Sanctum Forest

Sanctum Forest is a large forest encompassing approximately half of the land controlled by Ione. Sanctum Forest is one of the most important locations in Fortunism as it is where the Trials of the Fortunate take place and thus access for most individuals is restricted by the Ionean government.

Geography

Sanctum Forest is exists on the southern shore of Jewel Lake and between it's two offshoot rivers the Jhio River and the Silent River on the western section of Central Irios. The forest exists on a fairly flat stretch of land between the two rivers with land near the rivers declining down toward the rivers forming a lower bank plateau that is often filled during heavy rainfall, forming a natural flood management system.

Localized Phenomena

Some Acolytes who have completed their trials have reported various phenomena that has yet to be confirmed such extreme inclement weather, earthquakes, flooding, and unexplainable events such as darkness for days, floating orbs of various colours, and bouts of confusion or hearing voices. The reporting Acolytes claim that these phenomena are usually what claims the life of initiates that fail the trials. Externally these phenomena have never been observed or recorded.

Fauna & Flora

Due to being a religious site for Ione the area is heavily protected and access is restricted to only a few individuals each year allowing for a flourishing ecosystem that has been fairly untouched for thousands of years. However, the width of the bordering rivers and the Ionean palisade to the south have restricted the movement of many species of plants and animals leading to the forest being extremely isolated. The result is that some species native to the forest are only known to exist in this area.

Flora

Sanctum Forest is deciduous and primarily made up of broadleaf and evergreen vegetation, such as various species of oaks, beeches, chestnuts, with some fruiting trees near the coastlines. Shrubs, grasses, mosses, and a large variety of perennial and annual flowers are also present within the forest. Most notably of the flora is the Blue Blessing mushroom, a blue, biolumenscent mushroom that is only known to exist within this forest.

Fauna

The number of known fauna species within the forest is significantly smaller than the Flora of the forest, likely due to damage caused during The God Wars and the subsequent erection of the Fortene palisade shortly after combat had left the area. The most commonly seen animals include deer, bats, wolves, raptor. songbirds, snakes, and a wide variety of insects.

History

Much of Sanctum Forest's history is tied directly to the development of Ione, Fortunism, and their precursors, The Fortenes. During the early stages of The God Wars the warring fronts were quickly shifting eastward to the coastline of the inland bay, and with the forest almost entirely surrounded by bodies of water, it was mostly left untouched by war. As a result it attracted a group of human refugees seeking solace from battle in 246, A year later, the humans that had survived in the forest emerged with biolumenscent marks on their bodies, which they assumed had been granted to them by a god residing within the forest. They named it Sanctum Forest aftrer the sanctuary that it had provided and founded the town of Fortuna a short distance from the forest in 251. In 252 they began the Trials of the Fortunate in which individuals that had been granted marks recently would need to spend and extended amount of time in the forest to grow closer to their god and understand the struggles of the refugees that founded the basis of the village. While originally started by The Fortenes, this ritual continued into modern day Ione almost unchanged and newly marked individuals are still sent to survive in the forest for a period of time. Being considered a holy site, only the newly marked are permitted to enter the forest. A wooden palisade preventing entry was constructed in 361 and was replaced with a stone one in 605. Access was, and still is, only permitted through the Towering Gatehouse located in Absolus.

Ione