Tolmeshal forest
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Contents
Danger: Normal
Sub zones: Safe Harbor, Fairy pond, Nekomura
Inhabitants: nagas, kensha beasts, fairies, dryads, echydins, noghdongs, iampis, podmaws, poisonous creepers, arboreal frogs, starkala bugs, pantaurs, duikers, glouteux, spine beetles, drakewillow nexolts, mumansis, bugle lizards, dridders, boom bees, black skin-divers, furred parrots, cyganeka worms, eliocanthes, apluyahs
Characters : Ajab, Drayla , Artemia, Elle, Jora, Sonya, Milly, Masumi
The name Tolmeshal comes from the Sagolian "Tol-Mesh-al". The signification is uncertain, but some believe it means "the hungry forest". This name is rarely used though, as most people would simply refer to it as "the jungle" or "the middle forest", as it's situated roughly in the center of most Felarya maps. Tolmeshal forest is an immense jungle area sprawling from the west of Ur-Sagol and the foothills of Frost peak, to the Forest of whispers, and to the Ascarlin mountains in the south, as well as the Grove of carnivorous plants. It's believed Miragia forest was part of Tolmeshal millenniums ago, before an accident turned it into what it is now. It's crossed by countless rivers and streams, the main one being the Shard river and holds many iconic landmarks of Felarya such as the Giant tree.
Tolmeshal forest is your typical Felaryan jungle. It's a beautiful and thick, lush jungle, teeming with life. The atmosphere is hot and humid. Some trees grow to truly gigantic size, dwarfing their surroundings, and stretching majestically toward the sky. It's common to see thick vegetation grow on these behemoths, even smaller trees sometimes! It's quite possible to navigate and find your way on their giant branches, hundreds of feet above the ground. You need a sure footing though, as the slightest slip can be fatal, and to watch out for canopy predators, such as arboreal frogs or pantaurs. The jungle floor is much more shadowy and damp and, while you don't risk falling to your death here, sometimes the vegetation will turn into an impenetrable wall of vines and poisonous creepers.
Tolmeshal forest is as deadly as it is beautiful. It's inhabited by a large variety of hostile beasts and giant predators, more than ready to catch and gobble up any unaware adventurer. It's a dangerous and predatory world, full of subterfuge and camouflage. Nothing is as it appears. A large, bright, beautiful flower could reveal itself to be a deadly trap, and what look like a quiet cave could be the hungry mouth of a dryad lying in wait. You can’t sit down without running the risk that something big and hungry will find you, and during the night, the place becomes even more frightening, full of strange, scary sounds and even deadlier creatures. It takes lot of courage and determination indeed, to venture deep into the jungles of Felarya.
Fairy pond
Danger : Hazardous
Inhabitants : fairies, dryads, echydins, doormat plants, mermaids
Characters : Lucilya
Nestled in a small clearing north of the Grove of carnivorous plants and adjacent to the Shard river, the fairy pond is a marvel for the eyes. Its waters are so pure and crystalline, that the floor made of large flat stones is perfectly visible beneath it. The banks around the pond are covered by bluish grass and small but very fragrant flowers, filling the moist air with their intense aroma. The gentle flow of the nearby waterfalls and the song of the numerous birds nestling in the trees of the thick jungle all around it is very relaxing. It's a truly enchanting place where one could lose themselves in contemplation for hours.
The pond, however, is indeed magically enhanced in more ways than one. One of the magical enchantments is that of purity, as its water stays totally pure and crystalline. If you were covered in mud and were to take a bath here, the water wouldn't become even the slightest bit murkier or less clean. Another magical enchantment is an enchantment against drowning, which has been in place since a day long since past when a mournful fairy enchantress cast the enchantment over the waters to ensure no one else would ever drown in it like her daughter had. The last and most remarkable enchantment is an enchantment of size changing. The waters of the pond will instantly shrink any human or neko who touches it to a height of three inches. While a few small droplets wouldn't trigger the effect, just a light splashing would be enough and submerging yourself to any extent would immediately trigger the shrinking. The water keeps affecting shrunken creatures and, once soaked, they would have to dry themselves up before the effect wears of and they can grow back to their original size. Indirect contact with the water, for example by holding a drenched shrunken person, would trigger the shrinking as well if they are wet enough. it's mostly the pond itself that is magical rather than its waters though. If you were to gather Fairy pond water in a bottle, the water wouldn't retain the shrinking effects forever. After several days it would start to fade if it's transported away from the pond. Likewise, the waters of the pond emptying in the Shard river quickly lose their properties further downstream.
The whole area is saturated with magic, making it very pleasant and refreshing for magical beings. Along with fairies, a few dryads live here, and sometimes mermaids from the adjacent Shard river come to visit as well. The place is very relaxing and unwary adventurers coming to the pond provide a lot of potential for fun and pranks as well as easy meals. The place also act as a safe haven for fairies. The neighboring southern areas are teeming with dangerous insects which are one of the main danger for fairies in Felarya since many felaryan insects possess strong natural anti-magic abilities. However, the pond somehow seems to keep them away.
Safe Harbor
Nekomura
- credits to Servomoore for some ideas to develop the fairy pond.
