Selimar Chase
Selimar Chase is a large and ancient hardwood forest located in the eastern half of the Ward of Selimar. Legendary for its dark and foreboding nature, the Selimar Chase has a long history of danger and darkness associated with it.
Geography
Selimar Chase is a deep hardwood forest that covers more than 400 square miles of mostly low hills and shallow valleys. Elevations within the Chase do not exceed 1,000 feet above the level of the river. Natural breaks in the forest floor provide ample sunlight for a thick, nearly impenetrable understory for much of the central region of the area. The ground within the Chase is covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves and humus that often hides roots and fallen branches that add to the difficulty of walking or riding through the woods, especially in the dark.
Localized Phenomena
There are several places within the Chase that demonstrate a serious threat visitors. One is an ancient ring of standing stones located on a low hill deep in the interior of the thickest (and presumably oldest) part of the forest. This ring of stones has monolithic standing stones topped with lintel stones that weigh as much as 40 tons each. Within this ring of trilithons are three massive roughly dressed altar stones, all measuring 3' high, 4' wide and 5' long. Crude unknown runes or symbols have been roughly carved into the sides of these altar stones, and all three stones have been described as for sacrificial offerings.
Another area of concern is called the Witch Vale and it is a low, secluded valley of truly ancient and twisted black oaks and foul-smelling mires. In the exact center of this vale is a small stone hut with a corbelled roof where the infamous Selimar Crone lived and hunted for nearly a quarter of a century.
Climate
Cold wet winters and hot dry summer make any significant amount of time spent in the forest a challenge.
Fauna & Flora
The forest is primarily oak, maple, ash and elm, especially in the tallest and oldest sections of the overstory. Understory trees include boxelder, black ash, cottonwood, aspen and red oak. Some areas of the forest are made up of a dense, thick growth of such evergreens as jackpines, black spruce and tamarack, especially where fire has damaged or destroyed hardwood groves.
The Chase is also known for its native population of predators. Smilodon have been encountered there for more than a century, as have more than a few Short-faced Bear. Dire Wolves were known to inhabit the Chase, but have not been encountered in many years now. Deer, elk, boar, mink, beavers, martins, badgers and fox are all found in great numbers, as are dozens of species of game birds and fowl, including swans, geese, heron, cranes, ducks, pheasant and grouse.
