The Deepening Wood (Glad Tovan in Elvish) is the Elvish ‘County’ (Actually a Monarchy/Queendom), currently ruled by Ilthuryn Ulaquinov, mother of Lady Sariandi Ulaquinov (styled as the ‘Countess’ of Beevale).
The ranks of nobility in Elvish society are fairly fluid. The Elves have adopted the terminology, but the ranks don’t confer the same level of respect and deference that human or dwarven nobility commands. Elves value personal responsibility in the aim of the good of all, and as such they are generally a very egalitarian people. Thus, the nobility is acknowledged more as those who take broader responsibility, rather than those who have greater privilege.
The Deepening Wood is quite large. The approach from Poordirt is a slight incline, into a deep valley that ends in an enormous lake, secluded and remote from the contentions of humans and others by a series of mountains and forests. The trees are enormous, and shade the shores of the lake so that the effect is that the whole of the area is dim and twilight.
The main city is Illna Edhil (Sacred Grove). This is the largest gathering of elves, but they live throughout the Deepening Wood. The vast majority of the buildings and structures are living: hollow trees, halls made of saplings grown together over generations, bridges of vine spanning one tree to another. The locations are both vertical and horizontal, and it is nearly impossible to tell where the forest ends. There are no maps, no grids, and only signs and guides discernable to elves and druids. Cheb-Nen and the Archive of Illna Nöle seem very, very old, but the rest of the city is living and vibrant. The atmosphere is damp and humid, but the temperature is always comfortable, and most druids know the cantrips for drying out if it’s needed. The light is generally dim, and sunbeams don’t often reach the floor of the city. There are several upper buildings that are more exposed to sunlight. Most of the rooms and buildings are spacious, although they’re hosted in trees. It may be a trick of the eye, an illusion; it may be ancient magics that make things bigger on the inside than they seem on the outside.
Illna Edhil has several interesting locations:
- Cheb-Nen (Literally, Water Keep) – the temple of Water sacred to Sashelas, in his aspect of guardians of all water, rivers, lakes, etc. Cheb-Nen is a great temple of solid water, continually flowing but also a structure, on an island in a bay of Glad Nen, the massive lake at the center of the Deepening Wood. The lake is filled with river dolphins, and the water is incredibly clear. The city is built on the shores of the bay, around the great temple.
- Aer-Tovan (Holy Forest) – the sacred grove used by druids and the rest of the elven clerics for their rituals and rites. At it’s center, the seven common types of tree in the forest surround a Eidlirch tree, one of the great sacred, mystical trees said to be the source of the Treant race. The grove is filled with fireflies and other floating bits of light. It is not unusual to see fey among the trees.
- The Archive of Iyla Nöle (All Knowledge) – This is one of the few non-biological buildings in Illna Edhil, it is a great living stone repository of knowledge, filled with books, scrolls, codexes and numerous other methods of storing knowledge. It is said to have come from the legendary city of Nythma Ancalen, which disappeared thousands of years ago. It contains the oldest book known to the elves, as well as the journals of many elven notables. The building is easy to walk around, but on the inside the stacks seem to go on forever, and only the archivists are allowed to look for books.
- Kishara District- where elven weapons are made.
- A’n Allanar – The Ranger School, where rangers are taught by elves the ways of the forest.