Eastern Reaches

The Eastern Reaches is known for its vibrant and lush land, flat towards the center with small sloping hills towards the borders. The plains of the center region surround the Yuhuan lake, the largest freshwater lake in the kingdom, formed from the Euphoria river that flows in from the western side. Smaller streams and estuary rivers flow from the larger Euphoria River, forming smaller lakes and pools that dot the landscape. Rice paddy steppes and large patches of farm field filled with wheat, oat and corn, dot the land of the central region.

While the lands towards the central region is flat, the lands towards the eastern border is filled with rolling hills that makes agriculture far more difficult. Instead, the region is filled with patches of forests, the most well known being the Jinyu Woods towards the southeast region. Rather than crops, the region here is known for mulberry fields nestled on the slopes of hills, and the rich swarths of woodlands filled with sandalwood, ginko, bamboo and maple trees. And within the Yunli mountain itself are groves of pine and redwood.

The beauty of the Eastern Reaches is only marred briefly by the Misty Vale, a foggy, grey swatch of dead forest groves and dry dark land that stretch along the eastern bordern. While the Yunli mountin chain blocks off most of the Misty Vale from the Eastern Reaches proper along the eastern and southern parts, a small gap exists between the Yunli and Boreal Spine mountain chain in the north. There, the Order has planted a small forest of oak and bamboos, called the Yuelin forest, that stands as a buffer before the fog of the Misty Vale.

Yuelin forest means "Moon forest" because its proximity to the Misty Vale affects its overall weather pattern. No matter the weather outside, the Yuelin forest is perpetually overcast with dark clouds, with a thin layer of mist flowing throughout, letting in little to no sunlight. And in winter months, daytime seems even shorter than normal, and with the thick growth of bamboo and oak, it would almost feel like nighttime is extended within the forest grove. While the northern sections of the Eastern Reaches are naturally cooler than the rest, especially during the winter season, the Yuelin forest is especially known for being colder and wetter.

At the end of the fall season and in the first month of the winter season, a thick fog will creep into the Yuelin forest from the Misty Vale. Called the "Ghost Fog," it is rumored to hold all the negative emotions from the Grimmfell itself. The dark and damp fog itself creates a zone of perpetual night, and it is said that any normal cat that enters the zone will be affected by the negative emotions it carries as it saps away at the spirit powers of the cats. Other than the bamboo and oak trees in the forest, which are blessed and protected by the Order, other plant life the fog touches is said to wither and die quickly. The fog usually lasts for around two weeks, driven to receed back into the Misty Vale by the procession of the Rite of Flames, led by the Exarch of the Order and a troop of Wardens. Otherwise, it is said the fog could last much longer.

The region has a fairly warm and stable climate most of the year with decent rainfall, only slightly hotter during the summer season, and slightly colder during the winter. Other than the northern border close to the Misty Vale, and the top of the taller mountains, it is rare to see snowfall even in the winter months, and usually the temperature is still above freezing point. As such, even in winter the river and lakes rarely freeze.

The region is known for being rich in agricultural goods, with rice paddies alongside the lower hills and wild rice being cultivated alongside streams and lakes. The river, lakes and streams of the region are filled with freshwater fish and shrimps, and many fisheries are built in the region.

While the flat plains focus on agriculture, the hillier border areas focus on forestry. Oak, maple, pine and bamboo are more common trees grown in the forests. Along the southern sections though, the region also has groves rich with teak and sandalwood, which are highly prized.

In the southern regions, flax is grown for textiles and used in the creation of paper (alongside bamboo pulp). Mulberry orchards also exist in this region, as the cultivation of silkworms were brought over from the living world, producing highly prized silk used for cloth making and trade.

The Yunli mountian regions also produce a type of clay that can be used for pottery. Minerals used for dyes and inkstones are also rich in the soil that line the border of the Yunli mountain. Due to the existence of the Misty Vale in the eastern borders, most cats fear to venture forth and mine in the eastern sections of the Yunli mountain chain. But mining does occur in the southern sections of the mountains that border the Rodentia kingdoms.

The Eastern Reaches was the region most devastated by the First Great War of the Realms, as the Misty Vale was created from a stretch of woods on the border of the region. While separated from the rest of the region due to the Yunli mountains, several towns and villages existed in the woods beyond, some serving as towns focusing on hunting or forestry, and several were important trading posts that served as links between Dominicus Felinus and the larger regions beyond. The creation of the Misty Vale required the relocation of all the cats who used to live in the region. And with the later incursions of Grimmfell creatures along the border of the Misty Vale, many villages that were in the mountains were abandoned, and large portions of the population also continued to abandon the other towns and cities that bordered the Misty Vale.

  The population grew slightly after the border truly stablized around year 400 Eighth Era, but quickly declined again during the Second Great war towards the end of the Eighth Era. The Eastern Reaches was particularily affected, the border towns devestated due to proximity to the Misty Vale, which became a major battle ground and source of continuous incursions throughout the years of the war. A rebuilding effort was initiated in the beginning of the Ninth Era, but the region was never able to fully recover, especially as decrease of Wardens made the region far more dangerous than other places. Thus, even till today, the region's population is mainly concentrated closer to the central plains, with only smaller towns and villages hosting the Wardens sitting closer to the Vale.