Cities and Towns of the Great Forest
Border Hills Gnome City: (Town, 9,000 gnomes) Located in the remote Border Hills, that separate the Ancient Lands from the open plains to the West, lies the largest gnome settlement in the known world. Only a few hundred yards into the mountain lies a group of massive caverns whose lower walls are packed with the houses of the gnomes. Only relatively small parts of the houses are visible from the outside as much of the rooms have ben dug and carved deep into the rock. Below the city lies one of the greatest iron mines in the Ancient Lands and the steel the city produces is of such a quality that many merchants make the long track around the Great Forests to get it.
Great Lake City: (Town, 6,000 elves) Wedged between the Withfens in the Northwest and the Great Forests in the Southwest lies a wide open land of flat open ground, broken up by lots of lakes and rivers that make their way to the sea in the East. While just as sparsely inhabited as the Witchfens, it is still home to one of the major elven settlements in the Great Forests region. Located on the shore of one of the largest lakes stands a tall white keep that is surrounded by hundreds of smaller homes and buildings of all sizes. Just a few miles from where the road from the artic lands and through the Witchfens meets the road that connects to the Border Hills and the lands of the kaas in the West, the city is the major trade hub that connects the Northlands to the southern parts of the Ancient Lands.
Giant Pine Town: (Town, 4,000 elves) Located between the road that connects the Northlands to the South and the the coast to the East lies the home of one of the most powerful elven clans in the Great Forests. Sitting on a hill that is covered in giant pines, its location can be seen from many miles away, even though all the buildings themselves are hidden from sight.
Elven Cave Town: (Town, 3,000 elves) A few days travel north of the gap between the mountains the separate the Great Forests from the Central lands lies this elven stronghold. Unusual for an wood elven town, it is located largely underground, but tree large cave openings allow its inhabitants to see traces of daylight even in most of the deepest sections.
Lonely Port: (Village, 800 elves) This large village is the northernmost port of the Ancient Lands excluding the human villages of the arctic tundra beyond the northern mountains. Only very few traders attempt the sea voyage to the arctic sea so usually this port is the ending point for any journey along the coast where sailors resupply and turn around for their home ports. There is some whaling and fur hunting in the area, but even those attract only a small number of merchants.
Rockhome: (Village, 600 spiritfolk (earth)) Somewhere deep in the Great Forest lies this village that is home to strange people. Originally one of the human clans that came from the West some centuries ago, this group did not follow the main route south of the Cloud Peaks through the Central Lands, but went north straight into the Great Forests. They never tell outsiders what happened to their ancestors there, but they never made it to the elven lands where human mercenaries where in high demand and instead mixed with earth fey. Barely recognizable as humans anymore, they are of very large size and have grey and brown skin and possess remarkable strength.