Sulbashira - The Forest of Swaying Pillars - Seistacean Breeding Grounds

Sulbashira (Old Emblaetir meaning 'Forest of the Great Swaying Pillars') is found within Var Nexa though, while it is known to be located in the Equitoral regions, the exact location has not been mapped out. All maps that do contain the vague location have attached warnings, cautioning any Seekers who aim to travel there of never ceasing Earthquakes, trees that whip with enough force to send train carriages flying, and the risk of mountains falling from the sky. However, maps on Sulbashira are lacking as only Seekers who skirt the outside of the forest have been able to return with maps.
Research from Terminus Univeristy's Cartography department, report that, given the vast distance between where different maps have depicted the forest, Sulbashira either covers a majority of the equatoral regions, or the more popular theory that there are several locations that display similar phenomena.
Recordings state that it is more common than not for Earthquakes to rumble through the area - especailly in summer months - typically lasting several days, though some accounts have recorded month long earthquakes.
The area is classed as a 'Calamity Zone' <- may remove this, too on the nose, though I quite like the term in general
From an omniscient perspective, this is a forest of giant Bashira trees that have evolved to become Earthquake resistant. These trees have two layers 1) A central 'pillar' that has grown into the ground and is strongly supported by roots. 2) An outer layer covered in bark that sits on top of the 'pillar'. This allows the tree to 'sway' and disperse the energy it recieves from an Earthquake, while reducing the risk of the tree being knocked over by the quakes. It is the large canopy cover of these trees, and their resistance to toppling, that attracts Seistaceans to it as their breeding ground.
[Seistacean] (from Seismos meaning 'earthquake' or 'to shake' and 'Cetacean'/'Cetacus' meaning whale) are a species of Calamity. They are capable of swimming through the earth itself, leaving muddy trails in their wake. When they leap from the earth to breach the surface, their landing sends shockwaves through the ground around them that, due to their collosal size, become Earthquakes. While large Seistaceans are typically solitary, they frequently come together during the breeding season.
Due to this, the breeding season often sees spikes of Earthquake frequency and power. As such the Seistaceans often leave highly damaged areas in their wake. This limits the breeding grounds available to them, as most damaged areas leave them without protection from potential predators, which large groups often attract.
The Sulbashira forest is therefore an ideal location for the Seistaceans, as it both provides the cover needed for the breeding season while being resistant to damage from the Calamities themselves. In exchange, Seistaceans bring vast amounts of nutrients from distant land to the forest, leading to a spike in growth for the Bashira Trees themselves.
NOTE: Bashira Trees: Name for the Trees in the area will derive from the Pillars inside Japanese pagoda's that are designed to help it resist earthquakes. These are called Shinbashira, with Kanji used to name these Pillars meaning "reality" and "pillar" -> in particular, the kanji for pillar is made up of the symbols for Tree and Bridge. This derives into the basis for this plant, a giant tree that sways with the motion of Earthquakes to prevent them from toppling, this provides good cover for Seistaceans from predators when they are giving birth/raising their young.

Geography

Located within Var Nexa, though otherwise most geographic features about Sulbashira are unknown within the world due to the danger of exploring it, with under ten Seeker Teams returning from any level of exploration.
The forest is located equitorially, and it is known that a great river flows from it (though this location itself has also had little exploration due to ending in a waterfall that dissapears into a giant chasm).

Localized Phenomena

The area is best known for its frequent Earthquakes, it has been reported that on average only one day a week does not have an Earthquake of some level. Due to this, the Bashira Trees within the forest are almost constantly swaying, even when their is no breeze to pass through them.

History

The Sulbashira forest is older than humanity's history records, with early recordings of exploration into Var Nexa noting a forest that is described as "rolling like waves," which is commonly accepted as referring to Sulbashira.

Alternative Name(s)

The Forest of Swaying Trees

Type

Forest

Location under

Var Nexa