brian 333
2023-10-28, 04:36 PM
Forests die. Fire, drought, desolation, or infestation are only some of the causes. One unlikely cause (https://phys.org/news/2016-06-trees-mysterious-holes-huge-dunes.html) is burial. As windblown sand enters the forest, at first, the trees trap the sand by deflecting the winds. Later, the sands form great dunes which cover the trees, sometimes many meters beneath the surface. The trees still stand, their branches reaching for a sun they will never see again.
In one case, a basin around an inland sea which was surrounded by an oak forest was slowly devoured by a vast plain which slowly became a desert. But this basin was home to an elven society which refused to abandon its ancestral homeland. With magic and labor they struggled to keep their forest alive.
Within limits, they succeeded. The branch tips of many great ancient oaks break through the sand and maintain heavy, waxy leaves. Their roots still tap into the damp soils from which they sprouted. When their stringy flowers do produce fertile acorns, the elves harvest then and sprout seedlings which they plant in troughs between the dunes where the ancient soil and aquifer is closest to the surface, and such young trees are tended and protected against the encroaching dunes by the elven druids until they are large enough to survive. Indeed, even the largest oaks are sometimes covered, requiring extensive labor to clear the branch tips which keep the trees alive.
The desert sands above are inhospitable to elves. Indeed, only rangers and adventurers venture very far from the buried forest. Those who do leave their homes beneath the sands to work or travel almost always do so at night.
The elves live in an ancient city of limestone and marble buried under the sands. The city is connected by tunnels, vaults, and collonades of concrete composed primarily of the desert sand and limestone which has been crushed and heated until it is a fine powder. When mixed with water, these ingredients form concrete which is easily molded and cast. The result, due to the requirement for bracing of the roof, is of a concrete forest with many real tree trunks interspersed among the crafted ones. Among the branches and braces for the roofs, lighted orbs hang, creating the illusion of stars shining through the branches.
In some of the larger vaults crops are grown with the aid of Sunspheres. These globes create small patches of sunlight which can be regulated by the druids to emulate natural growing conditions. Though these efforts supplement the diet of the elves, most food must originate outside. Fortunately, a small oasis is maintained by the elves around what remains of the buried lake that once sat at the center of the forest. There, migratory herds come to drink and browse, when it is available, on the desert grasses which grow seasonally around it.
In addition to the herds, there are nearby mountains which provide harvests of berries, squash, and beans, and high plains which provide cotton, mesquite and juniper. Foraging parties spend a few days or weeks gathering the bounties of the surrounding lands before returning to their city under the sand.
Elf encounters away from the city will most likely be solitary rangers. Small adventuring parties are rare, but may be found at great distances from the city, even in distant lands.
Nearer the city, foraging parties of 12-120 elves, no less than ten percent of whom will have adventuring classes. Another twenty percent will have at least some levels in Warrior. The city itself has a population of 5000 adults, with twenty-five percent trained as militia.
The city is ruled by a three-part government. The daily administration is conducted by elders elected in a very democratic process which allows any elf in the district to challenge the appointment. This forces a new election in which any citizen can run, or be voted for even if he does not actively run. Three days of debate are followed by a public election in which the voters place a marked stone into a vase behind which the candidates stand.
(In one famous election, an elder who was nominated and refused to run was surprised to discover a pile of stones at his door when he refused to stand for election.)
The elected elders do not make laws; their role is administration and dispute resolution. Laws are made by the priests, who are organized according to the pantheon they worship. New laws are seldom made. Refinements to adapt to new conditions are far more common among the rare instances of legislation.
While criminal charges are prosecuted by the elders, the priests appoint the judge who is usually, but not always, a priest.
The priests do not form a separate caste, but young elves receive appointments to the priesthood due to piety and education. Not all trained as clerics receive an appointment to the priesthood. These clerics most commonly are found among adventurers.
The final arm of the government is the Council of Druids. This organization is responsible for the safety and security of the elves. They appoint officers in the defense forces, control contact with outsiders, and dictate when foraging groups are assigned to harvest particular crops.
Like the priests, their ranks are filled from the public based on merit. They also control what may be the most powerful group, if they were ever to act as a group: the rangers. Rangers are directed only by the druids, and almost always operate alone. Rarely two or three rangers will meet to achieve a particular goal or to exchange news, but their roles as scouts and spies require them to be dispersed all around the desert.
Rangers inform the druids on the growing seasons and the movements of other peoples around the basin. If there is a problem that must be dealt with, the druids may assign a ranger or druid to recruit a group of adventurers to handle it.
Overall, the city does it's best to remain hidden and thrive until the day that the dunes blow away and the oak forest can be restored around the great basin.
In one case, a basin around an inland sea which was surrounded by an oak forest was slowly devoured by a vast plain which slowly became a desert. But this basin was home to an elven society which refused to abandon its ancestral homeland. With magic and labor they struggled to keep their forest alive.
Within limits, they succeeded. The branch tips of many great ancient oaks break through the sand and maintain heavy, waxy leaves. Their roots still tap into the damp soils from which they sprouted. When their stringy flowers do produce fertile acorns, the elves harvest then and sprout seedlings which they plant in troughs between the dunes where the ancient soil and aquifer is closest to the surface, and such young trees are tended and protected against the encroaching dunes by the elven druids until they are large enough to survive. Indeed, even the largest oaks are sometimes covered, requiring extensive labor to clear the branch tips which keep the trees alive.
The desert sands above are inhospitable to elves. Indeed, only rangers and adventurers venture very far from the buried forest. Those who do leave their homes beneath the sands to work or travel almost always do so at night.
The elves live in an ancient city of limestone and marble buried under the sands. The city is connected by tunnels, vaults, and collonades of concrete composed primarily of the desert sand and limestone which has been crushed and heated until it is a fine powder. When mixed with water, these ingredients form concrete which is easily molded and cast. The result, due to the requirement for bracing of the roof, is of a concrete forest with many real tree trunks interspersed among the crafted ones. Among the branches and braces for the roofs, lighted orbs hang, creating the illusion of stars shining through the branches.
In some of the larger vaults crops are grown with the aid of Sunspheres. These globes create small patches of sunlight which can be regulated by the druids to emulate natural growing conditions. Though these efforts supplement the diet of the elves, most food must originate outside. Fortunately, a small oasis is maintained by the elves around what remains of the buried lake that once sat at the center of the forest. There, migratory herds come to drink and browse, when it is available, on the desert grasses which grow seasonally around it.
In addition to the herds, there are nearby mountains which provide harvests of berries, squash, and beans, and high plains which provide cotton, mesquite and juniper. Foraging parties spend a few days or weeks gathering the bounties of the surrounding lands before returning to their city under the sand.
Elf encounters away from the city will most likely be solitary rangers. Small adventuring parties are rare, but may be found at great distances from the city, even in distant lands.
Nearer the city, foraging parties of 12-120 elves, no less than ten percent of whom will have adventuring classes. Another twenty percent will have at least some levels in Warrior. The city itself has a population of 5000 adults, with twenty-five percent trained as militia.
The city is ruled by a three-part government. The daily administration is conducted by elders elected in a very democratic process which allows any elf in the district to challenge the appointment. This forces a new election in which any citizen can run, or be voted for even if he does not actively run. Three days of debate are followed by a public election in which the voters place a marked stone into a vase behind which the candidates stand.
(In one famous election, an elder who was nominated and refused to run was surprised to discover a pile of stones at his door when he refused to stand for election.)
The elected elders do not make laws; their role is administration and dispute resolution. Laws are made by the priests, who are organized according to the pantheon they worship. New laws are seldom made. Refinements to adapt to new conditions are far more common among the rare instances of legislation.
While criminal charges are prosecuted by the elders, the priests appoint the judge who is usually, but not always, a priest.
The priests do not form a separate caste, but young elves receive appointments to the priesthood due to piety and education. Not all trained as clerics receive an appointment to the priesthood. These clerics most commonly are found among adventurers.
The final arm of the government is the Council of Druids. This organization is responsible for the safety and security of the elves. They appoint officers in the defense forces, control contact with outsiders, and dictate when foraging groups are assigned to harvest particular crops.
Like the priests, their ranks are filled from the public based on merit. They also control what may be the most powerful group, if they were ever to act as a group: the rangers. Rangers are directed only by the druids, and almost always operate alone. Rarely two or three rangers will meet to achieve a particular goal or to exchange news, but their roles as scouts and spies require them to be dispersed all around the desert.
Rangers inform the druids on the growing seasons and the movements of other peoples around the basin. If there is a problem that must be dealt with, the druids may assign a ranger or druid to recruit a group of adventurers to handle it.
Overall, the city does it's best to remain hidden and thrive until the day that the dunes blow away and the oak forest can be restored around the great basin.