Lorgan's Notes: Greenglimmer History

Orig image by yotrakbutda, Adobe Stock Images

The eyes draw within the sparkle of green reflected off the leaves of every tree. It is as if one stands in the living world as the afternoon Sun touches the rain-kissed spread, bringing a scintillating joy to the beholder.

~Abantheine of the elfine Menjelhe Clan

Research:
Greenglimmer

by our exploratory hero,
Lorgan the adventuresome

In this Research Document:

all images by Shade Melodique
unless otherwise stated

featured image by Adam Bignell, Unsplash

Greenglimmer: Brief Note

I last visited Greenglimmer a thousand years previous, when I attempted to Redeem Laken. I discovered his right arm essence in a ruin and traveled to the Snake's Den afterwards. The Snake convinced me that Laken's Redeemer needed to be the Daughter of the Sun (who I now know is Vantra), and I reluctantly returned him to the Fields.
Needless to say, while I have three crates worth of scholarly research dedicated to Greenglimmer, how accurate those pages remain after a thousand years is, to put it mildly, suspect. I am hoping to update my information at the Candenza Library in Selaserat. I checked in Merdia, but, well, a piratey-tourist trap isn't conducive to collecting effective study materials. The Badeçasyon shipwrights had some current event info because their business takes them to Selaserat, and the mini-Joyful has port-specific knowledge, but not enough to make informed decisions on how to best carry out the search for Laken's essence.

This missive is concerned with the history of Greenglimmer--well, the huge life-altering ones, anyway. For general information, see my Greenglimmer and my Greenglimmer Districts write-ups.
Pirate captain Drowned Dough kindly helped me by offering to update my Selaserat info. There is little more entertaining than a pirate captain's viewpoint.

Greenglimmer: History

As with most ghostly areas in the Evenacht, Greenglimmer has a not-so-nice past that haunts the present. And, of course, this all starts with the Astri Pact.
Sometime after the Astri made the agreement with the then-Death to allow ghosts to dwell in the Evenacht, a comraderie of dryans chose the rainforest of the southeastern part of Uka's Lament (at the time called Reiuth) for the location of a great lake. They drove native populations from the place and flooded it by way of multiple dams.
After it filled, the excess water released engorged the Usinz River, which grew to over three times its initial size. It became the Dryanflow, a wide, slower waterway. Ghosts of all faelareign populated the banks, driving the displaced native communities even further down the river, and deeper into the rainforest.
But there was one area of the rainforest that most local populations avoided. They claimed it was haunted by angry ancestors and guarded by vicious members of the Wiiv tribe. Whether true or not, an elfine whizen named Kjiven looked into the matter. He did not discover ghosts, but a labyrinth of trees brimming with energy-laden mist.
He disappeared into the labyrinth. His friends and family did not hear from him for centuries, and they assumed he fell to the forest. They mourned and continued with their existence.

As you likely already guessed, Kjiven did not die. In later writings, he bragged he became one with the forest. Whether something so magnificent occurred or not, he declared the Labyrinth of Trees and the surrounding area his land.
He drew his once-acolytes to his side and in 43,078 years previous, founded Kjivendei, a citadel on top of the eastern mountain range of Wrorl (now the Uprise Mountains). It overlooked his domain, and he viciously protected what he considered his. Neither the Wiiv nor the ghosts had a chance against him and his kith and kin.
Naming the forestland Greenglimmer, he carved out borders that ran from the Sea of Winds, west across the Dryanflow, and to the Parley Mountains, then retreated to his citadel and began a thousands-of-years long rule.
The Greenglimmer tribes resented a ghost proclaiming their home his domain. Clashes between the elfines and the locals ensued, with the Wiiv a particularly vicious opponent. The ghosts long out-existed their enemy, and the later generations of Wiiv simmered down but never stopped poking at elfine communities.
Most of the tribes, deciding the conflict pointless, kept contact minimal and let the ghosts do their ghost things.

Sometime within the early years of Kjiven's reign, the dryans grew increasingly upset with him. I have yet to discover what, exactly, triggered the animosity, but I believe it had something to do with the founding of Lake Deccavent. They disliked that Kjiven claimed to have become one with the forest, because he demanded the dryan leaders swear their obedience to his divine rule. As followers of Nature, they resented his proclamation.
Zoedvyn, a dryan ruler, declared Kjiven an "el-finite ruler". He miscalculated the elfine's support, but his jab stuck. The dryans referred to that part of the rainforest as the Elfiniti, not Greenglimmer. In time, the moniker grew to refer to the entire rainforest, not just Kjiven's section.

The Wiiv are still around, if more fractured. They are divided by whether they believe ghosts should inhabit the rainforest, or if they should be driven out of Greenglimmer so local tribes can reclaim their birthright.
The drive-away lot believe in a not-so-secret prophecy of unknown origin. They tell stories of a being who will drive the evil ghosts from the rainforest, then from the Evenacht, and who then becomes the divine ruler in Death's stead. This being will place the Wiiv as the ultimate authority, and all other peoples native to the mist-shrouded lands will bow to them.
This fanciful collection of tales neglects to mention how the being will wrest power from the Astri, let alone defeat the native pantheons. The most prominent death deity, Levassa, is not an easy one to annihilate.

The Flood

Kjiven grew in power and wealth, and the populace of the Elfiniti grew more and more resentful. Despite the animosity, no one could depose him, and the dryans tried. Other spirits from southern Talis elfine populations saw his success and settled the rainforest, creating monumental citadels that peeked over the treetops. One particular spot along the Dryanflow attracted farmers and the like, and Selaserat was born.
Kjiven, seeing an opportunity to charge traders going upriver to Dryanthium, declared Selaserat a port in 23,098 years previous. He and his strongest supporters placed a magical barricade across the river and charged tolls. Traders tried to bypass the barrier, but the rainforest was not the safest environment for foot travel to Dryanthium. After a multitude of losses, they finally just paid the tolls, and Kjiven and his kith and kin grew wealthy and influential and thought themselves invincible.
Then the largest Dryanthium dam burst in 19,876 years previous. Some claim locals blew it, but all evidence was washed away with broken trees, ghostly essences and dead bodies. Kjiven was in Selaserat when the waters came roaring down, and, as far as everyone knows, he was swept away to the Sea of Winds and torn apart by the waves. He disappeared, along with his closest advisors and kin.
The Wiiv took the opportunity to invade Kjivendei and sacked the place. They sent many ghosts to the Final Death (and were, in turn, sent to theirs. No one knows who slaughtered the invaders, but they left corpses scattered across the mountainsides).
Greenglimmer became a wasteland.

background image by Tom Fisk, Pexels

Myths and legends have risen concerning the flood. One of the oldest says that Kjiven did not get swept to sea, but evacuated to a tall, elfine-inspired tower that acted as a lighthouse for the Dryanflow. From there he literally became one with the forest, and a wall of foliage rose, funneling the floodwaters to the Sea of Winds rather than letting them swamp Greenglimmer.
The tower's still there. It's a beacon to guide ships to the Westel port before making their way to the lake. Of course, it's supposed to be haunted, though why Talin ghosts would bother is beyond me. Perhaps Wiiv spirits are the culprits, but I noticed nothing on my visit. My tour guide was upset that I didn't jump once at a spooky sound or screech at the wind.

The forest regrew over the centuries. Ghosts did not much bother with Greenglimmer but for the trade routes and Selaserat. Native populations uprooted by the creation of Dryanthium found a home within its borders, and disappeared into the rainforest. Hidden within its boughs, they no longer had to worry about spirits encroaching on their territory.
Why? The Labyrinth of Trees. Greenglimmer was always known as a difficult place to travel, as the twisting pathways through the forest seemed to change on a daily basis. A few set paths to villages existed, and the elfines during Kjiven's time had carved larger roads to their citadels, but most of the landscape was wild growth. After the flood, the Labyrinth regrew denser, causing even more difficulty in travel. For the non-ghostly who resented their presence, the Labyrinth presented a perfect place to hide.
It was at this time that Luck's Hold arose to prominence. The Eoveine, native to Dryanthium rather than Greenglimmer, built a religious center where they could pray to Strans of Twisted Vines for help traveling through the Labyrinth. Even the Wiiv pray there, which cemented the Eoveine in local culture.

Greenglimmer after the flood
Orig image by Ruslan Sikunov, Unsplash

Giant lakes dam both water and evenachtis ryiam (magic). When released, the ryiam can burn both the living and the dead if too much of it pools in one place.

Current Era

Greenglimmer became an official Elfiniti Rainforest district under Erse Parr's leadership. Legend has it that she, Veer Tul and Talis created new administrative regions and districts after the Beast annihilated the governments in his search for power. The borders follow the ones that Kjiven created, though they have no meaning outside official, and typically ignored, government decrees.

Eastern Greenglimmer

Selaserat became the seat of Greenglimmer administration and has grown to around 500,000 (300,000 ghosts, 200,000 living) because of it. Settlements have risen ouside its borders, and farmers have cut down the forest along the river for farmland.
Other than Selaserat, the eastern side of the Dryanflow has the efline fortress of Embeckourteine, Kooldvyn (the community associated with the dryan lake Deccavent), and a few towns on the trade routes. The Uprise Mountains, named after the Wiiv uprising, contain ruins and a scattering of small villages. Kjivendei still attracts attention because, despite the ravages of time, it is an impressive monument to elfine architecture.
Extant native habitations are hidden within the Labyrinth of Trees, though small settlements litter other areas of the rainforest, especially in the Hoop. The most important one is Luck's Hold, a religious center run by the Eoveine and dedicated to Strans of Twisted Vines, who helps travelers through the Labyrinth with divine luck.
The tribes do not like the number of tourists who are entering Greenglimmer at Fekj and taking the elfine roads to Embeckourteine, then to Deccavent and up the mountains to the ruins of Kjivendei. They don't care what happens beyond the Uprise (the Happendance side of Greenglimmer), but believe that the tourists are rousing the spirits of their ancestors (who are safely tucked away in their own deadlands, so if something's getting roused, it isn't them).

Western Greenglimmer

Across the Dryanflow to the west, orchards exemplify West Sel. The trade routes exiting from the Parley Mountains ensure that the many towns and villages remain extant as resting places for weary travelers. Farming communities developed to feed these travelers, and most inhabitants are native peoples who turned to a settled life.
There are two main attractions that bring visitors other than traders; Court-lee Grace, a monstrous elfine citadel that is more an eyesore than elegant architecture, and Hope's Claw Temple (dedicated to Maed Enne, Gapp Keobo and the ever-popular Strans of Twisted Vines). Reaching Hope's Claw isn't simple, and guides get plenty of work leading pilgrims there.
There is resentment of ghostly presence in eastern Greenglimmer, but the western populations have seen wealth by allying with ghosts. The clash of opinion has led to a clash of beings, resulting in raids that destroy crops and lives. There are rumors that the Wiiv kidnap beings for dark rituals, which has created a deep distrust in settled natives for those of 'wilder persuasion' on the other side of the Dryanflow.
The Greenglimmer leadership has a settlement in the Labyrinth called the Mid, a vain attempt at diplomacy with the tribes. Selaserat's Council, devoted to wealth-creation rather than governing, is not in a position to quell hostilities.
They are going to have to act, however, now that locals are attacking boats on the Dryanflow.

Eoveine farm
orig image by Sabbir Ahasan, Pexels

The Wiiv borrowed the idea of growing food from ghosts, but did it in their own way. Superstition claimed that Kjiven could see their communities from the top of his Kjivendei citadel, so they hid their homes by growing food on top of them, thus blending into the forest. They developed many ingenious ways to do this, and other tribes who moved into Greenglimmer copied them. Rainforest inhabitants continue to farm in this way.

image by Zoe, Unsplash

Part of the Kjivendei ruin. As with most ruins, rumors of hauntings abound. Unlike most ruins, there is something to it at Kjivendei--but not of the transparent 'BOO' variety.
Defunct protective spells litter the place, and rise as dusk. Many have warped over the years, and being inside the ruins after dark is unsafe. There is more to the strangeness than that, and while my curiosity is piqued, Finder texts are oddly vague about the place, and I haven't had the time to study it in person.