Il'yria

Known generally as the Northern Forest, Ily’ria is thought to be haunted and cursed, home to terrors that would chill your blood before devouring your soul. These legends are carefully nurtured by the forest’s true residents: the largest population of post-Exodus Elves on the continent.

Geography

Il'yria (simply the elvish word for “Cold Wood”) is an enormous expanse of dense evergreen forest filling the northernmost reaches of The Great Plateau, stretching from the Northwall Mountains to the Stonetooth Mountains. While the tales of its being cursed might be a bit of a stretch, it is still an incredibly dangerous place in which to journey, as the towering evergreen trees support a wide variety of life, much of it carnivorous.

Populations

The wildlife, however, isn’t the most dangerous part of the forest. That honor lies with the pockets of Elves residing throughout the woods, maintaining a watch over the border. They take great care both to keep their presence a secret and to discourage visitors or settlers that might discover their presence. Simple camouflage tends to serve well enough to prevent their being spotted by those passing near to the edge of the forest, but those that enter the treeline soon find themselves beset by some of the woods’ fiercest predators (many of which are lured to the attack by elven scouts). Intruders powerful or lucky enough to proceed further than a mile or so into the woods are almost universally attacked, killed, and disposed of secretly.
The elves do not maintain settlements larger than a handful of families. The fauna in the forest discourages settling with groups larger than that, as the natural detritus of a large number of beings tends to draw predators. The elves support themselves through frequent hunting parties, supplementing the meat with small cultivated vegetable plots scattered and carefully hidden amongst (or even in) the trees. The borders of the forest are patrolled by volunteers from each settlement, and trained animal messengers are used to coordinate any rapid responses needed to incursions.
In addition to the elven population of the forest, a pocket of the forest is a gateway to The Fae Realm, and is home to a number of northern Fae, creatures of harsh cold and fierce cruelty.

Landmarks

There are no major architectural landmarks in the forest; before the Dragonscourge, the forest was home to several broods of green Dragons who discouraged settlers in much the same manner as the elven exiles do today. A handful of points of interest do exist, however:

• A large lake near the western edge of the forest which is fed by streams from the mountains and snowmelt, before emptying out into a river feeding the Fertile Lands. This lake hides a small clutch of Green Dragon eggs which date to the Dragonscourge.
• A small clearing in the very center of the forest, kept clear by powerful magic, hosts a black monolith, about the height of an average humanoid. On equinoxes and solstices, this portal activates, linking Il'yria with a similar portal located within the Korth'an Forest. The Il'yrian elves will send the occasional representative to the Korth'an Conclave in this way, maintaining a faint connection with other parts of elvenkind.