Nyallwald
The Nyallwald, or Nyallswood, is a large ancient forest located just 12 miles north of Nyallshold in the country of the Dalnyall Clan. It is 400 square miles of evergreen and deciduous trees covering many low hills and winding valleys. The Nyallwald is a very dangerous forest and many chilling tales are told across the territory of the Dalnyall Clan about deadly encounters within its many hills and valleys. Most frightening are the tales of encounters with Mountain Giants, Hags and Forest Dragons, as they are frequently found to live and hunt within the forest and are the most dangerous to residents of the region.
Geography
400 square miles of rolling hills and deep valleys covered by a deep and ancient forest. The region to the north and weest of the Nyallwald grows increasingly rugged and hilly as one moves further from the forest, and it is from the rugged and rocky highlands that many think the dangerous Mountain Giants move into the forest from in search of food. To the south of the forest is the Nall River valley and the most cultivated region of the Dalnyall territory. Between the river and the forest, the land is mostly uninhabited due to the dangerous nature of many of the creatures that call the forest home. Only three towns of any significance are found near the forest's edge, and all of them are focused on harvesting the valuable timber and resources of the Nyallwald.
Fauna & Flora
Nyallwald Forest is famous for its ancient white oaks. Vast stretches of the forest are covered in centuries-old stands of towering white oaks that are much prized by shipwrights and coopers all across the land. Many trees have been found that are thought to be more than 500 years old and offer unique and near priceless specialty shapes that are always needed by ship builders. Oak apples (or galls) are a valuable item harvested from these trees for the production of specialty inks. It is particularly useful in writing on mediums such as vellum and parchment, as it is both waterproof and permanent when applied to these surfaces.
History
Much of the history of the Nyallwald is unknown, since so much of the forest's interior is still thoroughly unexplored. Events that are recorded and remembered are the reign of the Great Drake of 176 AF (an absolutely massive Forest Dragon that took up residence in the Nyallwald for four years), the Nyallwald Hag of 144 AF (an immensely powerful and evil Hag that terrorized the region around the forest for 31 years and took the lives of hundreds of children), and the Mountain Giant War of 123 AF (when a group of six blood-thirsty giants rampaged in and out of the forest for an entire year and killed nearly 60 armed warriors and more than 100 farmers and their families.
