The Weald

The Weald is a forest the size of a country, stretching from the swamp-like wet woodland to the west, to the glade-dotted oak forest of the northern Weald, to the upland pines of the Glittergloom foothills. Rivers crisscross the landscape, and rolling hills give way to sudden, unexpected chasms and cliffs. Travelling across the Weald is a dangerous prospect, particularly to those unused to such journeys. Roads are quickly swallowed by thickets, and routes that once seemed obvious can suddenly be lost. Regardless, the wealth that can be found deep in the forests draws traders, prospectors, and trappers from far and wide, each hoping that they can survive its dangers to plunder its riches. Ironwood, a species of tree with bark as hard as steel and roots as strong and flexible as the finest rope, can only be found in the Weald, and finding even a single tree is enough to pay a man's way for years. The Weald is also home to a variety of otherwise unheard of herbs, from the deadly bloodvine, to the all-curing Angel's Kiss, can be found in the Weald's verdant hollows.

The history of the Weald
Historically, the forests of the Weald were the home of the halflings or Hin. The caverns below the weald contained the deep-villages of the gnomes. Later, humans moved in from the grasslands to the north and from the western coasts, bringing diversity to the nation. Deep dwarves, who had long used the low roads to trade with human settlements to the far north, started to settle alongside the gnomes, while Surface dwarves started to trade with the growing human settlements.

Non elves have never ascertained the origin of the Vae'Nolar communes deep within the forests, but they appeared abruptly long after humans had starting to spread across the Weald. Vae'hilé tribes were forced into the forests from the east, driven by an expanding hobgoblin empire. They quickly adapted to forest living and formed a loose network of associated nomadic communities. Vae'Nadas slowly became more common as more permanent non-elf communities were developed, and now maybe the most common elves in the Weald.

Orcs have always existed on the fringes of the Weald, but as the region's population increased and travel through the woodland became easier they slowly developed a lifestyle distinct from the orcs that raid the Glittergloom mountains. The first allmoot was held a little over a century ago, and now defines the Weald's orcs.

Goblins have been historically rare in the Weald, tending to prefer the open landscape of the eastern Wolfsend Grasslands and the protection of its Hobgoblin warlords. Recently they have been seen moving through the undergrowth and the low roads, suggesting that there may be a shift in their population in the area.