The History of The Sakarich

The history of the Basin of life is more intricate than any mortal could hope to fully comprehend. Even some of the Elders who have returned to us from the Void have found Themselves unable to clearly remember details. The result is a rich and expansive history that, while fully coherent, is pocked with various holes in information and lack of specific details. Mortalkind's ability to explore our world is immense, but still limited, and therefore many things must be left to speculation. Here, the history of one of the various lost places to us will be summarized, as well as reasonable consideration of what beings would have been there and what the locale was like.

The Elder histories, and more specifically, the Book of Clangorum, tell us about the forest of Sakarich. This forest was located in the southwest portion of the Basin, not far from what is now Mount Zoaka, but was then known as Mount Zokala. In the Book, the attack on the forest by Zenos is described in detail. His insubstantial form began to decimate the forest with blinding speed, leaving it nearly in ruin even when Orlachmar and Clangorum arrived as soon as they were able. In his effort to save Volkh, who was trapped within the forest and being destroyed quickly be Zenos, Orlachmar strode in and forced the Soulless to flee. It was too little, too late, though. Sakarich was a dry and ashen wasteland, with no hopes of recovering. Its Ethereal reflection was destroyed as well, rendering the forest fully obliterated. It was this event that drove the Sixth and Seventh circles to create the Maeve Consciousness and the Tree of Trees. The former would give the Fae more strength to fight off the Soulless attacks themselves, and the latter, formed from the spirit of the trees, would allow the forests to regenerate if victims of such an onslaught again. The trouble for this region was not over though.

Many years later, in the Vernal era, those splintered from Dracnoris, the Dracnari, built the city of Alin'dor. It was located in the southwest region of the Basin and stretched out into the Skarch desert, the previous location of the Sakarich forest. The most prominent feature of this city was the Golden Ziggurat, which had a large network of tunnels beneath it that spanned almost the entire area that the city held. When Kethuru was devouring much of the world, the Vernal Tzaraziko went to Alin'dor and saved two Dracnari from there, who went on to become two of the Aspects of Scorpion. They reside deep beneath the Skarch desert, well out of the view of civilization. During the Holy Celestine Empire, the city of Gaudiguch was established, which utilized some of the remaining tunnels of Alin'dor in its structure. Just before Gaudiguch and Hallifax ripped each other from existence, some fled the city to the Skarch desert. There the village of Dairuchi was founded, using some of the remaining tunnels of Alin'dor and nurtured by the oasis not far away.

Zenos' destruction of the Sakarich was the first of numerous atrocities to happen to that region of the Basin. While it was unable to recover its forested state, it was far from destroyed. The Skarch today still has varied wildlife and plants, and many signs of the previous lives that the desert has experienced. The ecosystem may have been drastically changed, but it is far from uninhabitable.

The Great Spirits of The Sakarich

The Great Spirits that protect the forests today were created and awakened out of necessity. However, there are numerous events that could have occurred to lead to the awakening of the Great Spirits. In fact, there could have been no need for them, and simply only a desire for them. Such was the case for Great Lion and Great Wolf, spirits that were created before the destruction of the Sakarich.

Considering what we know now and the histories available, one can conclude that Great Wolf and Great Rock, also known as Old Man Rock, would have ended up being the Great Spirits of the Sakarich forest. Aside from Moon and Night, Rock, Lake and Sun are the only other three Natural Spirits. Sun is affiliated with Jojoba, but asleep. Lake is affiliated with Ackeleheliorna, which leaves Rock. A following of Old Man Rock can be found not far from the Skarch. Finally, with Lake's connection to Ackeleheliorna and the lush environment of Tolborolla and Estelbar, the dry, rocky, and mountainous environment of the Skarch today further correlates the idea that Great Rock would be the Natural Spirit of Sakarich.

On the subject of the second Great Spirit, we consider Wolf. The only other natural Great spirit of the time was Great Lion, and history shows that He was the collective spirit of the Jojoba. The strongest indicator available is Volkh's presence within the forest during the time of Zenos' attack, suggesting a possible affinity with the Sakarich. Not much is known of Volkh, yet if He were fond of the Sakarich in the same way that Lorella was fond of the Jojoba, Great Wolf was most likely the collective Spirit of the Sakarich. Furthermore, there are few places with wild wolves; most are of the domesticated breed. In the Verasavir valley, there are a few corporeal wolves, the source of whom is as of yet unknown. Traveling the Skarch, one can find a pack of coyote, the coyote being a relative of the wolf. It may be that with the Soulless influence left on the land from Zenos' attack, the creatures changed, becoming more violent and emaciated.

The Sakarich was destroyed, and any writings or peoples that may know anything of it are gone, and the future that could be was cut short. The only way today to try and understand the lost forest is to factor in all aspects of its history and all the remnants left today, and try to piece together what could have been. A logical course of reasoning and rationality is used to connect all the points, and therefore produces the most complete and accurate depiction of the possibilities of the long gone forest.

The Physical Make-up of The Sakarich

The terrain and make-up of the region now known as the Skarch desert is one of the strongest sources of facts that is available in the study of the Sakarich forest. Noting the details of the land and the remains provides the means to quite successfully paint a picture with the mind of what the Sakarich may have looked like.

Upon first entering the Skarch desert, there is the indentation of a dried riverbed, with smaller dried deltas branching off. There are various fossils of fish and amphibians along the riverbed, along with sediment, most abundantly near the edge of the desert. This suggests that the water ran to this location from a source somewhere further in the desert. Continuing along to the south, there is a large arroyo, larger than the smaller deltas, showing that the river got larger further into the desert. Eventually, an oasis is found, the only remaining source of water in the desert. An oasis is fed by an underground water source, which strongly supports the idea of this being the source of the river that flowed through the Sakarich. Traversing deeper into the desert to the east, the land rises above sea level and the air becomes dry and heavy, and rather than brush and fossils, here this is sand and more sand. There are few signs of life aside from the hardy creatures that make their home within the harsh environment. Turning south, a large mesa looms ahead, a giant natural structure of stone. Standing in the mesa's shadow, there are cacti sprouting from the ground, denoting the ability for life to survive in this area. It is possible there is some long-dormant aetheric energy in the area around the mesa, which would enforce the idea that an edifice of power would have been in the area, most likely at the top of the mesa. Based on the current dwellers' use of it by means of tunnels dug into the rock, it is possible that the same process would have utilized by whatever sentient creatures would have made their home in the forest. Trekking further, the southernmost region of the desert is a very dry, arid, and rocky area, near the Scorpion's Tail Mountain. Very little plant-life survives here, the ground is cracked and split from lack of moisture, and various boulders seem to have fallen about. The state of this area suggests some major devastation occurred, making it likely the center of Zenos' attack on the Sakarich. This is supported by Grandmother Scorpion making Her home here, under the rocky floor. Having been made by an Elder under the influence of the Elixir, She was most likely drawn by the latent excoroperditio energies left from the attack, as well as knowing that most would be repelled by the presence of these energies.

Using the mind's eye and all that has been seen and considered, one can take a mental walk through the Sakarich forest. When you first enter the forest, you see lots of small shrubberies interspersed amongst the firs and elms and spruces, the myriad colours of the flowering plants contrasting on the brown bark. The ground is soft as the fingers of the river delta flow through and create a marshy terrain. As we walk further in the lush environment, we can hear the wolves howling playfully and the chirping of frogs along the mossy riverbank. As we close in on the source of the water, the flora on the ground begins to thicken and reach up higher, and the greens become lighter. As you step into clearing, dryads are lounging around the crystal-clear flowing pool that feeds the Sakarich River. A cool mist sits in the air that leaves you comfortable and cool as you travel up a small rise into a very dense section of the Sakarich. Fireflies and mosquitos flit about your head in the humid air trapped under the thick canopy. As you travel southward, you come across a massive moss-covered structure. A large boulder can be seen sitting atop the peak of the large mesa, decorated with lichen of various colours and giving off an aetheric vibration. In the deepest areas of the Sakarich, the foliage begins to thin and the Razine mountain range looms nearby. The vibrant shrubbery has gotten duller and sits lower to the ground. Surrounding the area are rolling hills covered with wispy grasses and light ivy, debris from shifts in the mountains scattered throughout. Atop one of the larger hills, you look back over the forest you just walked through. Mount Zokala looms in the distance, and the vibrant forest spans out before you. The mossy peak of the mesa peaks out above the canopy ahead of you, the forest rising behind it and then dipping down again to the west. Finally, your eyes rest on the birds that swoop and soar over the river that winds through the forest, the trees thinning out in the delta before extending beyond your view.

All a creation of the imagination, albeit a comforting one, yet every bit is based on fact and solid evidence, as well as Divine histories bestowed upon us. I hope that the journey into the past and evaluating the possibilities has been enjoyable, and sparks your imagination to think of what might have been, and what could be.