bubbleswrap
New Member
Design notes:
- The land of Silve is known for its two enormous forests and its archipelago, the Sylvian islands. The forests on the mainland are separated by the Simia, a wide, calm river that's 2500 km long. Its source is a large lake surrounded by a mostly uninhabited mountainous territory.
- The Sylvian islands and coastal area, the wetlands (on the outskirts of the forests) and the fringe of the lake are the inhabited areas of Silve.
- The forests are characterized by their extremely tall coniferous trees, most of them redwood. On the left bank of the Simia, there is a significant amount of cases of albinism among the trees. Because of this, the forest on the left bank is dubbed the White Woods and the one on the right bank is called the Crimson Woods. Not much else grows in the woodlands of Silve, because the understory receives a minimal amount of sunlight. The only food sources would be game (but hunting is dangerous and difficult, it is said that monsters lurk in these forests) and the berries from the few bushes that DO grow. However, there is also a poisonous variant of this berry bush that looks very similar to it. The only way to tell them apart is by looking for (also edible) grubs, that only visit the non-poisonous bushes. Few Sylvians actually live in the forests.
- The Simian lake is huge (a whopping 90 000 km2) It is shaped like a curved ellipse. The mountains that act as its border are gigantic and steep. The mountains are freezing cold, so mostly monsters and animals that can survive in those circumstances live here, with the exception of tribes who survive by hunting hares and keeping mountain goats. These nomad tribes do not often communicate with the sedentary folk. Despite being a fjord lake, created by glaciers in the past, the lake area has a micro-climate. It is much warmer than the mountains, and has milder winters. It still freezes over for a few weeks in Elinea's cold season, prompting the lake dwellers to cut holes in the ice if they want to fish.
- If you follow the Simia southwards to sea, the climate will get milder, the the soil will be more fertile. Many live near the river because its water is a useful resource. Those who don't live near the Simia usually live in close proximity to the sea. The Sylvians often get their food by fishing, and the ones who live too far from the sea or river to fish regularly farm or trade goods or services for fish.
- There are about 10 major Sylvian islands (2500–6000 km2 in size, shape is closest to an ellipse, their length is usually about twice their width) and all of them are inhabited. Then there are hundreds of islands less than 1000km2 in size. There are some that are too small for civilization. Its only inhabitants are venomous scorpions. The vegetation on all of these islands consists primarily of palm trees and grasses.
- Silve is located on a dwarf planet, Elinea .50 percent of it is sea and 50 percent of it is land (The land of Silve) It has two moons. It circles around a star similar to the sun. An Elinean year is about 250 days.
- Elinea was fully formed 3,5 billion years ago after the collapse of a small star. Life began 3 billion years ago, and the process was similar to Earth's, starting with micro-organisms. There are monsters in Elinea; the most known ones reptilian sea monsters named 'Sea Dragons', giant insects and marine animals.
- The people of Silve are not human. Their average lifespan is twice as long and they age twice as slow. They call themselves Elineans (as a species). They do not have the same languages and traditions. They are sedentary, except for the mountain nomads. Different Elineans are still able to communicate with each other enough to trade various goods and services. Conflicts are minor, they are mostly peaceful. However, monster attacks are regular.