Calar Dunn

The kingdom of Calar Dunn sits in the west of Andara, north of Westerlent and south of Deepwood and The Crownlands. Its inhabitants, the critterfolk, are a relatively new arrival to the lands of Andara, appearing after the Adventus Arcanum a couple of centuries ago. When the critterfolk appeared, they fiercely drove the humans and elves out of large tracts of their forest as they viciously staked a claim to this forested piece of the continent. The wood elves lost the most territory to this arrival by far, and the border between Calar Dunn and Deepwood is heavily contested and dynamic, with tensions and grudges between the two kingdoms being very much alive and well to this day.

Geography
Almost the entirety of Calar Dunn is dominated by one contiguous forest of ancient oak, beech and ash. Magic soaks the lands of Calar Dunn, and has caused the trees to grow far bigger than they naturally would. So large are these trees that entire cave systems have formed between gaps in their roots, channeling water across the land in a series of subterranean rivers and streams known as root-rivers. This immense forest conceals an incredibly varied topography, with a number of hills, canyons, and cliffs hiding beneath the canopy. A collection of small islands known as the Adder Isles also constitute the kingdom of Calar Dunn, though the trees on these islands are far smaller and sparser than the mainland.

Calar Dunn has a relatively small coastline compared to other kingdoms, being bordered only on its south-western side by the Western Gulf. Along its south-eastern edge runs the grand century canal, providing one of the few linkages between the critterfolk and the outside world. Critterfolk get most of their fresh water from the root-rivers or natural springs which are abundant in the forest.

Settlements
Critterfolk are scattered throughout their forest kingdom, from the tops of the canopy to deep under the roots. They often congregate in groups of around 3 to 5 families, though their central settlement of Gladehome is the size of a large town in terms of its population.

Gladehome
The capital city of Gladehome is a strange settlement of treehouses, burrows and huts scattered in and around a large clearing in an otherwise dark forest. At its centre lies an ancient stone ruin, now overgrown with creeping roots and vines, which is known as the Great Stone Tree. Though the critterfolk are governed by an elected individual known as the Voice of the Woods, a position currently held by Ginger Creekwader, the Great Stone Tree is seen as a sort of castle or palace. The nature of the ruin has been the debate of scholars across the Andara for centuries; wood elves argue that the building used to belong to them, though no other evidence of wood elf stonework is known to exist, so this claim is dubious at best. The most commonly accepted theory is that the ruin is not of the material plane and was shunted into the material realm during the Adventus Arcanum.

Culture and Tradition
The culture of Calar Dunn strongly echoes the animalistic origin of its inhabitants. Themes of plants, animals, and nature are widespread throughout most aspects of critterfolk life, and many have a deep spiritual connection to the land.

Religion
The wild faith is almost the sole faith of Calar Dunn, with some small pockets of new faith and old faith being scattered around the borders of the kingdom. Wyrtle Don, the father of the woods, is particularly idolised by the critterfolk who view him as the divine manifestation of the forest itself. Clerics and priests of the wild faith in Calar Dunn often adopt similar practices and philosophies to druids, and the druidic circles often have much to do with the general religious doctrine of the kingdom.

Marriage and Family
Like many cultures that exist within tight-knit clans, family is incredibly important to most critterfolk. Subraces such as the burrowkin live in enormous family units within their subterranean homes, with riverbloods and sharpteeth doing the same to a lesser extent. Marriage culture in critterfolk evolved from pair-bonding, and lacks traditional engagement ceremonies. Instead, having children together bonds a pair for life, replacing both engagement and marriage.

Food and Drink
The food of Calar Dunn relies heavily on foraged and hunted food, since the kingdom's landscape permits far less agriculture than other kingdoms. Smallfolk have learned to make a meal out of whatever they can find, and their food usually comes in the form of meat and vegetables either cooked together into a stew, or roasted together on skewers.

Critterfolk have very little interest in brewing their own alcohol, lacking the conditions to grow hops and most grains, as well as the equipment to brew them in. Instead, they import their alcohol from Warmwood, Westerlent and the Crownlands.

Ecology
Local folklore describes countless monsters and horrors that lurk in the shadows of the forest, though the descriptions are often rather vague and conflicting. For example, the creature known as "Black Thing" appears in tales across the kingdom throughout most of its history, but has been described as all manner of beasts ranging from reptillian horrors like tyrannosaurs and subterranean dragons, to giant owlbears or sabretooth tigers. In truth, many of the creatures of Calar Dunn are simply undocumented. Besides the usual woodland creatures that one might expect from a kingdom-spanning forest, some iconic denizens include cockerel-hydras, cave fishers, giant wailing moths, and corpse flowers.

The forest itself is comprised of centuries-old oak, hornbeam, mespil, and black rowan. These behemoth spires of wood and leaf would not be a tenth of the size they are without the powerful wellsprings of magic that soak the soil of Calar Dunn. Not only does this magic accelerate the growth of these trees, but it also improves their durability and strength. Many critterfolk 'smiths' use wood instead of metal, though since felling trees is forbidden, they only harvest wood from trees felled by storms which makes timber from Calar Dunn a rare and expensive commodity.