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Briën Amir

The Briën Amir is the ancestral forest home of all the Elves of Gilalion. In Ataën, the Cradle, the Elves first sprang into being, from roses and Chiel's hallowed light. There have been two mass exoduses from this forest, the first, and smaller, exodus being that of the Arkastanai Elves, and the second, and much larger, group being the host which would later become the Larenai nation. Now the Elves who have remained are called the Dal-Kalen, the Rose Children, and they consider themselves above their kin outside the Briën Amir. The Briën Amir is home to the largest and oldest trees in Gilalion. Indeed to strangers the trees seem threatening, and dark whispers in the shadows have driven many a would-be intruder away. The forest is hallowed with the light of Chiel that once shone in it at the birth of the Elves, and this light shines still in the lyvariën trees, those trees whose black trunks and luminous, silvery leaves have been seen by few but are sung about in the tales of Men and Elves alike. Roses grow wild in the Briën Amir, and they are considered a holy plant by the Dal-Kalen. The Dal-Kalen, although not xenophobic as some have suggested, dislike dealing with outsiders. They wish to be left alone, and though they forge no weapons nor maintain an army, they are not without defense. Popular tales tell of how the trees do the bidding of the Dal-Kalen, and among the Nohr there is an ancient legend telling of an army of giants who attacked the forest, were surrounded by the trees, and perished in that dark wood, never to see again the light of day. The Dal-Kalen trade with no one, though those living in the southern parts of the forest, in Tiaëthil and Selgaté, have some contact with the Jer'in and, occasionally, the Tamari.

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