Alacritis is expanding... again!

Name: Grapevine Cathedral - A once proud stand of oak and maple trees now stand encumbered, suffocated by a mass of grapevine so think only the barest amount of sunlight can reach the forest floor below. The vines cover the canopy like a cathedral's arching roof. It filters through in drops and dribbles, giving only enough sustenance for the trees themselves. No underbrush mars the soil here, and the air is frequently still and quiet.

Name: Alces Tundra - The only flora found in this northern region are those of a tough nature: short scrub brushes and other hardy things. The rolling landscape has no great hills, nor mountains or trees. Its largest feature may in fact be the creatures who dominate this area in excess: Moose. The massive deer wander through the land in great numbers, browsing and warring with one another.

Name: Iron Range - This range of mountains is cold and harsh no matter the season. It's peaks scratch the sky sky and are continually capped in snow. The mountains are riddled with veins of iron, and the dark metal can be found both oxidized and freshly exposed in almost every nook and crevice. It is a cold and hard place to exist.

Name: Redbud Nook - This young new-growth forest took hold after a large fire burned down the previous grove. The ash of the fallen giants which came before has fertilized the soil and provided an ideal environment for the low shrubs and redbud trees that now abound. Each spring the trees explode into color, vivid pink blossoms overtaking the entire region.

Name - Bluestem Heights: This highland prairie is a prime nesting ground for various game birds of all species. In the nesting season the area rings with all manner of calls. Fox and snakes are also numerous in the area, finding easy meals within the nests. The grassland rolls and sweeps over hills, green and vibrant in the spring, yet cold and bleak in the winter months.

Name: The Fawning Shire - This warm woodland is home to babbling brooks, soft mossy glades, and sandy soil fit for the rearing of young. It is surrounded on all sides with a thick tangle of brambles, with only a few notable points of entrance and egress. Every spring, does flock here to birth their young and rear them until it is time to move on. It is peaceful and tranquil in every season.

Name: Red Sand Wastes - This section of the desert appears at a distance to be coated in blood. The grains of sand are crimson, auburn, scarlet, and their rich coloration absorbs the sun's rays. It grows unbearable during the height of the day, and frigid once the sun sets.

Name: Jewel of the Dunes - Deep within a barren waste sits an unexpected surprise. Cool water bubbles up from within the surface of the earth, giving life to an otherwise lifeless landscape, if only in the immediate area. The pool holds no life within it, but this has not stopped birds and the breeze from carrying in seeds from afar. Moss grows on rocks, small saplings cling to life in a shallow soil. It is a true haven in an otherwise hostile place.

Name: The Ancient Oaks - Ivy dusts the forest floor here, climbing tentatively up and around the gargantuan trunks of thousand year old oak trees. Their sweeping vastness is rivaled only by the famous redwood groves. Many trees bear the scars of lightning strikes yet, and those which have fallen are as impressive as those which still stand, several having hollowed out to form structures all their own.

Name: Mossy Cascades - A beautiful place which hides its inherent danger quite well. The torrent of water that races down this section of the river throws up clouds of mist, casts rainbows, and slickens the rocks. Moss took root on the shore long ago, and now grows as a veritable forest, coat almost every surface from the water's edge to the nearby tree line. While plush, one right step will send you into the torrent, to be washed down stream and bashed about by the stones below.

Name: Cattail Creek - This slow, lazy flow of water is an ideal place to fish or lay about. It is lined with reeds and cattails which harbor numerous species of frog, snake, and waterfowl. This winding stretch is typically calm, excepting flooding and sudden storms. Sycamore trees bend over the cool water, providing shade and shelter amongst their roots.

Name: The God's Garden - All that remains of whatever must have come before are a smattering of stone foundations, well overgrown and worn away, clustering in a cleared field. The thicket of woodland encroaches year by year, but for now the clearing remains choked with herbs of all sorts. Once cultivated and grown in neat clusters they now spread wild, and many otherwise rare plants grow in abundance.

Name: The Barrows - Low, rolling hills crisscross the horizon in unnatural shapes. The smell of death and decay is always faint on the air, though the land is plentiful and lush. If it were possible to see them from above, they would swirl into shapes of birds, serpents, and other strange shapes. If you are lucky and vigilant, you can sometimes find old relics that have worked their way up through the soil.

Name: Shimmer Sand Creek - Flecks of mica dot the substrate of this waterway, bringing this small creek alive with glittering light. Large, smooth boulders border the causeway. The occasional fallen tree makes a peaceful perch over the water: an excellent place to meditate or relax. The water is so clear you can see down to the rocks below, no matter the depth.

Name: The Everforest - Long ago a volcanic eruption buried these trees in ash. Over time the organic matter decomposed and the void was filled with firmer, sturdier materials. As time wore on the rain and wind worked the land excavating the fossilized forest which had been hidden below. At most they seem to be only queer pillars of rock, but occasionally one has retained branches or hollows, betraying their true nature. The land is rocky, with little plant growth, and tends to lend visitors an eery feeling.

Name: The Haunted Mire - This murky, dank bog is a treacherous place indeed. It is shrouded in constant fog, and the sphagnum moss and peat sinks could easily swallow the unwitting. Many say it is most certainly haunted, though by what is unknown. At night, any lost within it's depths might see lights flickering from farther in and be led astray. Eerie calls, moans, and howls whistle through tree branches, which are always bare, no matter the season. This is a good place for dark deeds.

Name: Wildberry Grove - This small nook in the forest is a perfect place for the young at heart to wander and explore. The sunny meadow is surrounded on all sides by maple trees, and the grasses within its center mingle with a plethora of fruit bearing shrubs. Elderberries, blueberries, cloudberries, strawberries; No one is certain how the seeds were brought to this piece of land, but it is a popular location for rodents, wolves, birds... and bears.

Name: Fossil Ridge - An earthquake struck this rolling plain long ago, and as consequence the sides of several hills and ridges crumbled away into scree piles in their valley basins. No one could have expected the mysteries it would expose. Buried in the black soil and rock are large, ancient bones of all sorts. Skulls, femurs, fangs, vertebrae. A curious wolf might spend hours studying and excavating this area.

Name: The Runestones - The origin of these standing stones is unknown, adding to their fascinating qualities. This moorland is strewn with stones of all sizes, yet a few stand out among the rest. In a clearing otherwise without debris stand a dozen stones, upright and in a perfect circle. Whether it be a naturally occurring boulder or something carved and chiseled into a new shape, all the stones in this mossy area have been inscribed with strange runes. X's, arrows, spikes, forks, spires, all unknown and unreadable, yet beautiful. The stones are made of granite, and seem to shimmer in the moonlight.

Name: The Skylight Caves - All that is left of what was once solid stone is a curving hive of tunnels and tubes, softer materials having been worn out by rain and ice. The labyrinth is mostly unmapped, and quite dangerous for those who are not intimately familiar with the area. For others, it may provide an excellent place to rest or hide. Furthermore, this odd warren boasts of an even stranger location: The peak of a mountain.

Name: The Shimmering Shore - What is no more than a winding coastline during the day comes alive as the sun sets. Hoards of phosphorescent bacteria make their home in this shallow bay, and upon irritation illuminate. Wading through, under the moonlight, produces a trail of shimmering green-blue light.

Name: Ghoul's Fen - This sodden bog is enshrouded in a constant fog. No matter the time of year or sunlight above, it persists. Ironwoods and hawthorn trees, other low shrubs and brambles, grow in great numbers on any clump of land that exists above the pools of murky water. The fog deadens most sounds, and sends them about echoing off

Name: Brimstone Lake - Far below the black soil of this lakeside sits a dormant volcano, one that has not erupted in anyones memory, or that of their ancestors. Still, the signs of it's existence are there for all to see. Cracks in exposed bedrock vent the smell of burning rock and brimstone, and the earth shakes frequently with the inferno?s slumber.

Name: Sulfur Springs - This quiet basin is dominated by bubbling turquoise pools, and the occasional erupting plumes of heated water and steam. Each pool is different, none bearing quite the same color or content. To the keen of mind some hold warm mineral water, while others hold toxic acids in concentrations too high to even bring in contact with your skin. The landscape is safe enough for those who are weary and well educated.

Name: Aspen Dam - This idyllic vale is dominated by three features: a broad grove of aspens, a creek choked with beaver dams, and a grassy flood plain that stretches far in between. The trees will encroach no further than the seasonal floods allow, which grow increasingly more severe when the beavers are left to breed unchecked. The area is also frequent with large herds of elk, which graze on the young grasses, aspens, and the waterway's cottonwood saplings that are not taken first by the rodents.

Name: The Hibiscus Apiary - Trailing vines, tangled tendrils, and beautiful blooms decorate this small grove. The air is filled with the sweet smell of flowers and a lazy buzzing. Numerous hives of honeybees have chosen this region to call as their home, pollinating as they please. It is a calm, serene place to relax... just mind where you step.

Name: Royal Fern Burrows - This forest floor is devoid of most flora, pardoning broad cottonwood trees. The soil rolls and roils, worn away by rivulets and eroded into smoother slopes over time. It is blanketed in a lush carpet of Royal Ferns, some growing taller than a wolf might see over. The soil here is dense and compacted, well suited for building dens.

Name: Sweetgrass Basin - This sweeping depression caters to a wide variety of grasses. Ridges surround the area on all sides, and looking down into the basin is not unlike looking out over the sea. Under the summer heat they bake and broil, giving the entirety of the grassy sea a heady scent.

Name: Avian's Bluff - The ocean rages below this sheer cliff face, it's dark stone jagged and rough, pieces constantly being sloughed off by storms and spray. While topside it is smooth and worn, the only plant life it can boast are low grasses and moss. The true gem of this harsh coastline lies out of sight. Hoards of birds, be them gulls, hawks, or other cliff nesting species, call it home. One might spend a leisurely day watching the fledglings learn to fly, or watching them hunt over the surf.

Name: Manatee Bay - A shallow, warm bay choked with sea lettuce and kelp. There is no riptide, no crushing surf. Mangrove trees dot the white sand beach, and the waters are a popular destination for sea mammals of all kinds. Dolphins, porpoises, and manatees can frequent visitors, and whales can often be seen enjoying the warm waters father out.

Name: Heaven's Caldera - The collapse of a massive magma chamber eons ago has left a deep depression in the land. The soil's volcanic source has left it fertile and ready to host the plethora of life that followed. It is a veritable eden, hosting all manner of flora and fauna. Meadows and swaths of old growth forests carpet the basin like a verdant blanket.

Name: Hermit's Coast - This rocky beach is littered with tide pools, juts of coral, and backed by sandy dunes. For those fond of fish and crustaceans it is a good place to linger. At night the beach seems to whisper and clatter as droves of hermit crabs emerge to begin their nightly forage.

Name: Oxen Esker - An amalgam of coniferous forest, ponds, and glacial alluvium. This northern area is pockmarked with the scars of glacial travel, and dotted with sandy banks. The grassy forage and ambling landscape is home to herds upon herds of musk oxen, who migrate through every year.