Selva

The Greenlands

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       Location: North central Rin

     Native Type: Plant

     Features: Bridge Village, Riu Mare, Mum's Labyrinth, Selva-Avenir Outpost

     Geography: Jungle, grassland, forest

     Capital: Poble Porta

     Other Settlements: Poble Pont (Bridge Village), Poble Vora, Poble Riu

     Affiliated Character(s): Aaron Thorn, Samantha Thorn, Chief Marissa Marigold, Nathaniel Mum (deceased), Lily Fern, Beladonna Fern, Adam Fern (Origin: Avenir)

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     Lush, vibrant, green, and all natural. These are the main words one would use to describe the land of Selva. Situated north of Avenir and east of Dikar, Selva occupies a quiet, warm, wet, and peaceful little corner of Rin, largely untouched by the machinations of the modern world around it. Everything within the borders of Selva is made using only what comes directly from the soil and sky. From the elaborate huts of it's capitol, Poble Porta, to the mile-high bridge network that earned Poble Pont its name, the Bridge Village, Selva is a testament to a people's steadfast connection with the natural world. And, nothing exemplifies the spirit of Selva more than the Mother Tree, a massive oak that glows a pale white from its enormous roots to its beautiful canopy. In many ways, the Mother Tree is the center of all that is Selva.

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     Selva works differently than Avenir, in that is has what could be called a natural monarchy. One chief acts as the leader of the people and protector of the land. However, the chief is not elected by the people, nor is the title inherited. No, the honour of chief is awarded by the Ancestral Vine of the Mother Tree. Each family in Selva has a signature bloom. When a chief passes, the bloom of a new family blossoms upon the Vine, which grows on the bark of the Mother Tree. The leader of that family becomes the new chief. 

 

     Selva is the 2nd largest region of Rin, behind only Dikar. However, more than half of it is either untamed and barely touched. The actual living settlements of Selva are relatively densely packed. And, with everyone being close - both personally and physically - having a single figurehead is rather efficient. Selva has a tentative treaty with Dikar to the west, as their ways of life heavily influence each other's, most notably at the border of Poble Vora in Selva and Cana in Dikar.

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     The design of Selva is heavily reflective of the philosophy of its people. The Selvari are adamantly anti-synthetic. They reject virtually all forms of sapien technology, believing that anything one could ever need is provided by the soil. Convenient for them, then, that about half of their population can manipulate much of what that soil produces. However, while this particularity serves to isolate the Selvari from the rest of the world, it also helps to strengthen their sense of community. To the Selvari, all those born of the Greenlands are family. For, just as the fungi connect the roots of the trees, so too does the Emerald Essence connect the people of Selva. Families often live together for generations. Everyone who is able participates in growth, development, protection, and maintenance. In Selva, community is everything. All are one.