Laucentar Steel Pines

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Laucentar is a rugged highland forest, averaging 5,000', and peaking at 10,000 where it joins the northern tip of the Khilag-Tarkin valley. Like a cornerstone, it connects the corners of four regions, Grashakh, Hells Womb, the Lands of Purity, and the Northern Hordelands. It can be a windy area, with southern winds coming down from the Olmi Hjark and an unnatural cold drifting north from the Caina Nexus.

Sometimes called the Steel Pines for its steely gray evergreens, Laucentar wood is very strong, 25% more so than oak. The unnatural hardening is thought to be a result of magical emanations spilling out of the rift Caina Nexus or Foropode's old home, the Snowflake Manse.

Up until the Second Epoch, this woodland was under the watch of treants out of Einglach. They were of a sect that wanted to stop the spread of civilization. Laucentar was at a strategic spot, near the crux of mountains, the only good area for roads. There were tracks galore, game trails, and paths into the mountains, all dangerous. The treants came to be known as the Wardens of Laucentar. They battled any large group that sought to pass through, refusing parley with good, neutral or evil voices. As a result, the Wardens became enemies of the Tragarans of Hells Womb and the Githirmil that forced their way through the Sorrow Pass in the Arduous March (1041 - 1096). The large number of humanoids seeking passage ended up destroying many treants, driving others into higher elevations and making others accept the fact that they could not resist the growing humanoid populations. Nonetheless, treants still prowl this forest, and are normally not friendly to those seeking to pass through.

The main road in this forest is the Sorrow Road. In addition to this caravan route, there are hundreds of game trails serving firbolg, hill giants, gnolls, Toomrur, centaurs, Jara, and others living in the area.