Greenglade Forest
"Don"t mistake this forests silence for its calmness boys. Death can come at any moment and from anywhere. Whether it be by a Sprangel Ape or a Crystal boa, it will be very quick. Keep your eyes peeled open and watch every step carefully' Captain Torken Magnusson of the Greenglade Brotherhood , , advising his soldiers to be wary about the dangers of the forestThe Greenglade Forest is the largest forest In Elladia, spanning a total of around 10 million square kilometres across South-Central Inaria to Northern Erinia. Containing thousands of species of flora and fauna, the location is of immense interest to scientists, who want to study all the creatures within to add to their Bestiaries. However, the region is more known for its Strategic military value, as it has often been used by the Argonites to easily bypass Imperial formations elsewhere. After the disaster at the First battle of the Greenglade forest, a special paramilitary force known as the Greenglade Brotherhood were raised, and they have so far proven their worth by defending the Greenglade forest from other repeated Argonite incursions. In recent times however, things have been changing. The forest itself seems to be mutating, with the plants turning purple and with the trees and animals mutating into twisted and horrifying new forms. Everyday, reports come of Rangers being missing in action or their corpses being found, murdered under mysterious circumstances. The rangers have to prepare themselves alongside the rest of Elladia, for the very nature of Elladia is about to turn against them as Arkanos heralds his arrival. It is only a matter of time.
Geography
"In all my life, never have i seen a place so filled to the brim with the bounties of nature than this forest. The birds call to their fellows, whilst raccoons and squirrels scurry across the ground. The trees stand tall and proud, their canopies providing shelter for the small animals that live there. At night, the crystals glow with the light of the arcanum, something which is too ethereal and alien to be of this world. Coming to this place has made me realise, that the Divines have blessed Elladia in a way that can't be found on any other world" The then crown prince Tobias Christiansen, writing about his experiences on visiting the Greenglade forestThe Greenglade forest is a diverse mix of Many different types of trees and plants. At its northern parts, the Trees are mostly coniferous and Boreal, which have adapted to the cold weather of the region. In the south however, one can find evergreen temperate forests and at its Southernmost points, the forests are made up of trees that one can find in Subtropical regions. The Area that the forest covers is diverse, ranging from Alpine uplands in the North to flat, rolling plains in the southern parts. But for the most part, the Forest is situated on Flat lands except for the occasional hill here and there.
Crystal lakes
"The Lakes are the most intriguing thing about this forest. In those clearings, I have seen water clearer than the most cloudless skies. They were surrounded on three sides by numerous crystalline growths. I did a quick test to measure the level of arcane energy of the water and boy, my arcana meter shot up and looked as if it would reach to the skies themselves! The fish and other animals also seem to be a bit different from the others. Their skin colour seems to match those of the crystals. I am definitely going to come here with more of my fellow scholars and maguses and research on these regions more carefully" Attributed to Magus Gronas Merkian, a high ranking wizard of the Arcana academy on the subject of the Crystal lakes"Named for the magical crystalline growths surrounding them, the crystal lakes are truly a wonder of the forest to behold. Being usually fed by a stream that runs its course through the forest and some of the open areas there, They are special because of the high amount of arcane energy that is in the water. The water from these lakes have been found to have strange properties, such as magically healing wounds and increasing the magical abilities of a Mage. It has also been found to give non magic users the ability to perform different types of magic for a short period of time if drunk. The Imperium has several scientific outposts near these lakes which study the flora and fauna around them and also Experiment with its water.
The Crystal forest
"I bumped into a part of the forest yesterday that was covered with the same crystalline growths i had seen in the lakes. Again, my arcana meter shot up when i decided to take a test to measure the level of arcane energy there. What surprised me most though was that the colour of the trees, animals and plants were different. Many of the plants had blue leaves, and the animals had Blue skin too. It seems as if being near these high arcana areas seems to mutate Biological matter over time. I"ll definitely go back there tommorow with the rest of my party. Its too good of a scientific oppurtunity to slip by." Attributed to Magus Harten Markan, a senior ranking magus in the Arcanum Academy after discovering the presence of crystalline growths in a part of the forestsLike the crystal lakes, the Crystal forest is the name given to those parts of the Greenglade forest which is dominated by magical crystalline growths. The crystalline growths seem to alter their surroundings, as both biological matter and non biological matter are affected by the Arcane energy they emit. The flora and fauna in these regions have been found to be of different colours, and some have even been reported to use magic. This has attracted the Interest of the Imperium as well, and many scholars and Wizards from the Imperium have set up research outposts to Study the effect of arcane energy on Living beings as well as humans. The Brotherhood have also converted some of these areas into ceremonial and training grounds, where new mages are inducted into the brotherhood and hone their arcane skills.
Fauna & Flora
The flora and fauna of the greenglade forest is diverse, with many hundreds of species of trees and plants and animals calling the forest their home.
Flora
"The Trees, they seemed to me to be the most beautiful here on this planet. So many different colours, all shining softly in the morning light. This place is truly a gift from the gods to us." Ranger Gerkal Morisan, remarking about the flora of the forestThe Forest contains many hundreds if not thousands of types of Trees and plants. Some of them are:
- The Borealum Tree- Commonly found in the more northern and colder regions of the forest, the Borealum tree is known for its incredibly hard wood, which is a useful material for construction. Where stone is not available or difficult to extract, Boreal wood is used as a substitute.
- The Safworth- The Safworth is a tree which is known for its magical sap. The sap of this tree has many medicinal properties, and is commonly used to cure fevers and some kinds of infections. Drinking the safworth sap also increases energy for a short time, and it is populary brewn into the safworth tea, a special drink which is drunk by members of the Greenglade Brotherhood to keep awake during night shifts
- Bloomworth- A mystical plant that glows in the dark, the bloomworth plant is known for being an antidepressant and happiness inducing plant. Eating it often makes the ingestor incredibly happy for a short period of time, but since it is a mild carcinogen, overdosing on it means that there is a very high risk of contracting cancer.
- Stranglethorn- A deadly, carnivorous plant that lurks in some of the swampy sections of the forest. The Stranglethorn first captures its prey by causing them to trip on one of its thorned arms, before quickly wrapping their arms around the victim to strangle it and make it bleed to death, After which the plant eats its victim.
- Sprangel ape- The Sprangel ape is a carnivorous primate creature which primarily makes its home in the treetops of the forest. It has been spotted in many colours including green, blue, Black and orange. The Sprangel ape is known to be an incredibly agressive predator, attacking humans without provocation. Their incredibly strong skull allows them to withstand blows from even iron maces, and combined with their powerful jaws and teeth as well as their incredibly strong grip, few can escape death after being grabbed by a Sprangel ape.
- Crystal boa- The crystal boa is an example of an animal mutated by magic in the forest. It is so called because of several spiked crystals growing out of its back and for its ability to spit out magical crystals and beams of magic. The Crystal boa is relatively docile and playful however, and make for good pets if trained properly. If provoked however, crystal boas often attack their provoker with unmatched fury, and they often end up dead with a crystal spike to their head
- Swamp troll- Probably the most dangerous amphibous predator in the forest, the swamp troll is a foe to be reckoned with. They often hide silently in the waters, looking like a semi submerged rock until a prey approaches close enough that the troll can grab them with its gigantic arms and drag them into the depths, never to be seen below.
Fauna
The Greenglade forest is full of many animals, not all of them friendly however. Below are just some of them.Natural Resources
"Simply put, you can chop trees and mine those crystals as long as you clear up the mess you make and make sure not to cause any long lasting damage" High Seraph Axel, summarizing a royal decree to protect the forest in a speech to the general populaceDue to its diversity and richness of flora and fauna, the Greenglade forest is protected by a royal decree, which states that the forest must be conserved, and that any sort of illegal logging and mining is prohibited in this region. Miners and loggers must ensure that they don't cut too many trees or go overboard on mining, and loggers are also asked to plant new trees and cut only fully grown ones to conserve the forest. The forest contains many types of diverse resources. Many of the tree and plant saps have medicinal uses, and the wood from the borealum tree is used as a sturdy construction material in the harsh north. The crystals are not only studied by scientists, they are also mined and experiments have been going to see if the crystalline growths can be used to magically enchant weapons and armor, which would save mages and enchanters a lot of trouble as they have to manually enchant those and it is an extremely tiring and taxing process
Conservation status
Due to its enormous natural significance and research potential, the forest is protected by a royal decree which strictly prohibits illegal mining and logging operations in the forest areas. To be able to start logging and mining, one must get a license from the enviromental protection department, and the person or entity must adhere to not mining or logging more than what is needed. They will also have to restore the environment to the best of their ability whenever possible. If any solid evidence is found against someone violating the rules, their license will be revoked and they have to go through a period of rehabilitation. If repeated cases of violations are found against that person or entity, their license may be revoked for lifetime unless they show good manners.Life in the Forest for a brotherhood member
Life in the Greenglade forest for a member of the Greenglade Brotherhood can be a very exciting, albeit a dangerous one. They often spend their time honing their skills in the jungle, as well as hunting wild animals for food. New recruits have to be extra careful, as many of them are unaware of the dangers posed by the forest. Incidents like recruits dying have been declining however, due to higher ranking and veteran brothers of the order often accompanying them wherever they go. In the day, the rangers often go out for training and hunting and at night, they take shifts on guarding their respective watch fortresses or resting, with a very small amount going out at night to hunt the creatures of the night.Life in the Forest for a researcher
Researches who work in the research outposts dotted around the forest have a sense of security, as the brotherhood sends members and contingents to guard these stations. Besides, some of the outposts have been recently being fitted with sentinels, automatons which are powered on arcane energy. If that was not enough, the researchers are also usually mages who are well versed in the art of combat magic, and can stand their own ground against the beasts of the forest. Being a researcher is often a fun activity. One can go and explore the forest and conduct experiments within their laboratories. This is one of the reasons behind the saying that "The Forest is the paradise of a researcher', as there is so many things to be learnt about in the forest. Many of the researchers and brotherhood members often bathe in the crystal lakes, and find it to be extremely comfortable due to its healing properties.
Type
Forest, Boreal (Coniferous)
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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This is a massive forest! The artwork you've picked out works wonderfully with the descriptions you've put here. And there's certainly a LOT to read! I like that the massive forest gets a massive article, haha. You covered everything and more someone would ever want to know about a magical forest like this too, which is great. A quick note -- I did notice a couple typos, like using double quotes instead of apostrophes in the initial quote, or a double comma. Might be good to do a quick proofread! But aside from that, onto actual feedback! I know you really enjoy these massive articles! Just as a suggestion, an alternate method would be splitting them into multiple smaller ones. Like for example, the sections "The Crystal Forest" and "Crystal Lakes" could each be their own separate article that you link to on the sidebar. This would give you an option to fill out the sidebar with, and give you more opportunities to write yet more about this forest! Just my opinion on formatting, at least :) It's hard to fill out a sidebar on an article this long without the sidebar looking a bit weird and too stretched! Speaking of them, I really like the crystal forest and lake section anyways. The crystalline growths in the lake and the different colours of the plants and animals is fantastic and interesting! Probably my favourite part of the article. That's likely why I suggested giving them their own articles, so that you can write MORE about them! I want MORE! Also I like that Greenglade forest is protected by a royal decree. Protect the environment, yo. Shit's important! The history section was interesting too, though it took me a second to get into the headspace to read it. I was really in the whole "flora and fauna and crystals" mindset when reading the first half of this article, but then the jump into history and wars and battles was a bit jarring! Not sure what you could do there -- my suggestion again would be cutting it into it's own article(s), and linking them in the sidebar or bottom of the article. It's all fantastic work and it deserves to be given full attention, and not have to compete with the first half. Great job here, Elias! :)