Difference between revisions of "Belkondíl"

=== Climate and Vegetation ===

=== Climate and Vegetation ===

The climate of Belkondíl is determined both by its relatively flat relief and by its location in between two oceans. The shallow hills of the west provide little protection from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerlies westerlies], leaving most of Belkondíl's west coast exposed to [[Runion|Runion's]] harsh climate. Vegetation in this part is particularly sparse, with heath and moorland stretching over miles without as much as a small forest. Rain is frequent all year round, with moderate summers and mild winters. This area is among the most sparsely populated in all of Elondor and extends eastward roughly to the Brethan valley and south until [[Noldorin|Tár-Noldorin]] and the western shores of the [[White Sea]], including most of [[Tarébras]], [[Atrissar]], [[Orinion]], [[Noldorin]], and the [[Mairn]]. Crops grown here are largely restricted to rye, barley, and flax, but farming is focussed on animal husbandry, chiefly of cattle and sheep, and fishing in the lush waters of the Runion.

The climate of Belkondíl is determined both by its relatively flat relief and by its location in between two oceans. The shallow hills of the west provide little protection from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerlies westerlies], leaving most of Belkondíl's west coast exposed to [[Runion|Runion's]] harsh climate. Vegetation in this part is particularly sparse, with heath and moorland stretching over miles without as much as a small forest. Rain is frequent all year round, with moderate summers and mild winters. This area is among the most sparsely populated in all of Elondor and extends eastward roughly to the Brethan valley and south until [[Noldorin|Tár-Noldorin]] and the western shores of the [[White Sea]], including most of [[Tarébras]], [[Atrissar]], [[Orinion]], [[Noldorin]], and the [[Mairn]]. Crops grown here are largely restricted to rye, barley, and flax, but farming is focussed on animal husbandry, chiefly of cattle and sheep, and fishing in the lush waters of the Runion.

The lands east of the Brethan, and especially east of the Cëlac, are influenced by the somewhat milder climate of the western Timesthe. While still considerably colder than [[Seligon]], which is reached directly by the warm waters of the [[Timesthian Current]] before they cool along the shores of [[Old Seligon]], eastern Belkondíl is more densely forested and in general more suitable for the cultivation of crops. The [[Rouningwood]], a mixed forest reaching from the [[Dôkob|River Dôkob]] eastward until [[Singrall]], is among the longest continuous woodland areas within the Lécaronian domain and of great economic and cultural significance.

The lands east of the Brethan, and especially east of the Cëlac, are influenced by the somewhat milder climate of the western Timesthe. While still considerably colder than [[Seligon]], which is reached directly by the warm waters of the [[Timesthian Current]] before they cool along the shores of [[Old Seligon]], eastern Belkondíl is more densely forested and in general more suitable for the cultivation of crops. The [[Rouningwood]], a mixed forest reaching from the [[Dôkob|River Dôkob]] eastward until [[Singrall]], is among the longest continuous woodland areas within the Lécaronian domain and of great economic and cultural significance.

It is this centrality that finally also brings Belkondíl back in the focus of war and unrest. In the troublesome 7th century L.R., when Lécaron reaches the high of its power only to within half a century lose most of its territory, Belkondíl experiences the first major external conflict in centuries. After Lécaron's critical defeat in the [[Geranian War of Independence]] 666‒672, the young [[Kingdom of Geran]] does not halt once its own lands are liberated. In the early summer of 687, the Geranian cavalry crosses the Ilathw and invades Ortûlék, beginning the devastating four-year [[Geranian War]]. The fatal [[Battle of Talis]] of 691 forces Lécaron into a truce. Atrissar is split between the kingdom and the empire, Tarébras has long declared for the invadors and remains with their new polity. Lécaron gradually loses more and more lands all over Elondor; by 740, the empire is truncated to its core lands in Belkondíl and its first conquests in [[Old Seligon|Iilish territory]].

It is this centrality that finally also brings Belkondíl back in the focus of war and unrest. In the troublesome 7th century L.R., when Lécaron reaches the high of its power only to within half a century lose most of its territory, Belkondíl experiences the first major external conflict in centuries. After Lécaron's critical defeat in the [[Geranian War of Independence]] 666‒672, the young [[Kingdom of Geran]] does not halt once its own lands are liberated. In the early summer of 687, the Geranian cavalry crosses the Ilathw and invades Ortûlék, beginning the devastating four-year [[Geranian War]]. The fatal [[Battle of Talis]] of 691 forces Lécaron into a truce. Atrissar is split between the kingdom and the empire, Tarébras has long declared for the invadors and remains with their new polity. Lécaron gradually loses more and more lands all over Elondor; by 740, the empire is truncated to its core lands in Belkondíl and its first conquests in [[Old Seligon|Iilish territory]].