Cherry Mountain

Cherry Mountain rises on the western horizon of The Forgelands, its upper slopes covered in cherry groves that turn the whole peak pink against the sky. It is the only major landmark in the settled region that carries no infrastructure, no quarry, and no plans for either.

Known Role

Officially, Cherry Mountain has no role. It has been surveyed once, lightly, and then left alone. This is policy rather than neglect: the mountain was designated a preserved landscape early in the world's history, and every subsequent planning document has honored that designation. The Hall of the Ancients is sited on the high ground east of the mountain partly so that its reading room will face the groves.

The Groves

The cherry stands on the upper slopes are old growth, dense, and unusually quiet. Bee nests are common; hostile mob encounters above the treeline are, for reasons not understood, rare. Petal fall in the groves does not appear to follow any weather pattern the Archives can correlate.

Historical Notes

Elara is encountered on Cherry Mountain more often than everywhere else in The Forgelands combined. She has been observed walking the groves at dusk, and the single recorded conversation that mentions the Forgotten Seed took place at the mountain's spring. When asked directly about the mountain, she said only that it was here first. The Archives have no grounds to dispute this.

Field Notes

Standing instruction for all visitors: take nothing but screenshots. The mountain is doing fine without us.