Yalu Bamboo Forest
History
Historical Overview
History by Age
Stone Age: Before 1E 0
Copper Age: 1E 1-1E 2200
Bronze Age: 1E 2200-1E 4400
Iron Age: 2E 0-2E 700
Ancient Age: 2E 700-2E 2200
Middle Ages: 3E 0-3E 2050
Early Modern Age: 3E 2050-3E 2600
Industrial Age: 3E 2600-3E 2700
Machine Age: 3E 2700-3E 2800
Atomic Age: 3E 2800-3E 2850
Space Age: 3E 2850-3E 2875
Information Age: 3E 2875-3E 2900
Genetic Age: 3E 2950-3E 3000
Awakening Age: 3E 3000-3E 3415
Twilight Age: 4E 0-4E 500
Geography
The landscape of the Yalu was dominated by its large bamboo forests. These forests played a huge role in influencing the way of life in the region and provided the region with both resources and food. The terrain of the region was a mix of highlands and lowlands with many small brooks and streams that flowed through the region. These valuable water sources originated from the mountains in the north of the region that were almost five thousand meters in height and had their peaks permanently covered in a later of snow due to the colder temperatures at their altitude.
Some of the snow would regularly melt under the direct sunlight at day, filling the streams with fresh, cold waters that were transported all across the lower regions and forests. The landscape was filled with many exposed rock formations including cliffs and gorges. The region was filled with waterfalls in places like these, where the streams would fall down rock faces on their way downstream. Being the most commonly found resources in the region, these rocks and bamboo would become the building blocks of most structures in the region.
The native zu'aan who settled in the region were experts at the use of these bamboo to create intricate structures, tools and weapons. The abundance of the bamboo was attributed to the presence of many favorable conditions in the region including the moderate climate and the characteristic black soil of the region. This viscous and moist soil was very fertile and supported many different types of crops that were planted by the inhabitants of the region. The entire forest floor was also covered with many different varieties of plants which in turn supported the wildlife of the region.
The region enjoyed a moderate climate that had three main seasons, spring, summer and winter. In spring the forest would be in full bloom and covered with many different flowers that would cover the entire forest floor and trees. This season was the transition between winter and spring and had very pleasant and cool conditions. The snow caps on the mountains would start melting during this season, leading to an increase in the flow of the streams and rivers originating in the mountains.
By summer, the weather would grow increasingly warmer and the region would begin to experience its first rainfall. This combined with the faster melting snow would lead to a rapid increase in the flow of the rivers in the region causing the reemergence of many new waterfalls and streams that had previously withered and died during the winter months. Many new plants and trees would crop up all over the forest during this season. The cycle of seasons would be completed by the winters.
During this season the region would experience cold winds and light snowflakes that would make the temperatures occasionally drop to freezing levels. The freezing would be more widespread in the mountain peaks, leading to a general reduction in the flow of the rivers and streams originating here.
Plants
The Yalu region had the ideal mix of conditions to support plant life. The dark soil of the region was among the fertile soil types with many essential minerals and supplements that aided in plant growth. There were also a number of streams and rivers that ran their course around the region, making sure that the region received adequate water to fulfil the needs of even the most water intensive plants. Winter could be a little harsh sometimes, but the season did not last long and would quickly revert to spring within a few weeks.
The region played host to a variety of bamboo trees like the aughmosroth, the enator and the naror along with other minor plants like the ciurn plants that grew alongside the the bamboo. The aughmosroth was a common variety of bamboo that could be found in the forests of Yalu. They were distinguishable by their duller shades of green and the dry and flaky leaves that were colored a rotting brown. They towered above most of the other bamboo varieties in the region and were mostly over thirty feet.
They were the oldest trees in the region and bore many signs of age on their stems which had rings marks of their age and permanent scarring and scratches from the local wildlife. Their stems were thicker with a harder than most other types of bamboo, making them sturdier and more suitable for construction of different structures and other utilities. They also required a lesser amount of water and their stems were dry and weathered due to their lower absorption rates. This variety of bamboo was inedible and served no nutritional purpose to any of the wildlife in the region.
The enator was another variety of bamboo that was commonly found in the Yalu bamboo forest. They were typically shorter than the aughmosroth varieties and grew to a height of around fifteen to twenty feet. These were the younger varieties of bamboo and still had their fresher green coats and healthy long, green leaves. Their stems also contained more moisture and were not as hard as the older varieties. In order to be used for construction of structures, the stem of the enator had to first be dried and cured.
They were extremely pliable and could bend to a greater degree without breaking this made them an ideal material for weaving beds, hammocks and other comfortable surfaces that required a certain degree of pliability. The softer stem of the enator was edible and eaten by both the zu'aan and the wildlife of the region. The zu'aan used the stem in their broths while most wildlife fed on its leaves and thinner stems.
The naror was the smallest variety of bamboo trees in the region. They were characteristically short and were usually below ten foot in height. These varieties were the youngest bamboo in the region and had thinner stems as a result. They were softer and colored in bright shades of yellow or green due to their higher water content, this made them a valuable source of nutrition for many of the animals of the region along with the zu'aan tribes. They were more demanding than the other mature bamboo varieties and required a constant supply of water and sunlight in order to grow.
The ciurn was a conventional plant that grew alongside the bamboo trees of the region. It could grow to a maximum height of over seven feet and was valuable for its sap which had many antiseptic properties and its small bloodfruit berries that were consumed by the wildlife and the kin'toni as a blood substitute. These berries were a thick muddy red in color with a high iron content and served as a blood substitute for many creatures that consumed blood.
Animals
The wildlife of the Yalu bamboo forest was a combination of plant eating herbivores that fed on the bamboo plants of the region along with a variety of migratory birds and predators. The forests ecosystem had all the ideal conditions to support life, including readily available food sources for both herbivores and carnivores and an abundance of water sources in the form of rivers and streams that flowed down from the snowcapped mountains. Some of the most common wildlife in the region included the bamboo eating ardun, the carnivorous elm'inge, the echoight bird and the sultin fish.
The ardun was a rare plant eating mammal that lived among the bamboo forests of the region. The animal was known for its reclusive nature and rarely ventured close to areas of zu'aan habitation or settlements. They could grow to a maximum height of five foot and weighed over a hundred pounds. Their paws were equipped with a grippy surface and small claws that could bury into the bamboo shoots and helped them scale the bamboo and feed on the fresh leaves growing along the top.
The ardun fur was a mix of brown and black and was known for its incredibly soft texture that was used for crafting cloaks and winter clothes. They were strictly herbivores but were known for their ability to defend themselves when their habitat was threatened or when their young were approached by other animals. They were capable of generating a huge amount of force in their swings and their claws could inflict deep puncture wounds that turned fatal if left untreated
The elm'inge was a large cat-like predator that lived in the rocky outcrops close to the rivers. The animal had a distinct coat of soft black fur that allowed it to mask its movement at night, when it did most of its hunting. It could grow upto seven feet in length and had very agile limbs that allowed it to leap incredible distances. The soft padded paws allowed the elm'inge to sneak up on its prey and its razor-sharp teeth could accurately target crucial body parts of the prey, to induce a paralyzing effect.
The echoight was a bamboo eating bird that made its nest on the tops of bamboo groves. It was a very small bird, no more than five inches in size that was colored in various shades of green to blend in with the environment and escape potential predators. They were a valuable source of protein and were hunted by the other life forms as well as the zu'aan and kin'toni. The sultin were small fishes that lived in the fast-flowing rivers and streams of the region. They could grow up to a size of five inches in length and were famous for their ability to swim upriver.
The females would lay their eggs during the warm summers which would be carried downstream. Once hatched, these fishes would make their way back to the region by following the river upstream. The fish was a staple part of the zu'aan native's diet along with a few other animals in the area.
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 | Kuvesim Kin'toni Clan |
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Unknown |
|
Unknown |
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
This article is written by Jangou. Copyright 2026 Jangou S. All rights reserved.