The Great Western Forest
Covering
the entire western portion of the lands is a great dense forest. It is
the realm of Calliope, the Elemental
of earth, and as such the very substance of the place seems to exude a
sense of calm and peace, joy almost, so much so that even the light seems
just a bit brighter and more cheerful over the Great Forest in the west.
The forest is sprinkled with conifers but made up of mostly deciduous
trees, oaks, maples, and such, a few scattered birch groves, with conifers
scattered throughout, more of them in the southern areas, near the mountains.
Of all the Lands, the Great Forest is the most full of life, though even
it is very still and quiet, the silence rarely disturbed even by birdsong,
only the soft wind stirring the leaves to whispering amongst themselves.
There are a few shy deer, rarely seen by human eyes, and the rare bird
or squirrel silent in the trees, but the few animals there are avoid the
presence of humans whenever possible. Wandering the forests, one would
think them empty of animal life entirely. There are many streams and small
creeks winding through the trees, and all of them eventually empty in
the Great River, which runs through the forest
northwards towards the Great Lake. On the far western edge of the forest
one finds Yggdrasil, Calliope's home, a huge, magical tree that dwarfs
all others in the forest ten times over.