Fifth of Trees
The Fifth of Trees is a large forested region, said to cover one-fifth of the land. It is located in the northern part of its continent, bridging the habitable portions of its landmass to the desolate and vast polar region. It spans temperate and boreal zones, bordering mountain ranges, both oceans, and the highlands of Belegon.
It is composed of nine characteristic regions. These areas are mostly bound by natural geologic formations. They are somewhat analogous to recognized polities in some regions, though most of the lands of the Fifth are outside the territory of any government.
Contents
Geography
The overall region including bodies of water is quite vast; it comprises around 21,300 sq. mi. (~39,100 sq. si., ~55,100 sq. km.). Most of the territory of the Fifth of Trees is a nearly contiguous temperate forest. Other significant zones include the taiga of the Wild Dark and the four notable lakes.
The Fifth of Trees is a transcontinental region spanning the entire landmass from each ocean in the east and west, beyond the northernmost part of the populated regions of Belegon, the frontier of which is known as the Forest Front; northern-bounded by the increasingly-highly elevated northern polar region of the world, which spans to unknown extents.
Regions
The Fifth of Trees is divided into nine major Forest Regions:
- Old Forest
- Western Wood
- Southern Forest
- Edilyn Forest
- Gray Forest
- The Wild Dark
- Great Corthan Wood
- The Northwoods
- New Forest
Topography
The wooded region begins in the south at Talkyra Canyon and extends north to the edge of the inhospitable polar region. Elevation tends to increase toward the north and west in the region. The overall altitude of the entire region is high. It meets the sea at tall cliffs and has no ocean ports or access to the ocean from its waterways.
Features
- Mount Heinor, in the Gray Forest
- Talkyra Canyon
- The Central Ridge, a highlands in Edilyn Forest
- The Western Crevice, an abyss forming much of the border between Edilyn and the Gray Forest
Waterways
The Fifth of Trees contains a complex web of drainage systems, all leading to the underground waterway network. Many rivers in the Fifth are navigable, and are the primary means of passage through several areas. There are two major watersheds:
- The basin of Great Lake Taddan, mostly consisting of rivers and streams, some of which carry water from very distant points into the lake. Natural springs can also be found in nearly every type of environment in the Fifth, including on the lakebed.
- The eastern sources of the Underground River, which includes both natural and artificial bodies of water, as well as their intermediaries such as canals, springs and swamp areas. Other contributors to this system lie outside the Fifth of Trees, such as the Northern River.
Rivers
The Fifth of Trees has two major rivers:
- The Sarena courses through the Edilyn Forest into the Great Corthan Wood, terminating at Aina. It historically formed the southern border of the Edilyn state, which is now defined by Lake Bala. It is the longer of the two major rivers. It is the namesake of Satesarena.
- The Heynan begins at Lake Taddan, near the Corthan city of Dèa, and runs southeast toward the Corthan Spring. Although shorter, it carries significantly more water than the Sarena and is both wider and deeper on average. It terminates at the entrance of the Spring, which also has outlets into the Underground River, forming a major source of that waterway.
Other Waterways
- The Bell (along with its tributary, the Upper Bell) courses the Western Wood, and is the namesake of the village of Bellwy.
- Much of the Underground River flows beneath the Fifth of Trees.
Lakes
The region contains four lakes of significance:
- Lake Bala, which lies between the Edilyn and Southern Forests, with its westernmost extent within the Western Wood;
- Aina, the smallest major lake, located in the western part of the Great Corthan Wood;
- Great Lake Taddan, a vast lake mostly between Edilyn and the Northwoods. It contains an island that is part of the Edilyn Forest. Part of its southeastern section, including the mouth of the Heynan River, is located in the Great Corthan Wood.
- The Corthan Spring is a reservoir-turned-lake in the Great Corthan Wood.
Population
The Fifth of Trees is home to diverse and well-established human communities as well as a multitude of wildlife and other creatures. The major population centers are mostly clusterd in a wide band stretching across the south-central area along the region's two major rivers, as well as around Great Lake Taddan.
Distribution
Most residents of the Fifth live among others in some form of cooperative community, ranging in size from clusters of individual dwellings in remote places to large cities that thousands of people call home. The highest concentrations of settlements are within the three established countries of the Fifth of Trees, as well as the western region that was formerly the territory of Mattinas.
A network of roads, many ancient, connects all of the settlements of significant size in the Fifth of Trees. Generally speaking, the population is densest where there are roads. In some places, navigable waterways serve in place of roads, with some areas being accessible only by water.
Small communities can be found many silvans away from paved roads and fortified settlements, in every region except the Wild Dark, which has no permanent human population due to its intractability.
| The Fifth of Trees | |
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| Forest Regions | |
| Lakes | |
| Countries | |
