Yalrie Forest Thicket

Place

Place Name:

Yalrie Forest Thicket

Biome:

Forest Thicket

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Yalrie Forest Thicket is a region located in the Northern area of Taerel. It’s near mid-way between the north and the center of Taerel, making it a decently rounded region when speaking about temperatures. It experiences all the seasons, though it does not get any snow. The temperature will drop during the winter season but stay just above freezing temperatures. Rain is extremely common in the forest, which makes the region in tandem with the plants a decently humid territory when compared to other forests. With the tree cover, the temperature is rather regulated, but during the summer there are times when the region will get extremely hot days. Coupled with the region’s natural humidity, it can be miserable even for the Xingale, who have been there for so long.

Despite the humidity in the air, the ground can be ‘bone dry’ in most areas because the plants in the area will absorb the water from the rain exceedingly quick. There’s a rare area that will remain wet long enough to form a puddle for a fay or two, but between the creatures in the region, the heat, and the soil composition the puddles rarely last longer than 4 days. Water isn’t an issue for the creatures that live in the region as they can store water for periods of time before they need more, and rain is common enough that puddles are replenished frequently enough to keep them hydrated. Its an extremely shaded region, as the trees create a large canopy cover over the grand majority of the region.

The region isn’t overly dark though, as light still shines through places where there’s gaps between trees and branches. The region does at times feel eerie and menacing if it’s a stormy or cloudy day where most of the light is blocked by clouds. The Xingale have torches for days like these, as while used to the low light, the near no light is too extreme for their eyes to see anything unless aided by even a small candle. The Xingale’s homes in the region are extremely ‘beat up’ and appear run down by any outsider. They do this by design as they don’t want to appear as a large threatening society to other kin’toni. This is also so that they are hidden from unwanted visitors.

They built decoy settlements with similar looks so that any invading force would have a difficult time locating their actual settlement as they all looked rundown and uninhabited. Their storerooms for their valuables and market items are hidden in underground warehouses connected to specific houses in the town. Only those who are native to the Xingale clan know the specific house locations and their hidden doors, so any invading force would be unable to find what they were looking for. It took years but the Xingale became extremely adept at hiding the entrances in a way that it looked like part of the natural landscape or foliage, so it was near impossible to stumble on the entrance by accident.

Plants

The Yalrie has a number of species living in its borders. One of the most common plants is a mid-sized plant that grow similar to grass. Multiple stocks grow from a single root clump creating a faux shrub like shape. It has needle like leaves, which are a deep purple tone, though are often mistaken for a black color in the low light of the region. The needles themselves are extremely dangerous though, as they carry toxins inside the needles which will be injected if it is jostled or knocked. Once a year, during the warmest part of the summer season the plant grow palm-sized flowers. They range in color from soft browns, soft purples, and warmer reds and oranges.

Its rare, but about once a season, there maybe a single dark red bloom. This is the only of the blooms that will produce safe edible fruits. This is because the plant ran out of the necessary nutrients to produce the toxins. The plant grows in large groups, often 10 to 20 immediately surrounding each other. The single dark bloom is often located in the center of these groups, as that’s where the nutrients are the lowest. The fruit, and bloom itself, are highly sought after as the non-toxic bloom can treat and remove the worst of infections as well as neutralizing most poisons. Because of this, the Xingale attempt to artificially grow the plants, but they are extremely finicky and have never produced a safe bloom.

The main tree that makes up the region is a giant plant. It’s trunk alone is often larger in diameter than two zu’aan standing side by side. It relies on the area’s humidity to supplement it’s large water requirements. When it rains, the plant’s roots will absorb the majority of the water from the ground before the next day, leaving it as though it had never rained the day before. The tree creates moderately sized blooms, a bit smaller than one’s palm, in two main colors. The ‘female’ trees often create a light orange bloom, which will produce mango like fruit, while the ‘male’ trees will produce dark pink and black flowers. The ‘male’ flowers produce the seeds in a nut like casing as opposed to the fruit like the female trees.

Due to their large size, they rarely grow immediately next to one another, though they do stay in pollinating proximity. They’re branches have a large reach, so the closest tree could be over 50 feet away their foliage still manages to block the majority of the sunlight. The blooms only last for about 3 weeks and they rely on the wind to pollinate the flowers. Once the blooms are pollinated, the plant will start creating a defense in the form of sticky thick wax that will seep from the entire trunk if there’s any damage done. Once fully ripe, the female produced fruits have a calming effect when consumed directly. The effects are weakened if the fruit is added to other dishes, so the original zu’aan of the region would give it straight to those sick or stressed.

Animals

The creatures in the Yalrie Forest are mostly small in size. They stay in the region for the majority of the year with only a small handful migrating during the winter season when it gets too cold for their young. The most commonly found in the region is a pale purple feathered creature. Its small in size, only about the length of a house cat when fully grown. It look Wyvern in nature, with a snake like body but a singe set of wings. Its head is a small and deer like shape, with bulging eyes. Sticking up from its back there’s spine like spikes that act as its main defense mechanism. They’re made of hard bone like material that once broken away from its source shatters and splinters. This is so that if they’re attacked, the attacking creature is more likely to sustain long lasting injury since it’ll be unable to remove the shards.

The creature is a herbivore, its main food source being the tree’s leaves in the region. Their young are unable to process foods normally for the first year of life, so the parents will secrete a nutrient filled milk like substance from the skin on the underside of their neck. While relying on their parents for the first year of life, the creature’s young only start to develop their flight capable feathers right before the winter season. Their main downy like feathers are too fragile for the cold, so the parents will take their young and migrate south where its warmer for the rest of winter. Another common animal in the Yalrie forest is a mid-sized creature about the size of a deer.

It’s head is similar to a canine, giving it a similar physical appearance to the maned wolf. Its longer legs allow it to move through the thick underbrush of the region with little effort. To help it in hunting, its fur has developed to a green tint that is further darkened when the creature rolls in plants to rub the minor green dye on their fur. This coloring lasts as long as they remain mostly dry, so they can go a few weeks before they have to renew their coating. They hunt as individuals, though they live in groups. They will alternate which of the parents goes hunting, and the remaining parent will care for their litter. When the hunting parent returns they will share some of the food before the other parent goes hunting for their own full meal.

They will steal dens from other creatures if they are separated from their group for any reason, as they rely on group huddles to stay warm and safe at night. They stay in the area year long, though when the coldest part of winter starts, they will make a large group den and they will go into a hibernation like state until the area starts to warm up again. Not all of the members will go into hibernation at one time- the most well fed and a number of the strongest will stay awake on watch for a few weeks before swapping with those who are sleeping.

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	Xingale Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Yalrie Forest Thicket

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This article is written by Crystal Iris. Copyright 2026 Crystal Iris. All rights reserved.