The Stonepile grows fertile as it travels north. Desert gives way to plains, plains to light forest and the forests to the giant northern rainforests of the Sylar. A giant carpet of unbroken green that stretches for thousands of miles across the north. Each tree one of the fabled Titian trees, who reach lengendary heights, hundreds of metres into the sky.

The forest is divided into layers. The massive canopy of leaves and branches teems with life as northern screamers, greendrakes and leapers bound from branch to branch in a wild ballets of predator and prey over half a kilometre from the forest floor. The giant, harmless Zelplins come north to feed every winter, tearing great chunks of the canopy into their gaping maws.

 In the sub canopy, among branches the size of redwoods, live the Naejeeri and a dazzling variety of plants and animals, all thriving in an ecosystem completly dependent on the Titan trees.

Under the villages and bright sunlight, the forest grows dark and still as little light penetrates through the leaves above. Dead and dying branches, leafless and shrivelled in the gloom, grow giant forms of mushrooms and fungi.

Below the dead canopy is a vast space of tree trunks, like pillars in an empty cathedral. Nothing grows in the darkness and for hundreds of metres the bare tree trunks reach up into the air, separated by hundreds of feet from it's closest neighbour. In this chilling, empty darkness little lives except for winged scavengers such as lifesuckers, shriekers, and azoryl.

The forest floor is a thick humus of decaying material and stagnant pools that feed the roots of the Titian trees. Little can live in this dark, decaying level, the only signs of life are the occasional rustle of a giant insect travelling thought the layers of decaying materials and the death cries of creatures that have fallen into the mess, before suddenly falling silent as the black form of a lifesucker swoops over to feed upon the dying.

There are no roads thought the forest floor, only giant lifts at the edges of the forest where the Naejeeri trade with the Korsalish and caravans from the south. The only roads through the giant trees are in the canopies themselves. A network of cleared branches, rope bridges and vines link the village,  moving goods and people across the land hundreds of meters above the forest floor.
 

The Naejeeri
The Naejeeri are a tall, thin people whose skin covered in short fur in a waide array of colours and patterns.  Their ears are long and lobeless,  pointed into the darkness, specialized in picking out sounds in the gloom of the lower canopies.  Their eyes have grown large and cat-like to hunt in the shifting patterns of light and shadow of the canopies and their faces have a slight snout, framing a large mouth filled with carnivorous teeth.

Their limbs too, have adapted to a life in the trees. Their toes and fingers are clawed to grip  into the bark. Their feet have short soles and long toes with the big toe stretched and opposable allowing them to perform simple skills with ease. The bones of their ankles and foot are extended, adding a third section to their leg that allows for greater flexibility, and strength. It acts much like a forearm, allowing them to turn the bottom of their foot outward. This added section also gives them a powerful kick and a loping, graceful gate.

With these adaptations they fly through the trees like wild monkeys, leaping across great gaps in the branches and swinging on the thinnest of branches faster than a man can run. They can walk normally, thought if they do so for long periods of time their feet and legs quickly tire. However they find riding an animal highly uncomfortable and prefer to ride in a wagon or walk, riding only when absolutely necessary.

They dress in simple leathers or cloth made from the leaves. Pants, vests and lose shirts are worn by both sexes and with little loose jewellery or belongings that could be snagged as they flew through the trees. Instead they dye their fur with bright designs and drawings, usually bright blues, greens, reds or/and purples swirls that snake around their bodies like vines. Most belongings are carried in small knapsacks and everyone carries  a length of rope tied around the waist and the other end to a small grappling hook. This rope is carried in case of a slip or fall, the grappling hook is thrown upwards and is more likely to be caught on a branch or leaf.
 

Customs
The Naejeeri live in villages that are hollowed out of the trees or built with the wood and seed-pods of the Titian Trees. Rope bridges, platforms and ramps link homes where branches are thin. The people spend most of their days outside, preferring to spend their time out among the canopy.

The society is a free one with few laws and little government. A small ruling body known as the Cabinet meets whenever necessary in order to deal with threats, criminals and other decisions. These meetings are open to everyone and all those over the age of fifteen may have a say. Criminals convicted of minor crimes are sent to the lower canopy to gather firewood for a period of time while criminals convicted of more violent and serious crimes are cast without rope or clothing into the vast expanse below the canopy, a region the Naejeeri call the "The Empty Lands", where they fall to their deaths, their bodies used to feed the trees.

They have no formal marriage or child bearing laws, couples may stay together as long as they wish. Children are raised by both parents until they are considered old enough to contribute to the community at around age thirteen. There is little in the way of formal professions or a divison of sexes. Individuals picking up different skills and trades as they go.

Freedom is valued most among the Naejeeri. They are free to do mostly as they please and many travel for a few years across the continent. Often a group of youngsters will travel together, trading and exploring all the way south to Lal Chim.

The Parthenians have occasionally launched raids into the forests in order to gather wood and slaves but each time they have been beaten back as the Naejeeri wage a brutal, guerrilla-style resistence.
 

The Feralings
In many ways the Naejeeri still live in a half wild existence. When a child is born it lives with the mother until it is weaned. After this (around a year) it becomes too wild for the mother to control and it is released into the forest. There they spend up to ten years, living like animals in small, wild packs. These children, known as Feralings are considered sacred spirits by the adults and doing any harm to one is considered the highest crime in Naejeeri society.

As the Feraling grows older the animal nature seems to dim, and the child will begin to sneak around the village, instinctually seeking out it's mother. At around the age of ten, most of the feral nature has left the child and they return to their mother where they begin to learn the ways of civilization.
Yet even as adults they are constantly subjected to wild bursts of instinctual behaviour and animal ferocity. As a culture they try to suppress these feelings, though there are only two acceptable ways for the Naejeeri to express the wild, animal natures inside them; one is on the battlefield, it has been their ability for brutality and ferocity that has keep the Parthenian Slave armies from flattening the forests. The second is in protection of the Feralings.

Death
When a Naejeeri dies their spirits are prayed for a small likeness is carved out of the wood of their home and hung from the topmost branch. Thousands of these beautifully carved figures hang above the villages, producing an almost constant melody as they tap each other in the winds.  The body of the deceased is seen as a shell and is partially burnt then caste to the forest floor where it will decay and become feed the Titan trees.
 

The Titan Trees
The giant, endless forest of the Sylar stretch from the deserts of the Stonepile, north into the tundra wandergrounds of the Korsalish  In all this stretch of land their is only one type of tree, the gigantic Titan trees.

Yet plant life abound in the mighty canopies. Dirt and grit collects on the giant branches where ferns and flowering shrubs abound. Even in places where no dirt exists at all, plants sprout form the bark itself. For nearly a 900 thousand square miles the ecosystem rests solidly on one species of tree.

The tree itself is distantly related to the Gall Oaks of Talislanta.  It's leaves are large and shaped like a teardrop, nearly seven feet long. Waterproof and  tough enough to withstand heavy winds, the Naejeeri use the fibres to make clothing, or simply poke a hole  through the leaf and wear it as a poncho. The trees are evergreens and constantly shed their leaves throughout the year. Fallen leaves are collected and are used by the Naejeeri for rope, clothing, firewood, food (the juices of the leaf are made into some interesting ales) and trade.

The trees themselves are immense. At their base they can be up to five hundred square feet and reach heights of up to one thousand feet. The trees attain such heights because they do not grow outward like other trees, In the Titan trees it is the centre that lives, pushing the dead matter outwards, forming a solid inner pillar that can reach up to one hundred square feet round. Because of this the bark and material underneath is comprised totally of dead wood. These layers can be stripped away without harming the tree and the Naejeeri (among other creatures) often make their homes in the hollow trunks. Many plants too, have adapted to burrowing their roots into the nutrient rich bark producing lush underbrush along the branches and trunks. From time to time strips of the dead bark tear from the tree, to go crashing down to the forest floor.

The trees are among the most unique sight on Parthenthius; streams run along the branches, cascading into waterfalls that can fall for hundreds of feet, showering the land below in a steady mist. Bright birds and avir of countless species fly between the leaves, their calls filling the skies with music.

No naturalist has ever calculated how long a Titan tree lives. Vast stretches of land have been cleared where trees have fallen in the past. In these long clearings young Titan trees grow, competing to be the first to fill the gap.  These clearings are far from common however and no living Naejeeri can remember such an event in their time. Some speculate that even if a Naejeeri tree where to die, the complex interlocking of the branches would keep it up for a long time. These dead trees are rare and are considered evil by the Naejeeri who say strange lights and creatures live inside.

The branches of the trees can grow wide enough to allow two wagons to pass. Most are clogged with undergrowth while others have been cleared are highways by the Naejeeri, for transport or trade.

These branches sometimes grow large seed pods that are coveted by the Naejeeri. They constantly search for dried out pods that they can hollow out and use them as shelters, homes and storage.
Currants of sap running under the bark can, and when treated and dried properly makes a strong cement. The pods are then attached to the branches or trunks. A pod is high enough to form a large room and many are often stuck together to make houses. Other single pods are found along the highways offering a travellers a safe place to sleep. Clusters can also be found near trade routs or strategic locations, serving as temporary shelters for warriors and sentries. .

The trees are everything to the Naejeeri; gods, shelter and food. They never harm the inner core, calling it the heartwood where the spirits of the trees dwell. They despise the Parthenians who see the forests as nothing more than vast reaches of ready wood to fuel their empire and woodcutting parties find themselves under furious attack by suicidal and crazed Naejeeri. Despite the bravery and courage of the warriors, every year a few trees are lost, forever engraving a deep  hatred of the Parthenians into the hearts of the Naejeeri.

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