunt. A few towns survive on the edge of the woods: the Nuanat town of Layma Alith to the south, the Varen stronghold of Silver Keep on a tributary of the Ratavan, and Elgot Am to the north along the Elgot River.
Fauna & Flora
The primary tree found in the Avantha Kolari is the shuma, a large conifer known for its green-tinted bark and widespread branches compared to other trees of its family. As shuma take a long time to grow, they are rarely used for wood harvest, with the preferred harvested tree being the similar but smaller and quicker-growing leyvasa confiner. The Avantha Kolari is also home to the yelet, or scalewood, tree, named for the 'scales' of bark that form on its trunk and are highly prized as armor among the Nuanat.
Other foliage of the Avantha Kolari include scrub bushes, thornsnakers, several types of lichen and moss, red sage, luma berries, boneflowers, and cinnamon vine. Even with the light and warmth provided by the planted crystals, plants have to be hardy to survive. A few bioluminescent species, most notably the pulsar vine, have been safely introduced from the Lantern Woods into the ecosystem and integrated. Numerous species of cold-weather fungi also grow throughout the forest, particularly around the roots of trees.
Animals found in the Avantha Kolari include deer, bears, boars, lynxes, wolves, phase foxes, small mustelids and rodents, salamanders, owls, shroombacks, songbirds, large mustelids and rodents, ether spiders, ground sloths, arboreal horrorbeasts, and hibernating amphibians. Waver bees were successfully introduced to the ecosystem to increase the pollination and growth of flowering plants. While reports are unverified and being investigated by the Wild Hunt, some species that are extinct elsewhere in Tevhetra have been supposedly spotted in the deep parts of the Avantha Kolari, sometimes while even alive.
Other foliage of the Avantha Kolari include scrub bushes, thornsnakers, several types of lichen and moss, red sage, luma berries, boneflowers, and cinnamon vine. Even with the light and warmth provided by the planted crystals, plants have to be hardy to survive. A few bioluminescent species, most notably the pulsar vine, have been safely introduced from the Lantern Woods into the ecosystem and integrated. Numerous species of cold-weather fungi also grow throughout the forest, particularly around the roots of trees.
Animals found in the Avantha Kolari include deer, bears, boars, lynxes, wolves, phase foxes, small mustelids and rodents, salamanders, owls, shroombacks, songbirds, large mustelids and rodents, ether spiders, ground sloths, arboreal horrorbeasts, and hibernating amphibians. Waver bees were successfully introduced to the ecosystem to increase the pollination and growth of flowering plants. While reports are unverified and being investigated by the Wild Hunt, some species that are extinct elsewhere in Tevhetra have been supposedly spotted in the deep parts of the Avantha Kolari, sometimes while even alive.
Natural Resources
The Avantha Kolari is the largest source of wood in Tevhetra. However, the harvest and exportation of wood is heavily regulated and is regulated to the edge of the forest. Contrary to popular belief, the Wild Hunt goes after more wood poachers than game poachers.
The Avantha Kolari is also home to numerous plants and fungi not found in the wild anywhere else on Tevhetra that have medicinal properties. The Wild Hunt does not as closely regulate their harvest. The dangers of the forest do that for them.
Meat hunted in the Avantha Kolari supports settlements in western Tevhetra and the Roosts, some even being shipped back to Nuana and parts of the coast. That being said, there's less hunting done in the Avantha Kolari, even by the Wild Hunt out of ritualized contexts. This is both due to attempts to avoid overhunting and long-term ecological damage and the fact that hunting in the Kolari is too dangerous for amateurs. Also, the Hunt preys on poachers.
The Avantha Kolari is also home to numerous plants and fungi not found in the wild anywhere else on Tevhetra that have medicinal properties. The Wild Hunt does not as closely regulate their harvest. The dangers of the forest do that for them.
Meat hunted in the Avantha Kolari supports settlements in western Tevhetra and the Roosts, some even being shipped back to Nuana and parts of the coast. That being said, there's less hunting done in the Avantha Kolari, even by the Wild Hunt out of ritualized contexts. This is both due to attempts to avoid overhunting and long-term ecological damage and the fact that hunting in the Kolari is too dangerous for amateurs. Also, the Hunt preys on poachers.
History
Even before the Nightfall, the Avantha Kolari was old. Some of the trees in the deepest part of the woods are at least a thousand years old, maybe more. The fire dragons passing through the Roosts (as at the time, they were predominately migratory) would use it as a source of food, though the dense foliage kept them from going too deep. When the elves who would found Nuana arrived in Tevhetra, they quickly fell in love with the forest, and the forerunners of the Wild Hunt quickly claimed it as their home. This led to numerous clashes between elves and dragons in the leadup to the Nightfall. The elves especially hated the dragons' tendency to flush out their prey with fire, which risked spreading to more of the trees and destroying them. However, their rivalry soon became the least of their problems during the Western Offensive of the Nightfall War, forcing them to work together and use the Avantha Kolari as a natural blockade against the rising tide of Faceless.
When the Nightfall hit, the darkness and cold immediately began to take its toll on the forest. The Nuanat leapt into action to preserve it, gathering as many crystals as they could find to sustain the trees, even making several desperate deals with the Southern Garrok Federation for supplies. The forest survived, and the Wild Hunt turned to long-term preservation concerns such as soil health, risk of plant diseases, monitoring animal populations, controlled burns, and hunting down and slaying the Elder Beasts who would surface and threaten to devastate it. As diplomatic relationships massively improved between Nuana and the Roosts, the fire dragons agreed to help maintain the Avantha Kolari in exchange for a share of the prey. Recently, a branch of the Lantern Woods Expedition has started working with the Wild Hunt's conservation efforts so as to better study the forest themselves.
When the Nightfall hit, the darkness and cold immediately began to take its toll on the forest. The Nuanat leapt into action to preserve it, gathering as many crystals as they could find to sustain the trees, even making several desperate deals with the Southern Garrok Federation for supplies. The forest survived, and the Wild Hunt turned to long-term preservation concerns such as soil health, risk of plant diseases, monitoring animal populations, controlled burns, and hunting down and slaying the Elder Beasts who would surface and threaten to devastate it. As diplomatic relationships massively improved between Nuana and the Roosts, the fire dragons agreed to help maintain the Avantha Kolari in exchange for a share of the prey. Recently, a branch of the Lantern Woods Expedition has started working with the Wild Hunt's conservation efforts so as to better study the forest themselves.
Alternative Name(s)
Rayn Tlalte (Torugk)
Type
Forest
Location under
Inhabiting Species
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