Aesse Ancient Forest

Place

Place Name:

Aesse Ancient Forest

Biome:

Ancient Forest

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

History

Historical Overview

Forests have always had mystical significance in most religious and superstitious sectors of zu'aan history. It's not surprising. Forests represent the outlasting aspect of nature en masse, and they are perfect places of isolation where only the most seasoned explorers will avoid getting lost. Aesse is the name of one of these natural sanctuaries, a so-called old-growth forest or primary forest that has existed since well before the time of the zu'aan. Aesse is one of the oldest locations recorded in zu'aan written history, with records of it going as far back as the first half of the Copper Age. Though records of it being populated by proper civilization only go as far back as the later years of the Iron Age, it is believed that Aesse has always been populated by tribal zu'aan since ancient times.

Older records describe it as migratory site of religious significance, and records from the Middle Ages describe monks who used the forest as a open meditation chamber, a practice that survived until the pre-Awakening centuries. Perhaps out of respect for its natural sanctity, cities were never built in the forest. It has been used as a path and small roads have been carved where there is less vegetation, and small villages exists alongside the rivers, but proper cities required high-end deforestation and the projects were never approved. As such, Aesse stands still today as a perfect natural sanctuary.

Throughout the ages, due to its spiritual relevance, Aesse became popular for the construction of natural grottos and forest shrines, small-scale buildings that were mostly built either underground or in clearings, as to not disrupt the natural course of the forest. Over time the number of these grew exponentially, and now Aesse is dotted with webs of underground and surface grottos, some connected, some not, most of them almost perfectly hidden within the woods. Perhaps because of this advantage, the fleeing zu'aan that came from the forest villages and the zu'aan that came from outside were able to find some degree of shelter against the kin'toni, and their survival was made possible.

Aesse, as part of the unofficial zu'aan group located around the area known as the Bruzrcuvyr Shield, became a sort of hidden clandestine meeting point for zu'aan to plot their movement and actions. Somewhat successful, they pride themselves on being the cornerstone of the zu'aan partial victory during the zu'aan-kin'toni conflicts around the Shield during the Awakening Age. As of the Shattering, things have quieted a bit, but the kin'toni are getting stronger, and the winds of north are blaring still. An interconnected underground city was gradually built on the Aesse forest sanctuaries, and now it does naught but grow. Though sheltered from the cold, fear is rampant still in the air, and considerations to move south - a thought shared by many zu'aan throughout Taerel - arise.

Geography

Aesse Ancient Forest is a large old-growth forest located in the north. Aesse is home to some of the most ancient trees in the world, the last living representatives of the largest ever living trees, and the last survivors of the previously known ancient Great Plains rainforest. They have endured millennia under a vaster rainfall and now they are facing climate change that is threatening their existence, i.e the Twilight Age's harsh frozen climate. The climate in Aesse is sub-tropical and generally considered as warm throughout the whole year, though the structure of the forest provides a fresh and cool atmosphere year-round. Aesse is subject to heavy rainfall during the cold seasons, winter and autumn, and more propense to dry storms during the warm seasons, summer and spring.

The riverbanks tend to swell during the heavier periods of rain and partially submerge small parts of the forest floor, which have adapted sufficiently. Due to the colder climate of the Twilight Age, rainfall has decreased substantially, and though the climate still does not allow for snow to fall, floods and risings in the water level are becoming less frequent notably each year, and the local zu'aan have taken to building in these now desert banks. The probability of earthquakes and other natural disasters is very low in Aesse. Meteorologically speaking, Aesse is only subject to rain, hail and wet and dry lightening storms. Due to the dense tree life, wind currents are fairly tame.

Aesse is largely composed of dense forestal ground. Sub-biomes in Aesse are limited to the occasional clearings in the midst of the woods, the dry riverbanks, the rivers and small lakes, and the hilly pre-mountain formations near the north edge of the forest, which cause waterfalls and mark the end of the biome. There are three main rivers snaking their way through Aesse, all of them with their own partitions and significance; the Zu'o, Hilber, and Jeym'nllde. The Zu'o is a river that flows from the northwest to the Aldsayryn Dirty Lake in the southwest, avoiding Ack-ormaw and flowing directly into the lake, and the further into the sea. It is not a very large river, and its course through the forest is fairly direct.

It has a few tributaries that form outside of the forest and flow through it. It is about 6 meters in depth at its lowest point and 2 meters at its most shallow, and 5 meters across on average. It is used for simple navigation due to its somewhat small nature and due to the fact that it flows through plain grounds and does not have much tribulation. The Hilber is a larger river that flows from the northern mountains and continues to the east. Its tributaries are the origin of the many waterfalls that form on the northern edge of Aesse. As a river, it covers the most land mass in Aesse, snaking its way through in convuluted terrain before ending up at the eastern border. The depth is, on average, shallower than the Zu'o, but the widght is larger, at an average of 7 meters.

Only a few of its tributaries continue flowing through the mainland after coming down from the mountain. It is mainly used for collecting water, as it comes in very fresh from the northern waterfalls. The larger of the three rivers is the Jeym'nllde. The Jeym'nllde flows in through the west, originating at a different mountain range than the one up north, and briefly passes through Aesse before continuing down to the southwest. It is on average 9-12 meters across, with a depth of 8-9 meters. Despite only shortly breaching Aesse, its larger stature provides it with the most prolific freshwater ecosystem, and the majority of zu'aan settlements are built around this formation.

Plants

There is a large expanse of flora wild life present in Aesse. Notable local species include: LLidawr, a short shrub that extends itself in snake-like formations over the forest grounds. Llidawr is a green shrub that belongs to a rare subset of flora classification based on reproduction. Unlike other plants, which develop offsrping via seeds, spores or other direct means, liddawr will reproduce via a process similar to mitosis in microscopic cells. The shrub will grow horizontally through the ground, without stop, and along the way it will develop roots towards the ground from its branches. These roots will develop and grow until they are able to sustain the plant locally.

Then, it will separate itself from the rest of the plant by cutting off all leaves after a certain radius, typically a meter or two. In other words, the line formed by the initial llidawr will become a bunch of seperate, individual dots. The initial shrub, after this process is finished, will wither and die. This process takes anywhere from five to ten years, depending on the lenght and size of the shrub coil. Because this proccess is very effective and forms a great number of new shrubs, they can be seen all over Aesse. Those who approach the borders and start feeling slight changes in temperature and climate will typically reproduce less and less, until they stop altogether.

This is believed to be a safety mechanism evolved in order to keep llidarw shrubs in an enviromnent that will certainly allow for them to grow, instead of risking a foreign one. The plant produces no seeds, flowers or berries. The leaves, short and round, are not edible or toxic, and zu'aan use them on occasion for aesthetic purposes. Baldam, the oldest recorded species of tree life in Aesse Ancient Forest. Baldam are very tall, anywhere from sixty to eighty meters, and their trunks are very thick, with a radius of two or three meters. They have long, curving leaves, asperous to the touch, which group together to form larger leaf formations.

As the oldest tree species in Aesse, baldam are naturally regarded as the mother trees, with a deep and expansive underground root system that provides for, protects, and even sustains other tree species. They are very important to the local and regional ecosystems, and they have been protected for as long as zu'aan have lived in this area. Cutting them down or even harming them is considered extremely taboo, or illegal as of the pre-Awakening Age era, and apart from occasionally harvesting fallen branches and sap, the zu'aan treat them very respectfully. They have thick, grey-green sap. It is difficult to harvest, as it lays deep within them, but once it is, it provides many medical and resinal benefits.

It can also be used in cooking, though it must be processed properlly first and has a very acquired, forest-y taste. It produces no flowers or fruit. It reproduces via a large seed structure which grows on its tallest branches, made that way so once it falls they spread on the soil. These seeds and their pod are both edible by zu'aan standards, though their harvest, previous to the Awakening Age when food was plenty across Taerel, was forbidden due to it being valuable to the local animals. As of now, though, it is once again harvested, as zu'aan fight for survival just as much as any other wild species does.

Animals

Quite a lot of predatory species of animals live in the Aesse Ancient Forest. Many of them are nocturnal, so in the daytime, in addition to birds, it is difficult to meet anyone here. Due to the dense vegetation and hard soil littered with roots, many animals live on tree branches and in hollows. Very few people can afford to live on the ground or in the roots of trees, those who do not have natural enemies in their habitat, or creatures that, in principle, are not attacked because of their danger to the rest of the inhabitants of the forest.

Calla

Calla - This is a short-winged bird of prey, widespread in ancient forest. They are small, have very long legs, with sharp claws on their fingers. Their beak can reach up to a third of the size of their body, there is no tail, and the wings are rather small in comparison with the body. Due to the specifics of the wings, these birds are not able to fly, and they move mainly by jumping from branch to branch. They are also quite good at climbing tree trunks, which allows them to quickly return to the nest in case of an unsuccessful hunt. The color of these birds varies from gray to dark green. They live in large flocks.

Raha

Raha - These small predatory mammals have been lived to the ancient forest for many centuries. These animals have a flexible long body, prehensile-clawed feet, an elongated snout, a long tail used for balance on branches, and small, rounded ears. Silvery, with dark spots on the paws and belly. Raha are nocturnal predators, so their eyes allow them to see perfectly in the dark, but bright light disorients them.

They hunt from ambush, jumping onto the backs of their victims from trees. They live in small families, but hunt alone. It was the raha that caused the covalts to move to the Ack-ormaw Hilly Plains, unable to withstand the competition. Like birds build their nests on the thick branches of trees, only they are built mainly for the young so that they do not fall from the branches to the ground while they learn to crawl through the trees. Adult individuals prefer to rest among the foliage.

Pu'us

Pu'us - This is perhaps one of the few herbivores in this area, large and clumsy, they live mainly in the northern part of the forest, where the vegetation is already beginning to thin. Pu'us looks more like a reptile than a mammal. Their coat is rather rough, which makes it look like skin, and their back is covered with tough outgrowths of bark and plants, for which the back of this beast becomes a living home and with which these animals are covered for many years. They lead a passive lifestyle, most of the time lying motionless in one place, which is why they can simply be confused with a hill or a bunch of branches. Pu'us is not particularly afraid of predators because of its strong "armor" on the body.

In addition, strong-smelling herbs often grow on the bodies, which many animals shun. It is not known exactly where the pu'uses came from, but the Aesse Ancient Forest was definitely not their native habitat.

Aira-cus

Aira-cus - This is perhaps the only predator that does not have natural enemies in their habitat. Large, shorthaired mammals, somewhat reminiscent of raha, most likely descended from a common ancestor, but this is not known. They have a golden color and black circular patterns throughout the body. They live alone and sleep in the roots of trees, equipping themselves with a semblance of a lair. They have a very aggressive and selfish disposition, from which they do not get along either with their relatives or with other species. Little is known about these animals, since they are extremely secretive and dangerous, and they cannot withstand captivity.

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	Ittas City Zu'aan

Place

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Aesse Ancient Forest

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This article is written by mightyvanilla, kasstellia. Copyright 2026 kasstellia, mightyvanilla. All rights reserved.