Chondalwood
Overview
Overpowering the center of the Chondathan sub-continent the Chondalwood is a large, dense forest made up of a variety of species of plants, including some trees that can grow over 100' (30m) high deep in the woods. Ever the subject of conflict and expansion, the resource rich forest is the ancient homeland of the wood elves, and is the location housing the empire of Fylath Shaeras. The wood itself is too large to be a solid forest, and is actually split into three major sections, the Rimwood near the edges and majority in the west, the Middlewood directly in the center of the forest and the eastern edge, and the Starwood near the capital of Fylath Shaeras and its region around its surrounding major cities.Magical Defenses
While many expect the forests of the Chondalwood and the ancient capital of Fylath Shaeras to be covered with riddles and magical defenses against attack, they are truthfully quiet few and far between. However, as humans are other races are often to overlook, minor illusions are often the most effective. The following effects are widespread through the entire woodland area.- Should any drow touch the surface inside the forest, their footprints, handprints, and any types of contact darkness the grass and loam beneath their touch to a deep shade. This simple, widespread magic allows very easy tracking of the ancient elven enemy. This coloration change lasts for 24 hours.
- An appeal to Rillifane (taught to all elven children) while planting a flower or bulb anywhere in the woods, will show the way home if you are lost. This occurs no matter the season, as long as it is under three inches of dirt. The flower instantly grows to full size and reveals the way home, either by pointing, whispering, or images in the planters mind.
- Before the opening of Fylath Shaeras to some outsiders through both love and invitation. The elves maintained a magical mythal that confused many forest invaders. If a creature was not a native of the woods (fey or native beastfolk) or an elf, an invisible field was teleport the creature and any creatures within 100 feet of them 500 yards in a random direction and turn them in a direction away from any gathering of elves. Most folks continue traveling, as it takes a high perception to notice the teleportation. After the opening of the woods and changing of the mythal, now only people not accompanied by wood elves are sent away, as well as goblins, orcs, ogres, giants, and other monsters.
- Whether a mythal or a wish by the wood elven gods, all ogres are at a -1 morale penalty to all rolls in the forest.
Geography
The Rimwood
The rimwood is mainly made up of oaks and is the least dense part of the forest. It is an area that runs around the edge of the forest; a border between the interior forest and the rest of the world. The soil here is not rich in minerals and quite sandy, so it lacks the variety of vegetation found deeper in the forest. The main bulk of the trees are blueridge and simple oaks but they are spread quite far apart, rarely touching one another, and don't often grow over 20' (6m). Because these trees drop slow-to-decompose leaves on the forest floor, other foliage struggles to grow, except for softwood ferns. The hillsides can be home to willow, spruce and clumps of wiregrass. Although the lack of vegetation causes a lack of animal species in the rimwood, insects such as beetles, lice, mosquitoes, red ants and red leafhoppers thrive here.The Middlewood
The middlewood consists chiefly of white ash and beech. The trees here are packed densely enough to provide a mostly unbroken canopy. It separates the rimwood from the starwood and accounts for roughly half of the total area of the forest. There is a wide variety of other vegetation (in part thanks to the rich soil) including chestnuts and red maples in the hills south of Featherdale, honeysuckle and snapdragons in meadows and cherry trees and blue cedars in groves near Galt, and ivory moss, moonfern, alders, hickories and bitternuts. Some of the weirder vegetation includes beetle palm, foxberry and roseneedle pine.The Starwood
The starwood is made up mostly of giant oaks and maple and is the most dense part of the forest. The maples average a height of 200' (61m) and some of the oaks can reach 400' (122m). The soil here is rich enough to be almost black and is almost constantly moist. This produces a wide variety of undergrowth, and travelling through this can be difficult because of its density. Because of the high humidity, a variety of lichens and mosses grow here. The starwood is rich in animal species such as deer, dire wolves, elk, emerald constrictors, finches, manticores, owls, porcupines, skunks, weasels and wood rats. This area of the forest is split roughly into four, each with its own distinct tree types, but all areas of the starwood contain tall oaks, maples and hickories. The north starwood is northwest of the capital, and home to spruce and hemlock trees. The eastern starwood has poplar and gum trees, and contains the capital of the empire, also named Fylath Shaeras. The western starwood region contains the Oak Court and Tangled Trees regions (both elven communities), and is home to firs and elms. The southern starwood is rich in cedars, and is home to the city of Semberhome.Climate
The forest is served year-round by a light rain, and the ground is usually moist, keeping humidity high. Winds cannot penetrate the thick dense canopy, so the forest is calm at ground level. At the height of the summer, the sun provides direct light for 16 hours a day. The long daylight period allows crops to grow quickly, and summer storms can come and go in just an hour. There are often patches of dense fog in the forest, especially near the northern woods. In the Starwood, this fog is thick and grey in color, allowing visibility of only a few hundred feet. It is possible that the weather is calm due to the magic of the many mythals affecting the region.
Fauna & Flora
The wildlife of Cormanthor was vast and diverse, encompassing many different types of flora and fauna. The fyreflies in the forest can cause wild blazes, especially on clear summer nights, when they congregate in huge swarms. In the past, efforts have been made to control their population, including introducing giant wasps to eat their food supply (cornflowers), but they simply moved onto pigweed and quack grass instead. During the Retreat of the Elves, many cities left Green Warders behind, these plant constructs still defend the ruins of these cities from intruders, as well as alerting nearby elves when they see intruders. In the last few decades, many Chondathan cities near the forest edge have reported Green Warders being more and more aggressive.
History
The Chondalwood, called Acorar (Forest of Great Kings) by the native wood elves, is an immense woodland realm stretching across the entire sub-continent. Arcorar was colonized and settled before the Calamity, and some of its capital region survived the terrible conflict. While the humans and dwarves were buried and safe during the calamity, the kingdom of Fylath Shaeras was unified and ruled under a Coronal, a powerful monarch who is declared the king of all elves. After thousands of years of living in the woods, human settlers came into conflict with the elves over forest edge territory. After some brutal battles and massacres and the failed war march of Halvan the Dark, former king of Harrowdale, the dales agreed to lessen their impact on the woods and cease settling in the forest. Recently with the Dragon Plague and Dragon War, the elves declared a major retreat to empower the Starwood and its magic defenses. The edge cities and villages were abandoned, and over 90% of the elven population pulled into the Starwood. The edges of the woods of the Chondalwood became infested with drow after the retreat, who moved into the abandoned habitats of their kin. These drow are attempting to seize the mythals and use the power for their own purposes.
Type
Forest
Location under
Included Organizations
Owning Organization
