Anúen Rainforest

"I found that everything I thought to be true in Elora was false in Anúe, and every knot of knowledge learned in Anúe untagled its complexity as soon as I left. You could say my world was turned upside-down"

— Sir Francis Greentail, 342 CA

Geography

The Anúen Rainforest is the largest rainforest in Wenua and is quite possibly the largest natural organism aswel. This massive and breathtaking Rainforest dominates the center of Elora known as the Anúen Basin (Region of Elora drained by the Anúen River) and contains territory calimed by 6 Eloran governments. However much of the region remains unclaimed. The most northern tip of the Anúen rainforest extends to the Dwarven Sea and its southern tip to the Beinnalor Mountain Range. It is cut off by the Twilight Marsh in the east and the Red Mountains to the Northwest, and the Ilyendor Lake to its Southeast.

Ecosystem

The Anúen Rainforest is believed to be composed of mainly one single organism and as such the rainforest is sometimes referred to by alchemists and druids as the Anúen System. Such a startling conclusion is evidenced by the rainforest's most remarkable feature: its mirroring property. The Anúen Rainforest, often referred to as the Upside-down Rainforest appears to mirror itself, with tree roots reaching from the heavens and leaves brushing the dirt. Standing in the rainforest, one feels trapped between two worlds. This strange effect is caused by a mutation in the cell makeup of Anúen flora. The chloroplasts in Anúe do not absorb light to perform photosynthesis like the rest of Wenua, but instead, gain energy from reflecting light. This strange mutation causes Anúe flora to project itself "upside-down".
The Anúen System hypothesis, first put forward by the great Tautoan druid El'bao Kahuhipa attempts to explain how every single tree, plant, bush, rock, and piece of dirt could have this same strange mutation. His answer: it's all the same organism. The hypothesis is backed up by the root system of Anúen trees which master Druids, who can sense the presence of roots, believe are all interconnected.
The Anúen System Hypthosis's main flaw, however, is the strange connection that Anúen animals have with the reflected rainforests. While to humanoids and non-native creatures, the upsidedown rainforest is just a mirage, to the local fauna it is physical. Sun Monkeys swing from reflected vines and Red Bellied Parrots make their nests in the branches of upsidedown trees. This begs the question, are the animals of Anúe part of the same single organism as the rainforest itself? This would create far more logical problems than it would solve and so most chalk it up to magic, spirits, and the mysteries of Anúe.

Ecosystem Cycles

The Anúen rainforest has had a uniquely stable existence save for the early days of the Crescent Age. The reflectivity of Anúen chloroplasts makes the rainforest exceptionally resilient to temperature changes, droughts, floods, and other ecological events that put the system at risk. However because this the rainforest's mirage effect comes from light reflectivity, the effect is minimized during the rainy season and cloud coverage. Because the mirrored rainforest manifests physically for local life, this leads to drastic changes within the ecosystem during the rainy season with many mammals in particular hibernating through one or the other.

History

Ancient and Dawn Age

The Anúen Rainforest gets its name from the Tauto word "Anúe" which means mirage. The Rainforest has been inhabited by hundreds of Tautoan tribes since the Ancient Era and is still inhabited by many of the same peoples today. It wasn't until the Dawn Age that the western kingdoms of men, dwarves, and elves began expanding their territory into the rainforest. It was during this time between around 8000 DA to 5000 DA that Tautoan cultures and races would start to mix with those of Western Elora and the Comarcian Dwarves of the tropical Karakao Mountains would split from their dwarven kin.
It was also during the beginning of the Dawn Age that the great civilization of Alzoria is believed to have existed. Although there is evidence among Tautoan and Maormer writing of the existence of this civilization, its mythological capital city of Alazar has never been found.

Crescent Age

In the early years of the crescent age, the Anúen rainforest was in an unprecedented crisis. When the sun god Maulugh split himself in three to cast all Shadows from Wenua, he unknowingly put many of Wenua's ecosystems in peril. The balance of sunlight was skewed, the sleep cycles of animals were disrupted, and the Anúen Rainforest was overwhelmed with light. After years of activism by Anúen inhabitants, a massive conservation effort began across almost the entirety of Wenua to save the rainforest. It was during this time that many discoveries were made about the rainforest such as its reflective chloroplasts and the Anúen System. With the help of the world, and indeed some divine intervention, the Anúen Rainforest was saved in what would be one of the greatest displays of cooperation in the history of Wenua.

Alternative Name(s)

Upsidedown Rainforest

Location under

Elora

Inhabiting Species

• Comarcian Dwarves