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Nearly in the middle of the Four-Faced Forests lies Vandell, also known as Svik's Woods or Svik's Hills. Its neighbors are the Verdant Valley northeast, the Great Wild Basin northwest, the Broken Vale southwest, and the Fisher's Islets just off its only coast southeast – that of the Center Sea. Vandell ends wherever its mountains turn to foothills or shore.
Vandell itself is a broad highland of low mountains and tall hills. Its terrain is predominantly difficult and sloped, but yet nature has covered it with trees wherever possible and with shrubbery wherever trees refuse to settle. At least clearings are more common here than in the neighboring dales because of the rocky land. Woodcutting and agriculture have taken their toll as well, removing obstructing flora from entire hilltops and mountainsides. The forests are always eager to reclaim lost land, as the overgrown ruins dotting the region prove. Past, now dead civilizations had built castles and towns in the highlands. Now they serve beasts as lairs. These examples of past failures have not stopped other peoples to attempt settling or roaming Vandell. Its mountains are too rich in ore and its woodlands too lively with prey to leave this region deserted.
An especially cunning Gren folk has evolved among Vandell's mountains – the Vandellans. They are skilled hunters and trappers, and have been steeled by their centuries-old rivalries with the other trezlin, petty realms and savage tribes, laying claim to the highlands. Wolshak packs and the sozlin tribes of the coast are the only other notable denizens of Vandell. Aezkul dare not build outposts here because the mountains lack tall peaks; they are too low to keep dragonslayers at bay.
Topography
Vandell is a land rich in mountains and hills. The former are low and the latter tall, creating combined a mix of terrain that makes a proper highland. Some areas of Vandell are low and gentle enough in shape that they can be considered an upland instead. Evidently, Vandell must be what is left over of a mountain range that has been created many millennia ago.
While the terrain does chiefly feature shallow inclines for a mountain range, there are a few rougher and steeper areas. Examples are river ravines and gorges, which have jagged, vertical cliffs. Also, just because the mountainsides are gentle does not mean they are easy to thread. Erosion may have smoothed them, but it also loosened material. Stones; small, large, and massive; litter the land, which makes threading it a rocky affair.
The coast towards the Center Sea is difficult terrain as well. Flat shores are difficult to find; cliffs dominate most of the coastline. Water and wind have created a steep, stony wall between the Center Sea and Vandell. Paths down to the gravel and sand do exist. The coast is so rocky and harsh because it practically lies right in the middle of the primordial mountain range Vandell sprang from; the Fisher's Isles are just old peaks of it, lost among the sea and ground flatter by erosion.
Hydrography
Vandell acts as a major watershed between the Verdant Valley and the other Crown Dales west of it. The mountains and uplands extending northward from Vandell's northwestern tip separate the waters of the Howling Woodlands from those of the Great Wild Basin. However, these elevations are not considered part of Vandell and not truly part of the Verdant Valley either. They are located in a transitional area between all of the aforementioned minor regions.
Numerous springs dot the highlands. Their water runs down the hills and mountains, forming hundreds of brooks, which join to become rivers, fill the valleys and mountain basins, or do both. This creates a whole network of streams and lakes of varying sizes within Vandell. Not all of the water wells up from beneath the surface; rainfall and melt from the frozen mountain tops supply a lot as well. The precipitation even fills those natural bowls that no stream ever finds and would otherwise remain dry. Many of Vandell’s rivers and lakes flow or drain, respectively, into the Verdant Valley, the Broken Vale, and even the Great Wild Basin. In fact, many of their streams or at least their tributaries originate from Vandell. The highland rivers themselves carry the most water in spring and summer. It is then the glacial ice and the mountain top snow melt. The summer heat increases the evaporation rate, but it is by far not enough to notably mitigate the melt water. By fall, the lowest water level is reached, and, during winter, the bodies of water freeze shut, except fast flowing ones.
Wherever water cannot drain or seep away, or at least not fast enough, the land becomes waterlogged. Bogs and swamps are commonplace in the wetter glens and valleys, framing their lakes and rivers. Vernal pools and marshes can be found as well, even on the hills, if they offer enough flat, open land. Naturally, the river high tide in spring and early summer temporarily expand the size of Vandell's wetlands.
Climate
[TEMPERATURE, MOISTURE]
[EFFECTS OF SEASONS, COMMON WEATHER]
[IF MULTIPLE CLIMATE ZONES EXIST WITHIN REGION, DETAIL THIS PER ZONE]
Flora and Fauna
[GENERAL FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE PLACE, VEGETATION ZONE, MENTION WHICH ECOSYSTEMS THE PLACE HAS]
[FLORA AND FAUNA OF EACH ECOSYSTEM]
[SENTENCE ABOUT NOTABLE FLORA AND FAUNA BEING MENTIONED ON ITS OWN PAGE]
Natural Resources
[WILD RESOURCES (HUNTING, FISHING, THINGS THAT CAN BE GATHERED FROM ANIMALS, HERBS AND SUCH)]
[AGRICULTURAL VALUE (FARMING, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY), WHAT IS ALREADY BEING DONE HERE, WHAT GROWS HERE]
[BUILDING MATERIALS, NATURAL LUMBER, NATURAL STONE (MARBLE, GRANITE, LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE, BASALT, SLATE, SOAPSTONE, TRAVERTINE, LATERIT, GNEISS), NATURAL MINERALS (CLAY, LOAM, GYPSUM, FLINT), AND OTHER MATERIALS (NATURAL GLUES – PITCH/RESIN), ASPHALT]
[NATURAL ORES (IRON, ARSENIC, COPPER, TIN, GOLD, SILVER, LEAD, ZINC, BENEFICIAL ADDITIVE ORES (metals that can be mixed in with others to create better alloys))]
[FUEL SUCH AS PEAT, CRUDE OIL, COAL]
[LUXURIES? SPICES, SILK, WINE, PEARLS, TRUFFLES, PORCELAIN, NUTMEG, CLOVES, PEPPER, COCOA, CITRUS, GEMS, AMBER, JADE, SALT (can be mixed in with the other paragraphs; truffles could be mentioned under agriculture or the wild resources, for example)]
Places of Interest
[SUMMARIZE WHAT KIND OF LOCATIONS EXIST IN THE REGION (RUINS, OASIS, ETC.)]
[SPEAK OF HOW EASY IT IS TO FIND TRACES OF LIVING CIVILIZATION, SPEAK OF POPULATION DENSITY]
[BELOW, LIST ONLY NATURAL PLACES OF INTEREST]
Disclaimer: This is not a complete list. More notable locations might be added in the future as they come up in stories and roleplays. Suggestions are always welcome.
[LOCATION 01]
[LOCATION, WHAT IT IS, PURPOSE]
[DESCRIPTION]
[A BIT OF HISTORY AND FLAVOR]
[LOCATION 02]
[LOCATION, WHAT IT IS, PURPOSE]
[DESCRIPTION]
[A BIT OF HISTORY AND FLAVOR]
Settlements
Disclaimer: This is not a complete list. More notable settlements might be added in the future as they come up in stories and roleplays. Suggestions are always welcome.
Artificial Structures
Disclaimer: This is not a complete list. More notable structures might be added in the future as they come up in stories and roleplays. Suggestions are always welcome.
- [STRUCTURE 01]