ENTRANCE TO TEL’FORAE

The domain of the Moncs, known as Tel’Forae, is located deep within the massive, swampy forest bearing the same name.

The density of the plant life at Tel’Forae, from the moment one steps into the treeline, is staggering. This is especially true given the arid wasteland within which it flourishes. The only biological analogy I can draw to Earth is the pre-Cataclysm Amazon rainforests. It is impossible to know how many botanical discoveries are waiting to be made in this…there’s no other way to put it…majestic place! Armies of critters, from insects to things we’d rather not find, call this place home. Many have evolved a flair for camouflage and are almost impossible to see.

Of all these lifeforms, we’re looking for the ones who can make themselves nearly invisible—the Moncs. Piece of Corvanian cake.

The forbidding mysteries of Tel’Forae begin long before we ever set foot in it. The People have reams of cautionary tales spun around this place, each brimming with factual scout reports and mysticism alike. The underlying message is always clear: Stay Away. Aine periodically visits the outer rim of Tel’Forae under armed escort. There are plants she requires for a number of salves that can only be found here. Her armed escorts are always left outside Tel’Forae at her insistence (and only heeded because of her being a Master). She insists that so long as they do not enter, she will be safe. No one knows if her confidence is born from following The One…or a brave front to help set jumpy swordsmen at ease.

If the Moncs are in fact here, there is no greater irony than allowing Aine entry into their stronghold and gather plants that will be used to heal their sworn enemy. Else, it is the most philanthropic gesture in all of warfare in the entire Universe.

The sheer size and abundance of waterways in Tel’Forae feeding the environment is beyond understanding. There is so much water here, it is the source of four major rivers. The Aphos to the east, and the Three Tears to the southwest. It is the Three Tears, a small tributary of three rivers, which offers a possible clue to Tel’Forae’s success. The rivers of the Three Tears (the actual “tear” shape) end in small lakes sandwiched between Tel’Forae and the Salt Range. Evaporation accounts for substantial water loss, but not nearly enough to offset the constant inflow from Tel’Forae. I can only guess there are channels under the lakebeds of each “Tear” which drain off the excess water and keep the water levels relatively stable. Similarly, I would guess Tel’Forae itself sits on a giant groundwater well, or several massive (if separate) wells, or even a well system of some sort. Where that water comes from, however, is anyone’s guess.

The Aphos also ends in a lakebed near the Monc outpost of Lamh.