The Eastern Forests
Last updated
Last updated
Mountains are rich with fog, rain, and fertile soil. While Northern whiskers might scoff and write these mountains off as large hills, the northern geography of the Eastern Forest features gorges, rivers, and some of the highest peaks on the continent. The south end has enormous trees and fertile wetlands. The Eastern Forest is largely disconnected from the rest of The Great Pond. Those who live here hardly travel outside of the region. Many of the whiskers here live off the land and worship the Great Tree and the Old Wizard. While a religious fanatic first founded the largest village, that faith has all but faded away. Most Eastern whiskers are a simple kind looking for only peace, love, and a good time. Never anger them, though, for they are known to fight for themselves and their way of life with a ferocity few could claim. Lifetimes spent honing their hunter-gatherer skills and nature magics have made them a force to be reckoned with.
Canopy Village is the most northeasterly settlement. The village was created by Chisholm, the leader of the Wizard's Path cult, a once small religion based on the legends of the Old Wizard. The Whiskers that followed Chisholm created Canopy Village to be free of persecution from other regions. The religion was a strict and highly self-disciplinary creed causing many whiskers to frown upon them. As a strategy, the village was primarily built amongst the canopy of the dense forest. Rope bridges were fastened in the trees connecting the homes that were built around the trunks of the sturdy elderoak trees. The once captivating ideas and theology of the Wizard’s Path have faded away and the whiskers of the village have expanded and built much of the village on the forest floor. Currently, the village is led by the Duke of Bell, the self-proclaimed leader of the Eastern Forest, though most whiskers agree that no one whisker could ever truly rule the forest. Canopy Village is far out of Windrose City's radar and has gone largely unnoticed and uninterrupted in the last century.
The most prominent mountain in the Eastern Forest is south of Canopy Village, lying in the Altreca Mountains. It features an extensive cave system running through the middle of it but that’s not its only peculiarity. The Windless Summit gained its name because the orientation of itself and its surrounding woods and hills causes the natural winds to be directed entirely around it. Those who’ve climbed to the peak claim that it feels entirely still; no wind, little noise, just you and the world in peace. The tunnel system is a true gift to the denizens of the forest, and many who marvel at this natural phenomenon are exceedingly grateful that it exists. Trekking around the mountain can take several days, but through the caves you can make it in one, so long as you know the way. Inside the cave, there's supposedly a route to a plateau near the peak of the mountain, a venerable place spoken of with the utmost respect by those who know of its existence.
The Silvermist Rainforest is a testament to nature’s absolute abundance at full force. Viewing it from atop the Windless Summit or parts of the Altreca Mountains, the area is almost always shrouded in a light mist. The humidity alone is unbearable but when coupled with the heat of the area it becomes borderline uninhabitable. With the Altreca Mountains blocking the winds from the west and the elevation being lower, the weather rarely changes throughout the seasons. The wildlife that’s managed to eke out a living here have become some of the most dangerous in the Great Pond. Snakes, small but poisonous water whelps, and basilisk rule this area. There are rumors that a tribe of whiskers actually live inside the forest but there’s no proof to back these claims aside from the occasional anecdotal testimony from rather unscrupulous explorers. Whiskers that wander into the forest are seldom seen again. The ones that do only live for a short time as diseases take hold. It's a wonder that anything at all can survive in such a harsh climate.
The Marsh is an uninhabitable area much like the adjacent Silvermist Rainforest. On more than one occasion sailors have beached ships in the Marsh because of the low hanging fog and shallow waters. The sea gives to land without warning and the coloration of the water makes it difficult to judge depths. Whiskers that attempt to trek across the Marsh often fall victim to sinking mud pits or quicksand. The Marsh shares similar environments with the Silvermist Rainforest, and many of the same species make their homes here. It is not a place one should travel to.
The Wandering Brook is the primary water source for all of Borozon. With its origin at the Windless Summit, many believe there must be an underground river or reservoir that helps filter the water before it leaves the mountain. The brook snakes across much of the northern area of the Eastern Forest before eventually making its way into Spirit Lake and then into the Southeastern Sea.
Entwined within the Altreca Mountains, deep within the Eastern Forests, lies a sprinkle of small villages known collectively as Borozon. Borozon is a self-sustaining culture that lives off the land and mana-rich environment of the forest. There are approximately 20 settlements that makeup Borozon, all independently operated. Some believe these settlements were started by whiskers that escaped the hell of the Silvermist Rainforest. Regardless of Borozon’s origins, these whiskers are a peaceful kind and prefer to avoid conflict and keep to themselves.
Some say this is where the spirits that whiskers often take as familiars originate. The lake itself provides a habitat for many species living near the forests. Unfortunately, spirits don't like to be disturbed and are an entirely reclusive bunch. Few have ever even seen spirits by the lake, and those that have managed only to catch momentary glimpses before the spirits took refuge in the lake. While the lake is a relaxing environment for species native to the area, and even the occasional whisker, the spirits are known to retaliate if they feel threatened. Spirit Lake is also said to be the deepest lake in the Great Pond. The actual depth is unknown, and many whiskers say the source of the spirits lies at the bottom, possibly an ancient mana leyline from the time of the Old Wizard himself.
Overshadowing nearly everything in the region, the Great Tree is the largest of its kind in the Great Pond. It takes days to circumnavigate the trunk, and the canopy is so high off the ground that it has never been breached. Songs exist, passed down for generations among forest dwellers, that sing praises of an ancient village residing amongst its canopy. The truth of it remains a mystery, hidden deep within the branches and leaves of arguably the greatest natural marvel in the whole of the Great Pond. At its base, many different species of plants and fungi grow. In particular, a rare type of hallucinogenic mushroom can be found that is used most prominently by the druids of the Eastern Forest to commune with nature. The tree is worshiped by many whisker tribes in the Eastern Forest, and its roots may even extend across the entire region. Notably, the Great Tree is viewable even from the Main Castle’s highest tower in Windrose City.
The Rainbow fields are something to behold in the Spring. Long ago, a tribe of druid whiskers known as the Heliofins attempted to create a region of the land that ignored seasons other than Spring. While the Heliofins succeeded, all the crops or flowers grown were poisonous, and the entire tribe died off due either to poison or starvation. Many believe the spirits of the Heliofins still walk the fields as they continue to bloom in every color imaginable. While this is just an old story, it remains one of the many wonders of the Great Pond. The Rainbow Fields currently serve as a place of rest and peace and a profitable dye-export business has been founded by some rather entrepreneurial whiskers. Many residents of the Eastern Forest visit the fields during the Spring to experience its beauty because, while the plants are far from edible, they produce a most beautiful sight.
Many believe the largest tree in the Grass Woods is a relative to the Great Tree. Some even believe it’s just another part of it. While both trees are visible from Spirit Lake, The Great Tree greatly overshadows the Grass Woods’ Emerald Dawn. The Emerald Dawn is massive, but hasn't seemed to grow in decades. Natives see this as a bad omen, that a time is fast approaching where whiskers will have to fight for their freedom from evils that have been hiding from the world.
What was originally written off as giant troll territory has become an area ripe with poverty and isolation. The Isle of the Free first attracted trolls because of its prairie-like environment and tall grasses, perfect for their tribes to gather in large numbers. Totems were crafted from the trees to worship their blood-loving gods. They built sacrificial altars, which served as their primary source of worship. At some point in the past, a massive hurricane blew through the area, cleansing the land with nature’s full force. The trolls were almost entirely wiped out and, with the land recovering, many whiskers without purpose found themselves wandering to these islands to live in isolation and remove themselves from society. Whether it's a lack of funds or motivation, these islands have become anything but "free." The residents here have made themselves more of a prison than a home.