Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills

Place

Place Name:

Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills

Biome:

Cold Forest Hills

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

Even though the original geography of the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills is only theorized, the actual geography is still rather fascinating. When the hills of the area are described as grand, that is not an overstatement. The hills are taller than many kin’toni castles. They reach up into the sky, altering the horizon. The area is large, and climbing one hill will reveal the massive size and amount of hills that litter the area. A lot of the hills, if not all of them, are incredibly rocky and slippery. This known fact is what helps give the mountain theory some backbone.

Regardless of whether or not they were mountains at one point, the hills regularly have rockslides when the weather gets warmer, and the ice covering the hills begins to melt. The hills can be an incredibly dangerous place to be during that time. Besides the hills, most of the topography of the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills is forest. The trees dominate the land, hills included. Most of the forest gathers at the bases of the hills, making it hard to see when looking at the base forest from the top of a hill. The trees aren’t too tightly packed together, it's easy to walk between them, however, the leaves make it really hard to see through the trees.

The actual leaves give the forest the look of being thick with a high tree population. The trunks of these trees are not very thick, and the trees themselves appear to just be average run-of-the-mill trees. The leaves cause visibility to be so low, in fact, that the unwary traveler could easily fall victim to the bodies of water that are scattered throughout the land. Many streams and waterfalls can be found in the forest hills. The streams flow mostly at the base, but some have managed to find a way to flow upwards and reach the top of a hill.

There is an abundance of streams in the area. So many that they actually trick travelers and lead them astray due to their flow and the way a lot of the streams connect at certain areas in the forest. Seasoned travelers of the area know which streams lead where, and where they intersect. It is always recommended when traveling through the area to go with a guide. A few waterfalls also exist. They only come from the streams that flow up the hills. The water flows up, pools at the top then falls off the side and into another stream below.

Bordering the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills is a lot of flat land. Many of the streams seem to come from those areas, as very few streams have recorded beginnings and endings. The Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills is a rather mysterious place. The trees protect its secrets, and the streams confuse many unfortunate wanderers. Learning the geography of the forest can be tricky, but to ensure one's safety, it is well worth the challenge of doing so.

Plants

Since no zu’aan tribe or kin’toni clan really inhabits the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills, not a lot of the flora and fauna have names. There are many types of trees in the forest, however, and it is important to take note of the various trees. The most common tree found in the forest is also the tree that can be told apart from the rest, the easier. This tree is the tallest tree in the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills. If the tree grows at the base of the hill, it reaches the top of a smaller hill. These trees are large, both in height and width.

They have the widest trunk of all the trees in the forest, but more than half of the trunk is covered in leaves and branches. This tree is the main contributor to the thick canopy that covers the forest. Another common tree variant is certainly smaller than the first kind mentioned. It grew up until the branches formed on the taller trees; where the smaller tree ended, the branches of the taller tree began. This smaller tree has a thinner trunk and the color of it is a much lighter brown than the taller one. The leaves that adorn the tree are also a lighter green, but much larger in leaf size.

This second tree is good for housing smaller creatures in the wintertime. The rare trees that exist in the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills have been known to grow near the edge of waterfalls, almost marking the area. Due to its rare growth, it has earned itself the very common name watertree, given to it by the more seasoned travelers and guides that go through the Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills. It is a simple name, but it makes it easy to identify and pass along to the other guides of the area. Another fact about the tree that contributes to its name, is the moss that grows on it.

A light green moss hangs from the rather barren tree. Watertrees rarely grow their own leaves, and instead are the chosen location for a hanging moss to grow. This moss only grows on the watertree, and flows down from its branches like the water flows down from the stream atop the hill. Local shrubbery and bushes also grow on the forest floor when it is not too cold and snowy. Various berry bishes grow during the warmer months. Some bushes are edible and some are quite poisonous. The poisonous bush, commonly referred to as ri’ton, has been said to be one of the more deadly berries around.

It is not well known, however, as most travelers know not to eat it, and those that do never live to inform others. The only reason travelers know to avoid the berry is that the local animal life completely disregards the bush. Ri’ton has a sister plant, sowin, that is edible. The berries grow near one another, so it takes a skilled eye to tell them apart.

Animals

Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills is known to be the home of many animals. Besides the smaller woodland creatures that take shelter in the smaller trees of the area, the only other animals that are able to live in the chilled forest are the animals that are rumored to have lived atop the fabled mountains of the Skelmosi area. These animals are larger creatures, and all of them are covered in a thick fur coat. Their individual coats are one of the many traits each animal possesses to keep warm in the frigid winter temperatures. Only three of these creatures were given names, as they are considered the most deadly to any traveler attempting to traverse the harsh landscape of the forest hills.

The first of these creatures is the sharp-toothed greits. Sharp-toothed greits are large creatures that prowl around on four large and muscular legs. Their main feature is described right in their given name. These greits have massive fangs, and their smaller teeth are incredibly sharp. They can tear through the toughest of kin’toni skin with ease. They have dark brown fur, which helps them blend into the larger tree trunks that hide them. Another truly feared animal of the are is the snow yaertin. Similar to the yaertin of the Zarel Snowy Forest, except that the snow yaertin have evolved to be killers.

Snow yaertin are more active in the winters than what could be called summer, or the warmer months in the cold forest. Their fur is white, which helps camouflage them in the snow. They also have a thick layer of fat that covers them, as well as a very thick coat of that white fur. They stand at about 1 and a half zu’aan tall when standing on their back legs. When normally walking, which would be on all four paws, they are only about half a zu’aan tall, but still incredibly large. If given the choice, the snow yaertin would rather hunt and eat a kin’toni than a zu’aan. It appeared to have developed a taste for them.

Finally, there are the long-horned carinas. Out of these three, the long-horned carinas animal is the least deadly. However, it would not have been given a name if it was completely docile and harmless. Long-horned carinas have been known to charge at people passing by. If they don’t successfully chase them into the frigid waters that litter the hills, carinas will make sure that they have a meal for the evening. Long-horned carinas are large hooded creatures that are adorned with two long horns atop their heads, hence the name.

These horns are heavy and sharp, making it easy to scare travelers, and if they can, kill them. They have brown fur, lighter than that of the sharp-toothed greits, but still on the darker side of the spectrum. They grow just slightly smaller than the smaller tree in the forest.

All mentioned animals should be avoided at all costs.

Historical Timeline of Ages

Age Name	Dates	Controller
Stone Age	Before 1E 0	Unknown
Copper Age	1E 1–1E 2200	Unknown
Bronze Age	1E 2200–1E 4400	Unknown
Iron Age	2E 0–2E 700	Unknown
Ancient Age	2E 700–2E 2200	Unknown
Middle Age	3E 0–3E 2050	Unknown
Early Modern Age	3E 2050–3E 2600	Unknown
Industrial Age	3E 2600–3E 2700	Unknown
Machine Age	3E 2700–3E 2800	Unknown
Atomic Age	3E 2800–3E 2850	Unknown
Space Age	3E 2850–3E 2875	Unknown
Information Age	3E 2875–3E 2900	Unknown
Genetic Age	3E 2950–3E 3000	Unknown
Awakening Age	3E 3000–3E 3415	Unknown
Twilight Age	4E 0–4E 500	Qua'kal Bur'wor Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Skelmosi Cold Forest Hills

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This article is written by Vanessa Margo. Copyright 2026 Vanessa Margo. All rights reserved.