Fir Lanear

Fir Lanear

Government
Oligarchy / Gerontocracy
Capital
None
Cities
Maern Elassidil, Maern Feanorin, Maern Halueve, Maern Tarathiel
Major Worship
Ehlonna

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Climate
Moderate to warm
Exports
Artwork, ceramics, clockwork devices, leather goods, silk, woodcraft
Imports
Alchemical ingredients, cotton, gems, metal (goods), potatoes, salt, wool

There are no exact borders to the realm but if anyone tries to settle too close by, the elves will let them know. In general one can say their lands are south and southeast of the Giant's Crown Mountains, bordering Otteun in the west, the Godfall in the south and Loveria and Taru Lake to the northeast.

Also know as The Elflands, this is the home of almost all the elves in the world.

The elves live in separate clans, known as maern in Elvish. The high elf maerns each have their own city, whereas the wood elf maerns roam the Elflands, building great camps as they follow the mammoth herds through the seasons.

The day to day governing of each maern is left to younger elves but any important decisions that concern them as a whole are the purview of the maern elders. The different maerns are as much competitors as compatriots and they see eye to eye on only a few important matters.

Each high elf maern runs a merchant house, called a Thal in Elvish, which they use to project their influence throughout the world. These are mostly represented by half-elves in the world abroad as few elves can adapt to a life away from their own.

Geography

The terrain of these vast lands is both surprisingly uniform and yet contains many incredulous wonders. Over half of the country is ancient forests, some never trod by man. Prairies and savannas make up the rest, mostly flat towards the south and more hilly in the east.

There are many small waterways and lakes but these haven't made it onto most maps. The two larger streams, the Foelle and Gaenii rivers are used by the elves to transport goods on their beautiful flat bottom maerii riverboats.

Azure Crater (Coudoar Cuil)

The exact location of this three hundred meter wide crater is a closely guarded secret that is not shared with any outsiders. The entire inside of the crater consists of a layer of azure colored gemstone-like material. It is said that it is fused with the ground and so hard that no one has been able to chip even the smallest bit off, though this might propaganda to keep would be thieves at bay.

Deep Jungle (Anu Jangala)

A large fissure in the earth about sixty kilometers long, twenty kilometers at its widest, and about fifty meters deep in most places is one of the strangest biomes on the planet. For unfathomable reasons the climate here is hot and wet, which has lead to the growth of a jungle with flora and fauna found nowhere else.

Falls from the Mist (Eare Selmer)

These enormous cascades begin high up in the Giant's Crown Mountains and become a vast waterfall at the end of their downwards journey. Standing near them is a humbling experience. It is a favorite of elven painters and its waters are said to have all kinds of beneficial properties. A large lake, usually just referred to as the Falls Lake, has formed at the bottom and from here the two main elven rivers start their course.

Underground River (Symbaern Leucandil)

Not even the elves have explored it fully but there are enough accounts to verify that underneath Fir Lanear a river even larger than the Tal and Copis rivers flows. The water from both the the Foelle and Gaenii rivers ends up here, as does the flow of many of the smaller waterways. It is known that this river flows eastwards but it is unclear if it ends in some huge underground sea, at the Silvalhuese River, Taru Lake, or all the way at the Eastern Ocean.

Walking Forest (Falanae Turwaith)

No, it doesn't have feet. But still this pristine forest proves to be quite ambulatory. Even the elves don't know why it moves around their land, or if, they do, they aren't telling. The fact remains that this forest of about four hundred square kilometers doesn't remain rooted in any spot for very long. There are definitely days it doesn't move at all but other days it turns out to have moved even kilometers without anyone noticing. The local fauna doesn't seem to be bothered by this at all.

Ecology

Animals are more abundant here than just about anywhere else in the world.The many forests are teeming with life including a few species not found anywhere else. Chipmunks, squirrels, including a flying variant, opossums, raccoons, and skunks are the most seen mammals. Mice, voles, dormice, muskrats, guinea pigs, and the capybara which is unique to this area, are even more plentiful. Rabbits and hares, including the large Lanearean jackrabbit, are also putting in very impressive numbers.

Boars, peccaries (including a giant variety), wild goats, deer, moose, and wapitis are ubiquitous as one would expect but in the open fields one can also find the local pronghorn and buffalo. The most striking creature is, of course, the mammoth. Herds of these enormous creatures (they easily reach heights of over four meters) roam the plains.

There are a few larger mammals that can be found here and hardly elsewhere, these include the binturong (also known as the bearcat), the coati (also known as the nosebear), the sloth (both the ground and tree variety, also known as slowbear), and the beard tapir.

Predators include coyote, fox, and wolf. Black bears are found throughout, brown bears mostly near the mountains. Fir Lanear is known for its many cats, these include the big cats: cheetah, jaguar, leopard, and puma (called cougar elsewhere). The medium cats found here are the fishing cat, lynx, marbled cat, ocelot, and serval. The smallest cats are kept by many elves.

Bullfrogs and toads are found near any water source, as are many reptiles including the iguana. Unique is the venomous gaenii monster, a heavy, typically slow-moving reptile, up to 56 centimeters long. Both tortoises (including a giant variety of over two meters wide) and freshwater terrapins are quite common. Many different species of snakes make their home here, even flying varieties.

The many waterways and lakes contain a large variety of fish. Some of the most common are the following: bluegill, bullhead catfish, chain pickerel, channel catfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, longnose gar, muskie, northern pike, perch, redfin pickerel, rock bass, smallmouth bass, sockeye salmon, steelhead trout.

Nowhere one can find more species of birds than here, it is even said that Fir Lanear still contains many birds never seen by man. Some of the most populous birds are the blue jay, cardinal, cormorant, crow, duck, loon, oriole, parakeet, pheasant, pigeon, quail, raven, robin, sparrow, Lanearean spoonbill, turkey, and woodpecker. The most seen raptors are the condor, eagle, hawk, owl, and vulture.

Monsters

Surprisingly the elves seem to mostly ignore the Restless (undead). Whereas in other places any sightings lead to an immediate reaction, here the Restless are ignored as long as they are not an immediate danger. The exception is intelligent undead; as these are seen as potentially plotting against the elves, they are destroyed whenever found.

Many tribes of kobolds can be found here; they leave the elves alone and are left alone in turn. Fey and plant creatures of all types are very prevalent, these include the more evil and dangerous ones. Some other monsters that are common here are the chimera, peryton, and phase spider.

Stories tell of a tribe of cyclops living in a cavern system behind the Falls from the Mist but none seem to have ever been encountered outside of it. A creature called 'Gloamwing' is said to fly up and down the Underground River maybe acting as sentinel or guardian. Some sages claim that Dendar the Night Serpent managed to release an aspect of itself before it was imprisoned again and that this aspect is slumbering deep inside one of the ancient Fir Lanearean woods.