Zaarhir Sparse Forest

Place

Place Name:

Zaarhir Sparse Forest

Biome:

Sparse Forest

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Zaarhir Sparse Forest is a region covered in a forest. Like the name, its sparse and spread out from each other in terms of each of the individual plants. The tree cover though shades the majority of the region. The region is mostly flat, though there are some minor and gradual elevation changes across the entirety of the Zaarhir; some are so subtle that it seems like one is walking on a steady flat plane. The region has a normal soil type, but the trees of the region leave a thick layer of leaves over it. This creates a unique soil composition in the region that allows for unique plant growth that is near impossible in other manufactured situations.

The leaves also, for a long time hid the evidence of the carnivorous vines that were common in the region for the centuries before. Despite the sparsity, the leaves allowed for a rainforest like environment to be set up. When it rains, areas hold on to the water more and create muddy sections of the forest that animals in the region use. The soil itself holds moderate amounts of water, though the leaves trap and force more water than it would retain naturally on its own, creating the muddy patches. The region gets moderate rain fall, though it appears more due to the leave acting as water retainers. The rain never gets past a light shower as the tree cover blocks the majority of any heavy rain and disperses it more evenly.

On the rare occasion that it rains heavier than normal, tree roots will sometimes become exposed as the water washes the soil away. This exposes some creatures’ homes and burrows that they create in the soil. This will sometimes cause a sudden surge in wild creatures attempting to take shelter in the livestock paddocks. There are many remnants of the other cities in the region in the form of abandoned and breaking down buildings. They vary in make up from wood huts to brick buildings, though they all are over taken by plant life. The Xisskwar created their homes in a larger eastern clearing in the region. There they also built paddocks for the creatures they started raising for additional sources of blood.

The clearing is located at the lowest part of the forest, so they had to build and constantly keep clear trenches to divert any water from possibly flooding their homes. They packed the soil in the town area and are extremely on the upkept of appearing a mix of disheveled and abandoned. They figured that if the town looked like it was worn and not comfortable that any possible envoys for other regions would not want to stay for an extended period of time, allowing them to continue with their lives uninterrupted. With more trade deals, they did build a structure that would satisfy the botanists and herbologist needs and act as their temporary residence so that they weren’t required to host them in their homes.

Plants

The Zaarhir Sparse Forest has a large variety of plants, though due to the large size, many are considered uncommon or rare in the region. Due to the way they grow, they are near impossible to replicate outside the region, making them sought after each year for fresh samples by various herbology and botany based nations. The trees of the region are sparse, as per the name, both naturally and from the various settlements in the region’s past. One of the rarer to the region plants is a tiny plant that blooms once a year. It only grows in forest settings, though it originates from Zaarhir. It grows in large groups though they are spaced out from one another enough to walk between the plants without crushing any of them.

The leaves are a dark yellow color, leaning on the near black side which can give them the appearance of being green from a distance. The leaves are diamond shaped and are often mistaken for petals as the flowers’ petals are also diamond shaped. Compared to their size, the flowers are almost double the size though they are soft pale blues and purples depending on the soil’s nutrient level. They rely on the decaying leaves on the forest floor as their main nutrient source; the mix of the decay rate and soil level nutrients is the main cause of the inability to recreate a suitable environment for any seeds outside the region. The plants have no known medicinal properties, but their growth process makes them fascinating to the botanists of those regions.

Another rare plant of the region is, again, a tiny plant. It’s found at the highest altitudes of the forest. It blooms in the fall season as the temperature starts to drop. Also diamond shaped leaves, they are often overlooked or confused as the previous plant. This one though is emerald green with small flowers. They are thick petaled flowers, which creates an almost metal like shine on them. This makes the brown and yellow flowers look like bronze and gold. The least common color for the plant is a pink tone that appears rose gold when in bloom. They too grow in groups but a little away from one another; the main visual discerning feature difference between the two plants is that the rarest one has thinner diamond shaped leaves while the more uncommon one had wider diamond leaves.

They have small thorns on their flowering stems, but they are more of an annoyance than an injury risk. Unlike the other plant, the rare one is known to be extremely nutrient packed and great for meal consumption. It rarely gets made into meals though as by the time its found the plant has already passed the bloom stage and is starting to die. The flower petals if cleaned then eaten straight have the highest nutrients; if the plant stock is made into a soup that’s the next highest though it is significantly lower than the flower, especially if its after the bloom as the gathered nutrients have been spent on the flower.

Animals

The Zaarhir Sparse Forest has a variety of creatures living in the region, similar to a rainforest, despite the differing climate. One of the creatures in the region is similar in appearance to a sloth, though its face is like a skink’s. It has white skin and is one of the largest creatures in the region. It also has bone like horned spines protruding from its back. The females are larger and have a set of wings on their back that they use to fly short distances between the trees. Males also have wings, though they’re too small for their average size so unless severely malnourished they are incapable of flight. Males and females will often mate for life, though if young when a mate dies, they may find another partner.

Due to their flying inability, the males will usually stay with the nest and young while the female goes to find food. They are mostly herbivores, though they also feed on small mouse sized creatures in the region. They have a small esophagus though, so anything larger than a mouse size that isn’t in pieces, they lack the proper teeth for, they won’t be able to consume without choking. Due to its imposing size and intimidating features its perceived as extremely dangerous by those who have seen them. They do not mind any zu’aan or kin’toni and have never once attacked one beyond making moves to chase them away from their nest or an exposed young. One of the smallest creatures in the region is about the size of a mouse.

It has a body resembling a gerbil though it is completely furless. In the past it did have fur, but over the years as temperatures changed the fur began to cause them to overheat and die. It was partway into the awakening age when they finally lost the entirety of their fur. To combat getting sunburned, they will find the few muddy area in the region, or they will break plant leaves and rub it over themselves. They’re extremely small, so as a defense mechanism, they have a neck frill they will expand when threatened. They travel in groups, so they coordinate as much as they can, like a school of fish, and move as a large group to appear as a larger animal to scare away any predators.

This rarely works, but it does confuse the attacking creature long enough so that the majority of the group can get away quick. They also live in groups, creating burrows inside the root system that the trees have to protect them from any easy access from predators. It’s a symbiotic relationship as they will eat any bugs or pests that maybe infecting the tree or roots while they receive a safe home. They also eat plants, though the majority of the plants they eat are extremely high up so it takes a near entire day trip for them to get any- so they will go in groups to get large amounts to bring back to the rest of the group if their insect meals are slowing down.

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	Xisskwar Kin'toni Clan

Place

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Zaarhir Sparse Forest

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