On the Geography of Valenwood - Part I

ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF VALENWOOD:

Valenwood has been described as the garden of Tamriel. This name is adequate, as it is a vast, dense forest of colossal trees and unyielding shrubbery. This is fitting, as the Bosmer are its gardeners, and will stop at naught to protect their sacred forest. In this Encyclopaedia, I, Terravius Mecaerium, will guide you through the many different and beautiful parts of Valenwood, home of the Bosmer.

Part 1 – The Long Coast

The Long Coast is one of the longest, unbroken coastlines in southern Tamriel. It is swampy, and largely populated by Wamasu and mangroves. Perhaps the coating off thick vegetation, even into the shallow bays, is the reason that the coast is hard to define. The forest doesn’t end at the coast, as the mangroves and swamp-fronds continue into the sea, and the Sea Serpents and Steam Dreughs live throughout and under the coral reefs.

The Long Coast is home to many small settlements, but perhaps the strangest is the Argonian settlement of Sits-on-Fronds. It’s the largest of such settlements outside of the Black Marsh, and is home to the bizarre Imkhanet tribe. During the Interregnum, a group of Argonians were banished from their homeland, and took refuge amongst the fronds of the Long Coast. Here, they developed a unique culture, and their Wamasu farms expanded into the mangroves. This vast mangrove forest is known as the Grey Mire.

The Long Coast continues to the west, till it reaches Southpoint, a large Imperial town, situated on a beautiful outlet that is coated in Palm and Carrai fronds. The Long Coast ends here, as it curves abruptly north.

The Long Coast’s abundance in mangroves and dense jungle is due to the Elden River flowing out from the Valenwood heartlands. It forms a colossal estuary that carries huge volumes of water from the Graht Rainforests.

The river is dotted with tiny villages, each and every one lead by a Tree-Thane, who communes to a local temple every season, to commune with other Tree-Thanes in the area. The Elden River clans often never see any more of Valenwood, let alone Tamriel, as they live peaceful lives in the shade of the Graht-Oaks.