Alfos/Crystalline Forest

The forest used to be quite tame and normal, with the only distinguishing feature being the cave Skilia, with the natural formation of Ether Crystals deep within. Due to Ether Crystals being a very important and illusive resource for use in energy systems in Blemished machinery, scientists were tasked with discovering their secrets and how they were formed. They did many experiments in creating synthetic Ether Crystals in a monitored setting, of which they were very successful. However the synthetic crystals were not as potent as the natural crystals, and they attempted more experiments. Finally, they found a way to naturally grow Ether Crystals at a productive rate. Before they could collect and publish their discoveries however, the Killswitch Event occurred, and the entirety of The Blemished died out. It is here that the growing of natural Ether Crystals began to get out of control. With no limiting factors on their growth, they proceeded to do so constantly which created a large forest with Ether Crystal deposits everywhere. At the original site of the experiments, the Ether Crystals grew on top of each other and created a massive crystal growth in the middle of the entire affected area, which is a magic amplifier of sorts and naturally channels Ether Energy within itself and into the area even without a source of the energy. This crystal growth is so massive that it has grown far above the treeline, and can be seen from many miles away. The mass expansion of Ether Crystal deposits covering the forest mainly affected Skilia, which had amplified results since the crystals grew there naturally before. Currently, the cave is almost completely crystalline which had similar amplification effect to the center growth. This is what caused the creation of the Shardminds, intelligent and philosophical beings made out of completely crystal. Their main goal is to discover the reasoning of their creation, and to learn more about their existence and the earth itself. Much natural fauna was also affected by the Ether Crystal deposits covering the area. They naturally evolved to blend in with their new surroundings, developing more green coloring to match with the crystals or even gaining Ether Crystal growths on their main body, like in the case of Crystal Wolves which have a mane of Ether Crystals. The flora was not affected by much, other than that more standard trees and other plants were effectively choked out by the crystals. Bloodcrystal trees however adapted to the Ether Crystals scattered across the entire landscape and have completely dominated the forest.

Geography

Alfos lies at the very western tip of Skias Dasos, which has a stark cliff face looming over the sea. The entirety of is covered in massive Bloodcrystal Trees as well as the Ether Crystals of which have grown all the way out to the cliff face. The river Potrisma runs through the middle of it, coming all the way from the Wildlands and ending off the steep coast at the end of Alfos, creating a waterfall that flows into the ocean. Farther inland, the terrain becomes more elevated and becomes more hill like, it goes like this all the way to the Wildlands, where the river Potrisma begins. Before Potrisma made it to the cliff face however, it began to carve out the cave know known as Skilia, which is quite large and has multiple branches. The river carved its way completely through Skilia and eventually made a cave mouth on the face of the cliff, creating the waterfall which dumps into the ocean.

Fauna & Flora

Within the Crystalline Forest, there is more interesting fauna than the surrounding forest. The major source of this weirdness are the race known as Shardminds, also known as People of the Crystal. They were unnaturally born from the initial growth of the crystals and are humanoid in shape, but are completely made out of the crystals which they are born from. Other fauna have also picked up some of these traits, such as having characteristics of Ether Crystal deposits on their body, or not requiring sustenance. However, they still keep to their natural instincts and manage to keep from overpopulating the forest. Flora, on the other hand, is fairly the same and hasn't been affected too much physically by the crystal growth other than naturally adapt to coexist with the crystals. However, some larger structures like trees do collect deposits of these crystals on their branches, giving an unnatural hue to the purple red trees. The main tree type of Alfos are called Bloodcrystal Trees, named due to their maroon colored leaves and Ether Crystal deposits.

Natural Resources

Being a large section of an already established forest, it is rich in natural wood. The crystals which also grow there are valuable for creating Ether Keys. While not being a natural resource, valuable ancient technology is seemingly preserved within the massive crystals which serves as the center point of Alfos.

Type

Forest

Location under

Skias Dasos

Image Source

Crystal Forest by Eepox (https://eepox.deviantart.com/art/Crystal-Forest-348470749)